Nights like Sunday are one of the most uncomfortable there is in this business. The Huskies played their hearts this season to reach the Final Four. And in a span of 40 minutes, everything they had worked for since practice officially began Oct. 13 was gone. Then it was my job as a sportswriter to walk into the locker room and ask these emotional young women about their feelings about losing, about their season coming to an end, and for some, about their careers coming to an end.
It’s a spot that I never look forward to. I spend months and years getting to know these players. I have seen what things they have endured. And, in doing so, it’s human nature to want them to succeed and earn what they work so hard to achieve.
Playing at UConn is a daunting task. The Huskies are expected to go undefeated every season. Or it they do lose a game, they need to win the national championship to stamp the season a success. It takes a special kind of young woman to dive into the fishbowl in Storrs. And the 14 players that made up this year’s team were special to the utmost degree. They should take nothing but fond memories away from this season. It was a success, plain and simple.
And when you are a part of 125 wins in 144 games there is nothing for Charde, who is among the 20 players that have been invited to attend the WNBA draft tomorrow, Brittany, Mel and Ketia to be downtrodden about. They had fine careers. And they’ll have fine careers in the real world because of their experiences playing for Geno and the Huskies.
Covering this team and being able to bring the news to the fans is a pleasure. There are good people at every turn when it comes to this program. They do things right, which is why they’ve been so successful over the years. And which is why they are regularly the media darlings of the nation. Pundits gravitate to the Huskies. They want to hear what Geno has to say. They want to hear why Maya has to say. There is always something compelling about the players, a story that needs to be told.
Elena, Tiffany, Heather and Caroline are the next group whose stories will be told. In meeting them, it is already clear that these kids fit into the same mold as their future teammates. They are easy to talk to. Intelligent. Unselfish. Well-spoken. Intuitive.
Until next year, when the Huskies will be the favorite to win the national championship, thanks for great ride. It was one to cherish.
Rich
Really enjoyed reading your posts each day. Hope you continue this next year.
Comment by John — April 7th, 2008 @ 4:53 pm