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Good morning! Win a Cy Young today.
GOATs: Geno Auriemma claims his throne
In the modern era of women’s basketball, there is UConn — and by extension, Geno Auriemma — and there is everyone else.Â
At one point it was Tennessee and everyone else. Now it might be South Carolina and everyone else. But for over two decades, Auriemma and the Huskies have been the standard. Last night, we saw the coronation: Auriemma is now the winningest coach in college basketball history.Â
Two important points of that story you may not know:Â
- Auriemma grew up poor in rural Italy with no running water or electricity, as Chantel Jennings detailed yesterday. He saw his first basketball hoop on the walk from his house to the local church for kindergarten.
- He’s come a long way, after 40 years as head coach at UConn. Not that it was supposed to happen that way. In 1985, at just 31, he took over a young program whose best-ever record had been 16-14. He expected to stay a few years, using UConn as a stepping stone. Then no one came calling, and he started winning titles.
Here we are, 1,217 wins later. Auriemma has won 88 percent of his games, better than previous record holders Tara VanDerveer (82 percent) and Mike Krzyzewski (77 percent). Just look at the pace, too:
Auriemma, at 70, is arguably the greatest basketball coach to ever live. He is the best program builder, at least. He won his first national championship in 1995 and his most recent in 2016, with nine others in between. In there was a 111-game winning streak.
He is not slowing, either. The presumed No. 1 WNBA Draft pick — Paige Bueckers — plays for him, and the team is ranked No. 2 in the country, behind only South Carolina. UConn (4-0) also has the second-best title odds behind the Gamecocks, according to BetMGM.
If you read anything else on Auriemma today, make it Chantel’s story from earlier this year on Auriemma’s breakdown last season and what it taught him. There’s no one like Geno.Â
Let’s keep moving:
News to Know
Pep is sticking around
Pep Guardiola has agreed to a new contract at Manchester City, quashing fears (for now) that the legendary manager, 53, would leave after creating a modern soccer dynasty. The new contract is just for one year, and City — winners of four straight Premier League titles — have struggled of late, but still sit second in the EPL table.
Ray Lewis wants coaching job
NFL legend Ray Lewis has shown significant interest in the vacant FAU head-coaching job, a source told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, just two days after former coach Tom Herman was fired. The 49-year-old Hall of Famer is inspired by Deion Sanders’ route to Colorado, though Lewis has no coaching experience at this point. One big hurdle: Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. is the front-runner. Read the full report here.
More news
Playoff Berths, Sir: At Army, a transformation — and CFP dreams
Anything new in this world brings grumbles, both valid and unfair. College football’s 12-team Playoff is not immune. Regular-season games used to mean something. Now a two-loss team can win the national title every year?
Pulse ruling: unfair, because there is an entirely new frontier of the College Football Playoff we are just beginning to glimpse: a more open, competitive landscape — and it’s most evident in West Point, N.Y.
Brian Hamilton traveled to red-hot Army for a wonderful story today about the Black Knights, who have a legitimate shot to make the Playoff. Some nuggets I loved:
- Before we get to the roadblock, we must talk about the path:Â Jeff Monken is now in his 11th year as Army head coach and has overseen multiple program rebirths. There was his initial ascent from a 2-10 2015 season to three straight bowl wins with a potent option attack. He has been a steady success ever since, and is the second-winningest coach in the history of a school that used to win titles.
- Over the past couple years, the NCAA, ahem, cut down on cut blocks, which had been critical to Army’s option offense. So Monken overhauled the entire scheme. The Black Knights struggled last year but figured out things late in the 6-6 campaign. This season? Army is 9-0, scoring over 35 points per game.
- Army has a date with Tulane in the AAC title game Dec. 6, and, depending on how Boise State finishes the year, the winner could be the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion, which would guarantee a CFP berth — the kind of title path that would have been impossible for decades before now.
Now to the roadblock: No. 19 Army heads to Yankee Stadium to play No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday. The Fighting Irish are two-touchdown favorites, per BetMGM. A win — or even a competitive loss — would go a long way for the Black Knights’ CFP candidacy.
Read Brian’s story today and you might just think Army will win the game. Long live the Playoff.
Watch and Listen
đź“ş CFB: NC State at Georgia Tech
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
This game doesn’t matter too much in the ACC standings, but I want to get another look at the Yellow Jackets, who have already knocked off two top-10 teams this year and have No. 10 Georgia left on the schedule.Â
đź“ş NFL: Steelers at Browns
8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video
This is when late-season division games get fun, and not because both teams are good. Cleveland is in full spoiler mode here, and you should fully expect Jameis Winston to sling the ball around no matter the consequences. Pittsburgh hopes to protect its perch atop the AFC North. This will be fun.Â
Get tickets to games like these here.
🎧
Pulse Picks
The best stories register a range of emotions within you. This story, from Peter Baugh on Matthew Gaudreau, ticks every box. Matthew was so much more than just the brother of Johnny Hockey. Make time for this one.Â
This was so good, from Grace Raynor: Earlier this football season, Houston-area high-schooler Tobi Haastrup didn’t know what a first down was. Now he has offers from Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Read how this “accidental superstar” became a coveted recruit.Â
A Lakers rookie not named Bronny James is actually making a huge impact: Dalton Knecht, the first-round pick, is on fire, as Jovan Buha writes — and so are the Lakers.
A great story hook: The future NHL goalie is an elite skater, brainy thinker and … has a strong butt. Click.Â
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our big, exclusive story on the Jets’ mess. Catch up here.Â
Most-read on the website yesterday: NFL Power Rankings, again. Try to tell me that’s not the most popular sport.
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(Top photo: Mark Smith / Imagn Images)
