Napier Brings It Home For Uconn

Associated Press ^ | April 8, 2014 | Eddie Pells

[Biggirl]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Shabazz Napier walked slowly through the hallway of the stadium - the tears still drying, the twine from the cut-down net still hanging around his neck.

"Bittersweet. Bittersweet. Bittersweet," he said, over and over again.

Bitter because it's over. Sweet because UConn won it all after being left behind and told to go away.

[C. Edmund Wright]

Interesting: The more widespread use of the name UConn started about the time the Big East came into being, at least in basketball - which was 1979 I believe. So you heard one of the early uses of it outside of Hartford.

For whatever reason, and it may be that the Big East did not have football for a while, the football team was not really referred to as UConn til later, at least out in the country at large. UMass, not being in the Big East, and being in a pro dominated market - did not become the program that UConn has become, altho they probably were a little ahead of UConn in some of the 80s. UConn kept Calhoun, UMass was never able to keep big name coaches.

[FreeReign]

UConn kept Calhoun, UMass was never able to keep big name coaches.

UMass had Calipari if you remember. Nowadays he's a great recruiter, but in my view not as good an X's and O's coach, which is why I picked UConn to win.

What's interesting about the nickname Huskies is that it originated back when the school was called Connecticut St. College before 1939. Thus it has nothing to do with the UConn Huskies sounding like "Yukon" Huskies.

[C. Edmund Wright]

Yes, I do remember Calipari at UMass - and a very controversial loss to Kentucky and Pitino, setting up “the game” - Kentucky Duke and the Laettner shot. At that point, UMass was ahead of UConn in building a program, but the Big East developed so fast that UConn, Syracuse and Georgetown eventually passed Nova and St. Johns, who were probably the top programs when the league was formed - and now UMass is almost an afterthought.

And yes, Ollie out X and O’d Calipari in that game - but doggone it, those two guards can make a coach look brilliant!!

And yes, the Yukon/UConn Huskie thing was a very happy accident for UConn.

[whattajoke]

Mr. Wright has demonstrated over and over the strange fascination with the idea that ESPN created UConn basketball success somehow.

Sir, CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION. Jesus, man, your points are so devoid of evidence or actual historical truth my head is spinning. UConn football, such as it was, was “UConn” (actually it used to be “UCONN” until the change to “UConn” last year) for many, many decades. To state otherwise is ridiculous - and is the strangest thing to hold on to as an argument as I’ve read in a long time. (A simple google search of “UConn 1965” will help you get past your error.)

I’ll agree, ESPN is in CT. 50 miles and a shitstorm of traffic jams and farmland away from Storrs. They did air Big East basketball games during the school’s rise from basketball obscurity. Fine.

But if you think that more than maybe 2 kids went to school in the polar vortex of nowheresville known as Storrs (I’m a proud alum) because a (really not all that huge in the 90’s) cable station that never owned rights to the NCAA tournament was HQ’s 50 miles away, you’re nuts. Hartford lost the Whalers when ESPN had NHL rights. UConn was royally screwed over - over and over- by conference realignments recently. ESPN sponsors nothing in Storrs and nothing in Hartford. NOTHING.

UConn was on ESPN just a few times this year.

I realize I”m late to the game here, but this conversation was annoying me. Sorry.

[whattajoke]

Maine, 1975

Oh dear, Sports illustrated, 1957. Whatever shall we do?!

OF course UConn athletics weren't nationally known like they are now. Very few schools were, really, before the advent of cable and the sports culture.

[C. Edmund Wright]

late to the game and a poor reader…..never ever ever ever ever said ESPN created UConns success…I said like three times that UCONN, ESPN and The Big East all grew up together, and the relationship was great for all three entities.

If you deny that, you are a fool.

[C. Edmund Wright]

The SI article makes my case, clearly calls them “Connecticut” over and over, and only once mentions “the Uconns” - which is NOT how it’s used today - casually.

Thanks for the support.

[whattajoke]

I said like three times that UCONN, ESPN and The Big East all grew up together, and the relationship was great for all three entities.

If you deny that, you are a fool.

I don't deny that. But so what? No one would deny that. You contended that the school's basketball success was due, in part, to its proximity to Bristol. That argument holds no merit. It took UConn a long, long time to slowly build the basketball success and even after they won national championships, ESPN seemed to have far more of a love affair with the "classics" like Syracuse, St. john's, and G'Town. See: 'Requiem for the Big East" with barely a mention of UConn,

UMass is a scant 20 miles further out from Bristol and had a brand name coach in the early 90's and… oh never mind.

The SI article uses "UConns," yes. In 1957. If you are going to seriously tell us that means nothing at all, because it's not "UConn," then you win. I can't argue with that. (I mean, I could go find other articles from that era, but I think we CAN agree this is silly at this point.)

Cheers. And Go Connecticut Football Team!

[C. Edmund Wright]

Look, you are taking personally what is just an observation - and so it helps UConn to be close to Bristol? That’s not deniable. I never quantified how much it helps, no way to do it. It helps U of Texas that the name of the school is also the name of the state that is the king of college football talent. It helps Alabama that there is little else to do in Bama but cheer for the Tide. So what? It is what it is, and it doesn’t mitigate their accomplishments.

It helps the Yankees that their fan base is a natural 25 million within driving distance of the stadium, whereas the Brewers and the Reds have just a tiny sliver of that. These social, demographic, media things damned sure do matter.

Why you take it personal is beyond me. It clouds your judgement.