STORRS – Geno Auriemma recalled to the media a moment from one of his trips to Rome.
The Head Coach of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team said he was waiting in line to visit the Sistine Chapel and happened to see two people in line with him wearing UConn hats.
“I was like, ‘Wow, this didn’t happen ‘X’ number of years ago’” Auriemma said to the media regarding his reaction to UConn going worldwide.
Since this occurred before the pandemic, UConn has won three National Championships within the last six years, hanging three banners in their respective home arenas.
“You see it around the world,” Auriemma said to the media on Saturday on the UConn logo. “You hear it when you talk to agents from other countries, and they’ll talk to you about a player that they have over there who is going to be drafted, is going to be a first-round draft pick. But if they have a chance to go to UConn, they would rather go to UConn.”
UConn, often deemed the Basketball Capital of the World, has captured the hearts of many UConn and basketball fans alike in Connecticut.
Since being named head coach in 1985, Auriemma has seen the evolution of both the men’s and women’s programs.
Now, UConn’s on-campus arena in Storrs, with the addition to its name, M&T Bank Center at Gampel Pavilion, got a makeover over the spring and summer months that will finish in at least the next 12 months.
The new renovations feature a new state-of-the-art locker room for both the men’s and women’s programs, new concession areas and more.
A fan of the women’s program and senior studying Psychological Sciences at UConn, Julia Cahoon, describes these renovations as the “crowning jewel” to the programs.
“I think it’s reflective of our success,” Cahoon said on the renovations. “I see the locker room video, and it’s just like a crowning jewel, like [the] type of thing where it’s just so fitting for a team that’s done so much for the state and for women’s sports.”
Cahoon also emphasized that these new additions to the arena will be a selling point for future recruits and success. As a native of New Hampshire, Cahoon grew up watching the program with her dad, who is a college basketball fan, seeing players like Breanna Stewart on the hardwood.
“I’m a big sports fan, so obviously there’s no better place to watch sports,” Cahoon said. “I’ve always been at the basketball games. I’ve always felt passion behind the brand. I think the students get really engaged.”
Just like Cahoon, Maryann Stradczuk, a Connecticut resident and women’s basketball season ticket holder for the last six years, has fallen in love with the program and its players.
“We watch the [WNBA] in part because there’s someone we know everywhere, and so even if it’s a team we’re not fond of, we can’t ever root against UConn,” M. Stradczuk said. [It’s] great for UConn being in Connecticut because we don’t have [professional] teams.”
M. Stradczuk and her husband, Stan, recalled watching the Huskies win their 12th National Championship. They said they were both so emotional watching the hug Auriemma and Paige Bueckers shared, as she checked out for her last time as a Husky.
“It was so emotional, and it was just wonderful to see,” M. Stradczuk said, “They love him, but he loves them first, and so he chooses them.”
With these special relationships Auriemma shares with his players, M. Stradczuk said that is what attracts so many fans to the program. She emphasized that when you come to play at UConn, you leave ready to take on the world. Whether that be preparing them to deal with the media, large crowds or high-pressure situations, Auriemma and his Associate Head Coach Chris Dailey prepare them for anything.
“When they get to the out in life, they’re ready. They’re prepared,” M. Stradczuk said. “So, they just get all those things, which is really great for them.”
As the sun is officially starting to rise on the regular season for the UConn women’s basketball program, fans and players will now have the chance to experience these memories, but with revolutionized facilities.
“It’s called the Basketball Capital of the World for a reason, right?” S. Stradczuk said with a grin.