Looks like both UConn basketball teams will be preseason #1 nationally:
UConn WBB Update!
- Thread starter TripleDribbleMan
- Start date
UConn women taking a European tour this summer that will start with a visit to Nika Muhl's hometown in Zagreb, Croatia:
Paige Bueckers very close to being medically cleared for full basketball activities:
What happened with Jonathan XIV? I had heard he was sick before they went to Houston for Final 4 but video was posted of Jonathan XIV licking ice cream in Houston so his appetite seemed OK? Has he retired or did he pass away?
To answer my own question: My father tells me that coincidentally, they just had a story on the news and Jonathan 15 is going to be traveling with Jonathan 14 to learn how to be a mascot dog. J-XIV is still alive but 10 years old and getting a little long in the tooth for mascot duties, for which a younger and more vigorous dog is needed. Retirement is looming soon for the great Jonathan XIV.
Here is the actual job listing in case anyone is interested in applying:
JOB SUMMARY
The University of Connecticut is accepting applications and nominations for a full-time Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Assist and support the Head Women’s Basketball Coach in the organization and administration of all phases of a high major Division I program including practice and game preparation, scouting of opponents, and the evaluation and recruitment of prospective student-athletes; assist in monitoring academic progress and development of student-athletes; and other program duties as assigned by the Head Coach.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
JOB SUMMARY
The University of Connecticut is accepting applications and nominations for a full-time Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Assist and support the Head Women’s Basketball Coach in the organization and administration of all phases of a high major Division I program including practice and game preparation, scouting of opponents, and the evaluation and recruitment of prospective student-athletes; assist in monitoring academic progress and development of student-athletes; and other program duties as assigned by the Head Coach.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree.
- Ten or more years of head coaching experience in a women’s collegiate Division I basketball program.
- Coaching experience in multiple NCAA Division I national championship games.
- Working knowledge of the correct application of NCAA regulations.
- Strong commitment to the academic goals of the University.
- Excellent organizational, teaching, communication, and public relations skills.
- Collegiate basketball national champion coach.
- Possesses coaching and student-athlete development philosophies consistent with that of the Division of Athletics and its women’s basketball program.
Pretty specific resume, here's a fit that's probably looking for work...
Cardoza, although highly qualified, is highly qualified to be someone else's head coach as well.
Geno's , "coach in waiting "replacement ?.... he ain't getting any younger (69), but I wonder whose leaving Uconn to create the opening ? There's only 3 to pick from.
Nobody is being replaced. They are hiring a new coach because the NCAA is now allowing more coaches to be hired:
There is furious speculation online that Tonya Cardoza is not only the most qualified person out there for the stated job criteria, but also that she will in fact be offered the job. I strongly suspect that Geno Auriemma himself drafted that job listing a few posts above and he may have done it to catch Tonya's attention.
Usually these postings are crafted/ listed after the candidate is determined, not the other way around.
ps, I did get asked to participate for input on a Uconn FB think tank with the Parker Exec Search Agency before Mora was hired, not that the discussion probably meant much and I'm sure DB had him narrowed down either way.
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"The NCAA now allows basketball programs to hire up to five assistant coaches (instead of the previous three), though the two new positions created cannot do any off-campus recruiting. That means Cardoza and Ben Kantor will join Geno Auriemma’s coaching staff......Kantor has been the team’s video coordinator since 2015."
Was an easy call on Tonya. She was a winner as a player, as an assistant coach, and as a head coach on her own. Geno loves winners! She is also a viable potential successor to Geno and may have been lured to come back by that possibility.
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The blog article says she is the first ever UConn recruit from Ireland, but she isn't the first ever UConn player to play in Ireland. Former UConn guard Mel Thomas led the Irish women's professional league in scoring one year.
My goodness, nothing says unathletic and vertically challenged as a women's basketball player, LOL !....if they didn't have Uconn on their jersey I doubt I'd watch another second (and don't) of a WBB game ....SMH !
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It should be noted that UConn has whiffed on some prospects, recently including Piath Gabriel, another 6'5" center prospect. I thought Gabriel would develop into something as her brother Wenyen played in the NBA, and she looked promising, but never amounted to anything more than a deep bench player. She transferred to UMass last year and was a deep bench player for them, playing 12 games, averaging 4 minutes per game with a season high of 12 minutes. This tells you all you need to know on how she panned out. On the other hand, I thought Dorka Juhasz was a great portal acquisition by UConn, even though she was played out of position out of need much like Cliff Robinson was back in the day. I hope this girl is at least a shot blocker. She does have some long arms. I have high hopes for Ace Brady and the Egyptian girl, however. They also have coming back Amari DeBerry who, at times, played very well last year and is clearly skilled but not very strong or physical.
Yikes! However a big difference between the UConn WBB and the Yankees injury bug is that the Yankees injury bug is more expected. When you sign and trade for players who have injury histories when they are in their 20s do you really expect them to play healthy 150 game seasons in their 30s? It's this type of naive management that has plunged the Yankees into perpetual injury issues the last 4 seasons. I stopped watching the team because I am sick and tired of guys not even being able to play 5 straight games without going on the IL. Josh Donaldson and his .141 batting average come off the IL, he plays 3 games in a row and injured again and back on IL. I had thought the Yankees learned their lesson with the Jacoby Ellsbury contract but they clearly have not. All I can say is WTF!!!!!! I can't take it when any team acquires players with known injury histories and expect them to stay healthy. And the Yankees have a history of doing this and "playing the money" instead of playing young talent that is also more durable talent.
With the UConn WBB it's just **** awful luck. With the Yankees, they deserve to have the record they have and it's no surprise all the guys they have had on the IL.
With the UConn WBB it's just **** awful luck. With the Yankees, they deserve to have the record they have and it's no surprise all the guys they have had on the IL.
That's why I posted the tweet....I knew it would send you on some Yankees rant !!!.... even though I could care less to read it, LOL!
Don't get me started with the Yankees. This is the first time I have ever stopped watching them. They aren't the Bronx Bombers they are the Bronx Bloopers. It's embarrassing!
Well at least Dan had fun in the Bronx, even though he's a George Brett fan......where's my pine tar !
Blades I watched the pine tar game live and I have been a Yankees fan since around 1973 so I will tell you a few things you may not know.
First of all, I nlever saw anyone who was more of a Yankees killer in the 50 years I have been watching the team than Brett. Not even David Ortiz. He hit 3 HRs against the Yankees in a playoff game in 1980. One of them was an upper deck HR off Goose Gossage who at that time was by light years the best relief pitcher and closer in MLB. After the game Gossage was quoted as saying, "I threw him a great pitch. The dude is ******* Houdini."
He is in the HOF because he was an UNBELIEVABLE hitter and I say that having watched him destroy the Yankees repeatedly.
Anyway fast forward to 1983 and the Pine Tar game. The Yankees knew Brett was heavily pine tarring his bat and players had mentioned it to Billy Martin, Yankees Manager. Martin said "let's sit on that intel until he does something to beat us."
Well that HR he hit off Gossage was ANOTHER game winner like the one he hit off Gossage in 1980 ALCS. So Martin expertly manipulated the umpires. I knew at the time that the rule was ******** and it gave Brett no advantage. But the Yankees knew he broke the rule and used it to their advantage. They eventually reversed the decision which was the right call to do that in my opinion.
Brett didn't only kill the Yankees. He killed everyone in the 1985 postseason leading KC to their 1st World Series title.
Here is Brett interviewed on 30 year anniversary of pine tar game:
First of all, I nlever saw anyone who was more of a Yankees killer in the 50 years I have been watching the team than Brett. Not even David Ortiz. He hit 3 HRs against the Yankees in a playoff game in 1980. One of them was an upper deck HR off Goose Gossage who at that time was by light years the best relief pitcher and closer in MLB. After the game Gossage was quoted as saying, "I threw him a great pitch. The dude is ******* Houdini."
He is in the HOF because he was an UNBELIEVABLE hitter and I say that having watched him destroy the Yankees repeatedly.
Anyway fast forward to 1983 and the Pine Tar game. The Yankees knew Brett was heavily pine tarring his bat and players had mentioned it to Billy Martin, Yankees Manager. Martin said "let's sit on that intel until he does something to beat us."
Well that HR he hit off Gossage was ANOTHER game winner like the one he hit off Gossage in 1980 ALCS. So Martin expertly manipulated the umpires. I knew at the time that the rule was ******** and it gave Brett no advantage. But the Yankees knew he broke the rule and used it to their advantage. They eventually reversed the decision which was the right call to do that in my opinion.
Brett didn't only kill the Yankees. He killed everyone in the 1985 postseason leading KC to their 1st World Series title.
Here is Brett interviewed on 30 year anniversary of pine tar game:
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Yep I know all about Brett ( did you know his brother pitched for the Red Sox ? ). I'm a walking baseball encyclopedia and been a
since my days as a paper boy and picking up my first season set. I own every year they made plus still play to this day. But I'm a big stats guy so the only thing I ever want to read about baseball is a box score. ...PS did I ever tell you I was asked to try out for the Phillies ?..... Well true story since we had 2 of their scouts living in my town, but I passed. All right back to Uconn, LOL!
since my days as a paper boy and picking up my first season set. I own every year they made plus still play to this day. But I'm a big stats guy so the only thing I ever want to read about baseball is a box score. ...PS did I ever tell you I was asked to try out for the Phillies ?..... Well true story since we had 2 of their scouts living in my town, but I passed. All right back to Uconn, LOL!
Blades can you post an update on Jana El Alfy's injury when it's posted? There is something posted already on CT Insider but I can't read it. The Courant also did a story on her a couple days ago, couldn't read it but they seemed to think she had been playing very impressively at the U-19 championships and is an extremely talented player. Here is a recent interview I found with Jana by the CT media, same people we always hear in postgames: