True? Strange or What!

[RockyMTblue2]

In yesterday's Courant article on the run up to 1000 a pretty heady guy and friend of Geno's expressed himself and it was a second reading this morning that drew me to a statement that really puzzles and alarms me. It's highlighted, in context, below.

"There’s a lot of things that make him a great coach,” said Bruno, Auriemma’s assistant on the Olympic team in 2012 and 2016. “I just think his ability to collect and put groups of people together. He recruits ‘total package’ people.. … That’s just one aspect of it. He and his staff are really diligent in how hard they work to get their players better. They are a program that works on skill development. There aren’t many of those in the country. They work to get the players, individually, better at their skills. And then, collectively, they know how to play on all sides of the basketball.”

How the Hades do you call yourself a coach and not strive to develope your players skills? For years now we have heard how skills development has faded at the high school level, a process accelerated by AAU ball and the dizzying number of games/tournaments. Setting screens, how to move off the ball, heck the layup, how to move your feet on defense, how to effectively pass (and when), etc etc .

This statement by Bruno... well, it is pretty damning about the health of WCBB coaching.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Lets not read too too much into this.

Part of the problem has to be a lack of time to do so. UConn has, in the first place, as Doug said, recruited players that have "the total package", part of which has to be the drive to want to improve their skills, and a fair set of skills to begin with.

Many players don't have the total package, and they are recruited for whatever specific skill they have - athleticism, 3 point, ball handle, whatever. Then, what the coach needs to instill, posthaste, is whatever specific skills are going to enable that player to be a sucessful part of whatever gets run at the specific school - better defense, better recognition of opponent defenses, whatever it is.

The drive to be successful, as well as the attitude (and I don't necessarily mean a "bad" attitude) of players has probably contributed to this.

Most coaches do develop players, obviously some better than others; what Geno does is takes really good material and makes it more well rounded. He probably doesn't have to spend so much time as other coaches teaching what should be basic, but isn't, because I suspect most of the top recruits - and certainly the type that Geno recruits - have better basics than the average.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

He probably doesn't have to spend so much time as other coaches teaching what should be basic, but isn't, because I suspect most of the top recruits - and certainly the type that Geno recruits - have better basics than the average.

Uh, I don't know about that:

 

[BroadwayVa]

In yesterday's Courant article on the run up to 1000 a pretty heady guy and friend of Geno's expressed himself and it was a second reading this morning that drew me to a statement that really puzzles and alarms me. It's highlighted, in context, below.

"There’s a lot of things that make him a great coach,” said Bruno, Auriemma’s assistant on the Olympic team in 2012 and 2016. “I just think his ability to collect and put groups of people together. He recruits ‘total package’ people.. … That’s just one aspect of it. He and his staff are really diligent in how hard they work to get their players better. They are a program that works on skill development. There aren’t many of those in the country. They work to get the players, individually, better at their skills. And then, collectively, they know how to play on all sides of the basketball.”

How the Hades do you call yourself a coach and not strive to develope your players skills? For years now we have heard how skills development has faded at the high school level, a process accelerated by AAU ball and the dizzying number of games/tournaments. Setting screens, how to move off the ball, heck the layup, how to move your feet on defense, how to effectively pass (and when), etc etc .

This statement by Bruno... well, it is pretty damning about the health of WCBB coaching.

Doug Bruno, I believe is an honest, intelligent coach and person. I'm not so sure SKILLs decreased but certainly FUNDAMENTAL's have decreased. Doug and Geno have lamented the demise of Fundamentals for a few decades. Kids learn to dribble and shoot. Like Svetlana --why should she defend--she shoots? But Sevtlana learned the whole bag of Basketball from Geno and excelled on the World stage--UNFORTUNATELY the teams of the USA will be playing HER teams.
Geno has also commented about the High School coaches in Connecticut and their lack of fundamental training--run shoot, run, shoot. The recruiting of a Connecticut WHS BB player for GENO is Rare with him spouting the lack as in your RED above.. Heck it's easy any one can coach an 11 time National Champ team.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Lets not read too too much into this.

Part of the problem has to be a lack of time to do so. UConn has, in the first place, as Doug said, recruited players that have "the total package", part of which has to be the drive to want to improve their skills, and a fair set of skills to begin with.

Many players don't have the total package, and they are recruited for whatever specific skill they have - athleticism, 3 point, ball handle, whatever. Then, what the coach needs to instill, posthaste, is whatever specific skills are going to enable that player to be a sucessful part of whatever gets run at the specific school - better defense, better recognition of opponent defenses, whatever it is.

The drive to be successful, as well as the attitude (and I don't necessarily mean a "bad" attitude) of players has probably contributed to this.

Most coaches do develop players, obviously some better than others; what Geno does is takes really good material and makes it more well rounded. He probably doesn't have to spend so much time as other coaches teaching what should be basic, but isn't, because I suspect most of the top recruits - and certainly the type that Geno recruits - have better basics than the average.

Being an RU fan you probably haven't heard the rants of Geno about ---recruits LACK of FUNDAMENTALS---for 3 decades. He recruited ONE Russian because she was highly touted and obviously ALL EUROPEAN's have better Fundamentals--her skills (almost) were offensive. She was great and Geno made her Greater. I'm sure Fundamentals are why more Frosh sit longer on Geno's bench than in other programs.. A kid with a bad attitude, usually won't make it into Geno's program, if they do--they are gone early--or adapt.

 

[Bigboote]

I'm with Broadway -- I interpret this as fundamental skills, and it's not just women's basketball, it's other sports, too.

My two biggest pet peeves that every college-level WBB player should know better than to do:

Low bounce pass into the low post. First, a 6-5 player isn't looking for a ball at her ankles. Second, if she does catch it cleanly, a double is likely to come from a guard.

Post player gets an offensive rebound and brings the ball down to her waist before going back up for the put back.

But as I say it's not just WCBB. I think a small minority of ML baseball players can lay down a bunt. Very few know how to slide properly. A belly slide doesn't get you to a base faster than a pop slide, plus it's dangerous. I still remember Derek Jeter missing most of a season with a belly-slide-induced shoulder injury.

These are skills I was taught in junior high. We had to run laps if we missed getting down a bunt. I never picked up a proper slide, but then I was a catcher who couldn't reliably throw the ball back to the pitcher. I wasn't going anywhere playing baseball.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Being an RU fan you probably haven't heard the rants of Geno about ---recruits LACK of FUNDAMENTALS---for 3 decades. He recruited ONE Russian because she was highly touted and obviously ALL EUROPEAN's have better Fundamentals--her skills (almost) were offensive. She was great and Geno made her Greater. I'm sure Fundamentals are why more Frosh sit longer on Geno's bench than in other programs.. A kid with a bad attitude, usually won't make it into Geno's program, if they do--they are gone early--or adapt.

I've heard Geno rant - I've heard CVS rant in person. I'm sure it is fairly endemic.

But as I said, I think the difference is that the players Geno recruits want to improve their fundamentals and yes, I think on average, no matter how bad Geno makes it out, are ahead of the average player. So, to be fair, are many of the recruits to most of the top programs.

Besides - does Geno ever exagerate? ever?

 

[BroadwayVa]

I've heard Geno rant - I've heard CVS rant in person. I'm sure it is fairly endemic.

But as I said, I think the difference is that the players Geno recruits want to improve their fundamentals and yes, I think on average, no matter how bad Geno makes it out, are ahead of the average player. So, to be fair, are many of the recruits to most of the top programs.

Besides - does Geno ever exaggerate? ever?

Does Geno EXAGGERATE---of course not--he is perfect in every way---Certainly the TOP players he recruits have much of what you say. And yes many of them are lacking in SOME fundamentals and defensive fundamentals certainly. My Rant comment was Geno lamenting on the lack of HS players going to college without FUNDAMENTAL's--it is quite obvious they have SOME because those fundamentals are seen. The TEAM fundamental are missing at times.