UConn Olympic Team?

[HuskerDo]

Could a team composed exclusively of former Huskies have won the gold medal? Take the six already on the team, add Renee Montgomery, Tiffany Hayes, Kalana Greene, Ketia Swanier and Jessica Moore for depth. (You could have Charde Houston, but I doubt Geno would.) Would they have won? I think they would have beaten everyone but Australia easily. But Australia might have had too much height to be beaten without the non-Huskies. Might have been a good game, though.

 

[EricLA]

The thing is in a team like that, the 6 who were already on the team would have gotten the bulk of the minutes with the exception of back up guard play. Could they? Probably. Irt's a testament to just how good the players are who have come thru UCONN. Still, I really enjoyed seeing the rest of the team play as well. Each player brought something special - and different - which is what made the team so good...

 

[MilfordHusky]

I agree with Eric. The UConn Olympic 6 would have gotten the bulk of the PT. But Renee and Kalana (at least) would have contributed. A healthy Brittany Hunter (if only!) would have kicked butt. Hell, Sveta would have contributed.

 

[alexrgct]

A key question:

Would this team have had the same time to practice as the actual Olympic team, or more?

If it would have been the same amount of time, no, they probably lose to Australia. If they actually had time to play together as a team (a la the 1996 Olympic team), perhaps. That starting five of Sue, Diana, Maya, Asjha, and Tina is really, really impressive.

 

[Scotter]

I disagree. The limited practice time would actually be in an All-UConn team's favor. A few of the non-UConn players mucked things up a fair amount on the Olympic team just because they were being asked to play in a way that didn't come naturally. There's basically two separate groups that were all teammates with each other at one point or another. They key players would have had to play more minutes, but that also potentially leads to increased productivity. That UConn team would still be the most talented team in the Olympics and likely play with even better cohesion on both offense and defense than the Olympic team did. A UConn team would be much more susceptible to an injury though so how hurt Asjha actually was for example would be a big factor. Could she have played 25-30 minutes against Australia?

All you have to do is watch former UConn players run a fast break in the WNBA or with the National team. You could pretty much take film and superimpose players over each other. Whether it is Swin Cash or Kalana Greene or Tiffany Hayes they run their lanes precisely the same way. Every former UConn player with the ball on the fast break runs it the same whether it is Sue Bird or Renee Montgomery or Maya Moore. There are a set of fundamental skills and actions for both posts and guards that Geno demands his players do identically. I can't think of another college coach where that common base is both so ingrained and so consistent over time. Combine that with talent and an All-UConn team is plenty capable of winning a gold medal.

A key question:

Would this team have had the same time to practice as the actual Olympic team, or more?

If it would have been the same amount of time, no, they probably lose to Australia. If they actually had time to play together as a team (a la the 1996 Olympic team), perhaps. That starting five of Sue, Diana, Maya, Asjha, and Tina is really, really impressive.

 

[Icebear]

I disagree. The limited practice time would actually be in an All-UConn team's favor. A few of the non-UConn players mucked things up a fair amount on the Olympic team just because they were being asked to play in a way that didn't come naturally. There's basically two separate groups that were all teammates with each other at one point or another. They key players would have had to play more minutes, but that also potentially leads to increased productivity. That UConn team would still be the most talented team in the Olympics and likely play with even better cohesion on both offense and defense than the Olympic team did. A UConn team would be much more susceptible to an injury though so how hurt Asjha actually was for example would be a big factor. Could she have played 25-30 minutes against Australia?

All you have to do is watch former UConn players run a fast break in the WNBA or with the National team. You could pretty much take film and superimpose players over each other. Whether it is Swin Cash or Kalana Greene or Tiffany Hayes they run their lanes precisely the same way. Every former UConn player with the ball on the fast break runs it the same whether it is Sue Bird or Renee Montgomery or Maya Moore. There are a set of fundamental skills and actions for both posts and guards that Geno demands his players do identically. I can't think of another college coach where that common base is both so ingrained and so consistent over time. Combine that with talent and an All-UConn team is plenty capable of winning a gold medal.

Well said.

 

[alexrgct]

I disagree. The limited practice time would actually be in an All-UConn team's favor. A few of the non-UConn players mucked things up a fair amount on the Olympic team just because they were being asked to play in a way that didn't come naturally. There's basically two separate groups that were all teammates with each other at one point or another. They key players would have had to play more minutes, but that also potentially leads to increased productivity. That UConn team would still be the most talented team in the Olympics and likely play with even better cohesion on both offense and defense than the Olympic team did. A UConn team would be much more susceptible to an injury though so how hurt Asjha actually was for example would be a big factor. Could she have played 25-30 minutes against Australia?

All you have to do is watch former UConn players run a fast break in the WNBA or with the National team. You could pretty much take film and superimpose players over each other. Whether it is Swin Cash or Kalana Greene or Tiffany Hayes they run their lanes precisely the same way. Every former UConn player with the ball on the fast break runs it the same whether it is Sue Bird or Renee Montgomery or Maya Moore. There are a set of fundamental skills and actions for both posts and guards that Geno demands his players do identically. I can't think of another college coach where that common base is both so ingrained and so consistent over time. Combine that with talent and an All-UConn team is plenty capable of winning a gold medal.

I'm not sure that we're discussing the exact same thing. If every other country had the same limited practice schedule and continuity, then obviously it's to Team UConn's advantage. But some of the other teams do get more time to come together or have more experience all playing together. That's where Australia could be dangerous- that and their size.

Although Team UConn would have the same foundational training/coaching, chemistry and comfort with roles matter. Some of the women have played together ever, but not all. Some who are used to starting would come off the bench, and even players who are used to a bench role aren't necessarily used to the specific rotation in which they'd be used. That's where additional practice, exhibitions, etc. would be of value.

 

[Scotter]

No. I'm saying that the same training time the Olympic team had would be enough. A UConn team would be far more cohesive than the Olympic team was given the same amount of training. The grand 1996 Olympic tour certainly wouldn't hurt, but it wouldn't be the difference maker you indicated it would be. That's the uniqueness of the UConn program due to the core fundamentals that Geno has consistently demanded for at least the last two decades.

I'm not sure that we're discussing the exact same thing. If every other country had the same limited practice schedule and continuity, then obviously it's to Team UConn's advantage. But some of the other teams do get more time to come together or have more experience all playing together. That's where Australia could be dangerous- that and their size.

Although Team UConn would have the same foundational training/coaching, chemistry and comfort with roles matter. Some of the women have played together ever, but not all. Some who are used to starting would come off the bench, and even players who are used to a bench role aren't necessarily used to the specific rotation in which they'd be used. That's where additional practice, exhibitions, etc. would be of value.