As a record was broken Wednesday night at Gampel Pavilion, UConn basketball fans praised coach Geno Auriemma for the remarkable run he’s had leading the women’s basketball team.
“I’m here for the history, absolutely,” Bob Scully, of Higganum, said.
History that was made with UConn head coach Geno Auriemma reaching the pinnacle of college basketball greatness. That’s by securing win number 1,217, becoming the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, a remarkable achievement in a career spanning 40 seasons.
“Just amazing for all the years he’s given here at UConn. So proud of him,” Judy Foberg, of East Hampton, said.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Every single UConn national championship in women’s basketball, Auriemma was a part of it, starting in 1995 to the last one in 2016.
It’s a lengthy record of success fans say is now the standard expected in Storrs.
“It’s amazing. Nobody else could top him. He’s the best. He’s the GOAT, you know that?” Carlos Arce, of East Hartford, said.
What better way to celebrate a GOAT of college women’s basketball than having actual live goats, outside of Gampel Pavilion.
“We adore Geno,” Mary Krogh, owner of Circle K Farm, said.
Goats were brought from the farm in East Hampton by UConn to celebrate the historic night. Some of them were dressed in UConn jerseys, and they were a big hit with students passing by.
“All the students were out, and they had a ball. They really enjoyed themselves,” Krogh said.
Fans say they don’t know how much longer Auriemma will stay at UConn, but appreciate the commitment and dedication he made to help build Storrs into “The Basketball Capital of the World."
“When they jump from school to school, you don’t really have a sense of family, and this is definitely a sense of family here,” Helen Failla, of Coventry, said.
