Why do people root for UConn WCBB?

[BRS24]

Moved to CT in 1986 and then discovered UConn WBB, thanks to the father of a player, with whom I worked. As soon as they started televising the games, it was all over, and hubby and I pretty much scheduled almost everything around the games.

 

[UcMiami]

What a glorious thread! Really fun to see the various routes into the game and this team.

Two things strike me -

How Uconn basketball and specifically the women have captured the state - pro team fans in-state seem to split pretty evenly between Boston and NYC/NJ teams, but we all unify over Uconn.

How many people posting here are just fans of basketball and have stumbled on the Uconn product as produced by Geno and CD and been captured.

 

[hoophuskee]

I love basketball fundamentals. I am much more of a fan of a great pass or watching a great shooter "shoot" than watching a dunk. I can appreciate a solid fundamental defender like Tamika Williams or Kelly Farris. Yes- I can enjoy watching a great defender do their thing- however they do need some "good" offensive skills. In addition I love watching "greatness." Auriemma's style of his teams fit this to a tee.

For example a thread on here mentioned Charde. I love Charde if I would ever meet her I'd give her a huge hug if it wasn't too weird. But I didn't enjoy her style. Some here speak of her shooting - I never thought it was that good since day one. Her passing erratic. And her defense as that of a gambler and can be lazy. Her style frustrated me as a fan - and apparently it did with Geno too. I sort of feel a ton of times I agree with what he does. Which is why I suppose I became such a fan because of the 1st paragraph of fundamentals he preaches -it has always been the type of style I love to watch the most.

And that is why he gets the number 1 recruits so often and that's why I get so much joy out of watching a player grow into greatness. And imo they can't grow into greatness without the fundamentals. Or at least for Geno -- they MUST learn the fundamentals and work on the court to play the game right - through fundamentals.

I am also more of a fan of quality than just because a game happens to be close. A great close game trumps everything. But for me a UCONN women's blowout in which they play very well trumps a lousy (non-UCONN) played men's college basketball in which the fundamentals can be pathetic. I can't take pathetic fundamentals. So if Geno is on one of his player's, I'm usually in agreement because a lot of what I like is about fundamentals. And because Geno is so into fundamentals, I'm a fan of the team's he is the coach.