I got a chance to see Connecticut at Maryland recently.
Before I begin my remarks, there is an important caveat - I don't like to see anyone injured. Period. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis's injury against Stanford was pretty scary for anyone who saw it live. It looks like nothing was broken and in about four months, she should be all right. Morgan Tuck needed some scoping, and that left Connecticut short-handed in their game against the Terps.
That being said, these injuries actually made Connecticut vs. Maryland - interesting. Could Maryland beat a short-handed Connecticut? Alyssa Thomas carried Maryland on her back for a while, and it looked like the Terps had the chance to shock the #1 Huskies.
But no. Maryland was NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME.
There's a play which I think exemplifies part of the reason why UConn can win games. Laurin Mincy pops a long range shot against UConn and pops up her fist in triumph, smiling. A dagger, right?
No. The Huskies act as if they weren't even paying attention, fast break down the other end of the court and catch Maryland's defense asleep. So much for Laurin Mincy's triumphal moment.
There was a comment by USC football coach Pete Carroll that rang in my head:
“We’re not going to do anything different for this game since we’re not treating this game any different than another game. Every game is a championship game for us, so we’ll treat this one, the last one and the next one exactly the same. And that goes for our practices leading up to it as well.”
Connecticut plays every game like it's a championship game.
"It's about us getting ready to play. It's not about the other team. We'll beat ourselves before they beat us. That's always our approach."
Another quote from Carroll. The only team that Connecticut is playing against is Connecticut, it always has been. Connecticut always attacks, always, always wants the perfect play, always wants to play killer man-to-man defense.
Maryland tried to get Stefanie Dolson in foul trouble. That's a mistake. You don't give the enemy rope and hope that she'll hang herself with it. If Dolson had five fouls, it would have been a big benefit for Maryland - but that didn't happen, Dolson continued to exploit Maryland inside, and game over.
My wife - not a basketball fan - watched this game with me. "They must spend a lot of their practices passing," she said. Connecticut can execute and execute quickly. When they speed up a play, there's not much "what am I supposed to do now?" The only player I know who improvised at UConn was Maya Moore, because Auriemma complained once that Moore was invariably out of position on plays, trying to guess where she should be based on instinct and making the right play anyway.
But there's only one Maya Moore.
Given that UConn-Penn State is on in the background - and Connecticut is up 30-18 - I wonder if anyone is going to be able to beat Connecticut this year. Perfection might be the goal for Connecticut, but it doesn't make their dismantlings of the enemy that compelling unless you're a Huskies fan. As Mike Peden said on Twitter, if this is the way that the women's BB season is going to be, I'm already counting the days until the WNBA starts up again.
(* * *)
From RebKell, someone posted a link that Jenny Boucek was talking to both Tulsa and Atlanta about that last open coaching job.
Interesting comments about Boucek's grind-it-out style. As for running with the Dream, well, we Ran with the Dream and we're 0-9 in WNBA Finals play. Maybe we should try something else.
But here's my big prediction - the team that gets Jenny Boucek is the team that is going to eventually relocate to Oakland. The Atlanta experiment or the Tulsa experiment is about to come to an end if either of these teams hires Boucek. If the Dream pick Boucek, McCoughtry should start looking for apartments in Oakland.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
The Cobb County Braves
It looks like the Braves are going to pick up shop from Ted Turner Field and travel to Cobb County, of all places. Apparently, the Cobb County Government offered $450 million for the Braves to pick up and git. The Braves have (graciously) offered $200 million. Now of course, if you think that the tab in Cobb County is going to be just $450 million, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you, $20, dirt cheap.
Basically, they tried to pressure Kasim Reid into paying a zillion dollars for Liberty Media's new toy. Reid said, "don't let the door hit your asses on the way out". The Braves are trying to spin this as "we simply decided to end our lease" but I don't believe it happened that way. Good for Reid, he's got my vote in the next election. Sports teams bring nothing financially to a community, and I say this as a diehard Dream fan. If Liberty Media wants a new stadium, fine, but I'm not paying a dime for it. Let the billionaires pay for their own stadiums and let not a dime of the public's money be spent. I'm already paying for the @#$@#$ Falcons as it is; I would have rebelled if I were asked to pay for the Braves, too.
Supposedly, the lack of MARTA access to Turner Field was an issue. Well, MARTA isn't even in Cobb County but that wasn't a deal-breaker. My take on things was that the area around Turner Field was "too poor" and "too crime ridden" and if you can read between the lines in the Deep South, you know exactly what they're talking about. I'm surprised they didn't go for the trifecta and claim that Cobb County "has better schools".
Well, the Braves decided to meet their whitebread fans half-way. I don't think it's going to do much for Cobb County. They'll be paying a lot more than $450 million dollars in the end because cost overruns just mysteriously happen when new stadiums are being built. If you have no interest in baseball, you're not going to go to Cobb County to see it. All of the "new revenue" that Cobb County is expecting with their mall will just be cannibalized from other sources - every $ the Cobb County Braves see is one $ that will disappear from some other business in Cobb County. It's not going to be any easier for some Atlanta out of town visitor to see the Braves than it is now. How much transit do you think there is between downtown Atlanta and Cobb County?
Good thing I got out of that circus and into the WNBA. By the time WNBA teams have the clout to extort cities with threats to move, I figure I'll be dead.
Basically, they tried to pressure Kasim Reid into paying a zillion dollars for Liberty Media's new toy. Reid said, "don't let the door hit your asses on the way out". The Braves are trying to spin this as "we simply decided to end our lease" but I don't believe it happened that way. Good for Reid, he's got my vote in the next election. Sports teams bring nothing financially to a community, and I say this as a diehard Dream fan. If Liberty Media wants a new stadium, fine, but I'm not paying a dime for it. Let the billionaires pay for their own stadiums and let not a dime of the public's money be spent. I'm already paying for the @#$@#$ Falcons as it is; I would have rebelled if I were asked to pay for the Braves, too.
Supposedly, the lack of MARTA access to Turner Field was an issue. Well, MARTA isn't even in Cobb County but that wasn't a deal-breaker. My take on things was that the area around Turner Field was "too poor" and "too crime ridden" and if you can read between the lines in the Deep South, you know exactly what they're talking about. I'm surprised they didn't go for the trifecta and claim that Cobb County "has better schools".
Well, the Braves decided to meet their whitebread fans half-way. I don't think it's going to do much for Cobb County. They'll be paying a lot more than $450 million dollars in the end because cost overruns just mysteriously happen when new stadiums are being built. If you have no interest in baseball, you're not going to go to Cobb County to see it. All of the "new revenue" that Cobb County is expecting with their mall will just be cannibalized from other sources - every $ the Cobb County Braves see is one $ that will disappear from some other business in Cobb County. It's not going to be any easier for some Atlanta out of town visitor to see the Braves than it is now. How much transit do you think there is between downtown Atlanta and Cobb County?
Good thing I got out of that circus and into the WNBA. By the time WNBA teams have the clout to extort cities with threats to move, I figure I'll be dead.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
New Historical Coaches File added to blog link
Since the 2013-14 women's college BB season starts tomorrow, I've updated the Historical Coaches Register. The link should be visible to your right.
The new file:
a) corrects a handful of errors
b) adds subtotals by era and conference
c) rearranges the team tabs to reflect current conference alignments
d) adds the Atlantic 10 as a conference
e) adds information about consecutive visits (or non-visits) to the NCAA Tournament.
I'll release this publicly about 5 pm ET - but if you're a visitor to the blog, you get a special treat. Enjoy.
The new file:
a) corrects a handful of errors
b) adds subtotals by era and conference
c) rearranges the team tabs to reflect current conference alignments
d) adds the Atlantic 10 as a conference
e) adds information about consecutive visits (or non-visits) to the NCAA Tournament.
I'll release this publicly about 5 pm ET - but if you're a visitor to the blog, you get a special treat. Enjoy.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
On the Hot Seat
Slightly warm: Joe McKeown, Northwestern: He has a 71-85 record at Northwestern, but his tenure has been the most successful of the three coaches that have followed Don Perrelli. Furthermore, he's gotten the Wildcats to the postseason - when Northwestern went to the WNIT Quarterfinals in 2010 it was the first post-season visit in 13 years. However, in five years the best he's finished in the Big 10 is 8th place. Is Northwestern satisfied with 8th?
Warm: Pam Borton, Minnesota. In her first seven years at Minnesota, Borton went to the NCAA tournament six times. In her last four seasons, she has only a WBI championship and a WNIT first round loss. However, she's also the school's winningest coach - but those last four years included her first two losing seasons and management has to wonder if she can turn her tailspin around.
Warm: Bobbie Kelsey, Wisconsin. Two disappointing years in a row from Kelsey might be causing Wisconsin fans to wonder why it is that they fired a coach that who had five straight post-season appearances for Kelsey? Was it the Stanford pedigree? If Wisconsin makes the move up this year that many expect them to, that seat will get a lot colder but she will need asbestos underwear if the Badgers can't break .500.
Warm: Dennis Wolff, Virginia Tech. Last year was the sixth consecutive year where the Hokies won four games or less in conference. Two of those years were under Wolff, who is 17-43 in two years. He's won 7 and 10 games respectively, and his predecessor Beth Dunkenberger's worst season was an 11-19 finish. The question is whether or not Virginia Tech cares enough about women's basketball for that to make a difference.
Warm: Jamelle Elliott, Cincinnati. I don't think anyone will be happier to leave the Big East than Jamelle Elliot. Her finishes have been 14th, 15th, 10th (tie) and 13th. In four years she has one .500 season and the rest are underwater. I don't know that they really care enough at Cincinnati for it to make any difference. After her first season in the American, management will probably re-access.
Hot: Niya Butts, Arizona. In five seasons at Arizona, four of those are under .500. The last time that happened at Arizona was in the beginning of the Joan Bonvicini years of the early 1990s. Another sub .500 season and the Wildcats might finally run out of patience.
Hot: Charli Turner-Thorne, Arizona State. Unless your leave of absence is for health reasons, leaves of absence usually don't solve much. After a 13-18 season, Arizona State boosters might wonder if she's still got it. This is the season to "get it" whatever it is.
Hot: June Daughtery, Washington State. Six straight losing seasons for Daughtery, but that's okay, as WSU has had 17 straight losing seasons. They're used to it. Even so, about every five or six years even a losing program does some cleaning, and the crystal in Daugherty's palm is starting to blink.
Hot: Todd Buchanan, Houston. He's in trouble. After a undefeated season in Conference USA, he went 3-26 and 13-17. Going from feast to famine will raise eyebrows, and the pressure is on in the AAC.
Boiling Hot: Paul Westhead, Oregon. That 4-27 finish last year and his age make it a question of not if, but when.
Might be gone tomorrow: Sharon Dawley, Massachusetts or Cathy Inglese, Rhode Island. Dawley has had three 20-loss seasons in three years; Inglese has four 20-loss seasons in four years. Then again, no one seems to care about women's BB in Massachusetts or Rhode Island.
Warm: Pam Borton, Minnesota. In her first seven years at Minnesota, Borton went to the NCAA tournament six times. In her last four seasons, she has only a WBI championship and a WNIT first round loss. However, she's also the school's winningest coach - but those last four years included her first two losing seasons and management has to wonder if she can turn her tailspin around.
Warm: Bobbie Kelsey, Wisconsin. Two disappointing years in a row from Kelsey might be causing Wisconsin fans to wonder why it is that they fired a coach that who had five straight post-season appearances for Kelsey? Was it the Stanford pedigree? If Wisconsin makes the move up this year that many expect them to, that seat will get a lot colder but she will need asbestos underwear if the Badgers can't break .500.
Warm: Dennis Wolff, Virginia Tech. Last year was the sixth consecutive year where the Hokies won four games or less in conference. Two of those years were under Wolff, who is 17-43 in two years. He's won 7 and 10 games respectively, and his predecessor Beth Dunkenberger's worst season was an 11-19 finish. The question is whether or not Virginia Tech cares enough about women's basketball for that to make a difference.
Warm: Jamelle Elliott, Cincinnati. I don't think anyone will be happier to leave the Big East than Jamelle Elliot. Her finishes have been 14th, 15th, 10th (tie) and 13th. In four years she has one .500 season and the rest are underwater. I don't know that they really care enough at Cincinnati for it to make any difference. After her first season in the American, management will probably re-access.
Hot: Niya Butts, Arizona. In five seasons at Arizona, four of those are under .500. The last time that happened at Arizona was in the beginning of the Joan Bonvicini years of the early 1990s. Another sub .500 season and the Wildcats might finally run out of patience.
Hot: Charli Turner-Thorne, Arizona State. Unless your leave of absence is for health reasons, leaves of absence usually don't solve much. After a 13-18 season, Arizona State boosters might wonder if she's still got it. This is the season to "get it" whatever it is.
Hot: June Daughtery, Washington State. Six straight losing seasons for Daughtery, but that's okay, as WSU has had 17 straight losing seasons. They're used to it. Even so, about every five or six years even a losing program does some cleaning, and the crystal in Daugherty's palm is starting to blink.
Hot: Todd Buchanan, Houston. He's in trouble. After a undefeated season in Conference USA, he went 3-26 and 13-17. Going from feast to famine will raise eyebrows, and the pressure is on in the AAC.
Boiling Hot: Paul Westhead, Oregon. That 4-27 finish last year and his age make it a question of not if, but when.
Might be gone tomorrow: Sharon Dawley, Massachusetts or Cathy Inglese, Rhode Island. Dawley has had three 20-loss seasons in three years; Inglese has four 20-loss seasons in four years. Then again, no one seems to care about women's BB in Massachusetts or Rhode Island.
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