I have to say that. although I mostly count myself among the faithful, in this case heresy seems to have a lot going for it. Geno stated on TV at the end of this game that he needs to get more from his bench. That's obvious, and to me should go without saying. But what's puzzling (to me, anyway) is his reluctance to help make that possible by giving his freshman (and Irwin) some substantial minutes from the get go in the very large number of one-sided games UCONN has played, and will play, this year. The numbers listed above seem to me particularly telling. If playing in actual games is essential to player development, then play them.
Full disclosure: I'm first of all an Oregon homer (with UCONN a close second), but, after watching every game played by both teams this year and last, I have to say that imo Graves does a much better job developing freshman that, in the case of this year and with the exception of Satou Sabilly, are less talented than Combs and Gordon, and never make anyone's list as the "best of x" as did Walker. And he does that by giving them minutes throughout every game (about 20 for Sabilly, 12 for Maley, and almost 10 for Aiuso). Do they make a lot of stupid mistakes? You bet. Are they inconsistent? Ditto. But they also get better, and that in turn makes Sabilly and Maley especially able to contribute in close/tough games, as well as in blow outs. Of course, part of this likely has to do with the makeup of both rosters: there aren't 4 or 5 (or more) potential all-Americans on the Ducks. But I don't think that's the whole story, and it's the one area--maybe the only one--in which Geno might rethink how he manages minutes.
Thanks for your comments, and welcome to the yard. It's always nice to hear from, and get input from fans of other programs. I want to respond to your take that Graves does a better job of developing freshmen than Geno. I'm going to surprise you by NOT suggesting that you are wrong, no sir. I'm going to suggest that the reason it may appear that Geno's freshmen take longer to "get it", because of
philosophical differences in their approach to coaching.
1. UConn's system is different than Graves' - How much different?
All players including freshmen must
earn their playing time at UConn. Playing time has NEVER been given in his program. That is probably not the case in most other programs. Geno's system is so complex, that it takes most freshmen a year before they understand it completely, and can function in it to Geno's satisfaction.
It appears (from the outside looking in) that Graves gives his freshmen playing time because they're there, regardless of how far along they are in learning and mastering his system. A great number of coaches do it that way. At UConn, a player has to demonstrate in practice that they know the system, and can play with the starting unit with little or no drop off in production on either end of the court before they earn Geno's trust. Once that trust is earned, you move down toward the other end of the bench, and you play.
Don't forget the "rumor" that Geno's practices are much harder than their games. In Geno's practices, the reserves learn faster than they would in a game. They learn to play in practice, and corroborate learning those lessons in games. I'm not suggesting that Graves way is wrong, just that it's different.
2. The expectation is different - The goal of
all coaches every year is to win the national championship, but I think you'll agree (and meaning no disrespect here) that Geno's expectations are a bit more realistic then Graves'. You're familiar with UConn's recent record is of winning 4 championships over the last 5 years. The expectation for UConn to get to the
final four is 100 times greater than it is for Oregon. In Graves' mind, he
hopes to get there. In Geno's mind, he
expects to get there.
3. Geno has time - There is never a rush to get freshmen into a game. Geno usually has a starting line up that's almost impossible for a freshman to crack. That dynamic may not be the case in other programs i.e., Tennessee (Evina Westbrook) and Texas A&M (Chennedy Carter) etc. As good as both of them have proven to be up to this point, neither of them would be starters at UConn. Geno does not need them to start. He does not bring in freshmen with the thought of starting them right away.
“Sometimes people just aren't ready,” Auriemma said. “It’s not easy to play at Connecticut. You don’t just walk in at Connecticut and you’re a national player of the year and you can walk in and you’re a freshman and we just go, ‘Hey, you deserve to play a lot. You were national player of the year.’ That don’t mean crap at our place. You’ve got to come in every day and
you’ve got to earn it. And if you don’t, you’re not going to play."
Mikayla Coombs:
“I feel like when the season started we really struggled as a second group going in because nobody really knew what everybody was good at and we are all trying to create on our own. We need to learn that over the course of the season these guys are putting their all out for 35 minutes every night and the five minutes we get every night is our way of showing that we can do this. Kia (Nurse) could be hurt some day, Lou (Katie Lou Samuelson) could sit out a game and one of us has to step up. We have to gain their confidence in order to step up. It is important for us to make the most out of the five minutes that we have.”
Geno's "Boot Camp" for freshmen (and transfers) is a lot tougher than most other coach's indoctrination period for their new members. Geno has little tolerance for poor play.........from any of his players. At UConn, you don't practice until you get it right, you practice until you can't get it wrong.
