UCONN has the Best All Time NCAA B-Ball Program
by William Penfield
The University of Connecticut Basketball program in Storrs, CT is not exactly the town you would expect to house a major men’s division one basketball powerhouse, but it does. The University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball team is a team to be reckoning with every year. Ever since the arrival of Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun UCONN has been on the map as one of the best programs in NCAA history. He has won two national championships(1999 and 2004) and produced numerous NBA stars such as Ray Allen, Richard “RIP” Hamilton, and Emeka Okafor just to mention a few. Calhoun’s most recent success was the 2008-09 season when the Huskies reached the final four. The 2008-09 team will also be producing multiple pros with one guaranteed lottery pick in the Tanzanian superstar Hasheem Thabeet. With new young recruits coming in and a previously ineligible power forward, Ater Majok, becoming eligible for the2009-10 season it should be as successful if not more successful than the 2008-09 campaign. UCONN has a very successful men’s basketball program but one thing many people don’t know about is the extremely successful women’s program. The women’s team is pretty much guaranteed 20+ wins per year with their hall of fame coach Geno Auriemma. Geno would most likely be considered the best women’s basketball coach in the history of the sport if it wasn’t for the unreal success of Pat Summit. The 2008-09 season was one of the best ever. They were undefeated national champions and were not even tested during the season winning every game by double digit points. The program has produced many star WNBA players such as Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. Geno has turned the UCONN women’s program into one of the most dominant programs in the country if not the most dominant. The University of Connecticut houses two perennial power houses in the Big East and the nation and it is clear that they have the best basketball program in the country. If you don’t give UCONN respect Jonathan the Husky will have some beef with you! |