UConn women's basketball

Less than two hours before tipoff there were several strips of brown paper towels at the 3-point line opposite the UConn bench to soak up the water that was coming through a hole in the roof of the St. Pete Times Forum. It has rained on and off all day today.

Rich

There may be four teams in Tampa this weekend. But judging by the streets outside the Marriott and at the nearby shopping and dining area, Channelside, Sunday, the Huskies are the most popular team in town. It really is not a surprise. After all, they also have the most media covering them as well. UConn fans were everywhere you looked, sporting their colors proudly.

Stumps Supper Club was renamed “Storrs’’ Supper Club for this weekend. The Tennessee venue was named “Splitsville.’’ With everything going on between Pat and Geno it’s kind of fitting isn’t, isn’t it?

For the record, AP national writer Doug Feinberg had nothing to do with Geno being introduced as “Gene’’ during the Coach of the Year press conference Saturday. The culprit was Jim Baltzelle, the Miami bureau chief. Doug feels very badly about the mishap. Baltzelle apparently has poor eyesight and just misread Geno’s name on the paper. But the name of a Hall of Fame coach who used to coach Big East games at Miami should not be butchered.

Rich

By the time Geno had accepted his Coach of the Year honor from the Associated Press at 4:30 this afternoon he was finally off-duty. There was nowhere else he had to be to talk to somebody and answer questions. The off-the-court pomp and circumstance that is the Final Four can be overwhelming.
UConn has been going nonstop since Friday morning when he had interviews with ESPN. Friday the team attended a Final Four boat ride and banquet. There was an autograph session Saturday as well as media requirements.
Geno believes that there are even more off-the-court demands than there were in 2004 when UConn last reached the Final Four.
“It’s worse,’’ Geno said. “It’s corporate this. It’s NCAA this. It’s media this. It’s picture this. Your head’s spinning, and `When are we going to practice? When are we going to sit down and talk about basketball?’ Starting tomorrow it’s regular game day. But what they do to you the two days beforehand wears you out.’’
Said Ketia Swanier: “It’s just a lot of stuff getting thrown at you that you’re not used to, like a lot of getting up and having things to do,’’ she said. “So I think we’re just ready to play tomorrow and get back on that game schedule track.’’

Hey, keep your eye out for Meghan Gardler tomorrow. You won’t be able to miss her. She said she spent three hours in the sun Friday – without the use of any sun block. Believe me, it shows. She was basically glowing in the locker room today.

Rich

The day started off well for me when Roger Cleveland and I took a cab from the Marriott to the Hyatt at 8:45 a.m. The guest of honor in the vehicle was DePaul coach Doug Bruno, who not only hailed the cab but he picked up the fare. Thanks, Doug. You went above and beyond.

The day got off to a good start for the Huskies too. Maya and Renee were named to the 10-member State Farm/WBCA All-American Team. And Elena Delle Donne and Tiffany Hayes were on hand to witness them be recognized.
“Maya and Renee up there … They’re so deserving of their awards and then they’re so humble,” Elena said. “That’s just what UConn’s all about, which makes me proud of them and I can’t wait to join them and just be able to play on their team. They look like they’re just such awesome teammates.’’

As the Huskies boarded their bus to the St. Pete Times Forum following that press conference there were a number of UConn fans on hand. No matter where they go there never seems to be a lack of fans waiting to catch a glimpse of them. That’s one of the things that makes this program special … the amount of love the fans have for this team every year.

Geno will officially be named the Associated Press Coach of the Year later today. He certainly deserves it.

And Pat Summitt did not address the UConn situation today. She was not asked to by the national media on hand. If both teams win tomorrow, that should be different Monday. Stay tuned.

Rich

All season I have been waiting to see if the Huskies would get to Tampa. It was evident right from the get-go that they had what it took to get here. Fast-forward six months later, here they are still fighting for a national championship.
Getting off the plane this afternoon it was refreshing to see a city that actually promoted the women’s basketball tournament. There wasn’t a sign to be had at the airport in Greensboro. There were signs welcoming people to the Final Four coming down the escalator to the baggage claim. More were on top of the baggage claim itself. There was even an information booth in the middle of it all.
There weren’t many UConn fans on my flight. Just a man and his wife, with the man wearing a UConn hat, T-shirt and belt. The belt was a nice touch. Upon arriving at the majestic Marriott Waterside, the WBCA post for the week, I immediately ran into my old friend Karen Tucker. Karen used to cover the Huskies for the New Haven Register before taking a plush position with the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville.
Karen relayed me some information about her flight. Nearly everyone on the plane was dressed in orange and they sang Rocky Top for nearly all of the near two-hour flight. One person even played the song over what Karen said were iPod speakers. Listen, Karen is a UConn fan. It was not a pleasant flight. And she wanted me to pass along – for the record – that she DID NOT sing Rocky Top.

Events get underway in full swing tomorrow morning. Opening practices are as follows: UConn noon-1 p.m.; Stanford 1:05-2:05; Tennessee 2:10-3:10; and LSU 3:15-4:15. And Elena Delle Donne and Tiffany Hayes will compete in the WBCA All-America Game at the Sun Dome at 4:30 p.m.

Rich

The United States Basketball Writers Association released its list of awards today. Of course, it had a hefty Huskies flavor to it.
Maya Moore was named to the 10-member USBWA All-American team and was named the national Freshman of the Year. She was national Player of the Year Candace Parker of Tennessee, Crystal Langhorne of Maryland, Courtney Paris of Oklahoma, Candice Wiggins of Stanford, Sylvia Fowles of LSU, Amber Holt of Middle Tennessee, Erlana Larkins of North Carolina, Angel McCoughtry of Louisville and Kristi Toliver or Maryland.
Geno Auriemma was named Coach of the Year for the third time (1995, 2003). No other coach has won it more than once since the award was created in 1990.
The awards are sure to continue to roll in once the Final Four festivities kick off in earnest Saturday morning.

Rich

It didn’t take long for the national media to begin probing the volatile situation existing right now between UConn coach Geno Auriemma and Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. Both coaches were asked today during their respective Final Four teleconferences if they believe their cold war would cast a dark cloud over the events this weekend in Tampa, Fla.
Auriemma has been diplomatic all season, largely refusing to comment publicly. His stance did not change much, although he did express his displeasure about the program being forced to defend itself in the face of the complaints filed against UConn by the Southeastern Conference via Tennessee.
The Huskies were hit with a secondary violation when it was discovered that a member of the staff contacted ESPN to arrange a tour of the facility for then-recruit Maya Moore.
“I think the storyline has about used up its lifespan,’’ Auriemma said. “It’s unfortunate that it’s gotten to this point. It’s unfortunate that it’s lasted this long. We’ve had to answer a lot of questions about how we recruit. What we did in recruiting. What we didn’t do. And I, quite frankly, am sick of it. Our university spent a lot of time and a lot of effort having to defend ourselves against a lot of accusations that turned out to be nothing or the NCAA would have come down hard on us, which they didn’t.
“So I just think it’s an unfortunate situation. There’s a lot of stories there about a lot of great teams and a lot of great players and a lot of great scenarios that developed this year in the game of women’s basketball. And if all people want to talk about is Pat this and Pat that and Pat said this and Pat said that and Geno this and Geno that that’s a shame. And I’m not going to be a part of it. As far as I’m concerned when I get on the plane and I go to Tampa I could care less about Pat Summitt, Tennessee, LSU or anybody. I’m worried about Stanford and I’m worried about Connecticut and that’s it.’’
The top-ranked Huskies will depart for the Final Four this afternoon. They will meet fourth-ranked Stanford in the first national semifinal Sunday night at the St. Pete Times Forum at 7. Third-ranked Tennessee and sixth-ranked LSU will meet for the third time this season in the other semifinal at about 9:30.
It is no mystery that the nation is hoping for a UConn/Tennessee championship game April 8. It appears that there won’t don’t expect a lot of pregame fireworks, if any, from Auriemma or Summitt, who cancelled the regular season series with UConn last spring.
Summitt, too, had nothing to say regarding the situation Wednesday.
“Actually, I have no comment on anything other than getting ready to play LSU,’’ Summitt said. “I think the Final Four’s going to be … There’s four great teams there. There’s going to be a lot of excitement and I certainly don’t anticipate any black cloud, certainly I’m not going to present one.’’

Rich

One day after being named a first team All-America by The Associated Press Maya Moore was named to the five-member Wooden All-America team today. She was joined by Candace Parker of Tennessee, Sylvia Fowles of LSU, Courney Paris of Oklahoma and Candice Wiggins of Stanford.
Maya was again the first freshman honored since Paris in 2006.
The voters, which numbered more than 300, were asked to consider a player’s performance during the regular season and postseason through last Sunday, as well as their character and academic performance.
The five players chosen to the team will be invited to the Wooden Award Gala April 11 at the Los Angeles Downtown Sheraton Hotel.

Rich