What was the mood in the BY like during 2004-2007

[pvdoggy]

between the DT and MM era when UConn did not make the Final Four ?
I was not a fan back then and is just curious.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Mel Thomas was the "Hot Topic" back then... along with Charde

 

[UcMiami]

We had high hopes most years, and we were very competitive. Obviously when Diana graduated the team was not going to be as good, but ...
These down years: 25-8 S16, 32-5 E8, 32-4 E8 followed by 36-2 FF.
During the same time we were 13-2, 14-2, 16-0 in conference (2nd, 2nd, 1st) followed by 17-1 (1st) and conference tournament champs in 2005, 2006, 2008.
So an overall record of 89-17 (84%) with one conference regular season trophy and two tournament trophies in those three years.

The expectations are ridiculously high - those were considered the dark days in the wilderness - three years in a row without a FF followed by a fourth year when still didn't get an NC though we did get to a FF.

I really don't know how us old time fans survived, but we are a hardy bunch and I guess the weak were weeded out during that period!

 

[DaddyChoc]

We had high hopes most years, and we were very competitive. Obviously when Diana graduated the team was not going to be as good, but ...
These down years: 25-8 S16, 32-5 E8, 32-4 E8 followed by 36-2 FF.
During the same time we were 13-2, 14-2, 16-0 in conference (2nd, 2nd, 1st) followed by 17-1 (1st) and conference tournament champs in 2005, 2006, 2008.
So an overall record of 89-17 (84%) with one conference regular season trophy and two tournament trophies in those three years.

The expectations are ridiculously high - those were considered the dark days in the wilderness - three years in a row without a FF followed by a fourth year when still didn't get an NC though we did get to a FF.

I really don't know how us old time fans survived, but we are a hardy bunch and I guess the weak were weeded out during that period!

Maya's first season... when Charde won the BET MVP (or did she ever win it). I know Geno was happy to have Maya and was able to put Charde on the back burner

 

[jdubct]

It was not a period of particularly high expectations. Kind of an endurance test.

 

[Icebear]

Funny, I don't remember it being weighed with ridiculously high expectations or low expectations. It was a great bunch of kids who it was easy to root for. They were always competitive and fought like every other Husky team as was typified by Mel's, "Heart of a Husky." They were a team on the edge of great success but for whom the margin of success was very fine not unlike the times when ND beat UCONN several years ago. A key play or two was the difference between a win and a loss in a big game and an injury could derail the team, see the loss of Mel and Kalana in one season. Players like Nicole Wolff and Britanny Hunter never were able to be the players they seemed destined to be because of chronic injuries. A couple of players left because UCONN and the demands didn't them and left us very short on size and power in the middle. They were all teams, however, that played with passion and energy and like all Huskies loved the game. Mel and Kiana continually throwing themselves on the floor for balls and Mel earning the label of linebacker for her grittiness.

In many ways it was an exciting era with a tremendous bunch of kids and families.

 

[jcoton56]

Funny, I don't remember it being weighed with ridiculously high expectations or low expectations. It was a great bunch of kids who it was easy to root for. They were always competitive and fought like every other Husky team as was typified by Mel's, "Heart of a Husky." They were a team on the edge of great success but for whom the margin of success was very fine not unlike the times when ND beat UCONN several years ago. A key play or two was the difference between a win and a loss in a big game and an injury could derail the team, see the loss of Mel and Kalana in one season. Players like Nicole Wolff and Britanny Hunter never were able to be the players they seemed destined to be because of chronic injuries. A couple of players left because UCONN and the demands didn't them and left us very short on size and power in the middle. They were all teams, however, that played with passion and energy and like all Huskies loved the game. Mel and Kiana continually throwing themselves on the floor for balls and Mel earning the label of linebacker for her grittiness.

In many ways it was an exciting era with a tremendous bunch of kids and families.

I was not a BYer back then, but that is how I remember those teams, it always seemed that a bad break was right around the corner for about 3-4 years. No question about effort though.

 

[Sonny44]

They really didn't have a reliable go to, take charge difference maker as I recall and IMO it took Geno too long to realize that a certain player already mentioned above was never going to fulfill his expectations.

 

[cordarone]

The PG position was also an issue around the time of the Ivory Latta game in Hartford. The best option, IIRC, was a sophomore Swanier, and not much else behind her.
On this forum, there was a semi-serious (I think) thread in the middle of the season about a former DIII(!) player who had just enrolled at Storrs and whether she might try out for the team - yeah, expectations were lower.
SMH at the meltdown that would ensue today if the team had the results they had then both on the floor and in recruiting.

 

[CL82]

IIRC, winning wasn't a mandate back then. You supported the team and hoped for the best. The rivalry with Tennessee was a good distraction. As always we had compelling kids who were easy to root for.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

New Englanders like to have some things to ruminate on, over analyze and, yes, grumble about. So the BY was a happy place.

 

[UcMiami]

In seriousness - the top end of the women's game was not quite so 'striated' at that time and I think maybe 8 teams including Uconn felt they had a legitimate chance for an NC. The year we played Rutgers in the elite eight and lost was the fourth meeting (see Baylor v A&M, Uconn v ND 2x). And the other elite eight loss was the Charde miss from 10ft for the win. So we were very close to the FF and certainly felt we had a shot. Injuries also played a role, and the biggest need on the team was a big - and there were two that came and left - the former teammate of Strother's from CO and the NZ transfer - both moves that showed a little desperation I think by Geno.

 

[Stinger92860]

Dooooooooooomed

 

[Zorro]

As I recall, there was a tremendous amount of kvetching. I remember a great post from JS to the effect that he would rather lose with the kids we had than win with anyone else's team. Also, as I recall, that post met with a lot of approval. Of course, that was before the day of reasonably expecting not only to win every game, but to win every game by double digits; before we became as rotten spoiled as we are now.

 

[dtbtbtb]

The dark ages were indeed dark with some deflating loses (michigan st., San Diego st., North Carolina, LSU in the NCAA, etc) with Tony being optimistic after each one of those loses. I guess he was right

 

[Ellie]

Pretty much a lurker back then as now but Icebear does a fair job in his summation. In Paris, FR to watch daughter run the Paris Marathon and can't wait to get home and finally See the championship replay. No luck, or time, getting computer to co-operate watching replay over here. Remember Charde being hammered somewhat back then but as mentioned lots of injuries, especially with Nicole who I believed staRated as a Frosh. Grandkids beckoning , good health to all!

 

[Henry]

We expected more because Barbara Turner and Ann Strother had played on 2 championship teams. It was disappointing but Tennessee had Candace Parker and the best team. That was part of the reason UCONN fans were so shocked by Pat Summitt's reaction to the recruiting of Maya Moore. Did she really believe arranging a tour of ESPN was cheating? And was that her biggest concern after she had won 2 championships? I guess as long as someone other than UCONN is always getting the best players it's okay.

 

[Icebear]

Plus there was no tour arranged.

 

[JellyBean]

Dooooooooooomed

 

[JoePgh]

As I recall, the starting lineup in 2006-2007 was Renee Montgomery, Mel Thomas, Kalana Greene, Brittany Hunter (or Charde Houston when Hunter couldn't go, which was often), and freshman Tina Charles. Kaila McLaren came off the bench, and I believe that was Ashley Valley's senior year. As a freshman, Tina was something like Gabby Williams this year -- she could dominate against lesser competition, but couldn't really compete effectively against top opposition, specifically Candace Parker (against whom she actually played that year in the last game between UConn and Tennessee) and Sylvia Fowles at LSU.

That period was also the period of Rutgers' zenith -- they had Cappie Pondexter, Essence Carson, Matee Ajavon, and Kia Vaughn. Nonetheless, that was the year that UConn beat Rutgers and its dreaded "55" full-court press, because Ashley Valley unexpectedly started the game as point guard, had zero turnovers against the press, and made a couple of critical 3-point shots. CViv complained that her team had been beaten by "no-names".

Notre Dame was not particularly good in that pre-Skylar era.

I believe that the team split the season series with Rutgers, defeated LSU by one point on the road because the LSU player had a foot on the line on a last second shot that only counted for 2 points instead of 3 (and later lost by about 20 to LSU in the Elite 8), and was tied late in the game with Tennessee and ended up losing by 6 or 7. It was certainly a Top 5 team, but not nearly as dominant as more recent teams. Everyone (not just UConn fans) thought that when Maya arrived as a freshman for the 2007-2008 season, UConn would compete with Tennessee (who still had Parker) for the top slot.

By the way, UConn never lost to Rutgers in the NCAA tournament in those years. They lost to Stanford in 2005 in the Sweet 16, to Duke in the 2006 Elite 8 on Charde's overtime miss, and badly to LSU in 2007. In 2007-8, they made the Final Four after losing Kalana and Mel to injuries (beating Rutgers in the Elite 8 in a very close game), but lost to the Stanford team with Wiggins / Appel / Nneka Ogwumike in the semi-final game. Stanford then lost to Tennessee in the final -- Tennessee's last sniff at the Final Four.

In that era, UConn had no dominant players -- no Maya, no Tina or Renee as we know them, no Stewie / MoJeff / KML / Tuck. Even with Geno as the coach, it was hard to be the top team when other teams had talent at that level and UConn did not.

 

[Aluminny69]

From Wikipedia: (my goto source)

Interbellum (2005–2007)
Relative to their high standards, UConn struggled during the first two years following Taurasi's graduation in 2004. Some of its highly touted recruits did not play up to expectations and while others suffered injuries. Taken together during the three years 2005-2007, UConn never made a final four, something that has become almost routine (14 final fours in 20 years from 1995 to 2014).

UConn lost 8 games in the 2004-2005 season and failed to win the Big East regular season crown for the first time since 1993. The season was marked with sloppy play, and ragged offense. In the NCAA tournament UConn lost in the Sweet 16 to Stanford.

In the 2005-2006 season, UConn showed some signs of improvement late in the year. They won the Big East Tournament Title, and then had a thrilling Sweet 16 against Georgia where senior Barbara Turner hit a game winning 3-pointer for UConn at the buzzer. Behind a home state crowd, UConn almost upset #1 ranked Duke in the regional final, before falling in overtime by 2 points.

In 2006-2007 guard play improved with Renee Montgomery, Mel Thomas, and Ketia Swanier, and the addition of #1 ranked high school player Tina Charles in the post, helped turn the corner for UConn to emerge as a contender again. UConn was a 1 seed in the tournament, but would fall in the regional Final to LSU to end the season at 32–4.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Yeah, there as always hope, UConn trailed UTenn by only one NC by 2004 and it was generally felt that UConn would eventually pass the Vols, and there was a mix of injuries and some unmet expectations. But when Renee and then Tina came aboard, you really felt UConn was moving fast in the right direction as long as it could kick the injury jinx. 2007-08 with Maya seemed to be the year they were set to go back on top as they cruised until she had that sickening and senseless pulldown from behind on a breakaway lay-up against Rutgers, and from my view she was not at quite the same level for the rest of her freshman year. But definitely felt they should have gotten to the NC game and knocked off UTenn then, so Pat would have gotten the chance to know what it was like to play against Maya.

Last 7 years they've done okay.

 

[geneticrex]

Because I wasn't around, I cannot speak to the mood on the Boneyard, but I can say without hesitation, I was not fun to be around, which is odd because I am typically a barrel of monkeys to be around.

Could it be I take this national championship stuff far too seriously???

 

[Sonny44]

I'm feeling sick now.

 

[JS]

I'm feeling sick now.

Take two YouTubes of recent slaughters of contenders and you'll be fine.