Blessed are we who watch "Our Girls" (Huskies/Vols)

[winlots]

Sandwiched around and in between the Patriots and the Broncos (I've boycotted my Iggles ever since they signed the dog torturer), we were watching our tape of the 2004 national title game against Tenn.
"Our Girls" of the day included Taurasi and Turner and Strother and Conlin and Battle etc. And, they won....again.

As a little boy I was privileged to attend double-headers (both college and high school) in the smoke-filled Palestra in Philly.....starting well over seventy years ago. (Eventually had the chance to play there at both levels.) For someone who is an avid longtime fan of the game as it was meant to be played, we were talking today about how unbelievably fortunate and privileged again we have been to have lived in the UCONN broadcast area for the last few decades. What a string of great young women, coaches, teams, tradition, excellence, and pure basketball we've been able to experience. Thank you, and a tip of the cap, to the coaches, the broadcast stations, and "Our Girls." Blessed are we.............

 

[UcMiami]

As a slightly younger child I was lucky enought to watch the glory days of the Celtics during the Red and Bill years and now get the Uconn team - wonderful

 

[tomcat]

Sandwiched around and in between the Patriots and the Broncos (I've boycotted my Iggles ever since they signed the dog torturer), we were watching our tape of the 2004 national title game against Tenn.
"Our Girls" of the day included Taurasi and Turner and Strother and Conlin and Battle etc. And, they won....again.

As a little boy I was privileged to attend double-headers (both college and high school) in the smoke-filled Palestra in Philly.....starting well over seventy years ago. (Eventually had the chance to play there at both levels.) For someone who is an avid longtime fan of the game as it was meant to be played, we were talking today about how unbelievably fortunate and privileged again we have been to have lived in the UCONN broadcast area for the last few decades. What a string of great young women, coaches, teams, tradition, excellence, and pure basketball we've been able to experience. Thank you, and a tip of the cap, to the coaches, the broadcast stations, and "Our Girls." Blessed are we.............

What a great post. l lived in Philly for 5 years and loved it, and saw exactly one game in the fabled Palestra. Saw UConn at Villanova, too, but I really could not say that I thought of Philly as a hotbed of women's basketball. It'd be great to see a game at the Palestra with someone who has seen games there over the years.

 

[msf22b]

As a little boy I was privileged to attend double-headers (both college and high school) in the smoke-filled Palestra in Philly.....starting well over seventy years ago.

Can't compete with that, great memories Winn, spectacular that you got to play on that level…

My happy hunting ground was the old smoke-filled garden, was fun too in the early 50's.

My music school chum's brother was manager of the NYU team and we used to go to all the double-headers.
Saw some doozies.

 

[Zorro]

Blessed are we
Not to be
In Tennessee

 

[Geno-ista]

Love that post Winlots- it's extraordinary what we get to enjoy every year. It is amazing to me how many great collegiate women that we play every year, become starters and key players in the WNBA. But how few of them have played in a final Four or competed for a National Championship. There are a lot of teams now that have the talent to win a Nat. championship- but they don't! I wonder why?

 

[DaddyChoc]

blessed to enjoy Showtime at the Great Western Forum... and our girls since 95'

shout out to CPTV

 

[meyers7]

but I really could not say that I thought of Philly as a hotbed of women's basketball.

Maybe more a coaching hotbed.

Geno, McGraw, Parretta, Foster.

 

[Phil]

Maybe more a coaching hotbed.

Geno, McGraw, Perretta, Foster.

Don't forget Cathy Rush, who coached at Immaculata University in the Philly area, and was coach of the team immortalized in the movie, The Mighty Macs

 

[HGN]

Amen, Pastor Win................I loved your Sunday message today.

 

[slimmer56]

Oh yeah !
I had the pleasure of watching Hal Greer shooting jump shots from the free throw line at the Palestra... on T.V. LOL.

And now I have the privilege of watching "our girls" on Satellite T. V.

You gotta do what you gotta do to watch the world's greatest WBB team !

 

[meyers7]

Don't forget Cathy Rush, who coached at Immaculata University in the Philly area, and was coach of the team immortalized in the movie, The Mighty Macs

Still haven't seen that movie. Gotta find it and check it out sometime. (note to self)

 

[Icebear]

It is available or was on Netflix.

BTW, for movie fans my wife and I saw Gravity last Friday and both of us thought it was tremendous. Bullock and Clooney set get emotional tone for their characters.

 

[winlots]

As a slightly younger child I was lucky enought to watch the glory days of the Celtics during the Red and Bill years and now get the Uconn team - wonderful

UCM - those Celts were among my all-time favorite basketball teams - in fact, other than the old Phila Warriors of the very early days pro days of my childhood and the Minny Lakers of Mikan and Pollard and Michelson et al, the Celts were my favorite professional bball team.
Speaking of blessed, my pre-doc internship was up in MA and I used to get the Garden for the Celts and the Bruins. Later, in conjunction with my first professional employment, I lived in Boston on the Charles right across from the MIT dome and saw alot more of the Celts in person. Then a post-doc up there as well kept me connected.. In fact, though not in Boston at the time, my dad died virtually in my arms the day I was reading to him from the Phila Inquirer about the Victory Parade for the Celts after their great 1986 team won it all. They had been glory days for sure as you say, UCM....but then the Len Bias situation turned things very dramatically for a long, long time.

 

[winlots]

What a great post. l lived in Philly for 5 years and loved it, and saw exactly one game in the fabled Palestra. Saw UConn at Villanova, too, but I really could not say that I thought of Philly as a hotbed of women's basketball. It'd be great to see a game at the Palestra with someone who has seen games there over the years.

TOM: thank you. Very nice.

On the women's side, I agree that area was no hotbed (not sure there were ANY hotbeds on the women's side when you think of an area or a region); it was dominated by the Big Five of men's college ball plus the Warriors. But Immaculata comes to my mind as one of the very early powers for the women; think there was even a movie or book about their early teams or a specific team of theirs. (Speaking of my dad, by then he had moved up from teaching and coaching into administration for a public school system in the Philly 'burbs, and he used to hire alot of the Immaculata grads bec he thought they were so well trained and prepared as teachers).

My mom played high school ball in the late 1920s, wearing bloomers (among other things, Wise Guys). She lived just across the mountains from the PA coal regions. As I recall her stories, the guards were not allowed to cross the mid-court line.

.

 

[winlots]

TOM - oops, sorry. Also wanted to say that if you want to send me a PM, we can talk more about the Palestra, though Im not sure I'd add much for you if we were able to get to a game there. Am no tactician...pretty strong on fundamentals.

As it turns out, Barbara and I will be down that way in another couple of weeks for a younger (aren't they all) friend's birthday party. Plan on also getting to a night football game for my old high school vs. Kobe Bryant's Alma Mater - and also down the shore for several days in Ocean City, NJ....near Geno's summer haunt..

 

[winlots]

Can't compete with that, great memories Winn, spectacular that you got to play on that level…

My happy hunting ground was the old smoke-filled garden, was fun too in the early 50's.

My music school chum's brother was manager of the NYU team and we used to go to all the double-headers.
Saw some doozies.

MSF - very interesting. Nice connection you had there! What clubs do you rembember? Did you see any of the old CCNY or LIU clubs....had some great teams...and some scandals, but that might have been earlier on. Columbia even had some memorable stars.....wasn't Jack Molinas there? And, we played against a COlumbia Mighty Mite in Chet Forte, who later became big (a little joke there) in broadcasting. (My only half-court buzzer beater ever was vs. Columbia Frosh....led to a locker room interview by Bud Palmer, a star for Princeton and the Knicks, and got about three lines in the Times.....bet you missed em . If so, not to worry... I think that last second heave was the only shot I didn't miss!))

 

[winlots]

Love that post Winlots- it's extraordinary what we get to enjoy every year. It is amazing to me how many great collegiate women that we play every year, become starters and key players in the WNBA. But how few of them have played in a final Four or competed for a National Championship. There are a lot of teams now that have the talent to win a Nat. championship- but they don't! I wonder why?[/quote

GENO - thanks.

CHOC - always thought you were an East Coast guy?

Amen, Pastor Win................I loved your Sunday message today.

HGN: might rewarding. Thank you.

 

[RadyLady]

Blessed are we
Not to be
In Tennessee

LOL - the Boneyard Beatitudes!!