There's something wrong with women's basketball, and Geno Auriemma thinks he knows how to fix it.
Auriemma, who has led UConn to seven national championships, says fans are craving more offense in the women's game, and the best way to create more scoring is to lower the rims.
"Let's say the average men's player is 6-5 and the average woman is 5-11," Auriemma told the Hartford Courant. "Let's lower the rim seven inches; let's say 7.2 inches to honor Title IX [instituted in 1972]. If you lower it, the average fan likely wouldn't even notice it. Now there would be fewer missed layups because the players are actually at the rim [when they shoot]. Shooting percentages go up. There would be more tip-ins."
Auriemma pointed to women's volleyball, where the net is about seven inches lower than it is in the men's game. That adjustment, Auriemma says, gives women the chance for "same kind of success" as men.
The idea of lowering the rim is not currently a topic of conversation for the NCAA, but Auriemma says he plans on proposing it to the NCAA.
Auriemma mentioned several other changes he would like to see implemented in women's collegiate basketball, including a fixed NCAA Final Four location and a 24-second shot clock.
(H/T to Game On!)
