I can’t remember ever seeing Geno Auriemma as disgusted as he was after Notre Dame beat it, 72-59, to win its first outright Big East championship.
Notre Dame was the best team. Notre Dame was the deepest team. Notre Dame was the most poised team. Notre Dame was the most deserving team. And Geno knew it.
“I don’t even care about the Big East tournament, at this point,” Auriemma said. “I really don’t. I could care less what happens. I don’t care who wins it. If it’s us, great. If it’s Notre Dame, great. I don’t care. We’re probably not good enough to win it, so it doesn’t matter to me who does.”
Geno ended the game by pulling his entire starting lineup with 3:11 to play after the Huskies allowed a three to Natalie Novosel to give it the 72-59 lead. UConn did not score a point in the final 7:33 and did not have a field goal in the last 8:29.
“If you only knew,” Auriemma said about yanking his players. “If you only knew how many times this season we’ve come out of a timeout and no one knew a thing about anything we were supposed to be doing. And when you ask them, three guys have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. So at that point, it all became pointless. It was pointless.
“We have to play really smart, really hard and we have to play really unselfish to overcome whatever lack of talent we have, especially against a team like Notre Dame. But we have guys on our team who just won’t listen to anybody, not just me. We have guys who will not listen to anybody; they won’t. And there is nothing I can do about it.
“It’s my job, so I guess I am doing a lousy job of coaching this year. … This team has not improved. Since the last time we played Notre Dame, I would have thought we’d make great strides. We have not. This is one of the few years I can remember that it’s been the case.
“You know, I have coached a lot of games in my career. And when you are coaching a game where there’s a chance of a championship… but we lost the title when we lost to St. John’s. So I could care less about sharing the title. You don’t come to Connecticut to tie Notre Dame for the Big East championship. We don’t hold parades for ties around here.
“Tonight was more about setting a pattern or finding out who we can count on moving ahead. We need to find out how many punches we will take before we start to throw some ourselves. I wanted to see that in our team. I saw glimpses, but ND manhandled us on the backboard.”
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98 Responses to Geno Auriemma Takes His Team To Task
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We’ll be better next year.
If UConn is not better next year with ESPN HoopGulrz #1, #2, and #15, it would be a big concern.
How disappointing for Geno to say things like this after a loss. For him to say that he does not care about sharing a championship or he does not care about the Big East Tournament is very sad.
How can he expect his players to care about the Big East championship or tournament if he doesn’t care.
Geno, you have a very young team – one senior, a couple of juniors and a bunch of sophmores and freshmen. It is your job to teach them the ropes – player by player and collectively as a team.
You are sounding like a kid whose parents just took the computer and the stereo and the Playstation out of your room. Maybe temper tantrums have worked on other teams you have trained but they dont work on all teams.
Your kids played a pretty good first half. Dolson and Hayes did pretty good and so did a few others.
Keep in mind, Geno, that they are kids. Raw talent wise, they have it – they just are not jellin’ as a team yet.
Sure, they have kicked a** in many of their games but those victories were against marginal opponents – they also have cliqued against some pretty good teams – even Notre Dame the first time.
Go home, take your shoes off, and call it a night and come back and APOLIGIZE to your young players – take some credit for the loss and then get ready for the Big East.
This team will get better – maybe not soon enough to take the Big East and maybe not soon enough to win the NCAA, but they will grow and get better.
They need to hear something positive from you about how well they did for the majority of the first half – the game was not a total loss – they hung in there until the ND run in the last 10 minutes of the first half.
Suck it up and realize that Notre Dame was top heavy with good players who are hitting on all 8 cylinders and your kids are not there yet.
You also owe an apology to your dedicated fans for throwing in the towel. I see games where a team is behind and they fight tooth and nail to get back in – you quit on your team and that is sad.
Seriously, you’re picking on Faris? She had 6 assists and 6 steals. Know what Doty had in 22 minutes? One steal, one missed shot, two turnovers, and a foul.
Auriemma has admitted Doty is a liability against quicker players. Too bad he has failed to develop Banks.
I never have spoken ill of Kelly Faris. To me, as I have said numerous times on this site, Faris is the glue that holds UCONN together. People complain that she is a low scorer and I say BUNK. She makes up for every point she does not score by steals, assists, rebounds, blocks, and just all around hustle. PERIOD. I wrote extensive comments – comparing Faris to a Major League Baseball Golden Glove 3rd baseman – With Faris out of a game you increase the odds of UCONN losing that game. Enough said!
Now, with Faris doing everything else but scoring high – someone else better step up and make the points – Regarding Doty, she used to do what Faris does and she used to score a good amount of points – close to double digits – her point production is mostly absent now. She needs to come off the bench now – 25 – 30 minutes and no points and limited assists rebounds and steals – that does not a starter make…..
Anyone who’s followed this team knows Geno’s trying to give the players a kick in the rear and get them motivated. He doesn’t owe anyone an apology – they owe him an apology. They signed up to play in HIS program. That means they agreed to follow HIS program. If they’re not listenng to what he tells them, that’s on them, not Geno.
excellent comment…these other arm chair coaches have no clue what goes on in his head….
Once again, Geno gets all the credit for NCs and no blame for Losses. Bow down to your god.
BJ Tobler said “That means they agreed to follow HIS program.” – You sound like you belong to some cult.
Kevin couldn’t agree with you more.
This team is more fragile than teams past.Right now this team needs confidence.
I have never heard Geno take any blame for any loss,all he has to say is we got beat by a better team tonight, we got out coached etc,but instead he gave up, how does he expect his team to react?
Good grief. Look in the mirror Coach.
There were options and adjustments to be made – but UConn pigheadedly refused to utilize them.
A kid played 35 minutes and scored 1 point, ONE POINT – meaning UConn played offense 4 on 5 for all but 5 minutes of the game. And – to be fair – she played utterly out of position – the 4 – conceding offensive rebounds.
Why not USE YOUR BENCH?!? What would happen if Heather Buck, Michala Johnson or Brianna Banks played a meaningful minute or two? Would the floor explode the minute they stepped on the court? Is it really that outlandish to ask that they play while a player who is having a terrible time on the offensive end takes a seat?!?!?!?
Offensive rebounds were absolutely disrupting the game for UConn.
So… why not try high low – with Dolson high and Buck / Stokes low? Why not try Doty and Hartley at guards with Lewis at the 4 and Hayes at the 3 for more than 20 seconds so they can find a rhythm?
Coach loves to characterize the fans who fill the arena and generate TV ratings as “spoiled” and “haters.”
Well, tonight we felt like Tom Cruise in the film “All The Right Moves” listening to his coach played by Craig T. Nelson screaming at his players after a tough loss. “You all quit. You quit on yourselves and you quit on this team.” To which Cruise’s character screams back, “No coach – we didn’t quit. You quit.”
Well tonight – Mr. Beyond Reproach, Mr. Can’t Take Criticism quit. Not his players – who gave it everything they had (do not mistake ineptitude for lack of effort!). He did – when he refused to do what coaches must do – adapt. Think outside the box. Give your team its best chance to win.
Tonight the inescapable truth is, Coach let his team and his fans down.
Geno at his worst is infinitely better than all haters at their best.
Bow down to your god.
@Kevin
It is a privilege and honor to play for G.A.. He may be the only coach that more often gets to choose his players, rather than the players choose him. If anything his players should be lining up to apologize to him, and the entire coaching staff. Wendy Davis, Kerry Bascom, J. Elliot needed no codling. If Shea Ralph was to ever need it, it would be tonight! The emotion that people want to see is grit, and toughness. I applaud Geno for his actions and comments. Reserves work their tail off and rarely get rewards. Genos actions are exactly what it takes to get fans back into the stands. I don’t mind losing, I saw plenty of that in the early 90′s. and still came (until priced out during the love fest) Do you remember the mid court celebration after beating the mighty friars in providence? Losing makes the winning more sweet. That team was not the most talented, but still probably one of the more exciting games I have seen. What Keeps me away is sensitive girley girls who sulk, fair weather fans who want it all, and greedy A.D’s who care more about revenue than the sport. Please show me who is willing to punch the ND logo like DT did at Tenn.? Who has the desire to punch the floor so hard i thought she would have a broken hand to go with that knee like Shea? someone please stand up and fight! Can anyone on this team get mad!
kudos–best response!
@ Shultz
Do you think Geno bought those six Naismith C.O.T.Y. awards? Why not stick to movies, and scientology with your buddy Tom, and let the hall of fame bound coach worry about basketball.
Your comment gives credence to Genos sarcasm about spoiled fans.
“rebounds were absolutely disrupting the game for UConn”
So your solution is to put the game leader (UC side) on rebounds out to the high post? Guess who was #2 in rebounds for the blue and white….KELLY FARIS! So we move S.D. to the high post, sit K.F., and now you just gave away over half of the teams total rebounds! K.F. is not “the one whose name we will not mention.” Her name is Kelly Faris, and she is probably the toughest one on a team that is in dire need of toughness. Further, how can you claim she was a non factor on offense when she led the team on assists? I’m sure that if winning was so easy we would all have 7 rings.
The only thing I’m amazed about in this article is the notion that people think Geno should apologize. It’s understandable that fans grow attached to players over the course of the season and a career, but to not grasp the intention of what someone closer and more involved with his team then you and I will ever be is foolish.
I agree with Mr/Ms Next. Geno has been telling anybody who’d listen about the problem this team has.
If you follow kid’s sports at all, you can recognize how it goes. A kid shows some talent early on and they are placed in a special category. They join travel teams that emphasize games, games, games and not much else. At worst, you get high school players who somehow get special academic considerations and a trail of sycophants and apologists. At best, the kids miss out on learning, I mean really learning, the skills that they need going forward, at least on the playing surface. There are exceptions to this, of course. But the fact that these are now exceptions rather than the rule is sad.
This is now true in pretty much every sport from football to basketball to girls hockey even. It comes from the parents to a large degree. Parents are perfectly willing to somehow send their kids to prep school (not cheap…) in the hopes of a college scholarship. Crazy.
Naturally, the coaches do what their customers want. Unfortunately, even many of the college coaches and admissions folks fall into this by glomming into kids who have played a zillion games.
It’s a bad system now. Too much money, no doubt. Not only from the NCAA but marketing dollars for the schools, which is what D1 and even some D3 sports have become – marketing tools.
So, when a guy comes along and tries really hard to straighten the ship, he gets thrown under the bus by some of the fans.
That’s crazy, too…
We agree with BK Dad. Geno told us at the beginning of this season – they hadn’t even played a game yet – that this team was most probably not going to win a Championship! They have had a wonderful season with a few bad games…some very close. We are UCONN fans win or lose & it’s good to have some other teams moving up the ladder to Championships. Not good that one school wins ALL of the time. This team will “jell” in the enxt year or so. Don’t give up on them OR Geno.
“Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser” I hope a lot of sore losers show up in the tournament.
Is Geno telling us that some of these kids have significant attention deficit disorder, and it’s finally catching up to them at the top collegiate level?
I think Geno is a great coach, however it’s possible he has been too distracted from the Huskies. Being the coach of Team USA, and more focused on the upcoming Olympics, may have been too much for him.
Really, really dumb.
Yes you are 6535 8979 no need to brag
You have a problem in reading comprehension.
Listen “I got next”, we realize Coach knows the team better than anyone out here. So does that mean we can’t express an opinion, even if it’s negative? That’s what this venue is for, opinions both positive and negative. My observation on this team would be that it’s very difficult to play 5 guards and 1 big for the majority of these big games and not expect some negative fallout. With 2 of these guards playing out of position as forwards, things like fatigue,and being out of position to box out for rebounds is going to happen. The biggest problem to me are the unforced passing turnovers. In a cutting and passing offense, I’m not sure how you fix that after 4 months of practices and games.
You lose three all-americans in three consequtive years and are not able to replace them talent-for-talent and what do you have? A team short on “horses”. Uconn simply does not have the quality of ND, Baylor or Stanford. Their record is very good – for their talent level. They still may make the final four but not likely to win it. See you next year when the “horses” arrive.
This is the team that Auriemma and CD recruited. They got what they deserved. 26 wins against lesser opponents. 4 losses against 3 better opponents. 2 more losses on the way. Hope that Stewart lives up to all the world hype. Guarantee you Jefferson will not.
Farris 35 minutes – 1 point
Doty 22 minutes – 0 points
Geno 36 minutes – quits
You figure it out…
Farris 35 minutes – 1 point
Doty 22 minutes – 0 points
Geno 36 minutes – quits
Priceless
UConn was beaten by a team that was better on that night. But Hayes played the game of her career. If she could she would have ‘willed’ the win. Dolson played the best game of her career. KML has finally got it. She posted Novesel and took her. If she had more first half time, she’d have made a big impact.
The sky is not falling. Uconn is not on a par with ND. They are far beyond ND. 3 times in 11 years ND beats UConn–Next year with the new recruits–with Stokes, KML, Banks, Dolson, Faris, Doty, Buck (maybe Johnson) Uconn will be unbeatable again. But 4 losses with 24 wins , so far, Uconn may end this year with 28 win and 6 losses–big deal. WE ARE UCONN and us fans stand behind our TEAM.
Hayes played the half of her career. Premature celebration by Hayes in the first half. She reverted back to her natural out of control, follower not a leader, self, in the second half.
Great comments MaryAnne. The teams were a mismatch. Also, one tenent of management is praise in public, criticize in private.
Also, KML showed she has improved – she focused more on attacking the basket and she did it darn well. She did not focus on running around outside waiting to attempt a 3 pointer. She worked her butt off – I wrote a post the day before the game and I suggested KML start with Dolson and Stokes and that Doty could sub.
You beat bigs with bigs – Dolson outside (which she did excellent) and then she also went inside and made some great shots) Stokes deserved more inside playing time with Dolson – not alternating but in the game together.
I was wrong about Hayes – I wanted her to come in at the 5 minute mark – she hit it running and did a good job.
I also like your comment about next year, but if I were Buck I would not be there. She volunteered and said she wanted to come back. She has a lot of fortitude because she wants to come back and again, Geno will bench her most games – not playing her for games in a row and then using her to give Dolson a 2 minute break every 3rd game.
Buck would be great in THIS Big East Tournament as inside with Dolson outside (Stokes could alternate with Buck).
Two bigs in the game at the same time – what a novel approach for UCONN – A&M had 2 bigs in the game against Baylor and it almost worked against Griner.
Griner ended up in serious foul trouble.
It is not too late. 4 or 5 guards work against lesser teams – now you are playing equals.
It is not that this team needs pampering – they could use some positive reinforcement at times instead of a hammer on the head or a boot in the butt.
all the newer younger kids came from a variety of coaching styles – they came from teams where these kids were the stars and now they are getting max bench time.
It is as though Doty has earned her wings and even when she is not performing well, she gets a ton of minutes. It must be hard for a few of them like Johnson and Banks and even KML to see Doty not at her best in the game and these kids want to come in and make a difference.
Remember Tina Charles? She had attitude the first year and a half and then the lightbulb went off and she became a Div I all american.
Who knows what make Tina Charles transform – could have been coach, could have been her teammates and it could just have been Tina being sick and tired of being Tina.
I know it’s not many, but it’s been a little more than 3 times in 11 years. 2004 and 2005 come to mind.
We all knew that this would be a tough year for UConn. We replaced the great Maya with an untried freshman in KML. Caroline is back, but repeated knee surgeries have left her a shadow of her former self. Notre Dame is more experienced, and has all but one player back from last year’s final , Duke, and Texas A&M. And it finishes 26-4. Pretty good. And it will receive a #1 seed in the NCAA’s. This is not far off what we all expected.
But wait till next year. The starting line-up is likely to have three freshman: Moriah Jefferson at point, Breanna Stewart at forward/center, and Morgan Tuck at the other forward/guard position. Junior Bria Hartley should shift over to shooting guard, with KML remaining at small forward. That’s five scorers, no scoring voids like we have now with Doty and Faris and, sometimes, Dolson. And that gives the team the height that it doesn’t have now: Stewart- 6’4″, Tuck- 6’2″, KML- 6’0″. Dolson and Stokes will have to compete for playing time behind Tuck and Stewart. And Faris is likely to come in for defensive purposes for Jefferson. But next year we’ll see the team of the next two years at least.
Geno ain’t startin’ 3 freshmen who are unproven against 20-21 year olds in WCBB D1 Top 25
Hey anonymous – I agree with a lot of your comments – but, in general, you are possibly OVERLY optomistic. A lot of people thought KML was he reincarnation of Maya – she will never be Maya – but she will be KML and might be more valuable in the run.
Stewart rocks in H.S. but she will need her adjustment period. She is not the oldest on the floor and the tallest most nights but she will have to face Garner and other bigs – right off the bat and they will be much older – 3 years and more experience.
I just want to see these girls/ladies/kids jell like I know they can.
and keep in mind of one important thing – Faris absolutely rocks and I would rather her working her bottom off every night with steals, assists, rebounds, and overall aggressive play alongside 4 scorers because if you have 5 scorers, who is doing all the dirty work Faris does EVERY game – EVERY minute. Faris is golden.
Auriemma said “I saw glimpses, but ND manhandled us on the backboard.” – That is what happens when you recruit too many guards. WCBB is getting taller. Climb aboard, coach.
Duh? EDD and Samarie Walker? You can’t control how a kid coming out of high school is going to react.
So there you have it. Geno is not a great coach unless he has an EDD or Maya or Dee.
You realize that ND’s lineup last night was similar to ours right? A forward, three guards,and a center. Notre Dame is a really small team.
Muffett is a better coach than Geno when the field of play is level (no Maya, no Tina)
Tough to take,but ND is better.Remember this is a rebuilding year.After Rene,Tina,and Maya we were still suppose to have EDD and Walker last year and this year.It didn’t work that way and still they are probably the 4th best team in the nation.Next year we reload while only losing Tiffany.Hopefully they will make the final four in a few weeks and then anything can happen.
No ball-handler + no offense + no toughness + no defense + No Maya = No hope
No Ball Handler + No Offense + No Toughness + No Defense = Poor Recruiting + Poor Coaching
Baylor 39-0 this season. If Griner and Sims are healthy again next season, another 39-0.
Dont count chickens before they hatch. There is no guarantee that Baylor will go undefeated and win it all.
N.D. and Stanford and UCONN are all capable of beating Baylor. Yes – UCONN.
Texas A&M almost pulled it off. UCONN, with 2 bigs – outside (Dolson) and inside (Stokes and Buck) could beat Baylor.
Another thing, Baylor’s coach is the biggest crybaby in NCAA basketball (womens and mens)
How to beat Baylor and how to beat Stanford and how to beat Notre Dame (Yes, ND)
1. Dolson and Stokes in TOGETHER), Hartley, Hayes, Faris, and KML. S-T-A-R-T-E-R-S.
2. When Dolson and Stokes need breathers – replace them with Buck and Johnson in tandem. make these two pairs of bigs work together like the Ogwumuke sisters.
3. Doty less playing time. with 2 bigs in at a time – Dolson will get some relief instead of getting exhausted.
4. The bench is hungry to play – relieve some starters for short rest periods.
5. Buck and Johnson and Stokes have a lot to offer – height – big bodies – USE THEM Geno.
Not one point scored the last 8 minutes?? That is worse than bad, UConn’s shooting 48% Irish only 37% and they won by 13. THAT IS TOTAL MALAISE BY UCONN. Same team took the Irish to overtime in South Bend. LAST NIGHTS LOSS WAS ALL BAD ATTITUDE.
BAD ATTITUDE and SOFT just like against St John and Louisville
Maybe they’re just not that good.
They’re = Players + Coaches
Once again classliss, that word describes him well. Go whine about how bad the score was this time. You are a jerk and will always be. Muffet McGraw = Winner. Go Irish!
Here is the reality. Kelly Faris is a tough player. She is not a starter. She is the perfect sixth man. But, you have to start Mosqueda Lewis in this situation. You need offense. Mosqueda can also post up. Caroline Doty has had a tough go of it. But, her point production in too many games is just too low. Quicker guards run right around her.
My starting lineup would be Dolson, Lewis, Hayes, Hartley and Stokes. Faris would be first off the bench.
This gives you much more offense on the court most of the time. Doty and Banks could come of the bench as well. Then, let’s use Heather Buck to back up Dolson and Stokes.
Geno’s current lineup will work fine with lesser opponents, but not the elite.
What I am most disappoined about is the Geno’s pouting. He is the coach. he should man up and do what he needs to do. No one is questioning his coaching bona fides. They are impeccable. But, there were times during the Notere dame game when he looked like he was in a panic. Personally, I think that Muffett Mcgraw has got his number.
Geno is a great coach, but unfortunately his wise ass nature really detracts from it.
Geno is only as good as is players. Much like Muffett, Pat, Tara, Kim. Gail G, former coach of Duke and soon to be former coach of Texas, takes it to the extreme.
Take away Maya and look what Geno has. Take away Novosel or Diggins and Muffett loses to UConn twice. Take away Parker and Pat does not win her 7th and 8th titles. Take away Griner and Kim is not 30-0 at this point of the season. Take away Nmeka and Tara does not have a Final Four team.
I agree with your lineup except you have to have Farris in there.Yes she had a bad game last night but they ar e few and far between.It doesn’t matter if she scores or not,she does too many other things that no one else on the team does. Their offense runs a lot better with Doty at the point but she can’t keep up with the guards of the elite teams any more . hopefully next year Jefferson will correct that.
Hey Bob, I have been suggesting your starting lineup for a few weeks. Dolson outside and Stokes inside at the same time.
Also KML – she proved it last night – her inside game effort has quadrupled – Doty still has some game but it should be off the bench in spurts.
I would go one step further. Have Dolson and Stokes get max playing time together until they became like Stanford’s sisters – hand and glove. Also, when they need rest – bring in Johnson and Buck. Alternate the two pairs in tandum.
If Hartley goes cold, bring in Banks.
One last comment – Dolson is not Tina Charles who was more agile. Dolson cannot play inside outside all by herself. Dolson has great value but needs an inside defensive person to compliment her outside offensive skills. Last night proves that.
If not Dolson/Stokes need some rest, take them out together and bring in Johnson/Buck.
If those two sets dont work, reverse buck and Stokes until you find the combos that fit best together.
Faris doesnt score often but she makes up for that with steals, rebounds, assists, and pure hustle. But, if she is in the game and not scoring – you cannot afford to have another player not scoring.
Doty needs much less playing time.
Geno is too stuborn when it comes to playing JR/SR over FR. Doty is an offensive and defensive liability. Banks should have received more playing time this season to prepare her for the next 3.
Kevin: Agree completely with your lineup suggestions. One caveat: Dolson does NOT have good hands with the ball. too many fumbles this year.
I agree – but with two bigs (Dolson and Stokes) it would have an amazing impact on her hands. She would not be as frustrated and could pick her battles more effectively.
Damn, why wont coach do two bigs as inside/outside? Look what Dolson did from the key against ND – as well as how she made some great shots inside. That would only get better with another big to share the load.
Also,maybe with another big inside (Stokes and relief from Buck), maybe Faris could take a break from all her other activities – (steals, assists, blocks, rebounds, and hustle, hustle, hustle) to take a midrange shot or two or even a 3-pointer)
I LOVE the idea of Kelli off the bench (& I love Kelli)-but either her or Caroline should not be starting & KML should
Donna, I agree – one of them should be OFF the bench but it should be Doty. Look at the box scores for every game and you will see Faris making rebounds, assists, steals, and other stuff you do not see in stats – she hustles every second she is in. Faris is pure gold – she does not score, but put KML in for Doty and that helps the scoring.
Geno is absolutely right! Why should he care. HE HAS A TEAM FULL OF PRIMA DONNAS WHO DONT PLAY TOGETHER OR CARE ABOUT THEIR COACH – A WORLD CLASS COACH. HOW IGNORANT ARE THESE GIRLS?? DOTY AND FERRIS NO POINTS, HAYES 6 TURNOVERS? IT WAS WORSE AT ST JOHNS.
Please do not be so quick to fault Faris. True, she is not a scorer but she is all hustle – steals, rebounds, assists, hustles for the free ball.
It is okay having one player do tons of other things than score but you CANNOT have Faris in the game if Doty scores 1 point, yet does NONE of the things that Faris does every night.
Doty has two speeds – slow and stop while Faris hustles every minute she is in the game.
Geno is too stuborn when it comes to playing JR/SR over FR. Doty is an offensive and defensive liability. Banks should have received more playing time this season to prepare her for the next 3.
Well said. many others are saying similar things – I feel for Doty – she has really had her share of bad luck – I remember when she really did it all and now she is just not doing it. So, let her come off the bench and do some good stuff in spurts – and if that does not happen, she will have to sit longer. That is reality.
Can I ask why some people on this board are grilling Kelly Faris? She scores 1 point and everyone is angry? Really? She doesn’t have a scoring instinct. She never did. She did everything else as she should have done and made some sloppy plays, yes, but she did everything else as she should have. I have a bigger problem with Doty easily giving up on not making her shots when there were opportunities for her to step up and score. I do not know why she hasn’t taken them, and perhaps she will never play her hardest because of the brace or the threat of another injury. But it pains me to know that someone who has fought so hard to keep playing doesn’t reflect the effort when it’s needed most. And Notre Dame capitalized on that by killing us in the fast break and on the perimeter.
What happened to that effort we saw from Doty against Louisville? One and done?
well said David
Much more than her abundantly obvious offensive shortcomings. Look at ND’s offensive boards – she was a disaster.
To be fair(is) it’s not her fault. She’s not a 4. And a large majority of ND’s offensive boards came from her block.
She’s a terrific kid who gives 100% every moment on the floor. But the game is not only about effort and dedication. Coach himself proclaimed, “It’s about putting the ball in the basket. If you can’t do that, you can’t play at UConn.” His words.
35 minutes, 0-2 unguarded for 1 total point. 6 total rebounds, none offensive. No steals or blocks. 6 assists against 2 turnovers.
The conclusion is obvious – she simply should not be starting – or logging extended minutes – at the 4.
The bench – the players who never play – had 3 offensive rebounds in 10 aggregate minutes on the floor.
The starters and rotation players had 3 offensive rebounds in 186 aggregate minutes on the floor.
PERHAPS there might have been other, more effective combinations to be tried last night?!?!?
Maybe you’re right. Who knows? I’m not Geno, so I’m in no position to say what could have worked. I will say I would have liked to see Buck and Stokes get more minutes. Maybe they could have been a threat inside instead of us having to scramble around not knowing who to give the ball too or deal with contested jumpshots, even though Steph was confident and nailed a few under pressure. The shots that normally would go in weren’t falling last night, and we couldn’t rebound the misses because no one was anticipating them or working enough in the paint. I will say even though it’s upsetting that we lost, ultimately it is a good thing because now this team has a chip on its shoulder. Take a look at Notre Dame last year. We beat them in every game before March Madness and then in Indianapolis they shock us. It is not impossible for these players to do the same thing. Kelly can keep doing what she does because she is good at it. So what if she doesn’t score or can’t play the 4 like the position is supposed to be played? She knows other people can score, she is still very very useful on defense and is pretty persistent, and is more so than the rest of the team. For what I see and know, she is willing to screen and take a hit for other players that she knows can score. You can’t deny that ability/desire. If you really wanted her to move somewhere, she would have great potential at the 1 or 3. That’s just my humble opinion, and in a way she doesn’t even truly play the 4. I think Stokes is the player on this team that emulates that role best.
Our opinions are not that divergent. I – along with many others here – would really like to see high – low with Dolson high and Buck low – alleviating the need for a classic 4.
Problem is Faris doesn’t have a real position. Her handle, dribbling and passing are nowhere near good enough for the point. And she doesn’t shoot well enough (or at all) to play the 2 or the 3 – both outside scoring positions.
So – if you’re wed to her starting – as Coach so stubbornly is – your options are very limited. The only position left is the 4 – which I agree – she doesn’t play in the classic sense.
And therein lies the rub – rebounding and inside scoring.
Better to use a small lineup of Doty & Hartley at guards, Hayes at the 3, Mosqueda-Lewis at the 4 and rotation of Dolson / Stokes / Buch at the 5.
Or a big lineup of Hartley & Hayes at guard, Mosqueda-Lewis at the 3 with Dolson high and Stokes / Buck low.
Worth at least a try for more than 47 seconds? Could it have been any worse than what we saw last night??!?!?
Auriemma should start Buck, Johnson, Engeln, Faris, and Doty on Sunday.
Great observations – I hope Geno reads this particular blog and considers a 2 big strategy, gives KML starter status, and has Doty come off the bench.
If only. More likely we see Haley’s comet this evening. Coach is clearly as stubborn as they come, would never this stuff, and takes every comment that fails kiss his, uh, rear as a despicable personal attack worthy of his wrath!!!
So many comments, it is good to see so many passionate fans. This team lacks confidence on the offensive end. They look like the men’s team in that they seem to be afraid to take shots. They also are very young team. They don’t have the physical abilities to keep up with the likes of ND or Baylor this year. Cannot blame any one or two players for last nights loss. It was a team effort. The ones who you all seem to be laying blame on are actually the most interested players on the team and hustle all the time. They may not be the best offensive weapons, but you have to play the people you have and accept the outcome.
“you have to play the people you have and accept the outcome”
It is all Samarie’s and EDD’s fault. UConn would be 30-0 and going for their 9th – yes 9th – NCAA championship.
What guys does he have on his team. He uses the word guys numerous times. Maybe he should talk to the gals and they would listen. He could not coach a MANS team if he wanted to.
These kids are college kids, meaning beyond their obvious athletic ability, they should have an aptitude to listen and learn. If I’m coaching anyone, ANYONE, and I explain what needs to be done in a timeout and nothing that I say is done when the play resumes, I’m going to be pretty damn P.O.’ed. This is a 6 time National Coach of the Year with 7 NCAA championships so he probably knows what he’s talking about. If you fail to listen to what he tells you or if you fail to make an effort, then he surely has a reason to be disgusted. In the heat of the press conference, he’s always been prone to talk in an exaggerated manner. You know that his goal is to win every game he plays and for someone to key on “how he doesn’t care to tie for this or win that” when you know exactly the opposite is and always has been true is sure stupidity on your part. He is a competitor and that’s why he gets upset if his team doesn’t compete like he knows they have the ability to compete. Who wouldn’t be upset with these kids who in the last minutes of the game let Notre Dame embarass them. They looked completely inferior to Notre Dame, particularly at the end when everyone who follows the Huskies knows they are at least comparably talented. Other Huskie teams with Shea and Sveta and Rebecca and Jen, even as underclassmen would not have broken down or quit on themselves as much as this team did.
To many armchair coaches on this site today.Bottom line folks,ND played a great game and beat us.Pointing fingers does not get anything accomplished.How many years has UConn lost four games in a season ? Geno and his players need to move and see what they can do to finish the season on a up note.I’m a realist and still very proud of this very young team.Real fans support their teams win or loose and it’s not the end of the world simply because they lost four games.Go Huskies !!!!!!!
I agree John.Maybe Geno was right when he said we”were spoiled”
Auriemma and CD are the ones who are SPOILED thanks to Lobo, Jen, Kara, Sveta, Shea, Sue, Swin, Asjha, Dee, Renee, Tina, and Maya.
I can’t believe the “opinions” that some people post as fact after a loss. You have coach that any D1 program in the country would snap up in a heartbeat, and some of you are convinced if he would just do it your way all would be well.
Do me a favor, when you get Geno lined out, go down to the local undertaker and show them how to properly embalm a body and maybe stop by the local bank president and instruct them to adjust their investment portfolio since the yield curve is so flat. You know just as much about coaching as you do the last two, but nobody will convince you of that fact.
Guests on the next Tiny Tim show will be Moan N Groan, Know It All, Wanna Bee, and Has Been
Some teams go with 3 or 4 or even 5 guards because they have to do so.
Can you tell me of another Div 1 school that has four players over 6’2″ and two of them sit on the bench 90 – 95 percent of the time and the other one sits on the bench 80 percent of the time?
When you play with a 4 guard lineup you risk the possibility of getting significantly fewer rebounds on both ends of the court.
As you get further into the season you start playing better teams – the pushovers are history .
Many people responding to this blog believe that two bigs – one inside and one outside would significantly help UCONN – especially against better and even bigger teams.
I would give KML more playing time and Doty less and I would give Stokes more time with Dolson even at the expense of less playing time for Hayes and/or Faris – although I value what Faris contributes every game (except for scoring).
Having Stokes in would help with point production and rebounds and KML in for Doty would add significant scoring, rebounds, inside play, and assists to Stokes and Dolson.
The biggest problem is that I believe Geno feels he is indebted to Hayes and Doty and they have earned starter status no matter how they play.
Let Faris and Hayes fight it out for playing time.
It all would be so much easier if basketball was a 6-player sport. With 6 you can some of the tenured players playing time and still get the younger players in the game as well.
Lobo, Rizzotti, Wolters, Abrosimova, Ralph, Bird, Cash, Jones, Taurasi, Montgomery, Charles, and Moore have ABSOLUTELY ENHANCED the PERCEPTION of Auriemma’s and CD’s coaching ability.
All of the players you list DID NOT hit it running as freshmen – they all took various amounts of time to Gel – also, some of them came in pairs or threesomes.
In addition, some kids were great in high school because of their environments – the team they played on.
Geno had a huge influence on each and every player you listed. Just like tuning a piano or a guitar.
Some players you attempt to tune and they just dont fit in the band or the orchestra.
GENO deserves a lot of credit – it was not all raw talent coming in the door – but this year he does not have that superstar to build the team around – but my one complaint is that he is not using the 3 bigs on the bench enough and Doty should be getting less playing time.
This year’s team will go further in the Big East and the NCAA’s if Dolson and Stokes play together for major minutes. Also, Buck can give some good minutes.
GO UCONN.
It was the UGLY uniforms fault!!!
I said that too! remember the shiny silver ones??–we lost w/those too!!!
Well, I’ve always admired Geno as a coach, but this is a tad over the top. I’m a fan of a west coast Pac12 team (not Stanford)so don’t have a horse in this race, but I always appreciate how well-coached UConn teams are and enjoy watching the Huskies play. This year’s squad is, I suppose, a work-in-progress and Geno is clearly not happy. I think UConn needs some athleticism at the post position to have a chance against the top teams.
At any rate, it’s good for women’s basketball to have a little parity (although I’m sure that’s not what Geno would call it).
Arrogance usually follows success.
i live 6 blocks from ND campus,and a life long irish fan. what i’ve noticed after reading all these comments , is that the vast majority of uconn fans have great character and are pretty intelligent about the game of wbb. you,ve been so successful for so long , that there are a few of you that are rattled this year. to those i say…really ? you are 26-4 going into the big east tourney. take a step back and look at uconn’s accomplishments this year. you have young exceptional players w/o the one big talent you are used to. you have the top 2 h.s. players coming in next year , along with 90% of this years team….YOU ARE 26 AND 4 !! you are blessed ! give these kids credit instead of bashing them. 26-4 , and the year is not done. you will probably be a #1 seed in the ncaa.at very worst #2. i understand about expectations , but theres no one alive that wouldn’t want to be in the position uconn is in right now. that said , i just want to say , i’m disappointed in geno. i know the man obviously knows what he’s doing , but for any coach or player to give up…..well that just leaves me speechless. theres teams that fight when they’re down by 10 with 30 seconds to go. to say you don’t care about the conference or conference tourney championship ??? that is 100% arrogance. if its supposed to motivate , i would think geno would find a way to motivate w/o giving up. i don’t care who or what….you NEVER give up. I do NOT want to face uconn again , but the odds of that not happening are pretty slim. so good luck to you , i’m excited for a great tournament….big east and ncaa.
Brent, no matter how many blocks or miles or states you are away from the ND campus, your observations are SPOT ON. You are also more thoughtful than some of those commenting here who are so critical of a player or two.
I have made similar comments to yours throughout this blog. I defended Faris and I was somewhat critical of Doty’s diminishing value to the team and I strongly feel that an inside big and outside big COULD beat ND in the final.
Not only did Geno throw in the towel minutes from the end, he appears stubborn to try 2 bigs in the game at one time and that could lead to his team’s demise either in the Big East tournament and/or early the NCAA
tournament. UCONN will make the NCAA either way, but without two bigs in (at the same time against the better teams, i.e. Stanford, N.D. Baylor, and maybe a few others like Miami and Maryland, UCONN will not be able to compete effectively.
Note: Big does not just mean vertical – a 5’11″ Irish player built like a mack truck is a big to me. Stokes and Buck can take a direct hit from a mack truck.
great commenets here…I agree with Kevin that Geno gave up on his team and the fans. I don’t want to hear about those that left early but those of us that come out 10,000 strong for the past 20 years. It is not easy for me to get to games but I do and I expect a fight win or lose until the end. Instead of telling the students “I would have left early also” what about those standing there hearing that. Where is the program without dedicated fans. Relax Geno we are behind you but we sure don’t always agree.
When are you Huskies going to figure out that Geno is a bully and a big baby?
I do not think Geno is a bully and a baby. I believe he is used to things going his way and I believe he is frustrated that the team has not gelled collectively as past teams have – but each team is different.
The biggest think is that there is not one superstar this year. No Maya, Diana, or Tina to say just a few of the recent stars – there are a dozen more hanging up in the rafters and we do not need to mention them one by one again.
Because there is no true team leader this year, it is UCONN by committee. There will probably not be a true leader by season’s end and that is okay – it cannot be forced – the players will gravitate toward one player and it might start this weekend.
Off the top of my head it might come down to Banks or Stokes but neither get enough playing time to develop into the leader.
I know Geno is frustrated and I do not envy his position this year. I am not sre when he last had a true rebuilding year without a star or a leader to build a team around. Does anyone know the last time he was in this position?
ND was the better team on the court and their coach was the better coach. That said, UCONN has the wrong mix of players in the game – no excuses, but with a different mix of bigs and smalls the outcome might have been different – and may I emphasize MIGHT.
Just because fans might have been leaving in droves, Geno should have not pulled his players in retaliation. He has a relationship with his fans and he has a greater relationship with his players.
If the fans left at the 10 minute mark in the second half would he have pulled his starters? I think not.
There are a handful of great coaches in womens bb and on any given night any of them can get outcoached. For one coach to beat another coach requires strategy just like a chess game. Geno made a bad more or two and he got caught with his britches down.
He is no different than his players – I am sure he would tell them to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and hit it running again. Same goes for him.
He loves running with four smalls because he can show favoritism to his favorite players, but to win against stronger opponents you have to put the best combination of players on the court – not just the ones who have paid their dues.
If he does not want to put the best team on the court, then he should defer to one of his lieutenants until next season. Doty has some good stuff left but not enough stuff to play 25 – 35 minutes up and down the court.
She can help UCONN best off the bench in spurts.
UCONN needs max scoring and they can have it with Hartley, Hayes, Dolson, KML, and Stokes.
Like it or not, a lineup change is necessary to go further in the conference tournament and the Big Dance.
Keep the same lineup and the season ends sooner than it should.
Lets not blow off the year by talking about next year and the three new superstars that will be coming in. Lets go out with a bang by putting the best set of starters on the court to salvage what might be a great ending to what was supposed to be a transition year.
Go UCONN!