Connecticut's Silent Streak
Written by Jason Keidel, Friday February 26 2010
Jim Calhoun is a coaching icon whose fertile UConn program has spawned many an NBA player. Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon, and Caron Butler lead a phalanx of Huskies from Storrs to stardom.
Yet Calhoun doesn't even have the best squad on his own campus.
The University of Connecticut's women's basketball team has won 67 straight games. Yes. 67 games.
If that mind-numbing number isn't enough, consider how they have done it. They don't beat teams; they pummel programs. During the streak, they haven't beaten an opponent by less than 10 points.
In their closest game, they won by 12 points against the second-ranked team in the nation (Stanford). They beat No. 14 Texas by 25 points, No. 9 Florida State by 19, and No.7 Notre Dame by 24. In January, the Lady Huskies beat Big East rival Seton Hall on the road - by 67 points.
John Wooden, largely regarded as the greatest basketball coach in history, led the UCLA Bruins to 88 consecutive wins between 1971 and 1974. But at least the country is aware of the coach and his roster, from Keith "Silk" Wilkes to Bill Walton.
Can you name the coach of the UConn women? His name is Geno Auriemma. Can you name one of his players? You're not alone.
The Lady Huskies need four more victories to tie their own record of 71, set in 2003. The immortal Wooden, nicknamed "The Wizard of Westwood," is a vocal supporter of women's basketball, lauding it as a purer game by dint of a woman's physical limits. Since female players spend all of their time under the rim they are more compelled to focus on sounder passing and shooting techniques than their male counterparts.
Auriemma's team speaks a language we all understand: winning. In an epoch of bling instead of a ring, scoring titles before world titles, the Lady Huskies are a silent dynasty of team-first athletes. I, for one, am sorry that I didn't notice sooner.
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The Uconn girls program has been phenomenal for years. I grew up watching them on the local station while they try to get me to donate money. I am glad someone wrote about it on here.