Big East women’s basketball notebook

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

Being considered the conference’s preseason Freshman of the Year, as well as being entrusted with running the UConn offense, is an arduous task. Paige Bueckers, the nation’s top recruit, is approaching it all her normal way, as a competitor.

“Whether it’s drills, games, becoming a better teammate, I compete,” Bueckers said at Big East media day. “I hate losing. I’m the type that’s competitive in everything I do.”

UConn mentor Geno Auriemma admires Bueckers’ competitive trait while realizing there is another challenge. 

“We got Rebecca Lobo in 1991 without a lot of hoopla,” Auriemma said. “Then it was (Nykesha) Sales, (Diana) Taurasi, Maya Moore. The big difference now is pressure. The players like Paige are facing an incredible amount of pressure. It’s called social media. Social media will one day proclaim you the best ever, and after two bad games, call you overrated and a no-talent. Neither explanation is true.”

Auriemma admits even a talent like Bueckers will have bad games. 

“It’s natural,” he said. “No matter how great a year they have, there are bound to be bad games. It’s natural.”

How does the veteran coach address this to his players?

“Let it ride itself out,” he said. “Don’t put undue pressure on the individual. If you can, even make light of it. They’ll struggle at some point their freshman year. We must emphasize that struggling is not failing.”

There is a coach in her first year who will face challenges as well. Denise Dillon replaces legendary Harry Perretta, a veteran of over four decades, on the Villanova sideline. Dillon is no rookie to coaching, coming off a successful run at Drexel. Entrusted with replacing a legend at her alma mater, the COVID-19 pandemic was an obstacle, as Dillon had to meet her players by virtual means.

Villanova and Drexel are in different conferences, but that did not deter Dillon from entering her new position with some familiarity. As Dillon noted, “Villanova and Drexel are right around the corner, so to speak. We played each other and we recruited a lot of the same players Villanova did.”

For Dillon, the offseason proved a challenge. 

“We had to find a way to connect with our team from a physical and emotional standpoint,” she admitted. “Being away from campus makes it difficult, but we were able to connect with the team frequently. I think the physical training may have been set back, but I do believe we were able to come together as a team.”

Trying times indeed. The pandemic has given us concerns regarding our physical health, but below the iceberg’s water level is another point of contention, the mental issues.

“We have been more vigilant in the offseason,” Creighton coach Jim Flanery said. “We let our players know, very often, there are resources available to maintain their physical and mental well-being.”

“There’s a deep concern,” Butler’s Kurt Godlevske added. “These are not normal times, so we let our players know what is available to address any mental health issues. We have open communication regularly. What is happening now is everyone is facing changes on almost a daily basis.”

DePaul’s Doug Bruno said the daily life of a student-athlete has been altered significantly. 

“We ask them to go to practice, then go and stay in their room,” he said. “Back when I was a student, I don’t know how easy it would have been to do, just staying in my room. We set up protocols to follow, but it’s by no means easy to do.”

Bruno also added that playing  UConn “reminds me to a degree of the old Big East.” Facing the Huskies twice, maybe three times, is a daunting challenge. Both Bruno and St. John’s’ Joe Tartamella will not back down on out-of-league scheduling.

“You need a good out of conference schedule to be prepared,” Tartamella said. “You need signature wins to boost your resume for the NCAA Tournament. Playing UConn helps, but you want a challenging schedule overall.”

Day to day for Tony Bozzella, it’s business as usual. The Seton Hall coach is aware and very concerned with COVID-19. Each day is a different one as Bozzella preps his team, now having been forced to pause days before its season was to begin.

“We take each day focused on drills and general preparation to get us ready for that first game,” he said. “Unless anything changes, that’s how we’ll approach the weeks leading to the opener.”

Outside of practice, Bozzella ensures his team is following the proper protocols and doing everything to maintain safety. 

“The virus can strike even if you are prepared,” he said. “But the idea is to follow protocol and recommendations and do things to stay safe.”

Looking at the current season, the Seton Hall mentor expects another big season from Desiree Elmore. A preseason all-conference selection, Elmore, a 5’9” senior, averaged 13 points per game for the Pirates last year. Beyond point production, Elmore has morphed into a complete player and leader on and off the floor.

“When we were recruiting her in high school, I felt her conditioning could be better,” Bozzella said. “She seemed to take a few plays off and relied mostly on her talent alone to get by. She went to Syracuse, then transferred in.” 

Elmore arrived in South Orange with a new attitude and outlook. 

“She improved her condition and dedication,’ Bozzella noted. “It paid off, as she was very effective for us and we expect she’ll build on that in this, her senior year. She’s very bright and understands the game so well, I could see her going into coaching sometime down the road.” 

Elmore’s return is a bright spot for Seton Hall. A concern, though, is replacing Shadeen Samuels, not just for her team leading 14.3 points per game scoring output, but also the defense the six-foot forward provided. 

“Shadeen gave us a great defensive presence,” Bozzella stated. “That’s not something one player can step in and replace. We’re asking all of our players on the floor to step up and defend better. It has to be a group effort.” 

Bozzella feels the manner in which his team responds will go a long way to determining the Seton Hall season. He also mentioned how UConn rejoining the Big East strengthens the conference, and was emphatic in pointing out that this was a very strong conference with unique challenges even prior to the Huskies’ return.

“I would put our group of coaches against any conference in the nation,” Bozzella said referring to the league even prior to this season. “We have a great mix of talented veterans and young coaches in the conference.”

Bozzella went on to elaborate on a major task each coach in the Big East must address. 

“We have a very challenging situation we as coaches deal with,” he cautioned. “In some conferences like the ACC or SEC,  you may play a team once and maybe that game is at home. We play everyone twice, maybe three times (with the conference tournament), and that means we face everyone at their place.” 

Playing everyone on the road is one thing. Multiple meetings are another consideration.

“You face a team a second or third time,” Bozzella added. “Each game you face them, you must make adjustments and change your game plan. That’s something all of our coaches deal with each season.”

In every stop he has made, Bozzella has reversed the fortunes of his program. Entering his eighth season at his alma mater, it is safe to say Bozzella is facing a situation unlike any he’s seen in his 28 years as a head coach. Obviously, the discussion surpasses the competitive Big East.

“Our commissioner, Val Ackerman, has done a great job with her leadership,” Bozzella said. “I do not envy her job one bit. Her main concern is the safety of the student-athletes. That is our concern as well.”