Guru’s Musings: UConn WBB Return to Big East Has Collateral Effects

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA — So far in recent weeks the most dangerous place the Guru has been is riding the rails returning the next day from a WNBA Connecticut Sun game at Mohegan.

No, there hasn’t been anything equipment-related nor has yours truly run into weather-related problems given the recent influx of heavy rains.

By coincidence, though, while hunkered down on the ride, major women’s hoops news has broken three different times.

Several weeks ago came the announcement of the hiring of Cathy Engelbert as the first WNBA commissioner succeeding four previous individuals in Val Ackerman, Donna Orender, Laurel J. Richie, and Lisa Borders.

Furthermore to the hire was the local hook in that Engelbert comes from Collingswood, a South Jersey suburb across the Delaware River from here and that she played for Notre Dame Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw when the former Saint Joseph’s star was running the Lehigh program.

The previous return trip occurred when the history-making announcement was made in Cal coach Lindsey Gottlieb joining the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers staff making her the first women’s collegiate coach to become part of an NBA staff.

Then came word during Saturday’s laid-back ride that the recent years of speculation was on the way to reality with the University of Connecticut about to become a Big East member once more albeit with a somewhat altered group of rivals — most familiar but a group devoid of Rutgers, Boston College, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Louisville, and Notre Dame.

The news focused more from the men’s side such as the Huskies men playing familiar rivals that could re-energy the fan base for the home games in Hartford and at the campus Gampel Pavilion.

Then there’s the fate of the football program, which must go elsewhere in that after this fall the welcome mat at the American Athletic Conference will be pulled and the current Big East configuration does not have football in its collection of sports championships.

That brings us to the powerful Geno Auriemma-coached women’s basketball program that has won a record 11 national titles and were it not for upsets in recent seasons in the final four, the Huskies might even possess a few more.

There is collateral effects that need to be addressed and a lot of questions that popped into the Guru’s mind needing to get answers of reaction.

Unfortunately, since the return here was completed late and it is even later as the Guru lives his vampire hours, in this case dining in the Voorhees Diner in South Jersey and writing this blog, targets needed for reaction are asleep.

But since the Awful Announcing website was the only place to address any of the Guru musings, here are things yet to be spoken to.

First and foremost, and Awful Announcing touched on it slightly, what is the fate of the life-long relationship with the UConn women and ESPN, the mega-sports network in nearby Bristol that was in part founded by UConn notables.

The Big East, after the breakup of the old order,  reconfigured in a new alignment that includes the longtime group of Villanova, St. John’s, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, DePaul, Marquette, and the additions of Creighton, Butler and Xavier.

Commissioner Val Ackerman produced a nice contract with FOX Sports, of which the conference is only in the middle of a 12-year deal.

So after this season, based on looking at past Big East women’s TV schedules, the only times the Huskies might appear on other networks would be in non-conference matchups where the PAC-12, Big Ten, and Atlantic Coast Conferences have their own networks but are in alignment with ESPN.

And the folks from Bristol can’t exactly say it’s been nice knowing you since they own the NCAA tournament and,  barring a sudden decline, UConn will continue to be prominent in the season-long story line.

Next thought — what about the postseason conference women’s tournament?

Well, the AAC has been nicely-attended at Mohegan, which coincidentally is less than an hour from UConn’s campus.

Now imagine what the place might look like without the Huskies.

But not to worry. 

By coincidence, next March will see the AAC and Mohegan come to the end of their current deal. 

By equal coincidence, the current deal with the Big East and DePaul’s new Wintrust Arena, which the WNBA Chicago Sky also calls home, will conclude.

So, yes, that texting sound of joy from several conference coaches requesting anonymity is part of an eagerness of anticipation that the 2021 Big East women’s tournament at Mohegan is a no-brainer.

Prior to the breakup, many Big East mentors endorsed a move from the rundown Hartford XL Center to Mohegan only to be blocked by several Catholic institution presidents.

 But once the bust up occurred, the football survivors under the new AAC had a site deal in a heartbeat.

Furthermore, since the change, every Big East women’s tournament has been in either Chicago or Milwaukee, devoid of Eastern media coverage on site, especially playing the same weekend as the AAC, which, of course, has had UConn in the field.

The conference will get that group back accentuated by the crowd that covers the Huskies.

OF course, whither the AAC move? 

Several coaches seem to be on the same page as the Guru, thinking destination cities are best so assuming who will still be in the AAC, the best options seem to be Tampa Bay (USF). Orlando (UCF), Dallas (SMU),or New Orleans (Tulane).

Who might Auriemma retain for non-conference games.?

 After the reconfiguration, the Huskies and Notre Dame (ACC) maintained their national rivalry as the same went for Louisville while UConn has continued to play DePaul, whose coach Doug Bruno was an Auriemma assistant on two Olympic gold medal squads in England and Brazil.

Best bets if schedules allow, for who UConn might still play,  are USF, UCF (has grown in recent seasons), Tulane (also as much good tourist trip), and Temple, whose coach Tonya Cardoza was a long-time Auriemma assistant.

The newest regard of Big East women’s basketball?

For all the bashing the AAC took with UConn’s dominating unbeaten record, not much may change here barring a Huskies decline.

Longtime UConn beat writer Carl Adamec after the word of the move got out, noted and listed of the current Big East group since 1995, the year of the Huskies’ first national title, the only triumphs over Auriemma’s teams came on a last-second St. John’s winning shot to spoil a long home victory streak and two triumphs from Villanova — the Big East title game in 2003 and a home win on the Main Line the following season.

The current Big East, of which DePaul and Marquette had the most success, has grown to be wide open and competitive but if that continues with the Huskies still able  to rule all of them, how lopsided will the top of the standings appear.

Whither Temple?

The Owls through the move are now in a no-woman’s land — I’ll let more informed types discuss the men’s team.

Temple becomes the sole geographically Eastern member of the AAC. 

A tournament not near Philadelphia kills any kind of following from the Owls’ fan base, and in some places you can imagine how that component will be used by others recruiting the same players as Temple.

But once things become officially announced, more reaction on and off the record will be attainable.

Oh, and a memo to Val Ackerman.

It’s been reported the AAC was already planning a headquarters move from Providence, R.I., to Dallas, among several other locales under consideration.

That might mean some long-time AAC conference front office types like women’s honcho Barb Jacobs may be reluctant to make the move.

If so and if the Big East wbb tourney does head to Mohegan then hiring her, since she has the most experience dealing the event, either as a staffer or at least consultant has merit.

Stay Tuned.

Change at Princeton

Speaking of UConn, during the week, your Guru stopped by for the introductory press conference for new Princeton women’s basketball coach Carla Berube, who had a long stint of success at Division III Tufts in New England.

Berube, a member of UConn’s national championship in 1995, succeeds Courtney Banghart, who left for North Carolina after a decade of making the Tigers a dominate program in the Ivies, with some later challenges from Penn.

The school also became nationally prominent with Princeton becoming the only Ivy women’s program ever to be nationally ranked.

With Bella Alarie back for her senior season, the Tigers should still be in the hunt, though Banghart brought a certain swagger enjoyed by the media that will be missed (except by those of us who deal with her nationally).

But as Berube teammate, Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo, noted up at Mohegan Friday night before doing her broadcast duties, “Listen, Carla has her own kind of swagger after playing for coach Auriemma.”

Though we retweeted everything Princeton sent out — beats transcribing — if you missed it, the Tigers’ website should have everything from the event.

In a brief chit-chat afterwards renewing old ties, the Guru noted to Berube that while much was made of her drawing a foul that sent her to the line to clinch the Huskies’ first national title, the Guru seems to recall, it was the first half when Lobo and Jen Rizzotti got into foul trouble, that he recalls Berube acting like a middle-inning reliever, in this case keeping the Huskies afloat to hold off Tennessee and win the title.

Sure enough, your Guru found an account of that action that was published in 2015 written by Lori Riley when the Hartford Courant was noting the 20th anniversary of the first championship.

We’ll close out here for now with that report.

Berube 3-13-15 courant excerpt

"I had to play [against Tennessee] because we were in foul trouble and trying to stop some of those Tennessee players who were a lot bigger than I was," she said.

 "I remember Jamelle (Elliott) and Jen really calming us, saying, 'We can get this done.' I had a couple free throws at the end of that game."

Berube did her best against 6-3 Dana Johnson and 6-6 Vonda Ward when Lobo and Wolters were in foul trouble.

 And after Rizzotti's famous crossover dribble and layup gave UConn a 63-61 lead, Lobo hit three free throws, Rizzotti two and Berube two to ice the 70-64 win.

"I think one of the most important lessons I learned [from that team] was that every single player on your team is valuable, whether they're playing 35 minutes a game or not getting into a game," Berube said.

 "Treating every player with a lot of respect and making them feel as comfortable as possible.

“Missy Rose did not get into a lot of games but she was so vital to our team, the way she practiced every day made us better. Same with Colleen Healy.

"That had a lot to do with where I'm at today.

“ My career in general at UConn had a lot to do with coaching now and getting this job at Tufts as early as I did in my career after only two seasons at Providence College.

 Having that on my resume is pretty nice."