We are keeping our fingers crossed in the hope that we can return to a “normal” version of college basketball this fall: fans in the stands, announcers without masks, etc. Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen but we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. We continue our coverage with Princeton women’s coach Carla Berube. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Berube about not getting to play last season and her expectations for this season.
In 1995 as a player at UConn your team went 35-0 and became 1 of a handful of teams to win an NCAA title while going undefeated: how were you able to do it, and where does that team rank among the greatest in the history of the sport? It is hard to rank something throughout the entire history of the sport, much less the 11 national champs at UConn. The basketball of the 1990s is certainly different than today but we had 1 of the greatest teams of that era due to our talent/coaching and the chip on our shoulder. I think that we could have played with anybody. It was just about focusing on the next game/team in front of you: if you look too far ahead then you are setting yourself up for a loss. Coach Geno Auriemma kept us focused on staying the course and we had a lot to prove. It was not as hard as it sounds…but we knew that we had to bring our “A” game every single night.
What makes Geno such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He really cares deeply about his team both as players and people. He takes great care in constructing his teams: he brings in really good people who fit the culture that he has built with assistant coach Chris Dailey. He does not just take any 5-star athletes he can get: they must be smart/unselfish/driven. He does a great job of stripping away any selfishness: it is about winning as a team and respecting the game/each other/your opponent. He gets the most out of you by pushing the right buttons to make you the best player you can be during your 4 years. From ages 18-22 there is a lot of maturing going on and he is a really great leader. He has come up with the right recipe for success and you want to play hard for him and get positive feedback from him/your teammates.
You were head coach for team USA at the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup: what did it mean to you to win a pair of gold medals, and which of your players impressed you the most (Paige Bueckers/Azzi Fudd/other)? It was an incredible honor to have coached those 2 teams and been a part of USA Basketball. It is hard to pick out just 1 or 2 players but it was fun to see Paige/Azzi in those young age groups. To see where they are now speaks volumes to their love of the game and the passion/work ethic they have: I am excited to see them play together this year. Aliyah Boston was also a wonderful young woman who has become a star: so many of them are now at the top of the college game.
You went 384-96 in 17 seasons as head coach at Tufts, made the Sweet 16 for 8 years in a row, and were named 2015 D-3 national COY: what is the biggest difference between D-3 and D-1? There are not as many differences as people might think: there are more similarities. 1 of the biggest differences is getting to work with your players during the off-season, which does not happen in D-3. There are also some differences in recruiting/travel and the level of athlete, but as far as the drive/passion/ability to work together it totally transfers among levels so I have not had to change who I am as a coach. The root of it all is pretty similar.
After being hired at Princeton in 2019 you went 26-1 (with only a 2-PT OT loss at Iowa) and were named conference COY: how close did you come to going undefeated, and what was your reaction when you learned that the NCAA tourney was canceled due to the pandemic? We were VERY close to being undefeated…but that loss early in the season allowed us to learn a lot, so who knows if we would have won 22 in a row after that? It was heartbreaking when we learned that the tourney was canceled: we had such a great run and won our conference championship and were playing some really great basketball. Our seniors did not get to end their careers the way they should have, but we were still grateful for having a great season and will always think back fondly on that season as 1 of 2 teams in the nation that only had 1 loss (along with South Carolina).
You are a member of the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I was lucky enough to have been on some great teams: I won 2 state titles in high school and then had a great college career at a storied institution. I had great teammates/coaches and anytime you get an individual honor you know that it has to do with being on great teams and having great people around you.
The Ivy League canceled all of its athletics last year: what have you been up to for the past 18 months?! I did get to watch a lot of basketball last year, which I normally do not. I got to take a little break and enjoy it with my 3 young kids so that was a nice silver lining. I am still part of the Princeton community and have been working on a lot of initiatives, but as a coach you are always recruiting and trying to get the best/brightest student-athletes. We had a lot of team meetings via Zoom and watched some film together even though we could not always be together on the court. We wanted to keep our basketball minds working even when gyms/parks were not open. Some players had internships and some took online classes so we just tried to make the most of it.
They also announced that this year conference play will take place over the course of 10 weeks (rather than the traditional 8 weeks) to allow student-athletes time to succeed both in the classroom and on the court: what impact will this have on you as a coach (if any)? The reason why it was the other way is because Princeton holds exams after winter break so I am just used to it. I think it will be beneficial by giving our bodies the rest we need with fewer back-to-back games. There is also an opportunity to play some non-conference games during that span.
You have a roster that includes players from 10 different states: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? We are looking for the best out there from all over the country/world. We are just scouring the land for the best/brightest/most talented players who will fit into what Princeton is. I am lucky to recruit players to 1 of the top universities in the world so it is fun to pick up the phone and talk about Princeton. We want people who can help elevate our program/community.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? We will take it 1 game at a time. We are young and had quite a few players take a gap year. It will take a little time to figure out our identity and what we are capable of so I am looking forward to starting our scrimmages in October. I want to get better every single day so that we are playing our best basketball come the conference season. It is the same philosophy as my 35-0 season back in college: have fun/come to work/enjoy it. There is gratitude to be back on the court…but there is also a hunger to it after not having a season last year. I love the energy that I have seen so far and am looking forward to practice.