Larry Stone: Think the UConn women are too good? Quit whining and defeat ’em
The ones from the University of Connecticut. The ones who not only never lose, but crush teams with such soul-sapping ferocity – and mind-numbing regularity – that the backlash is resounding.
The question of whether UConn’s near-monopoly of women’s basketball hardware is bad for the sport is one that has now has reached a crescendo. The Huskies, who won 90 straight games from Nov. 16, 2008, until Dec. 29, 2010, have put together a streak of success not seen since John Wooden was winning 10 titles in 12 years with UCLA. Geno Auriemma is going after his 11th.
And it’s a question that suddenly has local relevance, considering that the Huskies from Washington are one victory over Syracuse away from a national championship match that would almost certainly be against Connecticut.
I’d bet the UW Huskies would tell you, if they weren’t bound by the sacred prohibition against looking beyond the next game, that they welcome the challenge of playing Connecticut. But so did Southern Miss – a No. 5 seed with a 28-8 record – in the Sweet 16, and it lost by 60 points, 98-38. That was one of four UConn wins this season by 60 or more points, to go with six by 50 to 59 points and 15 by 40 to 49 points.
My initial conclusion was the easy one, the narrative that’s gaining momentum – the Connecticut Huskies are, indeed, ruining women’s basketball by taking the competitive aspect away.
But the more I thought about it, the more that not only demeaned Connecticut, which plays the game with brilliance, grace and strength, and Auriemma, who may well be the best pure coach in college sports, but also the entire women’s game.
I don’t know how anyone who followed the women’s tournament, particularly, Washington’s stunning run through the field as a No. 7 seed can say that it wasn’t worth watching. There was, perversely, even more parity and crazy upsets in the women’s tournament than the men’s.
That entertaining parity exists a rung below Connecticut, to be sure. There’s much truth to the overwhelming conclusion that everyone else is playing for second place.
But UConn stands as a beacon for the rest of the field to strive for – and rest assured, they will eventually be caught, and beaten. No dynasty is forever, though it might take Auriemma’s retirement, just as it took Wooden’s to end UCLA’s reign.
I’d put it this way, because the truth, as usual is not absolute – Connecticut is both exhilarating and detrimental for women’s basketball. People love dominance, but not too much of it. They like to see a team or superstar reach pre-eminent status – and then get knocked off that perch.
Connecticut might be squelching the drama now, but it’s also putting down a challenge that should invigorate the sport. They are showing the supreme possibilities of utter greatness in women’s basketball – and inviting others to do the same.
It’s a siren call that must be heeded soon, however, before people tune out for good. If I were advising a high school girls basketball superstar, I’d suggest she go be part of the team that brings down Connecticut. To me, that would be a far more satisfying achievement than being just the next cog in the UConn Huskies’ relentless machine.
I don’t think anyone would be sorry if Connecticut got knocked from its lofty perch. But much of the complaining going on now needs to be redirected toward embracing the challenge of getting it done.