Don't Hate Geno Because He's Successful
BY LIZ GORKOWSKI
After packing our house in California ourselves, driving across the country with two highly energetic children we have arrived in Ft Leavenworth, KS and I have missed the entire Olympics except for the last 24 seconds of OT of the USA/ CANADA Hockey game. At least we have managed to get settled in time for the best time of the year, NCAA MARCH MADNESS!
Tonight the UConn Women’s Basketball team rolled over West Virginia 60-32 in the Big East Championship final and picked up their 72nd win in a row. Never mind that West Virginia is the 8th ranked team in the country and only managed to score 32 points, fans have simply have become so accustomed to Coach Geno Auriemma’s dominance at UConn that an assertive win is expected every single time his team sets foot on the floor. Perhaps an unintended side effect of creating a dynasty in college women’s basketball during a time where NCAA women’s basketball teams and players are at an all time level of unparalleled athleticism and skills.
Quite simply UConn is that amazing and it is because Auriemma has built his program that way. In a sport dominated by female coaches (rightfully so) I have the utmost respect for a man who has promoted and developed women’s basketball more so then any other coach in the last twenty years. In doing so you would think that other coaches in the sport would be supportive and appreciative but more often than not he is on the receiving end of “gossip” circles. Never has a women’s coach been considered more arrogant, cocky, self centered and driven to the point of obsession in the pursuit of greatness. On the men’s side they would just say great job Coach K.
I am tired of listening to the rants of unappreciative fans, coaches and former colleagues about jobs going to male coaches in women's basketball because the reverse would never occur on the men’s side. My opinion is if the best candidate is a female then hands down give her the job, but the same result should occur if the best coach is a male. At the end of the day these are the coaches that are going to educate, guide and teach the game to approximately 25 female athletes over the course of four years. Shouldn’t those student athletes have the opportunity to learn from the best available coach so that they may then turn around and join the ranks of coaches armed with the highest level of basketball knowledge?
For now I love that UConn is setting new records because it forces the powers that be to realize that all coaches need an opportunity regardless of gender or race.
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