Women's basketball needs a new personality to carry the sport. (USAT - Wolken)

[huskymedic]

Incoming...

DanWolken 8:45pm via Twitter for iPhone
Women's basketball needs a new personality to carry the sport. It might just be South Carolina's Dawn Staley.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...emerging-new-face-womens-basketball/81760334/

>>At a time, however, when women’s basketball has become so dominated by UConn that the outcome almost seems predetermined it would be of endless benefit to the sport if Staley — a young, charismatic African-American woman whose name is familiar to casual fans — could replace Summitt as the foil to Auriemma.<<

 

[uconnfan68]

Or you just celebrate the incredible run and program that UConn is.

 

[Carnac]

Incoming...

DanWolken 8:45pm via Twitter for iPhone
Women's basketball needs a new personality to carry the sport. It might just be South Carolina's Dawn Staley.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...emerging-new-face-womens-basketball/81760334/

>>At a time, however, when women’s basketball has become so dominated by UConn that the outcome almost seems predetermined it would be of endless benefit to the sport if Staley — a young, charismatic African-American woman whose name is familiar to casual fans — could replace Summitt as the foil to Auriemma.<<

Who is Dan Wolken, and why should anyone care what he thinks? When we want his opinion, we'll give it to him!

 

[noirwestern]

What I want to know is how they got a picture of her smiling for the article?

 

[UcMiami]

Like Dawn and enjoyed what she had to say on the show tonight, but she does not have the big public personality to be the next media darling. And ... did anyone notice Muffet over the last five season or maybe Kim, they seem to have taken over the mantle from Pat as the foil to Geno at the moment and actually have beaten him.

 

[alexrgct]

Kelsey Minato is someone a lot of people would get behind...if, of course, Army fares far better than anticipated. Otherwise, she could carry the sport. Until then, it's up to Stewie from the players' perspective.

 

[HoopsFan21]

The thing is you need someone with personality to be THE personality. You can't just pick a successful basketball coach. I haven't seen too many coaches with the media savvy and personality that Geno has.

 

[CL82]

“Pat Summitt really transcended women’s basketball to bring in the casual male fan, fans of other sports,” said former college and WNBA coach Nell Fortner, who coached Staley on the 2000 Olympic team. “People were mesmerized by Pat. Our sport misses that, and we need it. For her to become that would be absolutely outstanding.”

Hmmn, I know a few people who might disagree with that pronouncement.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kelsey Minato is someone a lot of people would get behind...if, of course, Army fares far better than anticipated. Otherwise, she could carry the sport. Until then, it's up to Stewie from the players' perspective.

This player doesn't get enough attention. She's about as entertaining as it gets:

 

[Mdoggie]

Slow news days cause these type of articles. Carry on.

 

[Blueballer]

I don't remember these kinds of articles when John Wooden and Pat Summit were at the peak of their powers? How come they were good for their respective sports but UCONN and Geno aren't?

 

[Mdoggie]

I don't remember these kinds of articles when John Wooden and Pat Summit were at the peak of their powers? How come they were good for their respective sports but UCONN and Geno aren't?

When your editor tells you to find/invent and story by today's deadline, this is what you get.

 

[Carnac]

This player doesn't get enough attention. She's about as entertaining as it gets:

That's my girl........and I like those blue uniforms. One more thing.........Expect Moriah to pick up right where she left off when she gets to the next level.

 

[Mdoggie]

That's my girl...and I like those blue uniforms. One more thing....Expect Moriah to pick up right where she left off when she gets to the next level.

She can't help it. She is wired for speed!

 

[TRest]

“Pat Summitt really transcended women’s basketball to bring in the casual male fan, fans of other sports,” said former college and WNBA coach Nell Fortner, who coached Staley on the 2000 Olympic team. “People were mesmerized by Pat. Our sport misses that, and we need it. For her to become that would be absolutely outstanding.”

Hmmn, I know a few people who might disagree with that pronouncement.
View attachment 12460

The problem with women's basketball is that people like Nell Fortner really believe statements like this.

 

[bags27]

Pat Summit was charismatic: it was hard not to focus on her. But maybe that's a problem. A coach has to decide how much and where the attention goes. Geno has brought his own magnetism way down and keeps his players as calm and steady as possible. Geno by his very nature can't be a Bill Belichick or Nick Saban--but he's willed himself onto the same continuum. Whether or not that's "good" for WCBB, it's turned out pretty good for UConn.

 

[meyers7]

That's my girl...and I like those blue uniforms. One more thing....Expect Moriah to pick up right where she left off when she gets to the next level.

All done with blue uniforms for this year.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

“Pat Summitt really transcended women’s basketball to bring in the casual male fan, fans of other sports,” said former college and WNBA coach Nell Fortner, who coached Staley on the 2000 Olympic team. “People were mesmerized by Pat. Our sport misses that, and we need it. For her to become that would be absolutely outstanding.”

Hmmn, I know a few people who might disagree with that pronouncement.
View attachment 12460

Really unfair to all the young women who played for Coach Auriemma and who won national championships. And really unfair to the women assistant coaches who were also part of this amazing run of success in women's basketball. I'm a male fan of UConn and women's basketball. I am enthralled by the amazing game that Connecticut plays. We should all celebrate excellence. Period.

 

[Nuyoika]

I skimmed it. Didn't seem like a bad piece. As far as Nell Fortner, meh. I mean what else is she gonna say.? She coached her and works for the SEC Network. The only worry I have is that SCar hasn't won in the FF yet (only got there for the first time last year) and may not win there this year assuming they get back there (offensive deficiencies). For that I think the piece is a bit premature. Also, I'm not quite sure how Dawn would be "next in line". For all intensive purposes I believe the order is currently:

1. Notre Dame
2. Baylor
3. Maryland
4. South Carolina

Dawn is going to have to beat teams 1-3 first. To me you are not truly elite until you can go toe to toe with an Elite coach and win.... consistently. Honestly, that's what she will have to do to win a National Championship right? Not only that you have to be able to maintain that competitiveness. What Dawn has done in Columbia is awesome taking SCar from nowhere to relevant in 8 years; however, she has not done anything to prove that she is more deserving than Muffet McGraw (2001 NC & what is it 5 staright FFs?) , Brenda Frese (2006 NC & back to back FFs), Kim Mulkey ( 2005 NC & 2012 NC) or even Jeff Walz for that matter ( Last 8 years he has 2009 & 2013 NC appearances) as far as this "next in line" business goes her credentials just don't lead me to believe she is there just yet. Let's put it this way I wouldn't be surprised at all if Walz, Mulkey, Frese, or McGraw won the next two Nattys (2017 & 2018) while UConn is developing and reloading. I would be very surprised if Dawn did. That does not change the fact she has done an amazing job with South Carolina and I wish her a ton of success. Now in 5 years if her team is still relevant then we can talk "next in line".

 

[CL82]

I'll go one step further. It was the charismatic, attractive, upstarts in Storrs in 1995 that caught the world's attention. No one watches Rocky IV to cheer for Ivan Draco. They watch it to see Rocky beat Ivan Draco.

It was a perfect storm of proximity to Bristol, the need for programming, a young brash coach and young and enthusiastic kids playing great basketball that caught the sporting world's attention. Eventually Pat got tired of being the Washington Senators, the team that is the opponent of the one the public comes to watch and she killed a good thing.

It the end, though, she probably was right that it was good for woman's basketball, since multiple teams now can claim to be must see match ups against UConn and get to bask in the media attention that we bring.

 

[huskyd]

Pat was a scowler and Dawn is a scowler. But Pat is tall and Dawn is short. Pat was extroverted; Dawn, introverted. Dawn tells the truth, Pat fibs. I don't think of either of them as particularly "charismatic." Dull, perhaps? Angry? Of all the coaches I enjoy watching, Geno is hands down the most interesting, the funniest, and the most mischievous. When his face disappears from the scene, it will be almost impossible to replace.

 

[Geew1992]

“Pat Summitt really transcended women’s basketball to bring in the casual male fan, fans of other sports,” said former college and WNBA coach Nell Fortner, who coached Staley on the 2000 Olympic team. “People were mesmerized by Pat. Our sport misses that, and we need it. For her to become that would be absolutely outstanding.”

Hmmn, I know a few people who might disagree with that pronouncement.
View attachment 12460

Taking nothing away from Pat Summitt, but she did not have male fans interested in WCBB. Most don't care now, but seem to have something to say. This has alot to do with Geno and crew.

 

[divots]

What I want to know is how they got a picture of her smiling for the article?

Photoshopped her mouth 180 degrees.....

 

[CocoHusky]

I will ride with Dawn all day long but I deplore so much about this article the innuendo and factual inaccuracies are nauseating.
The big innuendo is that the past face of WCBB (Pat) was a woman therefore the "future" face must also be a Woman- skips right over that "Guy" who coaches the national team and have won 1/2 of the NCAA Championships since 1995.
An example of factual inaccuracies is "Carol Ross, a former coach at Ole Miss and Florida, said South Carolina has one key element — the post game — to compete with UConn..."-
When did this happen?

 

[Orangutan]

I don't remember these kinds of articles when John Wooden and Pat Summit were at the peak of their powers? How come they were good for their respective sports but UCONN and Geno aren't?

The slight angle about being a potential new face of the sport aside, the piece is pretty much just a straightforward profile of Dawn. I don't see it as being anti-Geno at all. Just pro-Dawn as the next great foil to Geno.