UConn back to Big East?

JOBU

JOBU

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I just paid way too much for a ticket to the finals on Monday night but I have no regrets! Let’s Fucking Go!
 
RedOctober3829

RedOctober3829

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Some of you may know this, but I've been following the Huskies since I was a little kid. My dad is a Class of '76 UConn pharmacy school graduate so that is my connection to the Huskies. He'd tell me stories about the old ECAC and Yankee Conference days. Our family has been all about sports my entire life. Growing up, it was the Red Sox, Celtics, and UConn basketball with football and hockey sprinkled in but mostly Sox and hoops. My uncle coached in high school in Vermont and won 318 games. My dad coached us as kids and has helped our local high school team with the clock for upwards of 20 years. Along the way, my dad got us into college basketball and watching UConn. I became obsessed with college hoops and learned everything I could about UConn. I remember being in a CYO game in middle school and worrying about how I'd be able to watch UConn and UCLA in the '95 Elite Eight. I remember them being screwed by having to play UNC in Greensboro. Then, 1999 came and it was just the best. My dad had to tape the game. I was the only one on my HS baseball team to pick UConn to beat Duke and I was told I was out of my mind. No way little old UConn could beat the big boys when it counted. Well, they did and they did it again in '04, '11, and '14. Then, one of our family friends worked very closely with the UConn program for over a decade coinciding with a couple of their national title runs. We'd go to a couple games a year--one of the big non-conference home games and the road game at Syracuse. Fortunate enough to see games like the big upset of the Gilbert Arenas and Richard Jefferson-led #1 Arizona, the Mateen Cleaves-led Michigan State team, Oklahoma, and many others.

This run(and this season as a whole) has been really fun not only me, but my dad as well. He recently retired from being a full-time pharmacist and has been able to not only follow the Huskies more now that he's got more time on his hands but go to 3-4 home games. His birthday is a week from today, but my mom surprised him a couple of weeks ago with an 8-game package to all the Gampel home games for next year. I haven't seen my dad that happy in a long time.

I can't wait for tonight. Hopefully, my dad and I get one more happy phone call. Win this game.
 
Bergs

Bergs

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RedOctober3829 said:
Some of you may know this, but I've been following the Huskies since I was a little kid. My dad is a Class of '76 UConn pharmacy school graduate so that is my connection to the Huskies. He'd tell me stories about the old ECAC and Yankee Conference days. Our family has been all about sports my entire life. Growing up, it was the Red Sox, Celtics, and UConn basketball with football and hockey sprinkled in but mostly Sox and hoops. My uncle coached in high school in Vermont and won 318 games. My dad coached us as kids and has helped our local high school team with the clock for upwards of 20 years. Along the way, my dad got us into college basketball and watching UConn. I became obsessed with college hoops and learned everything I could about UConn. I remember being in a CYO game in middle school and worrying about how I'd be able to watch UConn and UCLA in the '95 Elite Eight. I remember them being screwed by having to play UNC in Greensboro. Then, 1999 came and it was just the best. My dad had to tape the game. I was the only one on my HS baseball team to pick UConn to beat Duke and I was told I was out of my mind. No way little old UConn could beat the big boys when it counted. Well, they did and they did it again in '04, '11, and '14. Then, one of our family friends worked very closely with the UConn program for over a decade coinciding with a couple of their national title runs. We'd go to a couple games a year--one of the big non-conference home games and the road game at Syracuse. Fortunate enough to see games like the big upset of the Gilbert Arenas and Richard Jefferson-led #1 Arizona, the Mateen Cleaves-led Michigan State team, Oklahoma, and many others.

This run(and this season as a whole) has been really fun not only me, but my dad as well. He recently retired from being a full-time pharmacist and has been able to not only follow the Huskies more now that he's got more time on his hands but go to 3-4 home games. His birthday is a week from today, but my mom surprised him a couple of weeks ago with an 8-game package to all the Gampel home games for next year. I haven't seen my dad that happy in a long time.

I can't wait for tonight. Hopefully, my dad and I get one more happy phone call. Win this game.
Click to expand...
Your uncle works for my undergrad Alma Mater, coached my high school, and lives in my hometown.
 
DennyDoyle'sBoil

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Sep 9, 2008
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You'd think that after four of these, I really should not be this nervous. Something something something, house money.

But fuck it -- they got this far and they might as well win it. I fully expect it to be difficult tonight and that the Huskies might even need a comeback if they are going to win. You just don't see box to wire national championships without adversity.
 
Return of the Dewey

Return of the Dewey

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RedOctober3829 said:
Some of you may know this, but I've been following the Huskies since I was a little kid. My dad is a Class of '76 UConn pharmacy school graduate so that is my connection to the Huskies. He'd tell me stories about the old ECAC and Yankee Conference days. Our family has been all about sports my entire life. Growing up, it was the Red Sox, Celtics, and UConn basketball with football and hockey sprinkled in but mostly Sox and hoops. My uncle coached in high school in Vermont and won 318 games. My dad coached us as kids and has helped our local high school team with the clock for upwards of 20 years. Along the way, my dad got us into college basketball and watching UConn. I became obsessed with college hoops and learned everything I could about UConn. I remember being in a CYO game in middle school and worrying about how I'd be able to watch UConn and UCLA in the '95 Elite Eight. I remember them being screwed by having to play UNC in Greensboro. Then, 1999 came and it was just the best. My dad had to tape the game. I was the only one on my HS baseball team to pick UConn to beat Duke and I was told I was out of my mind. No way little old UConn could beat the big boys when it counted. Well, they did and they did it again in '04, '11, and '14. Then, one of our family friends worked very closely with the UConn program for over a decade coinciding with a couple of their national title runs. We'd go to a couple games a year--one of the big non-conference home games and the road game at Syracuse. Fortunate enough to see games like the big upset of the Gilbert Arenas and Richard Jefferson-led #1 Arizona, the Mateen Cleaves-led Michigan State team, Oklahoma, and many others.

This run(and this season as a whole) has been really fun not only me, but my dad as well. He recently retired from being a full-time pharmacist and has been able to not only follow the Huskies more now that he's got more time on his hands but go to 3-4 home games. His birthday is a week from today, but my mom surprised him a couple of weeks ago with an 8-game package to all the Gampel home games for next year. I haven't seen my dad that happy in a long time.

I can't wait for tonight. Hopefully, my dad and I get one more happy phone call. Win this game.
Click to expand...
I got a similar story. My dad, a poor but smart kid who grew up in Hartford projects, did really well on his SATs but was a troublemaker student who had to graduate from Hartford HS via summer school. He got into UConn Hartford, and did well enough to transfer to Storrs a semester later. He would have graduated in ‘73 but, surprise, his girlfriend got pregnant, and so he dropped out, started a business and had me in ‘72.

I grew up going to UConn games with him at the Field House and Civic Center. As he was very busy with building his business, watching and talking C’s, Sox, Whalers and UConn was when we spent most time together during the 80s. He considered himself a UConn grad, even though he wasn’t, and would tell me stories of seeing Dr J at UMass. We hated Perno, felt Corny Thompson or Earl Kelly would save us, and celebrated watching King stand on top of the hoop at MSG when they won the NIT. We then suffered through the close calls during the 90s (screw you Laetner). I would go to BC, but when UConn came to Chestnut Hill, I was rooting for Huskies (while getting shit from my buddies). UConn beating Duke in 99 was not as cathartic as Sox in 04, but close.

During this run, my dad and I have had a chance to turn back the clock…we get to ring each other and talk basketball for a while. It’s a good ride, and, after the last 9 years, I had forgotten how fun it could be to watch a UConn run.
 
bosox188

bosox188

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Paige back and healthy next season, dual titles won in 2004, 2014, and... 2024? Let's find out.

But until then, build the Dan Hurley statue.
 
DennyDoyle'sBoil

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Tom Izzo is an interesting trivia question answer. Only coach to beat the Huskies in the final four.
 
Dan Murfman

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I love Coach Calhoun but it is nice that the head coaches don't hate each other anymore. Still think it would make a good 30 for 30
 
JOBU

JOBU

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Gonna be nice rolling into the Phog with 5 titles to their 4.
 
StuckOnYouk

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Absolutely love that we are playing at Kansas. Will be a tough test, but we’ll be rolling in with a team somewhere in the top 10 or higher.
 
Humphrey

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Being a Holy Cross alum, I was happy to hear George Blaney's name mentioned on the telecast- Hurley's coach at Seton Hall; and Calhoun's assistant for many years.

Saw a couple of his HC teams play UConn in the Fieldhouse; if UConn still played home games there, they'd never lose.
 
RedOctober3829

RedOctober3829

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Dan Murfman

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OCST

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Return of the Dewey said:
I got a similar story. My dad, a poor but smart kid who grew up in Hartford projects, did really well on his SATs but was a troublemaker student who had to graduate from Hartford HS via summer school. He got into UConn Hartford, and did well enough to transfer to Storrs a semester later. He would have graduated in ‘73 but, surprise, his girlfriend got pregnant, and so he dropped out, started a business and had me in ‘72.

I grew up going to UConn games with him at the Field House and Civic Center. As he was very busy with building his business, watching and talking C’s, Sox, Whalers and UConn was when we spent most time together during the 80s. He considered himself a UConn grad, even though he wasn’t, and would tell me stories of seeing Dr J at UMass. We hated Perno, felt Corny Thompson or Earl Kelly would save us, and celebrated watching King stand on top of the hoop at MSG when they won the NIT. We then suffered through the close calls during the 90s (screw you Laetner). I would go to BC, but when UConn came to Chestnut Hill, I was rooting for Huskies (while getting shit from my buddies). UConn beating Duke in 99 was not as cathartic as Sox in 04, but close.

During this run, my dad and I have had a chance to turn back the clock…we get to ring each other and talk basketball for a while. It’s a good ride, and, after the last 9 years, I had forgotten how fun it could be to watch a UConn run.
Click to expand...
UConn used to have a Blue/White preseason scrimmage at Southington High School.

I still have Earl Kelly's autograph from one of those.

I got it after the game, on one of those little notebooks that cops and reporters scribble on that I had with me. I found it not too long ago, going through some archeological crap in my dad's basement.
 
RedOctober3829

RedOctober3829

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deep inside Guido territory
Humphrey said:
Let's see- Braintree High School, Kimball Union, Towson for 5 years (must have gotten a medical redshirt to play in 23-24; already got the free Covid year).....how old is this guy?
Click to expand...
He redshirted his freshman year so he's played the 4 years in 5. Now he has the Covid year left to use. He already graduated and was in grad school this year.
 
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