Coach Muffet said the truth we been waiting for long

[Terrells Bay88]

Yet somehow, players like Gabby Williams, Kia Nurse, Saniya Chong and Stefanie Dolson were all rated pretty low and either became AAs or WNBA players. But all because UConn recruited them, right? Also pretty sure that Amari DeBerry, Mir McLean and Saylor Poffenbarger all went down in the ESPN rankings after they committed to UConn. Guess the check didn't clear...

All those UConn players you posted were ranked at least in the top 30 by at least one of the major high/prep school ranking services and ALL of those players except for Chong was ranked in the Top 12 by at least one of the major high/prep school ranking services.

 

[Amb3096]

This threads is separating the real UT fans from the fakes and I love it! For you fakes, keep on showing your true colors.

And why is that, Mike? Because you're looking for confirmation of an echo chamber? I guess we have different definitions of "real" fans vs. "fake" fans then.

As much as I dislike UConn and have been enjoying watching their slide this year, I also don't subscribe to some of the weird-ass conspiracy theories pertaining to them and how UConn has the entire WCBB powers at their beck and call to enable world domination. Seriously...now all of the ranking services will elevate recruit rankings just because UConn has expressed interest in them? This is women's college basketball. The stakes are extremely low.

Good for Muffet to speak her mind, but let's not also pretend that when she's said things Volnation didn't agree with, she was quickly dismissed as an idiot.

 

[sisaq]

This threads is separating the real UT fans from the fakes and I love it! For you fakes, keep on showing your true colors.

4real ...How can fakes actually have time to create an account just to mess with us I don't get it lol

 

[PG1]

And why is that, Mike? Because you're looking for confirmation of an echo chamber? I guess we have different definitions of "real" fans vs. "fake" fans then.

As much as I dislike UConn and have been enjoying watching their slide this year, I also don't subscribe to some of the weird-ass conspiracy theories pertaining to them and how UConn has the entire WCBB powers at their beck and call to enable world domination. Seriously...now all of the ranking services will elevate recruit rankings just because UConn has expressed interest in them? This is women's college basketball. The stakes are extremely low.

Good for Muffet to speak her mind, but let's not also pretend that when she's said things Volnation didn't agree with, she was quickly dismissed as an idiot.

Finally!

 

[Voltopia]

Do you think that they would have still been talking about UConn if they weren't completely dominating? I recall that the year after SC won the NC, all we saw was the shot by Morgan WIlliam that ended UConn's winning streak. Then the following year, we were treated to Arike hitting the game winner in the NC game vs. MSST, as well as talking about Sabrina Ionescu non-stop. The only reason that UConn was on anyone's tongue last year was because Paige put together a great freshman campaign and was named NPOY. Now that she's out, we will be treated to constant reminders that SC is unbeaten, and that will be the storyline until a better one pops up.

UConn was the National Brand for ESPN because they WERE the big story in WCBB for the better part of the decade. It;s debatable that they are now in light of Paige's injury and them slipping out of the top 10 (which, by the way, is a reminder of how ESPN also tracked Tennessee's free fall during the Holly years). The UConn luster has since faded since their 4-peat, and the spotlight is being shined on other teams/players. If SC wins this year and Boston ends up winning NPOY, that will be the storyline next year as well unless SC starts to show some cracks.

I don't know that I agree about the UConn luster fading. I think the last few years have definitely changed the balance of reporting and treatment, so I don't disagree there, but I think the previous 15 years or so was absolutely a UConn carnival show, going all the way back to Taurasi and the original story of "UConn & Taurasi chasing / overtaking Tennessee" that anchored their content for a while. That UConn became the national brand was certainly due to their play, but that ascent and more importantly its continued persistence was absolutely helped by ESPN's support, whether intentional or as a byproduct of their business strategies. I think they have been very generous to UConn over that period of time. I mean as far back as Maya Moore getting to tour their offices during her recruiting visit - something that both ESPN and UConn had to know was inappropriate - and yet it happened all the same. Is that the only thing? I wonder. I mean, I don't - but I do. Awfully easy drive.

Anyway, my assertion is not that somehow UConn is a Sith Lord making all the decisions behind a curtain, but rather that the proximity of ESPN and UConn (both literal and figurative) has been beneficial to UConn for many years in a way it wasn't and usually isn't for most of the programs in the sport. Whatever the reasons were, they got special consideration and spotlight. Maybe even a little protective treatment. That's a different problem, having as much to do with people protecting the sport's image at any cost. But, I think they've been helped, and that in turn has helped them succeed. (And absolutely, full acknowledgement, Pat had the same spotlight. If she were still here, Tennessee would be raking them in left and right on signing day.) Sort of how ESPN has helped promote Alabama in football. If you're watching ESPN, and you're watching for college football, you're probably gonna hear about Alabama. Same sort of deal. Are they good? You bet. Does having a major company advertising for them help them stay good? You bet. At some big macroscopic level it's as much about the tangled web of relationships between the money and the schools, but right now I'm just focusing on that little gem of a pal we have up north. Gosh, just makes you wanna squeeze those festive cheeks so hard he retires.

 

[turbovol]

Who is Meffet? We're talking about //former Notre Dame coach McGraw, or former ND coach Muffet McGraw. She was an outstanding coach, by the
way.

If UT had maintained its prominence as a program instead of falling off the map under the utterly disastrous Holly Warlick, Vol fans wouldn't always have their knickers in a knot about UConn. ESPN might have helped promote UConn a little--but the truth is, UConn didn't need promoting: Auriemma turned the huskies into a legit power, that program zoomed past ours in number of championships won, and that fact understandably irritates Vol fans--the more so given that Auriemma was a pretty serious jerk for the first 15 years or so of his time in Storrs. (He seems to have mellowed quite a bit the last 5 or more years.) The Vols and Summitt got a TON of good publicity from ESPN when we were the big dog in women's basketball, and when we and UConn were fierce rivals. Had we kept winning, we'd have kept getting big Pub from ESPN. But we didn't.

 

[1reVOLver]

Has UConn got a lot of attention from ESPN? Without a doubt they have.

Are the Lady Vols fans on this board knowledgeable about WBB? Of course.

Do the Lady Vols fans on this board give a lot (some might say too much) of attention to
UConn, its coaches, its star players? Yeah.

So why do some of us act surprised that ESPN follows our own example?

 

[PG1]

Who is Meffet? We're talking about //former Notre Dame coach McGraw, or former ND coach Muffet McGraw. She was an outstanding coach, by the
way.

If UT had maintained its prominence as a program instead of falling off the map under the utterly disastrous Holly Warlick, Vol fans wouldn't always have their knickers in a knot about UConn. ESPN might have helped promote UConn a little--but the truth is, UConn didn't need promoting: Auriemma turned the huskies into a legit power, that program zoomed past ours in number of championships won, and that fact understandably irritates Vol fans--the more so given that Auriemma was a pretty serious jerk for the first 15 years or so of his time in Storrs. (He seems to have mellowed quite a bit the last 5 or more years.) The Vols and Summitt got a TON of good publicity from ESPN when we were the big dog in women's basketball, and when we and UConn were fierce rivals. Had we kept winning, we'd have kept getting big Pub from ESPN. But we didn't.

Careful! Some can’t handle having truth bombs thrown on them.

 

[sisaq]

Who is Meffet? We're talking about //former Notre Dame coach McGraw, or former ND coach Muffet McGraw. She was an outstanding coach, by the
way.

If UT had maintained its prominence as a program instead of falling off the map under the utterly disastrous Holly Warlick, Vol fans wouldn't always have their knickers in a knot about UConn. ESPN might have helped promote UConn a little--but the truth is, UConn didn't need promoting: Auriemma turned the huskies into a legit power, that program zoomed past ours in number of championships won, and that fact understandably irritates Vol fans--the more so given that Auriemma was a pretty serious jerk for the first 15 years or so of his time in Storrs. (He seems to have mellowed quite a bit the last 5 or more years.) The Vols and Summitt got a TON of good publicity from ESPN when we were the big dog in women's basketball, and when we and UConn were fierce rivals. Had we kept winning, we'd have kept getting big Pub from ESPN. But we didn't.

U made it seems like it's about Uconn & TN... Muffet spoke about Uconn & ESPN, Geno being the National coach and committee, Recruits from 35th to 18th.. All her discussions the only thing u understood from everything she discussed was if TN had not fallen from top program...I think ur Uconn fans. This is not about Uconn & TN ok

 

[stlvolsfan]

The woman speaks the truth.....

Amen

 

[stlvolsfan]

Who is Meffet? We're talking about //former Notre Dame coach McGraw, or former ND coach Muffet McGraw. She was an outstanding coach, by the
way.

If UT had maintained its prominence as a program instead of falling off the map under the utterly disastrous Holly Warlick, Vol fans wouldn't always have their knickers in a knot about UConn. ESPN might have helped promote UConn a little--but the truth is, UConn didn't need promoting: Auriemma turned the huskies into a legit power, that program zoomed past ours in number of championships won, and that fact understandably irritates Vol fans--the more so given that Auriemma was a pretty serious jerk for the first 15 years or so of his time in Storrs. (He seems to have mellowed quite a bit the last 5 or more years.) The Vols and Summitt got a TON of good publicity from ESPN when we were the big dog in women's basketball, and when we and UConn were fierce rivals. Had we kept winning, we'd have kept getting big Pub from ESPN. But we didn't.

Just remember, UConn isn’t UConn without Pat. She didn’t have to try to grow the game. She didn’t have to legitimize his program but she did what was best for the game.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

Just remember, UConn isn’t UConn without Pat. She didn’t have to try to grow the game. She didn’t have to legitimize his program but she did what was best for the game.

Yea some on here some to forget that. Instead of monopolizing the power she held she chose to spread it for the growth of the game and spread it THE RIGHT WAY! Maybe if Pat had been more selfish she would have won more but the one thing that burns other coaches up is she is credited with the growth and exposure of women's basketball. A title even the most winning coach won't be able to claim.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

How on earth is it ESPNs fault for wanting to maximize viewers?

I'm just reading through this thread and it's interesting i don't find ESPN at fault for maximizing its viewers but i also dont think them maximizing their viewers and it being an advantage for uconn as having to be separate. Geno would have been an idiot not to capitalize in on the amount of media attention to perpetuate his continued success.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

And why is that, Mike? Because you're looking for confirmation of an echo chamber? I guess we have different definitions of "real" fans vs. "fake" fans then.

As much as I dislike UConn and have been enjoying watching their slide this year, I also don't subscribe to some of the weird-ass conspiracy theories pertaining to them and how UConn has the entire WCBB powers at their beck and call to enable world domination. Seriously...now all of the ranking services will elevate recruit rankings just because UConn has expressed interest in them? This is women's college basketball. The stakes are extremely low.

Good for Muffet to speak her mind, but let's not also pretend that when she's said things Volnation didn't agree with, she was quickly dismissed as an idiot.

I had to go back and see if this was quoted to you because of the way you personally responded I thought you were attacked or addressed directly lol.

A couple of things here ...

We saw with our own eyes the power of Pat and how things could have been perceived to be in her favor it isnt that hard to believe Geno got/gets some favoritism and ESPN has benefitted by giving women's basketball it's villain.

It's also not out of the realm of possibility that Muffet saw multiple uconn players get bumps in rankings after signing with uconn. Im sure it's happened other places but maybe because uconn is at the forefront it just seemed more noticeable and her and other coaches had talks about it.

I think what might have irritated some folks is the women's game is still growing and Paige is a polarizing player no doubt. You have to use paiges popularity while getting those hidden fam stories. Instead of having Paige's UCONN story on every half time of every game how about featuring some players that are actually in the game that was being played? When i look up and see a story about paige during the half time of a game like UT be MTSU it doesn't make much sense.

just my two cents ... this is NOT an attack (i feel like you have to put this disclaimer up on this site for those who can't handle responses ... not saying that's you).

However, does calling him by his first name make it more personable for you... It just makes me laugh for some reason

 

[Majors]

I'm not siding with Geno, UConn or ESPN. I've always viewed that relationship as convivence to location by both of them. In regards to recruiting, Justine was #49 when she committed and now is #11, recruiting more times than not gets a bump when a player commits to a certain school (UConn, Tenn, SC type school). It's the what did we miss factor that goes towards the schools ability to recruit over the services ability to slot/rank a player.

 

[StorrsCentral]

Just remember, UConn isn’t UConn without Pat. She didn’t have to try to grow the game. She didn’t have to legitimize his program but she did what was best for the game.

There is a program that was produced by SNY, "The Birth of a Dynasty", which shows the process by which the UConn program became what it is today. It is stated in no certain terms that the regular season game against Tennessee was the most important game in UConn history. Pat agreed to this game, and because of the name "Tennessee", the whole WBB world tuned in. Tennessee was WBB, and UConn was just trying to get some respect, something the Northeast teams never got. Just having them in our building was a coup, and everyone was in awe of them. This was the beginning of the rivalry, and because of Genos sarcasm, the rivalry became more than a game, but for the WBB world, it was an event.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

I'm not siding with Geno, UConn or ESPN. I've always viewed that relationship as convivence to location by both of them. In regards to recruiting, Justine was #49 when she committed and now is #11, recruiting more times than not gets a bump when a player commits to a certain school (UConn, Tenn, SC type school). It's the what did we miss factor that goes towards the schools ability to recruit over the services ability to slot/rank a player.

Agreed! It's been documented that Justine didn't go to the recruiting events but chose to stay in the gym working on her game. She also stuck with her AAU team for years before switching to the Philly Belles them the Philly Rise to increase her competition and expand her game.

Her rise didn't have anything to do with UT but more so the fact she got on the EYBL circuit and was even an MVP at one of the summer events.

 

[dapeak]

But if she didn’t speak on the Jewell Loyd situation… did she really speak?

 

[Majors]

Agreed! It's been documented that Justine didn't go to the recruiting events but chose to stay in the gym working on her game. She also stuck with her AAU team for years before switching to the Philly Belles them the Philly Rise to increase her competition and expand her game.

Her rise didn't have anything to do with UT but more so the fact she got on the EYBL circuit and was even an MVP at one of the summer events.

Agree to disagree, if you're ranked in the Top 50 you're known nationally. Her stock increased many ways including the level of play, accolades and being committed to Tennessee and not ETSU was one of them.

 

[Amb3096]

I had to go back and see if this was quoted to you because of the way you personally responded I thought you were attacked or addressed directly lol.

A couple of things here ...

We saw with our own eyes the power of Pat and how things could have been perceived to be in her favor it isnt that hard to believe Geno got/gets some favoritism and ESPN has benefitted by giving women's basketball it's villain.

It's also not out of the realm of possibility that Muffet saw multiple uconn players get bumps in rankings after signing with uconn. Im sure it's happened other places but maybe because uconn is at the forefront it just seemed more noticeable and her and other coaches had talks about it.

I think what might have irritated some folks is the women's game is still growing and Paige is a polarizing player no doubt. You have to use paiges popularity while getting those hidden fam stories. Instead of having Paige's UCONN story on every half time of every game how about featuring some players that are actually in the game that was being played? When i look up and see a story about paige during the half time of a game like UT be MTSU it doesn't make much sense.

just my two cents ... this is NOT an attack (i feel like you have to put this disclaimer up on this site for those who can't handle responses ... not saying that's you).

However, does calling him by his first name make it more personable for you... It just makes me laugh for some reason

My distaste for UConn pre-dates when I became a Tennessee fan, so I've enjoyed watching their dominant program start to slide back to the field. However, that doesn't mean I agree with some of the crazy conspiracy theories that get posted here. The thing about the rankings is just so ridiculous that any fanbase that brings it up as a valid point just sounds like they've completely lost it. Players make huge jumps in the rankings all the time. Sometimes they are UConn commits, most other times they are not. Same with the complaints about the coverage Paige gets. She had an amazing freshman year, and was deserving of the praise she was getting. If she was a Tennessee player and led the LVs to the same kind of success, we'd all be singing her praises. Even then, she's moved to the back burner this season because of what Aliyah Boston has been doing so far, and I think that would have been the case even if she wasn't injured. Boston clearly showed her up in their first h2h matchup this season, so she's no longer the shiny toy that has everyone's attention.

I always refer to him as "Mike" because I know that's his name. We've posted in the same WCBB forums for years, and have always had a respectful relationship with each other. Just because I disagree with him on this particular point doesn't mean it's a personal attack, and if it came out that way, then I apologize @mlindsay . I myself prefer more of a degree of anonymity on these types of forums, so I have extra respect for him since he posts under his own name.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

Agree to disagree, if you're ranked in the Top 50 you're known nationally. Her stock increased many ways including the level of play, accolades and being committed to Tennessee and not ETSU was one of them.

Ok, so by your reasoning is Kaiya and Brooklynn committing and then falling in the ranking because they committed to UT? because that's what happened...

 

[Amb3096]

Ok, so by your reasoning is Kaiya and Brooklynn committing and then falling in the ranking because they committed to UT? because that's what happened...

That was a different rating system by a different team, so no...they didn't fall since we don't know what Premier had them at before they took over Hoopgurlz, nor did we see what Dan Olson's final ratings were. Olson had both of them ranked much higher than the other recruiting services did as well (such as Prospect Nation).

What's funny is how the UConn fans were griping about how Raven Johnson was ranked much higher by Premier (#2 vs. ~#10) while Amari DeBerry was ranked much lower (#15 vs. top 5). Glancing at the rankings, other players that were ranked muc higher by Premier include Ducharme (UConn), Teonni Key (UNC), and Bree Hall (SC). If anything, the argument that SC was favored by ESPN/Premier is stronger than saying that UConn was favored (Poffenbarger took a slide in Premier's ranking as well).

 

[Rickster]

The woman speaks the truth.....

I never really cared for her but my appreciation of her has increased substantially for standing up to the UConn cancel culture. What is really laughable is that the typical response of a UConn fan is to deny and deflect or try to assassinate the character of people who speak up about Luigi’s behavior. They’ve always done it because they are fairly low class when it comes to fanmanship. They slandered Pat relentlessly and to believe that we don’t remember is just a slap in the face.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

My distaste for UConn pre-dates when I became a Tennessee fan, so I've enjoyed watching their dominant program start to slide back to the field. However, that doesn't mean I agree with some of the crazy conspiracy theories that get posted here. The thing about the rankings is just so ridiculous that any fanbase that brings it up as a valid point just sounds like they've completely lost it. Players make huge jumps in the rankings all the time. Sometimes they are UConn commits, most other times they are not. Same with the complaints about the coverage Paige gets. She had an amazing freshman year, and was deserving of the praise she was getting. If she was a Tennessee player and led the LVs to the same kind of success, we'd all be singing her praises. Even then, she's moved to the back burner this season because of what Aliyah Boston has been doing so far, and I think that would have been the case even if she wasn't injured. Boston clearly showed her up in their first h2h matchup this season, so she's no longer the shiny toy that has everyone's attention.

I always refer to him as "Mike" because I know that's his name. We've posted in the same WCBB forums for years, and have always had a respectful relationship with each other. Just because I disagree with him on this particular point doesn't mean it's a personal attack, and if it came out that way, then I apologize @mlindsay . I myself prefer more of a degree of anonymity on these types of forums, so I have extra respect for him since he posts under his own name.

AGAIN, like i said with Pat we all saw how she got treated but that still didn't mean it wasn't helping TN or putting TN on the map or giving them exposure. I say the same thing about Paige and we will see this tourney (if we have one) if Boston is the darling on all of the halftime game stories.

Ask the SC fans if they feel like Boston is getting her dues @Rooster1 @SCspur or any of the other ones on here....

And as far as someone's viewpoint being "ridiculous" that's your take just like it's their take/opinion. Muffet just has a platform she used her in a much more public way so whatever one thinks is what they think. All i'm saying she is a lot more in the game than you or I have been so i'm not discrediting her or agreeing just saying she could know something we may not be privy too.

As far as you calling him by name yea it came across funny to me especially since there have been those on here who have used it in a shady manner. Also knowing yalls past interactions made me laugh i'm not going to lie. He can speak up for himself but like i said i thought it was funny so i said so...

I do not need to know or ever questioned your fan loyalty and it has nothing to do with my post i was just referring to Muffet herself so for the record i do not think you're a uconn fan because you keep justifying or clarifying your fan loyalty .

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

That was a different rating system by a different team, so no...they didn't fall since we don't know what Premier had them at before they took over Hoopgurlz, nor did we see what Dan Olson's final ratings were. Olson had both of them ranked much higher than the other recruiting services did as well (such as Prospect Nation).

What's funny is how the UConn fans were griping about how Raven Johnson was ranked much higher by Premier (#2 vs. ~#10) while Amari DeBerry was ranked much lower (#15 vs. top 5). Glancing at the rankings, other players that were ranked muc higher by Premier include Ducharme (UConn), Teonni Key (UNC), and Bree Hall (SC). If anything, the argument that SC was favored by ESPN/Premier is stronger than saying that UConn was favored (Poffenbarger took a slide in Premier's ranking as well).

exactly my point about justine it didn't have to do with the team it had more to do with her exposure ... you got it BINGO

Still doesn't mean Muffet hasn't seen it happen or it doesn't happen i'm just not discrediting her. I can see your point but I'm just not into discrediting peoples experiences.