OT - UConn Women in CNY

[Orange46R]

I can't stand UConn as much as the next guy, and am not into women's hoops, but just watched the local sports and was puzzled...

UConn played a 'homecoming' game in Hamilton tonight against Colgate for Breanna Stewart. It was the lead story on the sports and the arena was sold out with over 1,700 there.

Syracuse hosted Coppin St tonight. The highlights they showed I literally did not see one person in the crowd.

So looked it up and from the sounds of this article seems as if Q/SU may have been sticking it to UConn: espn.com

I think that was a bad move if true. Men's hoops yes you U Conn when appropriate but with the women's game being something they have been trying to grow really seems as if SU blew it here. Could have actually made some $$ off a home game for once too.

 

[Cheriehoop]

I don't think that there's any love lost between Auriemma and Hillsman - SU and UConn. About 5 - 6 years ago there was an incident after a physical SU-UConn game that SU got killed in. Aureimma started yelling at SU's Nicole Michael during the after-game handshake. Then Michael attempted to trip him. Maybe there was more during the Stewart recruitment too since Hillsman took heat for losing a hometown superstar. It's too bad - it would have generated quite a bit of interest if they could have played but like you said not near enough to make a dent in the dome but way more than SU women ever draw.
http://blog.syracuse.com/orange-women/2009/01/big_east_to_review_michaelauri.html

 

[690West]

This article makes some points on each side.
http://espn.go.com/womens-college-b...star-breanna-stewart-homecoming-game-possible

 

[NKR1978]

It does us no good to lose by 40 to them.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Luckily, nobody cares.

 

[JeremyCuse]

This whole thing is a joke, SU doesn't owe Stewart or UConn jack Sh$t. That ESPN article keeps insinuating that SU was basically trying to stick it to UConn and Stewart. So what if they were? Stop crying about it.

 

[MSOrange]

This whole thing is a joke, SU doesn't owe Stewart or UConn jack Sh$t. That ESPN article keeps insinuating that SU was basically trying to stick it to UConn and Stewart. So what if they were? Stop crying about it.

You said it much better than I could have. She had an opportunity to play many games in Syracuse 5 minutes from her house and turned it down. That's fine - she needs to make the best decision for herself, but also realize you're going to miss out on some things in doing so.

 

[HakAttack]

Brent Axe seems to be annoyed about it. He's been ranting for about ten minutes now.

 

[Marsh01]

She could have came here and they would have built a statue of her on campus

her

 

[HOFCeluck]

Stewart is just another uconn player afaic. I wish the PS didn't seem it necessary to give her pub.

 

[HakAttack]

She could have came here and they would have built a statue of her on campus

her

That's so stupid. Why wouldn't she go to the best women's basketball program? I hope you're not serious. It's such an asinine stance to take here.

 

[cto]

I was at a dinner last night in Fairfield, CT, where I got serious grief about this from a bunch of UConn fans. Fortunately, I did not know what they were talking about ... which quickly ended the discussion. People take women's basketball very seriously in this state.

 

[mountaincuse]

Stewart is just another uconn player afaic. I wish the PS didn't seem it necessary to give her pub.

She could end her career with four titles and four player of the year awards.

Not just another player when you think about it that way, but I kinda lean your way too. Probably because it's women's hoops so I've got no connection to it.

Wish she came here and became our Dave Bing.

 

[Ghost]

That's so stupid. Why wouldn't she go to the best women's basketball program? I hope you're not serious. It's such an asinine stance to take here.

Because it's UCOnn?

 

[raf4488]

Would've been nice for girls in the community to be able to come see someone play who is on her way to becoming one of the best women's players of all time, who also happened to grow up in Syracuse. Heck, maybe it would even get some people to come back to more SU women's games. It's not like they couldn't use the support.

Syracuse-UConn is a men's basketball rivalry, there's nothing there in the women's game. And I'm not going to fault an exceptional young player for taking the opportunity to play for her sport's greatest dynasty rather than the local program that has never been good.

 

[Cheriehoop]

That's so stupid. Why wouldn't she go to the best women's basketball program? I hope you're not serious. It's such an asinine stance to take here.

She of course has the right to go to anywhere she wants to go. Both Stewart (UConn) and SU also have the right to make their own decisions independently of the other's desired wishes, which each appear they did.

 

[Marsh01]

That's so stupid. Why wouldn't she go to the best women's basketball program? I hope you're not serious. It's such an asinine stance to take here.

My point is if she wanted to play 5 minutes from her house she should have came here instead of pissing and moaning about us not scheduling them

 

[sutomcat]

Torn feelings on this.

I know Breanna's dad and have been friends with him since she was in 8th or 9th grade. Good guy. Breanna is a great kid. Q recruited her hard but Connecticut is the only place in the country where women's basketball is the passion of the state and I can understand why she would want to go there, be a rock star and win 4 NCs without breaking a sweat.

Q was good to the Stewart family after she verballed to the Huskies, and let her have access to the Melo Center and other SU facilities, and scrimmage with SU players in the summer. Don't know what happened to precipitate this but I think it is more about tension/dislike between Geno and Q than SU and Breanna.

Let's just say Geno isn't the most diplomatic person in the world. There have been incidents with SU players in the past, some mentioned already in this thread, some not. I suspect those things, coupled with some ugly drubbings in actual games, soured the relationship between the coaches.

Glad she had a chance to play in front of her friends and family. She deserves it. She is the most remarkable female basketball player ever. I will also be a little wistful though. It would have been really interesting to see what kind of impact she would have had on a program that wasn't already 2 times better than any other program in the country.

 

[721Comstock]

That's so stupid. Why wouldn't she go to the best women's basketball program? I hope you're not serious. It's such an asinine stance to take here.

Yet, Ben Simmons did NOT go to Duke or UK.
LSU isn't exactly a hoops blue-blood, except for the rare occasions they land a transcendent player.

The top player does not *have* to go to the top school(s).

She chose the women's version of UCLA back in the day, or UK or maybe Duke today.
And that's good for her!
But, she had her chance to play in front of her hometown fans, and chose not to. That decision has consequences.

She could have been a transformative talent here. The women's Pearl Washington.
Instead, she'll get lumped in with Rebecca Lobo and Taurasi and whichever other UConn greats there are, that I can't remember, and probably nobody else can either.

 

[longtimefan]

Yet, Ben Simmons did NOT go to Duke or UK.
LSU isn't exactly a hoops blue-blood, except for the rare occasions they land a transcendent player.

The top player does not *have* to go to the top school(s).

Men's and women's college hoops are entirely different situations.

First, there are proportionally many more blue chip men's players. And, in the women's game, the top half dozen programs get nearly all of the top 20 players. It never has been that way in the men's game--although over the past few years, it appears UK and Duke are trying to corner the market, much like UConn and Tennessee women ten years ago.