Why are they so dominant?

Recruiting / Coaching/ S&C ? Luck?

They won't be nearly as dominant next year, but really, since coaching=recruiting in great part, it's about Geno and staff.

If you get the best players and make them better, then winning pretty much follows automatically. And they've been pretty lucky injury-wise too ...

Next year, though, it should be a lot more interesting.

They have had recruiting success comparable to Kentucky on the men's side and since the women rarely leave early, retain their talent for 4 years, providing the continuity that is absent in the top men's programs.

Thanks for clearing that up

ClayK;842677409 said:

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They won't be nearly as dominant next year, but really, since coaching=recruiting in great part, it's about Geno and staff.

If you get the best players and make them better, then winning pretty much follows automatically. And they've been pretty lucky injury-wise too ...

Next year, though, it should be a lot more interesting.

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Let me add another factor, the women they recruit also graduate and therefore are there the entire time. Geno has a 100% grad rate for players who he has recruited directly into UConn (apparently a transfer didn't graduate), which is utterly amazing. He has a very strong head assistant, that also helps.

wifeisafurd;842678034 said:

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Let me add another factor, the women they recruit also graduate and therefore are there the entire time. Geno has a 100% grad rate for players who he has recruited directly into UConn (apparently a transfer didn't graduate), which is utterly amazing. He has a very strong head assistant, that also helps.

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One beef I have with Geno is abusing his influence with USA Basketball. I've said it many times before so I won't breakout the whole PowerPoint presentation, but Swin Cash and Asjha Jones making that 2012 Olympic team was just absurd. Jones DID play a good 10 minutes of defense when Parker was being too light against Liz Cambage in the semi-finals, but that's it.

Even UConn fans thought Stewart wasn't ready to be on the national team, but he got her on the World Champs squad in 2014. Again, most of the UConn fans who watched her limited PT in that tournament said "she looked lost." The other player clearly benefiting from Geno's favoritism is Dolson. Chiney Ogwumike was cut before Dolson for the 2014 World Champs team (though Dolson didn't make the final roster). Dolson is in the pool for Riothere are simply other posts who have outperformed her as a pro.

The Selection Committee officially chooses the roster, but obviously Geno has input ...

Here's a point: One of the biggest issues for USA Basketball is that the national teams don't play together much. Other countries can identify the top 12 or so players at a young age, and put them together, and in a system, for several, if not many, years. The European teams especially can test themselves in regional competitions, and get a sense of team that the Americans don't really get.

So by adding UConn players to the end of the bench, USA Basketball gets not only personal familiarity, but also system familiarity, and can make up some of that "team" deficit.

And the truth is that all you want out of 11 or 12 on the roster is a few minutes here and there. The load is going to be carried by the top eight -- if you have to rely on 11 or 12, then you're probably going to lose anyway.

Finally, the difference between the 11th best player and the 15th best player is usually not that great. Do you want a rebounder or a shooter? You're not looking for a star but a role player. It's not like the Olympic team is even supposed to be the 12 best players -- it's supposed to be the best team made up from the pool of the best 25 (or whatever number you pick) players.

Does our women's national team ever lose? I'd think we should be way more dominant than our soccer team is because there are more points scored in hoops and thus less chance for an upset.
Where is their record?

I think the national team has lost once in the 2000s, when Anne Donovan (say no more) was coach.

They've won every major title, and I don't think have had a really close game since 1998. The received wisdom is that the second 12 would have won all the golds as well.

thanks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_women%27s_national_basketball_team
good table there on Olympics and FIBA World Cups.

by the way, good tables on the men's teams as well - not as good results:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_men%27s_national_basketball_team

ClayK;842678382 said:

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The Selection Committee officially chooses the roster, but obviously Geno has input ...

Here's a point: One of the biggest issues for USA Basketball is that the national teams don't play together much. Other countries can identify the top 12 or so players at a young age, and put them together, and in a system, for several, if not many, years. The European teams especially can test themselves in regional competitions, and get a sense of team that the Americans don't really get.

So by adding UConn players to the end of the bench, USA Basketball gets not only personal familiarity, but also system familiarity, and can make up some of that "team" deficit.

And the truth is that all you want out of 11 or 12 on the roster is a few minutes here and there. The load is going to be carried by the top eight -- if you have to rely on 11 or 12, then you're probably going to lose anyway.

Finally, the difference between the 11th best player and the 15th best player is usually not that great. Do you want a rebounder or a shooter? You're not looking for a star but a role player. It's not like the Olympic team is even supposed to be the 12 best players -- it's supposed to be the best team made up from the pool of the best 25 (or whatever number you pick) players.

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Wow, so apparently Candace Parker won't be going to Rio while Breanna Stewart will!

http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2016/04/final-roster-rio2016/

http://espn.go.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/15356107/candace-parker-left-team-usa-rio-de-janeiro-olympics

I didn't mention this earlier, but I also thought picking Odyssey Sims (still in college) over Skylar Diggins for the '14 World Champs team (mind you Diggins averaged 20.1 ppg & 5.0 apg in the WNBA that year on her way to the First All-WNBA Team that season) might have had to do with Notre Dame being UConn's biggest rival at the time.

I think it quite shocking that USA Basketball would even consider leaving Parker off their roster. I'd sooner see Fowles or Griner cut.

My post on RebKell:


So something's going on ... Geno has worked with Candace before, but maybe this time there were issues. Still, this group

Carol Callan (USA Basketball)
Rene Brown (WNBA)
Dan Hughes (WNBA)
Chris Sienko (WNBA)
Katie Smith (Athlete Representative)

made the final call.

And I really don't think college affiliation had anything to do with it.

It really is incomprehensible to me that Candace Parker is not on the Olympic team. Granted, you needed Charles and Griner for presence inside, and granted that CP3 is not a demon defender -- but Seimone Augustus instead? (And she's from LSU, by the way.)

Or Angel? From Louisville. Parker can't defend like she can and isn't really a two, but who would you rather have?

Or Stewart? I get that some younger players need the international experience, and that Stewart's really good, but still.

I doubt we'll ever know why the five people did what they did, or how they voted, so it will be have to be pure speculation -- which leaves plenty of room for thoughts and comments.

A little surprised but a lot of talent to choose from - I would have left off Angel, to me she has always been a little too much of a head case. How many times did you see Reshanda try and calm her down last season; rookie showing more poise than an All Star veteran.

I agree on Angel, I don't get why she was ever on the team as she is not a team player. I doubt it has anything to do with Geno either as he praised both her and EDD in recent camps and as you know EDD bailed on him. I am guessing USA saw something it didn't want to deal with.

One point: On the Olympic team, Angel is a team player -- and she might be the best defender.

I disagree with you there Clay, when Angel went in the game she did not look to pass but force the ball and there was no flow.