What sets UConn apart from everybody else

[Tonyc]

I keep reading about teams catching UConn, challenging UConn, going to beat UConn. It aint happening folks unless its a fluke. UConn is to good and continues to be to good. What Geno has built will take opposing coaches years to build and it will take a commitment from those coaches to build it and that's the hardest part. To commit to something for 10 ot 20 years is really tuff. Yep that's about how long it took Geno to get this far. You've got to want it and want it bad. You've got to dream about it all the time and you have to be willing to do what ever it takes to get there. As a coach you have to understand your weaknesses and get help to correct them and make yourself better. You have to be the type of leader people want to follow. That means watching coaches better then you coach and learning from them and duplicating what they do. That means making yourself a better person.

Where UConn is right now no other WCBB team has been. UConn attracts top players. Not all top players but just enough to make them great. They don't need all the top players only a few. UConn also recruits kids with good work ethic, kids that are coachable, kids without poor attitudes, kids that are willing to make a total commitment to the team and the coaches and its about the team and the coaches first not them. All kids are treated the same and there are No prima donnas. If the number 1 kid in the country has a bad attitude and is not coachable that would ruin it for the entire team. You don't need that kid.

This is all about tuff love. This isn't about going through the motions or learning something once and finally getting it and then not drilling on it every single day in practice. Repetition is the mother of skill but only repetition that is done the right way. Practicing the wrong way over and over again doesn't make you better. It like doing anything in life. You have to learn the right way and then drill on it continually every day until it becomes reflexive and then continue to drill on it so you don't lose it and if you do get in a slump go back to the fundamentals and do it until you get it back. Sometimes you just need a break and get away from it.

Genos system works because all the coaches and players and staff are on the same page. Have you noticed the kids that have come here recently. They want to be here. They want to be part of something special which we know is UConn Womens BB. You see the TV ratings.

For another coach to try and catch UConn its going to take a very long time. For some coaches theyre waiting for Geno to retire so they have their chance. That's the easy way out. For UConn fans Im sure Geno and UConn already have a legacy in place so that when Geno does retire who ever steps in will gravitate to his level with him by their side. This is a big deal for no other reason then the money that UConn WCBB brings into the state and into UConn. They aren't going to let what happened at Tenn happen at UConn. This program is to valuable now. Tenn was not prepared and never had a plan in place incase something happened to Pat. I think this woke up a lot of universities. Im sure UConn and Geno have a plan in place.

So tomorrow is the beginning of a new season. It kinda reminds me of Christmas and getting ready to open my presents when I was a kid. We get our first chance to see our new recruits and new team.

 

[Sonny44]

Not to mention commitment to stifling DEFENSE. Many talk about it, few even understand how to go about it.

 

[JellyBean]

There is no easy answer to what Geno has done at UConn. To put a program, like ours on the map and then take it to the top of the mountain and stay there, is something special. We do the same drills as other programs. We run the same offense as others, same with our defense. Other programs stock pile McDonald All-Americans like Tupperware and still can not measure our success. Other programs out rank us on the recruiting trail, according to the experts, with for 3-4 star players. There is no easy answer to what coach and his staff are doing that sets us apart from other programs. Could it be coaching? Game planning? Style of play? System? AD? The kind of coffee, wine, food that they eat? Who knows.

 

[alexrgct]

I'd suggest Geno is freakishly good at evaluating, recruiting, and developing talent, as well as at fostering a culture of winning at a championship level.

Yes, it really is that simple, at least to a very large degree...

 

[Beemer]

Plus he's got the best assistant coach in the game in Chris Dailey.

Talk about the Dynamic Duo!

 

[Geno-ista]

What sets UConn apart from everybody else????
I thought it was the BY Fanatics- it's not???

 

[semper]

It's that beautiful ball, almost like a ballet between a group of highly skilled dancers in a single company with a brilliant choreographer. It changes with the circumstances, and the narrative of the story depends on who the other cast of characters might be. It's very close to art. When it's on there is an underlying rhythm to it, and breakout moves that are like the second theme of a sonata.

 

[Huskies Rule]

I think there are many elements which come together to produce the exceptional results which have spoiled us rotten:

1. A coaching philosophy that emphasizes defense unlike any other program does. Don't want to play "D"- go elsewhere.
2. If you don't practice hard, if you don't practice well- you don't play. You're a big time recruit? Doesn't matter.
3. What they say before every game. "Together!" Camaraderie. All goals are team goals, not about individual stats. Make the extra pass. Play for your teammates.
4. The UConn Way. Honoring, understanding the tradition and expectation of excellence. Playing your role in a program with the greatest championship history.
5. Minimizing in-season distractions. Focus. Twitter, social media stuff- nope.
6. Discipline. Give everything, every game, no easing up, no matter the opponent. GA:" We can't control WHO we play; We can control HOW we play."
7. Bringing in kids who are absolutely outstanding young people, on and off the court. Kids of great character who can answer the challenges of Geno.
8. UConn Icons such as Rebecca Lobo,Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Maya Moore to emulate and inspire greatness.
9. GENO, CD, SHEA, MARISA.

Whatever the ingredients, they sure as hell are working.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Geno and CD are the constants in this equation, but they have also been blessed with talented assistants and, yes, I credit the dynamic duo with bringing those people along and knowing how to integrate them into the relentless machine that is U Conn WBB. You look at other programs in the top 20 and it is musical chairs within those organizations. The leaders of that being that Kentucky Brylcream guy and Tweeter Coach P. That is why for me it is always Coach Geno & Co. LLP LLC Ltp. Co.! and affiliates. We are as fans living in a golden age.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Wrap your head around this: in a one or two year period, UConn hired Calhoun and Auriemma. What are the odds of making those two monumental hires at one school let alone at almost the same time? Either someone was clairvoyant, or the stars really lined up for us!

 

[FollowerCT]

We can speak about the operational aspects of the team ... the coaches, the players, the skill development, the playing structure, the offense, the defense, etc. ... while these do in their own way set UConn apart from other schools, they do not in and of themselves do so ...

What sets UConn apart is the relationships between people, whether coaches or players, that create a dynamic atmosphere on and off the court ... this intangible ... that cannot be reproduced by any system of operations ... there is a way of being for UConn as a team that magnifies each persons abilities because of the focused intensity of each coach and player ... the end result is on the court ... no other coaches and teams have the depth of this intangible, I feel ... it cannot be taught, but it can be realized ... as a fan, this is what makes me jump up and down when I see the team play ... as a fan, it is not just vicarious enjoyment to watch the beauty of the team play in relationship each second of the game ... as a fan, I get to be a part, an important part of the team ... all boneyarders and all fans are indeed, in each one's own way, a part of the entire family of UConn Women's BB ... there is love here ... and that is played out all year long ... just look at the quality of the fans on the BY ... the way BYers relate ... we feed on the coaches and team and the coaches and team feed on us, I believe, as an extended family ... it is so much fun ... we are so lucky ...

 

[itsasport]

UConn has been beaten in the recent past and could be beaten in the future-but it takes a team with BOTH comparable talent and coaching. That has limited the competition to Stanford, ND, Louisville, and Baylor.

 

[Bayareahusky]

yes itsasport, great point.... gotta have the players AND the coaching..... and there you have it...... who in WCBB coaches close to the level of GA and CD...... precious few...... as I have said many times here..... UC has set the bar so high.......

 

[itsasport]

yes itsasport, great point.... gotta have the players AND the coaching..... and there you have it. who in WCBB coaches close to the level of GA and CD. precious few. as I have said many times here..... UC has set the bar so high..

Thanks, but would it be so wrong as to give me a 'like?" I gave you one.

It reminds me of an absolutely hilarious cartoon by Lenny Bruce. It is about the Lone Ranger, who would always disappear before he could be thanked. In Bruce's version, the Lone Ranger decided he wanted accolades, and was very insistent on getting them.

 

[JoePgh]

This is a very good topic. Many points could be made -- here are some of mine:

1. Honestly, since 2007-2008 when UConn returned to the Final Four after a 3-year absence, it has typically won if and only if it had better talent than the opponent. When certain other teams had equal or greater talent, they have been able to beat UConn at least 50% of the time, in general. Examples of this are:

• Stanford with Wiggins, Appel, Peterson, and Nneka; or later with two Ogwumikes, Peterson, and Pohlen.
• Notre Dame with Diggins, McBride, Achonwa, and a very good supporting cast.
• Rutgers with Cappie Pondexter, Essence Carson, Matee Ajavon, and Kia Vaughan.
• LSU with Fowles and Augustus.
• Tennessee with Candace Parker and an excellent supporting cast.
• Baylor with Griner and Sims.

So the explanation for most of UConn's recent victories is the same as for the Yankees of the Mantle / Maris / Whitey Ford era -- they have had the horses.

2. Further reinforcing this point is the fact that UConn has had a higher concentration of truly exceptional talent in recent years than any competitor. This is evident from the recent National team. Who else has had any recent concentration of superstars comparable to Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Breanna Stewart, and Moriah Jefferson in such a short period of time? If Geno had those people on his roster and didn't win multiple national championships, people would be asking whether his middle name is McCallie.

3. Nonetheless, it is fair to ask whether all that talent would have come to Storrs (hardly a marquee destination from a geographic standpoint) if UConn's coaches had not established a track record of maximizing the development of whatever talent they had to work with. On this point, what is notable is the achievement of lesser talents relative to what was expected of them coming out of high school. The accomplishments of people like Stef Dolson, Kelly Faris, Mel Thomas, Barbara Turner, Ketia Swanier (who never started at UConn but had about a 5-year career in the WNBA), Ashley Battle (ditto), Maria Conlon, Jessica Moore, Kalana Greene, and many others is more impressive than the achievements of the superstars. I'm sure it helped to convince the superstars that UConn would get the most out of their talents as well. Breanna Stewart was quoted as saying that the primary reason she chose UConn was because everyone told her that UConn developed the talents of its players more than any other program.

4. Previous posters who have emphasized the intensity of UConn's practices, and of expectations during games, are on the right track. The defensive success is mainly a reflection of this, as is the fitness of the athletes. However, this is not completely unique -- Pat Summitt in her prime got the same intensity out of her players and had similar levels of fitness and defensive success. Kim Mulkey appears to have her Baylor teams similarly prepared.

5. I'm not sure it's accurate to say that UConn runs the same offensive and defensive systems as other elite teams do -- many opposing coaches have said that is not the case. UConn players and teams do many things that other teams do, but do it better -- that statement has also been made. But they also run offensive schemes that are not widely used, some of which were seemingly hatched between Geno's ears. I suspect they may be things that he saw as a teenager on the playgrounds of Philadelphia, and learned how to teach -- things which many other coaches never saw because their experience was almost completely confined to organized environments.

6. That leads to the other thing that separates UConn from most programs -- Geno is able to teach the "brainy" side of basketball, i.e., to teach his players to make sound basketball decisions quickly and under pressure. Coach P mentioned once that she saw that as the difference between UConn and other talented teams -- UConn players made good basketball decisions in response to what opponents were doing more effectively than other teams. Again, this is not completely unique -- there are other brainy coaches like Tara, Muffitt, Jeff Walz, and even Harry Perretta, but either they haven't had the talent to compete with UConn or they weren't able to teach that decision-making to their players as effectively as the UConn coaches.

So I guess I am saying that no one else has mastered both (a) the ability to motivate high-intensity physical competitiveness; and (b) the ability to teach good basketball decision-making under game pressure -- at least not as well as Geno. And that has led to on-court success, which has led to recruiting success, which means he has the horses more often than anyone else. But others (especially Tara and Muffitt) have been almost as good when they have also had the horses.

 

[semper]

The brainy stuff is what really interests me. What I would give for a great commentator who could point out the brilliance of it. Sometimes I can see it myself, but to have a expert pointing things out would be wonderful. But ah....we usually get just drivel. Don't want to start anything, but it would be so easy to have this kind of exploration going on DURING a game.

 

[PalPa]

@JoePgh You trying to say something. If you are I missed the point.

 

[Hongster]

What set Uconn apart from the rest is the Connecticut people and its culture from the beginning. We didn't have any pro-teams ever since the Hartford Whaler left, we were starving for some to latch on and to call it our team. So, Uconn was destined to rise soon or later. But, Geno and Jim made it rise sooner is for sure.

 

[j66kicker]

This is a very good topic. Many points could be made -- here are some of mine:

1. Honestly, since 2007-2008 when UConn returned to the Final Four after a 3-year absence, it has typically won if and only if it had better talent than the opponent. When certain other teams had equal or greater talent, they have been able to beat UConn at least 50% of the time, in general.

Amen. All the coaching voodoo and kumbaya are nice to talk about, but nobody wins NCs without bona fide first team AAs. UCONN has won it all when we've had the best players. And we haven't when we haven't. Right now we are loaded, and likely to have 2 first teamers.

Recruiting is a huge part of coaching, and GA has done extremely well there. The word seems to be out - elite talent can come to UCONN and be helped to be all you can be. But all the coaching in the world won't make you a thoroughbred if you're not. The best players win.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Itsasport.... ok gave you a like on most recent post.....

believe it or not..... sometimes i do not see the "like" and "reply"..... and aside from that i am quite technologically challenged..... aside from that i am a veritable genius

 

[Boreifs]

It's that beautiful ball, almost like a ballet between a group of highly skilled dancers in a single company with a brilliant choreographer. It changes with the circumstances, and the narrative of the story depends on who the other cast of characters might be. It's very close to art. When it's on there is an underlying rhythm to it, and breakout moves that are like the second theme of a sonata.

Let's have accurate analogies, please; the breakout moves would be the development section! The parallel with Ballet, however, is spot on.

 

[WesternPaFan]

Simple...UCONN wins the match ups.Laugh all you want ,with all the flowery ideas...MATCH UPS...Very simple,not complicated as so many make it.Basketball is a game of match ups..Win them and you win!

 

[TroyHouse66]

Follower & semper...

The UConn ball movement is, indeed, a thing of beauty.
(Many was the time that Coach (John) Paterno (Bloomfield H/S) repeated his mantra... "No defensive player can move as fast as the ball.")
When UConn is playing at full speed & hitting on all cylinders, it is more ballet choreography than anything else.
Since we now have readily available archives of games, I've taken to watching old games while removing the announcer patter (& sometimes mindless chatter) during the play.
Just the flow of the game is a thing of beauty.
Without any verbal interruption, the constant, unceasing, ballet of Maya Moore at her best is a court-wide, court-length marvel.

 

[JoePgh]

Simple...UCONN wins the match ups.Laugh all you want ,with all the flowery ideas...MATCH UPS...Very simple,not complicated as so many make it.Basketball is a game of match ups..Win them and you win!

If you are using "matchups" as a synonym for "having the horses", then I agree with you, and I thought I said so.

On the other hand, if you are using "matchups" to mean "1-on-1 play", then I completely disagree. One-on-one play has never been a big part of UConn's repertoire, and Geno has said that. Kelly Faris recently said that the biggest thing that she was unprepared for in the WNBA was the prevalence of 1-on-1 play.

This is best illustrated by Geno's practice on defense of switching on almost every screen. You would think that would lead to unfavorable matchups, and sometimes it does -- I remember watching defensive possessions against good teams where 5-6 Renee Montgomery ended up defending the low post as a result of some switches. But somehow, UConn rarely pays the price for that -- they cover the passing lanes so that those matchups aren't easily exploited, or maybe Geno knows that other teams can't adjust quickly enough to his defense to take advantage of that.

If matchups were the key, then Kelly defending Alyssa Thomas should have been fatal, and Stef-on-Chiney should have created a serious problem. But UConn convincingly won the games in which those matchups occurred for the entire game.

On offense, UConn works to get its best shooters open shots, as opposed to isolating its best players for 1-on-1 play against inferior defenders. That is why you see all the passing, screening, curling, and ball reversal on offense. The backdoor plays occur because defenders get mesmerized by the ball and lose their man -- not because defenders get beaten 1-on-1 by some great athletic play by the person who gets the layup.

 

[johnnyc]

Not to mention commitment to stifling DEFENSE. Many talk about it, few even understand how to go about it.

I do think it is UConn's defense (and coaching) that sets it apart from all others. I watched the 2013 UConn/Louisville championship a couple of days ago and at the halftime show Kara Lawson gave a pretty good rundown on what UConn does to their opponents on defense and the effect it has on UConn's offense.