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Originally Posted by Don Quixote
Interesting article. As a UConn alum (two degrees, MA and Ph.D.), it's been interesting to see how they've expanded both on campus and in their sports programs. They used to go in for the "small ticket" sports (soccer, baseball), and then basketball took off, both men's and women's, and now they're going big time in football, which I always thought was impossible. We'll see what happens to the program in the coming years, especially if coach Randy Edsall ends up going somewhere else for more money and fame, as almost happened after this season.
DQ
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Always nice to run into a fellow UCONN alum...and share thoughts on the changes throughout the years!!! How long ago were you a student there? Was it before the "new" library was built?
I had applied and we were awarded an important grant for a University entity while I was still an undergrad and it's been great to see the results/benefit of this.
Yeah when the Alexes and I were talking, they asked me if I was going to the soccer game that afternoon. I would have loved to have gone...though UCONN lost (kind of a flukey thing because the field was a challenge to play on). EVERYBODY was there...it was the best attended UCONN soccer game EVER.
My friend recalls being a student there when the basketball games were still played in the field house. Actually...there were still some games being played there when I was a student!
I've not been to too many of the basketball games and we have a standing date ritual for the Women's and Men's Big East and NCAA at my uncle's house. We did get to go to a Midnight Madness one year at Gampel when John Gwynn (#15) was a ref. When my son was in 1st/2nd grade he had befriended John...was his student teacher. We've lost touch now, but John and his wife came to one of my son's birthday parties. John was a HUGE hit!!!
These Husky players are our local celebrities and role models for our youth. The football team is following suit with the woman's team -expecting/encouraging/requiring that these players have high academic standards/achievement. This is the way it should be. I hope the Men's basketball team will go in this direction someday. In the environment that has persisted and exists today, college basketball serves as a training field for the NBA.
Some exceptional scholars from the Men's team of course -Ray Allen and Emeka Okafor. I think thnk both of them graduated in 3 years. It's sad, a real pity to see all these other players enter the NBA draft before graduating. And although they get tutors - that they're not required to attend classes!!! I didn't even know there were 5+ men's team players in one of my classes until one of the last days...when they all attended and my prof and other students got their autographs!!
But I was at UCONN when the basketball teams took off -so that was a thrill!! I got to meet players like Travis Knight (actually, that wasn't even on campus...met him at the Brickyard club) and Ray Allen.
Well -great subject and I hope someday to make it to Renschelar for a game. The traffic around there is KILLER as it is around campus when there's a basketball game going on. I have to keep up with what's going on if even to plan a route home or around campus at these times!
Pam