Here’s the link to the ESPN article with Geno’s quote Auriemma: Most coaches 'afraid' of their players
OTT: When the NCAAs roll around and he gets national media attention, Geno whines and moans about how tough he has it. He's been doing this since 2002 (or earlier), when he threatened to sue the WCBB committee for gender discrimination: male coaches were placed in the bracket so as to defeat each other. If things are so bad, how has his program done so well?
Top-tier players sometimes mesh very well and take a very vested interest in maintaining the legacy of the program to which they committed. There have, historically, in plenty of sports, been teams that excelled in spite of the coaching staff. Additionally, Geno is NOT indicating in the article that he was one of the coaches who was worried one iota about what his players thought. Whether you like him or not, he gets results and I applaud him for not molly-coddling his squads. There are no allegations that I am aware of that he has abused any of his players in a physical (or sexual) manner. What we don't need are coaches doing like Kliffy Kingsbury has done by recently announcing social media breaks for his players. The coddling is NOT conducive to a winning program at any level of competition...
Interesting article --- I thought Muffet's and Kim's comments showed the most understanding. Geno seems the most unhappy that coaches can't say what they damned well please. I think he mostly does. He has criticized his players publicly at times in ways that I thought was really inappropriate (e.g., the things he said about Andrea-Espinoza, whom he basically ran off and who has subsequently done very well at MSU).
When Jacki Gemelos decided to not attend UConn, Genos said some awful things to her; the CT press printed the story. 2005 GEMELOS LEAVES UCONN IN LURCH
That guy kicks so much *** in spite of anything thrown at him. It's gotten to the point that going to the Final Four the last three years but not winning it all is a disappointment. I think it has to stick in Muffett's craw that Geno gets paid over 2X as much as she does. But that guy is simply the best, period. Kinda like bashing the Patriots, there's too much whining from below...
That sounds a little weak. Other coaches who have won seem to have one or two elite players. Similar to Saban, the best go to UConn to be coached up.
Absolutely they have but Geno has gotten the last 2 to 3 transcendent talents. Diana, Maya Moore, and Brianna Stewart. I expect him to continue to get to Final 4’s because he still has great talent and is a great coach.