Women's college hoops is a joke

[dasher]

Interesting thought. Sooner or later you'd think the most talented players would stop flocking to UConn, just like they did UCLA. But that would require a wide enough talent pool. However, based on what I saw this weekend, that just isn't there yet.

It took rule changes to kill UCLA. Freshman being able to play. A reduction in ships. Can't do that with woman because of title 9.

 

[Cheriehoop]

It took rule changes to kill UCLA. Freshman being able to play. A reduction in ships. Can't do that with woman because of title 9.

The biggest rule change directed to break UCLA's dominance (aimed at Kareem) was banning dunking in college basketball from 1967-1968 through the 1976-1977 seasons. I think banning the dunk helped make Bill Walton, the great all round shooter he became. He shot over 65% with no dunks during his time at UCLA.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Geno addressed all of these issues in the press conference yesterday. Paraphrasing, he basically thought they could be compared to UCLA back in the day since UCLA was getting those transcendent players and college bball was relatively in its infancy then just as women's hoops is now. He also said the sport needs better and more good players coming out of high school so more programs nationally can become stronger.

No doubt the guy can coach and is a tremendous motivator. They are a well oiled machine with lots of skill. I'll tell you...watching this Moriah Jefferson with the ball. Holy smokes. What speed on the court and handle. That would translate anywhere. She would OWN a guy like Kaleb Joseph, IMO. She'd pick his pocket whenever he was dribbling as well.

 

[leftytg]

Geno addressed all of these issues in the press conference yesterday. Paraphrasing, he basically thought they could be compared to UCLA back in the day since UCLA was getting those transcendent players and college bball was relatively in its infancy then just as women's hoops is now. He also said the sport needs better and more good players coming out of high school so more programs nationally can become stronger.

No doubt the guy can coach and is a tremendous motivator. They are a well oiled machine with lots of skill. I'll tell you...watching this Moriah Jefferson with the ball. Holy smokes. What speed on the court and handle. That would translate anywhere. She would OWN a guy like Kaleb Joseph, IMO. She'd pick his pocket whenever he was dribbling as well.

oh please. Lets not go down this road. The UConn women's team is dominant and amazing and deserves to be admired for its accomplishments in the women's game. The UConn's women's team would also lose to most any quality high school boys basketball team.

 

[SoBeCuse]

oh please. Lets not go down this road. The UConn women's team is dominant and amazing and deserves to be admired for its accomplishments in the women's game. The UConn's women's team would also lose to most any quality high school boys basketball team.

Maybe, maybe not. I'm speaking specifically about Moriah Jefferson. I think she could give a bunch of D1 men's PGs fits.

 

[NYCSUGrad]

oh please. Lets not go down this road. The UConn women's team is dominant and amazing and deserves to be admired for its accomplishments in the women's game. The UConn's women's team would also lose to most any quality high school boys basketball team.

Most quality HS boys teams? Not so sure. Depends how quality is defined and who the boys are. The UConn women wouldn't necessarily lose all of the games at least say in a best of seven. Few people back in 1973 thought Billie Jean King could beat Bobby Riggs, even though she was 25 years younger. But she did by exploiting his weaknesses.

It's moot till the actual games are played, though.

 

[dasher]

The biggest rule change directed to break UCLA's dominance (aimed at Kareem) was banning dunking in college basketball from 1967-1968 through the 1976-1977 seasons. I think banning the dunk helped make Bill Walton, the great all round shooter he became. He shot over 65% with no dunks during his time at UCLA.

Cherie, the rule on the dunk had no effect on UCLA. Anymore than on anyone else. They still kept on winning. They stock piled players. Freshman being able to play suddenly meant that instant playing time kept UCLA from hiding great players on their freshman team. Those players began playing against UCLA instead of waiting for playing time which they would have had to do where ever they went before the rule change.

 

[Cowtown]

The old man told me the NCAA cleaned up a lot of recruiting violations, although he never said specifically who was doing what. :noidea:

 

[rrlbees]

I'm sorry but the people calling Geno one of the greatest coaches in all of sports history is a joke, there is no competition. You can't compare him to a Wooden or a Coach K.

Why not Wooden? He had no comp, had all the best players like Uconn does, plus he was the biggest cheater in NCAA history.

 

[HoustonCuse]

It just seems unseemly to listen to Doris Burke vomit up effusive praise about all these accomplishments of UConn and their players when it certainly appears like the equivalent of losing your mind over the 85 Bears going undefeated against the Rotary Club flag football team. When your sport's championship game has a 26 point line, it's more of an exhibition than a competition. I personally think what the SU players did is far more impressive than Yukon in relative terms. The SU women and coaches took a program from nothing to the championship game, while the Yukon women basically were a 15 year old who punched their 4 year old brother in the face 75 times and claimed the title of greatest fighter on planet earth with a record of 75-0.

 

[Briancuse]

Why not Wooden? He had no comp, had all the best players like Uconn does, plus he was the biggest cheater in NCAA history.

Wooden had more competition than Geno has, there were some pretty good teams he faced back then.

 

[rrlbees]

Wooden had more competition than Geno has, there were some pretty good teams he faced back then.

Is that why they won 10 championships back then and went undefeated 4 times?

 

[Briancuse]

Is that why they won 10 championships back then and went undefeated 4 times?

The same could be said for Geno. I'm not denying the fact that hes the best Women's bball coach ever, but I just can't put him on the same level as Wooden, or a Coach K, or a Knight, when the competition is so weak.

 

[44cuse]

It's awesome and fitting. Leave it to syracusefan.com to $&: about the women making the championship game. If it's not the refs it's that we didn't win or its JB or what Coach H is wearing or BT or Rautins or Cooney or the Post Standard or dajuan or the traffic leaving the Dome (still my favorite)...seriously some of you really suck.

We just made the Final Four in one of our worst men's years in history and the championship game in one of our best women's years. And people here are still complaining. This place is nothing short of consistent. The only difference between this place and Syracuse.com when people left it is that the negativity is more coherent here.

44cuse

 

[NYCSUGrad]

It's awesome and fitting. Leave it to syracusefan.com to $&: about the women making the championship game. If it's not the refs it's that we didn't win or its JB or what Coach H is wearing or BT or Rautins or Cooney or the Post Standard or dajuan or the traffic leaving the Dome (still my favorite)...seriously some of you really suck.

We just made the Final Four in one of our worst men's years in history and the championship game in one of our best women's years. And people here are still complaining. This place is nothing short of consistent. The only difference between this place and Syracuse.com when people left it is that the negativity is more coherent here.

44cuse

That's the nature of internet chat boards, and from probably caveman times people have argued about trivia and things they are passionate about. (I bet some animals do too; we just can't interpret it all). As you noted, there are worse offenders, like syracuse.com. Also on the Mets board I frequent, where a handful of posters refer to David Wright as "Whiffy Boy", despite his never having hit below .254, and that was about six seasons ago. After he went 0-4 with a walk in the first game there were at least ten threads saying what a waste he was and he should retire. Even today, when the Mets won and he got one hit, two walks and most remarkably not one but two stolen bases, despite the spinal stenosis, some people still whinged that he cost us a double play, even though no one scored as a result and you could also lay the blame on the throw from second to first that Duda muffed. I post there despite that nonsense 1. to try to correct the idiocy, inasmuch as it's even possible 2. because there are other posters who are great, and even some who are kind of nuts but are amusing sometimes anyway 3. because I do learn legitimate things about the Mets, and sometimes off topic matters too and 4. because the more sane and sober (and boring) Mets message board I also went to last season doesn't seem to exist now.

 

[br801]

The only difference between this place and Syracuse.com when people left it is that the negativity is more coherent here.

44cuse

That made me smile.

 

[Eric15]

Plus they act like men. Gross.

You'd fit in well here... www.syracuse.com

 

[Ish88888]

Why not?

Because there are 10-20 teams a year in the men's game that can win a championship and 100 talented teams that can beat you on any given night. There isn't ONE team in the women's game that can play UCONN to within 20 points. It's a slap in the face to the men's coaches. Jay Wright just went through more challenge and stress in this year's 6 tourney games on his road to one championship than Geno did in all of his 11 combined.

 

[texascpa]

So, what's the solution? Draft?

 

[alphaorange]

Cherie, the rule on the dunk had no effect on UCLA. Anymore than on anyone else. They still kept on winning. They stock piled players. Freshman being able to play suddenly meant that instant playing time kept UCLA from hiding great players on their freshman team. Those players began playing against UCLA instead of waiting for playing time which they would have had to do where ever they went before the rule change.

I don't think the no dunk rule had any effect on shooting at all. David Thompson and Walton still played above the rim except they had to drop the ball through instead of jamming it through. I do think the way kids have concentrated on the dunk for the past few decades has hurt their ability to become consistent shooters, though. It's more of an issue for "perimeter" players than inside players, IMO.

 

[jdubs30]

To be fair -- when Geno got ot UConn they were pretty much nothing. He built everything from the bottom up -- when you win it's easier to get elite players -- when you never lose and win a title every year, it's even easier.

Geno is kind of a dbag, but it's not like he took after 1 year after Wooden or Coach K left -- he built that thing so he deserves major props

 

[Dave85]

Honesty, check out Uconns schedule, mostly 30-50 point wins. What is going on here? Are they good for the sport? No, but if they didn't dominate, those same 4-6 "awesome " girls they get every year would be dispersed on 3,4 teams and there still wouldn't be any competition in the game. Simply put, there isnt enough talented players in the girls game to make it watchable.

I don't care because every step Syracuse women are getting closer. This season should really help the program advance.

 

[richard levy]

Bill Maher does a bit, "I don't know it for a fact, I just know its true".. I don't know it for a fact, but I bet most of the above posts that criticize the women, women's sports, and compare it to men's sports , are men, who don't have daughters that played collegiate sports. I just know its true

 

[OrangeinBoston]

Gene explained this last week. He said there are only 15 to 20 top level players going from H.S. to college every year. UCONN is fortunate - they get the lion's share. The rest are dispersed around the country. Explains, in part, why UCONN is so good. The other part is Geno - an exceptional coach.

Why are there so few really good players? Gene says there is far too much emphasis on playing games at the H.S. and club level, and far too little emphasis on practice. So, when most players, other than the top 15 or so, get to college, they are woefully lacking in fundamentals.

He also said that coaching at the H.S. and club level wasn't very good.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Honesty, check out Uconns schedule, mostly 30-50 point wins. What is going on here? Are they good for the sport? No, but if they didn't dominate, those same 4-6 "awesome " girls they get every year would be dispersed on 3,4 teams and there still wouldn't be any competition in the game. Simply put, there isnt enough talented players in the girls game to make it watchable.

They are great for the sport. I don't know when America went from "hey, you are excellent, I want to be like you" and instead turned into "hey you are excellent, we should not let you do that." I think in coincided with every one gets a trophy. No one complained about Wooden's UCLA teams, and he cheated to hoard talent.
Geno is a great coach. Read up on his practices. These girls are great, as a team, in large part because of how he pushes them and demands excellence, if not perfection. If it was just about talent, Calipari would win every year.