UConn women's basketball

It has taken me many months to try to get a grip on the move by the Big East to invite all 16 teams to the conference tournament for the first time. And I still haven’t found complete harmony.
Of course, I think it’s a great concept for the players. Everyone should have the chance to play in a win-and-advance tournament, especially when it might be their only postseason experience of the season. But there is a big part of me, the one that loves steak and dessert, that is having a difficult time with the move. Inviting all 16 teams to the tournament means that the conference had to do away with the annual awards banquet and the free meal. Now, I know it is a privilege to dine on the Big East, but that free meal is better that most of the meals I have at my home. Hamburger Helper just isn’t the same as a well-cooked steak. And Nutter Butter Bites just don’t pack the same punch as a piece of cheesecake or a piece of chocolate cake.
So with that said … I’d like to wish the all 16 teams well in the tournament. And I’m begging Big East director of communications Rachel Margolis to bring me some form of a doggy bag. Thanks, in advance, Rachel.
The absence of the banquet also means that the postseason awards will be announced over a two-day period. The all-conference teams and the Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, the Sportsmanship Award and the Sixth-Man Award will be announced tomorrow via e-mail. The conference Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be revealed during a press conference at about 5 p.m. Friday at the XL Center.
Renee Montgomery, Tina Charles and Maya Moore are a lock to be named first team all-conference for the second straight season. Renee, Maya, and Louisville senior Angel McCoughtry are the top candidates for Player of the Year. Freshman of the Year should come down to either Tiffany Hayes or former Trinity Catholic star Da’Shena Stevens of St. John’s, while Geno Auriemma and Villanova’s Harry Perretta appear to be the leading candidates for Coach of the Year. It would not be surprising if some of the awards are shared.

The Huskies are currently find themselves in a stretch of nearly a week without a game. They don’t open Big East tournament play until Sunday at 2 p.m. in the quarterfinals. Maya has mixed feelings about the break.
“It’s kind of good or bad,’’ she said. “It’s good for our bodies. We get some rest. I personally want to play as soon as possible. We’ll definitely take advantage of the time off, fix up some things and just get ready for the tournament.’’

The Huskies finished a regular season undefeated for the fifth time with Monday’s win at Rutgers. They also did so in the 1994-95, 1996-97, 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. The only time they did not go on to win the national championship was in 1996-97 when they were beaten 91-81 by Tennessee in the NCAA regional final in Iowa City, Iowa.
Geno was asked the other night if an undefeated season still means as it much as it did in the past. His response was interesting.
“Not as much as it used to in some ways,’’ he said. “I’ve also been 30-0 and not won a national championship. Being 30-0 I think is fantastic if you’re able to finish it off down the road. This is Connecticut, and for better or worse, I’ve created an environment where I’m not talking about how great we are. I’m not talking about how wonderful we are. I’m not talking about guys we used to have and teams we used to have. I’ve created a scenario where the only story that’s left to write is if we don’t win the national championship.’’

Rich

Single-session tickets for the Big East tournament are now on sale. The event runs Friday through March 10 at the XL Center, with top-ranked and top-seeded UConn opening play in the quarterfinals Sunday at 2 p.m. (ESPNU).
Prices for session tickets are as follows: Session 1 (Friday afternoon doubleheader) – $20; Session 2 (Friday evening doubleheader) – $20; Session 3 (Saturday afternoon doubleheader) – $20; Session 4 (Saturday evening doubleheader) – $20; Session 5 (Sunday afternoon doubleheader) – $25; Session 6 (Sunday evening doubleheader) – $25 Session 7 (Monday semifinal doubleheader) – $30; Session 8 (Tuesday championship game) – $30.
To charge tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased on-line at www.xlcenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets, and at the XL Center box office. For group sales (10 or more) information and discounts, please contact the XL Center at (860) 548-2000.
Tournament ticket packages for all 15 games may still be purchased for $99, which is discounted by nearly one half of the face value.

2009 Big East Women’s Basketball Tournament
(at XL Center, Hartford)
First Round (www.BIGEAST.tv)
Friday
Game 1 – #12 Syracuse vs. #13 St. John’s, noon
Game 2 – #9 Marquette vs. #16 Cincinnati, 2 p.m.
Game 3 – #10 Georgetown vs. #15 Seton Hall, 6 p.m.
Game 4 – #11 West Virginia vs. #14 Providence, 8 p.m.

Second Round (BETV, www.BIGEAST.tv)
Saturday
Game 5 – #5 Notre Dame vs. Game 1 winner, noon
Game 6 – #8 USF vs. Game 2 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 7 – #7 Rutgers vs. Game 3 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 8 – #6 DePaul vs. Game 4 winner, 8 p.m.

Quarterfinals (ESPNU)
Sunday
Game 9 – #4 Villanova vs. Game 5 winner, noon
Game 10 – #1 UConn vs. Game 6 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 11 – #2 Louisville vs. Game 7 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 12 – #3 Pittsburgh vs. Game 8 winner, 8 p.m.

Semifinals (ESPNU)
Monday
Game 13 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 14 – Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 8 p.m.

Championship (ESPN)
March 10
Game 15 – Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 7 p.m.

BETV – Big East Regional Sports Television

Rich

There isn’t a venue in the country where Geno Auriemma has been verbally abused by the fans more than the Louis Brown Athletic Center. With the rivalry between UConn and Rutgers escalating over the years, the home fans relish every chance they get to give the Hall of Fame coach an earful each time he walks to and from the Huskies locker room.
Auriemma has taken much of the verbal taunts in stride. And much of his good-nature toward the fans has to do with the protection being provided by security guard Bruce Medley, who is also a 51-year-old cancer survivor. Medley has heard it all. He has also ensured that it’s been just words Auriemma is dodging and not anything further.
“I’ve gotten a chance to get to know Bruce pretty well,’’ Auriemma said. “It’s ironic that one of the guys you know most around the league is the security guy at Rutgers. I don’t know what that says, but I’m sure it says something. He is just one of those guys I think that a lot of times guys will come up and introduce themselves and say, `I’m going to be with you the rest of the time,’ and they’re all great. He just seems to have a way about him that makes you feel comfortable. I think he shares in your excitement about the game. He enjoys watching the games. He’s a fan. Obviously he’s a professional, but more importantly I think he really gets a kick out of watching the games and making sure everybody enjoys their time there. He’s a gentleman through and through. I’m so thrilled for him that things have turned out the way they have.’’
Medley’s professionalism has earned the respect of Auriemma. But so has the fact that Medley has survived his battle with cancer. Medley first noticed a problem when he experienced shortness of breath walking with Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano up a flight of stairs following a game against Maryland Sept. 29, 2007. This was alarming for a guy who works out religiously, and one who scored more than 1,000 points at Ramapo College, earned a tryout with the New Jersey Nets and played professionally for a year in Argentina.
Medley would soon be hospitalized for 13 days when a 22.5-centimeter mass that ran from his stomach to his chest cavity was discovered. Medley was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and told by doctors that he had a week to live.
“In my case the tumor was so big they couldn’t operate,’’ Medley said. “Just imagine the size of a football. That’s how big it was. And they couldn’t believe it because I was still functioning. Cancer just doesn’t start growing overnight. It had to be growing in my body they said anywhere from five to eight years. So then I went through eight sessions of chemo, six hours per session. With the type of cancer I had they had to take fluid out and put chemo back in my spine. I had four sessions of that. And I just finished up last June, 2008. I had 18 rounds of radiation.’’
Today, Medley is cancer-free. He will again visit the doctor tomorrow at 1 p.m. for bloodwork. He will then have a battle of tests next Tuesday. Tonight, he received a hug from Auriemma when the Huskies arrived and Auriemma introduced him to his wife, Kathy.
“Everybody thinks about Coach G and him being a coach,’’ Medley said. “But as far as with me, he’s a great man, a great person, a great family guy. If you take basketball out of the equation he’s a great person. I played professional ball. A lot of times people look at our profession and say that’s a dictator and that’s the type of person you are. With him, he’s a great person. For him being in Connecticut and supporting me when I was out that meant a lot. Last year when I was discharged from the hospital for me to come in, knock on the door (to the locker room last Feb. 5) and for him to stop what he was doing just to come out and talk to me that says so much. And that’s the type of person he is.’’
Other than a few pointed remarks from fans and a host of autograph seekers over the years, Auriemma has not run into any serious problems at Rutgers. And Medley, who wears a pink bracelet on his left wrist to support cancer awareness, is a big reason why.
“The fans get into it,’’ Medley said. “Coach is smart. A lot of years when his team wasn’t playing up to par he took pressure off his team by making comments. Me being an ex-coach (women’s basketball at the College of New Jersey and men’s basketball at Ramapo), I understand the reasoning and the psyche behind that. He said some things. Fans had signs and stuff like that. But that’s the competitive nature of the Big East and women’s basketball. And I coach women for six years myself on the college level so to see it grow to that respectability I’m like, `It’s great.’ But I haven’t really had … Just autograph hounders. Then I turn around and I go home and go on ebay. The guy that I let sign instead of one thing signed three things and he’s got them on ebay. That’s what burns me up. But other than that nothing that really stands out as far as any violence or anything like that. Fans are going to be fans, and these are great fans here. But it’s just the environment, the energy. Geno. But it’s great for basketball. Like today, my cell phone’s been ringing since 6 o’clock in the morning about the newspaper because they had a big article here. And so many people follow me, follow Coach. They say, `Yeah, your boy’s coming to town.’ `Bruce, great article. Say hello to your boy.’ But it’s great. And what I try to do is just make sure he’s safe. I just talked to his wife. I’m going to make sure she’s safe. And when his mother comes, she’s great. A great family and he’s a great person.’’

Rich

The Big East sent out this release today. While you’re cooped up inside because of the snow, why not give it a shot.
The conference is allowing fans to bid for a pair of premium lower tickets right next to each other (Section 116, Row C) to the Big East tournament final at the XL Center. The game will be played March 10 at 7 p.m. In addition, you will be given a one-night’s stay at the Hartford Hilton Hotel (March 10), which is attached to the XL Center and is within walking distance of many shops, restaurants and clubs in Hartford.
Go to www.bigeast.org to place a bid. Click on the women’s basketball championship central page on the right side. There is a link there for the auction.
The bidding closes Friday.

Good luck

Rich

Senior Night is always a special event for the Huskies. It’s a ceremony that provides the fans with a chance to pay homage to the players who gave their heart and soul to the program for the past four years. And when a player hoists their framed jersey overhead and spins around to share it with the crowd it’s an experience that brings goose bumps to your arms.
Last night was no different. Renee Montgomery, Tahirah Williams and Cassie Kerns deserved every bit of the ovation they received from the crowd of 13,372 at the XL Center. But following an eight-minute warm-up period, the ceremony really a soared to another level. Maya Moore and Kaili McLaren sprung a surprise on the seniors by singing the national anthem. It was a performance that would have made Simon Cowell stand up and applaud.
“Oh my gosh, I could not believe it,’’ Tahirah said. “At first I knew the surprise because I overheard them talking, but then Kaili said they couldn’t sing it any more because some girl was supposed to sing it. Then when I saw them take the mic, I was like, `What?’ That was amazing. I liked it a lot.’’
Said coach Geno Auriemma: “I don’t know that they knew it was going to happen. I don’t know that they were completely aware of that. I think everybody was surprised by how good those guys were. They were really good.’’
The plan was hatched during a recent team dinner when Geno nonchalantly asked who the best singers on the team were. Maya, Kaili and Tiffany Hayes were singled out. But they initially did not believe that they were going to sing the national anthem on Senior Night. Little did they know.
“It all happened so fast,’’ Maya said. “One minute we’re talking about who can sing the best on the team. The next minute we’re singing the national anthem for the seniors. I don’t know how it happened.
It went great. We haven’t done anything like that before. You worry about, `Did we start out in the wrong pitch? Are we going to miss a word? Will I say rocket’s red glare twice?’ It’s different. I’m so proud of how we did it, and they loved it.’’
It was the first time an active player sang the anthem since Stacy Hansmeyer in 2000. Renee was also impressed by the performance of Maya and Kaili.
“That was great,’’ she said. “It was a joke at dinner. I said, `You guys should sing for us on Senior Night.’ They were like, `Yeah, right, we aren’t singing for you. You’re not that special.’ And then they sang so that meant a lot. It made it even more special that they really went out there and did it.’’
Two of them went out and did it, anyway. Tiffany balked. And afterwards there was plenty said regarding her absence.
“Tiffany Hayes was supposed to sing, but I was told she chickened out, clearly, because only two people sang,’’ Renee said. “She doesn’t think I’m special enough. That’s what it is.’’
Maya said that Tiffany is a good singer. It’s apparent that Geno thinks otherwise.
“I’ve watched a couple of them do their thing during pregame and stuff,’’ Geno said. “I can’t sing worth a lick, but I know who can. They say, `What do you know about singing?’ I don’t know anything about singing. I just know when it sounds good. You can’t take Tiffany out in public. You know how some people have a face for radio. She has a voice for privacy. That’s Tiff.’’
And he couldn’t help himself but take a shot at Maya too after he was asked if she could also juggle.
“She’s a very good juggler as a matter of fact,’’ he said. “I’ve seen her do that. She’s fantastic at it. She’s even learning how to switch on defense. She’s getting better. She’s becoming a well-rounded person. She sings. Plays the drums. Juggles. And she’s getting better at switching on defense.’’

Rich