How long have you been a UConn WBB fan? (poll)

[Blueconn]

By the late 80s I'd been living in southern VT for awhile and was working p-t at a bookstore. A regular customer and I got chatting and I commented that the only person I'd ever known with last name of Hamm had been a high school coach at Terryville HS in Connecticut. To my surprise she said that that person was her brother. When I said I was a UConn grad, and excited about Calhoun's recent success, she stunned me when she said
" I was the first coach of the Connecticut women's team in 1974. They're becoming very good right now." Sandra Hamm. At that point I started searching for info about the UConn women and learned about a player named Bascom.

P.S.- does anyone know of any film footage anywhere showing Kerry Bascom and crew in action ? Such a shame that the great player who led the first FF team seems to be archived only in black and white stills.

 

[CCinCT]

1990 - Went to the Big East Tournament @ Gampel with my daughter who played HS hoops at the time and bought tickets at the door.

 

[caramel]

I am pleased to say that I have been a Connecticut Women's Basketball fan from day one of the program.By the way,this is caramel,I had to redo the whole computer because of corrupted files and lost all access,so now I am Water boy.Living 20 minutes from Storrs,and working there,I enjoyed seeing many of the players from both men's and women's teams.One thing I can attest to.....you have no idea how tall really is until you stand next to a guy 6'11"and you are only 5'11".

 

[Milfordfan]

1995.

It is odd how this whole thing exploded into the consciousness of so many of us in 1995. It is a little embarrassing now, that, looking back, I guess I was not really aware that UConn had a Women's basketball program, even though so many of my family members had gone there.

Now, I wonder how I did without the program.

Go Huskies! Sail on into college sports immortality.

With Megan Walker, et al, coming on board next year, an interesting question begins to arise (which is getting ahead of ourselves here, but we love to do that in the BY), to wit: when will the Huskies next lose? (it could be a long, long time)

 

[Los24]

I moved to Connecticut in 1999 and have been a fan since and remain one even though I am in NC now.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Since Bascom's Final Four.

 

[nyfanofwbb]

We went to the St John's game in 2013 and have been following ever since then. I try to get to a few games a year, not this year though, timing has been off. I don't miss a game on TV unless it's out of the viewing area.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Started following in 93-94 season tickets 94-96

I'm exactly where you are on the Huskie love train. I started really paying attention just about the time Rebecca came to UConn. It was obvious to me at that time that the program was moving up (having gotten a #1 prospect) and having made a Final Four appearance in 1991. They just seemed to be getting better and better and were jelling into an amazing team and obviously an amazing program.

 

[tkaes]

Really became a fan of UCONN WB since I read that some girl named Rebecca had committed to play for the Huskies, but I've been a UCONN basketball fan since the winter of '64 when I received my acceptance letter and decided to enroll for the following fall semester. Shortly thereafter an Ed Slomsenski (sp) and Toby Kimball led UCONN team came close to beating a Bill Bradley led Princeton squad in the Eastern Region finals of the NCAA tournament. Ah, the days when regional was really regional. When the 64-65 season began I was in the old fieldhouse to watch the starting 5 of Kimball at center, Dan "Spider" Hesford at forward and 3 sophomores playing their first varsity game, Ron Ritter at forward, and P.J. Curran and Wes Bialosuknia at guards. Guard Tommy Penders was the 6th man. Eventually Penders beat out Curran for the starting position. Curran was an interesting guy. He was in the service for 4 years before enrolling at UCONN. Curran was listed at 6' or 6'-1" but I always thought that was a stretch. In the old two-line layup drill he could get up and dunk just like the taller guys.

 

[trb123]

Started following in 1994.

 

[UcMiami]

I guess it gets down to 'fan' vs. 'fanatic' - I went with 1995, but I didn't become fanatical until 2000.

 

[BostonCanuck]

I'm originally from Vancouver Canada. I lived in Stamford for a two years in 2003-04, when the team hit my radar for the first time (briefly) with the coterminous national championships of 2004. Been living in Boston since, but completed an online master's degree at UConn in 2008. It wasn't until the 2015 NCAA tournament that I realized through media coverage that my alma mater had this unbelievable women's basketball program. The 2015 semi-final on ESPN was the first time I ever saw the Huskies play. Now I'm a rabid fan!

 

[VAMike23]

Saw the end of the 1st NC game in 1995 in a downtown Hartford sports bar (it even had several rows of 'arena seats' over to one side of the bar). Walked in, and about 5 minutes later I recall looking at the big screen over the bar and seeing Lobo run around the court with her arms out wide, with a huge grin and big braids. The game was not on my radar at all. Just a completely random event that I even saw the end of it. In Hartford , no less! I had never even been there before and was there on a date (I was in grad school near Boston at the time).

Didn't really follow WCBB after that until I saw the FF in 2002. Tuned in to see Sue Bird & Co. schooling the LV's. That was the moment I first started following the game - watching Sue Bird run the team, watching the 3-headed monster of Cash/Jones/Williams demolish the opposition inside and seeing an uber-talented shooting guard do her thing. Followed WCBB with one eye for a few years after that, enough to keep track of the DT-led championships and the dry spell shortly thereafter.

Only started watching as a true fan during the FF in 2008, to see UCONN go down to CWiggins and the Stanford Cardinal. Wiggs was very quick, and gave Maya fits (not a great matchup, plus I know Maya was not 100%). Followed the Huskies on a regular basis since fall of 2008 , Maya's sophomore year.

I missed her heroics at DePaul, freshman year! (but have since seen the replay many times)

Edit: I also recall seeing Jen Rizzotti (her hair was memorable) and being impressed by her fire and grit. I did steal a few glances at the game before realizing it was the NC and then seeing Lobo run around at the buzzer.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Think it was 92-93. Picked the boys up first, but one of my kids went to UConn starting in '91 and I started paying attention to a broader range of sports and, what do you know, there they were playing real basketball.

 

[Bretski]

My parents were fans of the UConn men's and women's teams since the early 90s...since Geno's first season was my first season on Earth it was harder for me to be a grassroots follower; I became an actual fan in 1995 with the rise to national prominence, since we could watch every game on cptv

 

[Dove]

Late 80s when Ferrier and Lishness left Bristol to go to UCONN. I saw them in HS as I followed a Platt HS playoff run (they beat Tracy Lis' Killingly team).

 

[JS]

►It was 1995. I was previously just a UConn men's team fan.


►More specifically, it was the NC game. First women's game I ever watched.


►More specifically yet, it was Jen Rizzotti's drive. Perfect change of direction, split two defenders.


That was the moment. I thought, "Hey, that's as good as the men could do."

Twenty years later, that sounds condescending.

And maybe I'm still condescending. Just not about the UConn women.

 

[johnnyc]

I've always kept track of local New York area WCB (high school also) since I was a kid playing street ball but 1995 and Rebecca Lobo got me hooked on UConn. My daughter playing basketball at the time just reinforced my interest.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I have to share, reading your stories (and UConn has a role in mine) - consider me a fan of Women's Basketball (Rutgers was just the local, able to go in person, alma mater situation):

- I discovered a couple of "late night" reruns of Rutgers games in about '93 or so, enough to peak my interest in the game.
- The first "real" game I watched on non-local TV was the NCAA championship featuring "the shot" when UNC won.
- I totally admired the UConn team that won with Lobo, Sales, Rizzotti, etc. If I lived closer, I'm sure I would have become a UConn fan.
- For Christmas, my wife had bought me a ticket for the (Rutgers) - GW game - and they were court-side seats. Hooked, went to several additional home games and the A-10 tourney.
- Bought season tix for RU the next year (CVS and BE's 1st) and hooked.

My point is that I see so many folks with similar experiences - seeing the game either in person or on TV "hooked" them. Too bad more folks don't give it a try.

 

[bob neal]

I moved to Connecticut in 1999 and have been a fan since and remain one even though I am in NC now.

I refereed games in the Hugh Greer field house for Coach Sandra Hamm in 1975 when I moved to CT and for Wanda Flora from 1975 to 1981 and one year for Jean Balthaser in 1982. Those were all AIAW games and the NCAA took over womens sports in 1982 and there were TWO FINAL FOURS in spring of 1983 and Tennessee won the NCAA and La Tech won the AIAW. The AIAW went out of business in 1983 after a year long law suit with the NCAA. The AIAW had tried for years to get the NCAA to take over womens sports but the answer was allways NO !! Until title IX passed and then the NCAA saw $$$$$$$ signs and went for the 4 big womens sports. My knees and hips wore out about then so I quit Refereeing. Pat Summitt was a big supporter of the AIAW and I served on some comittees with her in the 70's. Southern Ct State went to a final four in the late 60's or early 70's when I started refeering. I started going to UCONN games as a fan in 1985 and have been going ever since. Went to FF in 1981 in New Orleans and been to 9 since then. Going to Dallas in 2017 and then to Tampa Bay in 2018. Have HC season tickets. BN

 

[TWG236]

1995. Middle daughter wanted to learn basketball and my wife suggested we watch UCONN women play. I told my wife I would only watch women if she also watched the game. The women hates sports on television. Soon all three of us were watching on a regular basis and my wife's only Christmas present since is that I buy two season tickets to their home games. She also has bought into traveling with the team, travelled to a lot of the Big East arenas and Florida for the Thanksgiving Tournament two three years ago. Last year we started traveling to AAC arenas. Went to SMU and Tulsa last year and are going to Temple and South Florida this year. We have not missed a game in the last 15 years in person or on television.

 

[alexrgct]

I've e posted most of this before, but I became a follower when Lobo arrrived and an unabashed fan when I moved to northeastern CT in anticipation of the being near my then-wife's family with the birth of our first kid. I'll never forget Maya's freshman season and have received bounty after bounty since: Maya, Tina, Stef, Bria, Kelly,KML, and of course the recruiting class of 2012. Three of the sport's five longest winning streaks have happened here since I moved to CT. It's been a gift that's kept on giving, in my good health and poor.

One thing I keep forgetting to add: not only did I move into a WBB bounty at the right time, but I've also been able to experience two NCs and three F4s on the men's side! Maya and Stewie, Kemba and Shabazz...I mean, how lucky have I been???

 

[j66kicker]

Moved to CT in 1985 and soon started following the men. Got interested in WBB in the 1994-95 season, went to the January TN game, and was hooked for life. I was just getting back form a trip to China during the NC game. Driving to CT from JFK, the closer I got, the better the reception got on WTIC. Heard the stars being sat down for most of the 2nd quarter, and Nykesha basically keeping it even during their absence on the bench in the first half. I started to drive slower just so I'd have time to hear the whole game - the win was such a thrill!!

 

[donalddoowop]

Even though I live in St. Louis I've been a Uconn fan since 2002. I prefer the women's game to the men's game. The women's team here is just beginning to get some national recognition and if Napheesa Collier and Felicia Sutton had stayed home, the Billikens would be a team destined to at least qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Not much attention is paid to the women's team here.