Perfection.
Imagine doing something to its literal perfection without the smallest of blemishes. In basketball terms, the perfect season is finishing the year with no losses. Now imagine not losing a game in 75 tries and winning four national titles while you are at it. People would be in awe of your greatness, right? Well, that is not always the case for the University of Connecticut women's basketball team.
Some people believe that because they are so good and so dominant, that it is bad for the sport as a whole. Those people are flat out crazy. These women are athletes and just like any other athlete, they thrive on winning. That is what they have been taught since a young age and that is what they were brought to the program to do: win.
In sports, winning is everything. No one remembers who lost or who came in second place. No, they remember who stood atop the podium victorious after putting every last ounce of energy into their craft. No one wants to lose, so why should they be scrutinized for doing their job?
Showing up does not guarantee them an automatic win. They still have to practice, still have to lift weights, still have to spend countless hours in the gym because again, winning is everything. Even coming into the game they still have to make shots, still have to limit turnovers, and still have to play defense. Who would not want to be the ones to finally knock them off of their throne? When it finally does happen the team to do it will have more publicity than if they actually won a national championship. At this point in women's college basketball, beating UConn is the equivalent to winning a title. That is how good they actually are.
Credit to their coach, Geno Auriemma, for keeping his team in such a focused mindset for so long without a slip-up. These are still college athletes and sometimes will not always have their best stuff. But the fact that he gets them motivated to play every single game speaks volumes to the type of coach he is. I am sure there are thoughts running through their minds before games, assuming that they will walk out onto the court and win by 30 points just like every other game. It would be understandable from a human perspective that it would be boring to keep winning at such a large margin. A letdown would seem inevitable at some point, but under Auriemma's leadership, somehow it has not happened.
To all the people that think UConn is "unfair" or "too good" the response is simple; the other teams need to get better. With their dominance, it is almost a given that the best players will go there. There is no reason not to other than proximity to home or family ties. The Huskies are trying to elevate the level of play for this sport and the other teams just are not there yet. It is not their fault they are better. Some players and coaches out there just need to find some way to beat them - obviously easier said than done.
If you think that this team is hurting the game of basketball I would beg you to actually watch them play a game and to watch as a student of the game. They may not be as high flying or ridiculously athletic as the men, but they play the game the way it is supposed to be played. They rebound, they pass, they score, and they play defense. Are there any SportsCenter Top 10 Plays during their games? Probably not, but the way they play as a team and a unit should be noticed.
So before you start talking about how this team is so good that it is bad, just stop, watch them play and start appreciating what a dynasty this actually is and how perfect they actually are.
