Geno's statement this time is interesting.

#26
#26
Dudleys87 said:
If they were being that hard on kids the light laced Media would be swarming. The more I listen the more I think this is Geno being Geno. Not winning like he wants to and wanting competition down.
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I don't agree. Two points to make on this.

First, he's been talking about the changing culture surrounding women's basketball at the high school and summer league level, and the recruiting and coaching challenges it presents, for quite a long time that extends before UConn started their championship run in 2013. He's been very particular about the type of player he wants to recruit and is increasingly finding it difficult to find them. That's one reason why Connecticut has had a short bench more often than not. I think it's this point that he doesn't like and has little to do with winning the way he wants to - after all, the past six years have been the best six he's had during his tenure in terms of winning percentage.

Second, I think Geno is similar how Pat was - a genuine interest in growing the women's game. He's been open to letting other coaches visit UConn's facilities and attend the team's practices. Vic at Mississippi State and Cori Close at UCLA are two recent examples who seem to have benefited from taking him up on this offer. And given the general dismal competition level in their conference, the team certainly needs and wants to play higher competition during the season to help prepare them for the tourney. And help grow the players to be better than when they arrived as freshmen.

And I also would like to comment on this from BruisedOrange: "The irony (or generational marker) is... Holly's role for Pat was to be the softer spoken follow up, making Pat's succinct, brusque, pithy coaching remarks receivable to emotionally surprised or frustrated players."

I think this is a really good observation. And it's a dynamic you likely see to some extent at most of the better programs. In UConn's case, Chris Daily is to Geno what Holly was to Pat.
 
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#27
#27
glv98 said:
Actually IMO Rick Barnes is a perfect example of NOT using showboating beatdowns, at least during games. Yes, of course, he gets in their face for mistakes, but has his say without showing off, addresses the error and moves on quickly. Obviously is very effective at creating a tight culture, able to do my way or the highway without threatening and intimidating public posturing. Is able to foster maximum respect without theatrics. At 64, is totally able to adapt, though I'm sure its not easy. And again, his results, both with player development (hi Jordan Bone) and winning records, solve a whole lot of problems. Nothing creates respect like success.
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No did not mean RB do any showboating at all but he speaks his mind and they acknowledge and accept and move on. I am not for trying to show any player up and I really think Izzo went a little to far ala Bobby Knight. Punter another fine example!!
 
#28
#28
cabbie191 said:
I don't agree. Two points to make on this.

First, he's been talking about the changing culture surrounding women's basketball at the high school and summer league level, and the recruiting and coaching challenges it presents, for quite a long time that extends before UConn started their championship run in 2013. He's been very particular about the type of player he wants to recruit and is increasingly finding it difficult to find them. That's one reason why Connecticut has had a short bench more often than not. I think it's this point that he doesn't like and has little to do with winning the way he wants to - after all, the past six years have been the best six he's had during his tenure in terms of winning percentage.

Second, I think Geno is similar how Pat was - a genuine interest in growing the women's game. He's been open to letting other coaches visit UConn's facilities and attend the team's practices. Vic at Mississippi State and Cori Close at UCLA are two recent examples who seem to have benefited from taking him up on this offer. And given the general dismal competition level in their conference, the team certainly needs and wants to play higher competition during the season to help prepare them for the tourney. And help grow the players to be better than when they arrived as freshmen.

And I also would like to comment on this from BruisedOrange: "The irony (or generational marker) is... Holly's role for Pat was to be the softer spoken follow up, making Pat's succinct, brusque, pithy coaching remarks receivable to emotionally surprised or frustrated players."

I think this is a really good observation. And it's a dynamic you likely see to some extent at most of the better programs. In UConn's case, Chris Daily is to Geno what Holly was to Pat.
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agree!!!
 
#29
#29
Funny, the ESPN article (link below) highlights Geno when he was part of a teleconference panel including McGraw, Mulkey, and Graves.

These "other" final four coaches were not shaking their fists and railing about "kids today." Mulkey commenting on her daughters who are also D1 athletes:

I think they have probably taught me what motivates the new generation," Mulkey said of her children. "When I go into a recruit's home, they know everything about me. What they don't know, I make sure they know. No coach is perfect. No coach is going to make all the right decisions through the course of the game.
"If you have an understanding, and you have the best interest of those kids, then they will feel it."

The Bobby Knight approach was staring to be seen as problematic even 10 or 15 years ago.

And Geno's original comment does not even make sense given that he also said this "People gave [Michigan State men's coach] Tom Izzo a lot of grief for something he did on the sideline," Auriemma said. "His players loved that."

So what are you complaining Geno, snow flakey players or "people" who give coaches grief?



Ignoring McGraw, Mulkey and Graves
 
#30
#30
Dudleys87 said:
If they were being that hard on kids the light laced Media would be swarming. The more I listen the more I think this is Geno being Geno. Not winning like he wants to and wanting competition down.
Click to expand...

Did Pat not take their uniforms, not let them on the bus home. Then told them they could win the uniform back in practice?
 
#31
#31
IPleadInsanity said:
Did Pat not take their uniforms, not let them on the bus home. Then told them they could win the uniform back in practice?
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Not sure about 'uniforms' but she did kick them out of their own locker room (which was equipped with all the comforts) until they earned it back in practice - on many occasions
 
#32
#32
This has been the case for many years. I've heard about "kids these days" forever. The newest generation always has it easier than the one before it. Facts are that people take more crap from those they respect. If you're a winning coach, odds are players will take more crap from you.

Still, through the years, both Geno and Pat had their fair share of transfers. Some players can take more than others. Same is true for everyone, TBH. I've worked for some real hardasses in my life where some employees can take it and others can't. Depends on what you consider trivial and annoying and what you consider "real" abuse. I've met some real pansy young people (my age and younger) but I've definitely met my fair share of pansy baby boomers, too.
 
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#33
#33
pasadenavol said:
Not sure about 'uniforms' but she did kick them out of their own locker room (which was equipped with all the comforts) until they earned it back in practice - on many occasions
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Vivian Stringer banished her team from their locker room as well.
 
#35
#35
so are you all saying that these athelets who get scholarships to play ball at colleges and get a free education just want to go thru the motions of playing and not want to be coached?
 
#36
#36
The wild card at UConn is Chris Dailey. Her and Geno have a version of "good cop, bad cop" down pat that works with most -- though not all -- recruits.
If "CD" wasn't there, Geno might not be able to keep anyone past their freshman year!

By the time the players there are juniors they have things figured out -- but they play along with it because 1) they understand that it works and is partly responsible for their success and 2) they enjoy watching the new players adjust. It's almost like a sorority thing. The younger players, meanwhile, see the relationship he has with the upper class women and how the coaches have improved their skills, and they aspire to reach that level. So the system sort of feeds itself.

Don't get me wrong. Both Geno and CD are excellent coaches. Anyone who has ever watched a UConn practice or attended Geno's camps or clinics can vouch for that, as will all his ex-players. But this system allows Geno to be Mr. "my way or the highway" when it comes to team discipline on an off the court. Sure, it doesn't work for everyone, and Geno is willing to lose a good player or two to preserve the system and the discipline and order it imposes. But it works well for the majority of kids he recruits. There is no acronym for it, but UConn-for-life is just as real as LVFL. (I noticed that early 90's star Svetlana Abrosimova flew in from Russia to see UConn's Regional NCAA games and said she felt bad that her schedule wouldn't allow her to come back for the Final Four!)

Other coaches come up with different systems that seem to work successfully. Robin Pingeton at Missouri (my alma mater) is more like a mom to her players. She puts discipline, to some extent, into the hands of her team leaders. You won't find a tighter knit bunch of players. Of course, you could argue that she doesn't have five-star players competing with each other or kids with giant egos coming into the program. She is also careful to recruit kids that she believes fit her system.

I am not as close to the LV program so I don't have much inside scoop other than what I see and read. But some have indicated that Holly was more of the "good cop" as an assistant and perhaps she was never able to break out of that role with the players, or even with the other coaches,
 
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#37
#37
Bobby Knight won a lot of games! Won championships! As many players vouched for him as did not!

Media took the "shock" value and ran with it!
 
#38
#38
On the eve of his 20th appearance at the Women's Final Four, UConn's Geno Auriemma said many coaches have become "afraid" of upsetting players because they might transfer and/or report the coach for verbal abuse.

"The majority of coaches in America are afraid of their players," Auriemma said. "The NCAA, the athletic directors and society has made them afraid of their players. Every article you read: 'This guy's a bully. This woman's a bully. This guy went over the line. This woman was inappropriate.'

"Yet the players get off scot-free in everything. They can do whatever they want. They don't like something you say to them, they transfer. Coaches, they have to coach with one hand behind their back. Why? Because some people have abused the role of a coach."

On Tuesday, North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell and her staff were placed on administrative leave, pending an independent investigation, for "issues raised by student-athletes and others," the school said in a news release. Hatchell, who has guided the Tar Heels women's program since 1986, won the 1994 NCAA title and is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In recent years, other women's basketball coaches -- such as Connie Yori at Nebraska and Sheryl Swoopes at Loyola Chicago, both in 2016 -- have been fired or resigned after investigations into allegations from players of verbal abuse and mistreatment.

(Evina Westbrook demanded a coach/coaches be fired)

Auriemma: Most coaches 'afraid' of their players
 
#39
#39
fatal1 said:
so are you all saying that these athelets who get scholarships to play ball at colleges and get a free education just want to go thru the motions of playing and not want to be coached?
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. Yes!
 
#41
#41
BIG SEXY said:
This is not only true in the sports arena but business as well. I run a chemical company that has multiple plants across the country. Trying to find workers who willl show up to work and put in an honest days work for fair pay is almost impossible. There is very little work ethic in the younger generation.

We have become a "soft" country.
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Heck we're 242 years old. :D
 
#43
#43
papatomany said:
Holly said that players have changed and are harder to coach; Geno said players have changed and are harder to coach. Holly's statement was attacked for "blaming the players", Geno's was not.
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Holly said they didn’t give effort yet countless times she’s sitting on her ass, arms crossed, mentally checked out. So who’s not giving effort? The HC directly effects the assistants which effect the players.

Unless you’ve got it on tap I’ll never believe she’s tough on kids.
 
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#44
#44
IPleadInsanity said:
Did Pat not take their uniforms, not let them on the bus home. Then told them they could win the uniform back in practice?
Click to expand...

And if she did that today someone would report her. Urban Meyer did things like this at Florida. Kicked them out of practice, took numbers, the gator head, etc.
 
#46
#46
This is what made Pat so great. If she were still coaching I bet it would be the same. Hard work, discipline and effort is what matters and she would have cared less what anyone thought about her coaching methods. Today everyone gets their feelings hurt.
 
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#47
#47
sisaq said:
In an interview, Geno stated that this generation of young girls playing basketball tend to be spoil when compared in the olden days. He maintained, "when it comes to coaches; yelling at them, being strict, they tend to report it as abuse". Some transfer or media makes it worst by promoting bad and abusive coaches. That's very true!!!
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I read the article. I'm a teacher in a public high school and I believe just about every word he said.
 
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