Geno helps fundraise

If Connecticut is the basketball capital of the world, Geno Auriemma is the mayor. Where he goes, a crowd and funding follow. 

Providing a tremendous assist, Auriemma lent his credence to help raise money for the university’s basketball programs. 

“I’m flattered that they would ask me to come and help raise some money for a program that generally doesn’t have the funding that other programs might have,” Auriemma said. 

He was flanked by several heavyweights of the basketball world on a panel that told stories and answered questions in an effort to further solidify the Owls’ standing in the state. 

The event, dubbed the Southern Hoops Tip-Off Talk, for which the school sold tickets and held a silent auction, was hosted by legendary sportscaster George Grande. 

University of Connecticut alum and former NBA player Donny Marshall, CBS broadcaster Bill Raftery and Western Connecticut State women’s basketball Head Coach Maria Conlon helped fill a chandeliered room at the Aria Wedding & Banquet Facility in Prospect, CT on Sept. 24. About 500 were in attendance. 

Like Auriemma, these basketball giants were there to support the program housed on Wintergreen Avenue. 

Head Coach of the men’s basketball team Scott Burrell and Head Coach of the women’s team Kate Lynch were the stars of the show. 

It was the first event of its kind. It was put together by longtime men’s soccer coach, now a development officer for the university, Ray Reid. 

The proceeds from the celebration will provide tangible assistance to both basketball programs at the school. 

“All the money being raised today is gonna go directly to our basketball programs, and it’s really going to enhance our student athlete experience,” Lynch said. 

The event was a chance for donors, alum and players to come together in a manifestation of what sport is really about: family. 

“It’s about relationships. It’s about connections. It’s about the community. It’s about family. It’s about sisterhood,” forward Marisa Lee, a graduate student, said. “We all feel that. We all try to embrace that.” 

The players had a chance to speak with Auriemma and the rest of the panel. It was a reward. 

An event like this gives the current athletes and prospective recruits a glimpse into what is possible in the world of Connecticut basketball. 

“We are not just some small Division II school,” guard Ally Sentance, a junior, said. 

Sentance echoed the sentiment of several athletes in attendance: thrilled by the attention, but not surprised or satisfied. 

The fundraiser is the first of many efforts by Reid to back the athletic department financially. The money will bolster the scholarship fund and help pay for trips and equipment. 

It displayed in real time the product of efforts made by so many athletes, coaches and supporters.  

It is coaches Lynch and Burrell that are the foundation of the Owls’ basketball program. 

“They don’t treat it like they’re not big time. They coach like it is,” Auriemma said. 

Both of these coaches are instrumental not just on the court, but in the lives of the students they support. 

The whole school is behind them and their efforts. 

“Athletics is part of who we are at Southern. I’m really proud that we have such a strong athletic program,” Interim President Sandra Bulmer said. 

The basketball world listens when Auriemma speaks. Auriemma’s connection to the university will continue into the season. 

The women’s team will get a chance to take on the coach who they look up to. They travel to Storrs on Oct. 26 to battle the University of Connecticut Huskies. 

With the support of Bulmer, Reid, Associate Director of Athletics Ken Sweeten, Athletic Director Terrance Jones and many more, the athletes and students of the university are in good hands. 

“We are obligated to make sure our students have the best outcome possible,” Jones said. 

It is for the students that all of this takes place. 

“That’s really why we’re all here. We’re here for our students,” Lynch said.