It's A Sad Day For UConn WBB Fans

[JavaMan]

At least for this fan anyway ...for sure!

Jim Fuller was a sports fan's quintessential reporter. He was constantly digging up interesting tidbits and providing the most interesting and in-depth statistics.

Wishing you the best, Jim, in all of your future endeavors. We will definitely miss you. And thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your wonderful and informative fact filled stories about our team and staff.

​

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Bidding adieu to UConn women's basketball fans

I have some news to report. After having the pleasure of covering 15 Final Four and nine national championship teams in the 16 seasons that I have been the primary beat writer for the UConn women's basketball program, my role is changing.

I've been balancing the coverage of the UConn football and women's basketball beats for the last six seasons but with the New Haven Register now part of the Hearst Media Connecticut organization, a decision has been made to split up the UConn coverage. As a result, I will continue in my role handling the day to day coverage of the UConn football program while Doug Bonjour (@DougBonjour) will be providing coverage of the women's basketball program beginning with Monday when the team (with the exception of Batouly Camara) will be available to the media at the annual Geno Auriemma Fore the Kids charity golf tournament.

Thanks to everybody who has followed along over the years and I'm sure you'll enjoy reading Doug's coverage of what should be a very exciting upcoming season.

​

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I'll miss his stuff. Hopefully the Register comes up with someone genuinely interested in WCBB.

 

[ctkaiser]

It will be a heck of a challenge for Doug Bonjour or anybody else to come close to the performance level of Jim Fuller in covering UConn women's basketball. Fuller was the best. Always going the extra step to come up with interesting stats and storylines. Considering the higher level of interest in women's basketball compared to UConn football I would have thought he would have remained covering basketball.

 

[UConnCat]

So two new beat writers: Doug Bonjour for the NHR and Kelli Stacy for the Courant.

Thankfully we still have Carl Adamec and all of his knowledge of the history of UConnWBB.

 

[JoePgh]

Why is Batouly not present or not available for this upcoming event?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Thanks, Jim, and best wishes!

Adieu to Jim and Bonjour to Doug.

 

[huskymedic]

Why is Batouly not present or not available for this upcoming event?

It’s in the linked article:

“(with the exception of Batouly Camara who will be in class during both periods when there will be media availability)”

 

[oldude]

Man! UConn WBB goes 2 years without a championship and Fuller bags them for Football.

 

[Vowelguy]

I will note that for once a newspaper coverage decision is not involving a cut in resources - the NH register is actually increasing them! So there's that.

 

[Goodgood]

Very sad day, indeed. Like saying Goodbye to an old friend! Good Luck, Jim. Let's hope UConn football will get a bit more exciting!

 

[tomcat]

Bad news, as was stated, but at least Fuller is around, so the paper has not lost the institutional memory that is so important to news coverage. Let's hope he is used as a resource by Bonjour and others as time goes on. I haven't seen a hard-copy New Haven paper in maybe 35 years, but I read lots of Fuller's writing and loved it.

 

[DishNSwish]

What does it say about Connecticut's newspapers that over the last few years veteran, outstanding coverage from Rich Elliott, Jim Fuller, and John Altavilla are no longer a part of UConn women's basketball.

Everyone's going "on the cheap" and going with younger (read: less expensive) or nobody.

A real shame.

 

[winlots]

JIM FULLER: hope you are seeing these. You did a consistently marvelous job for and about "our girls" and the program. Hopefully, you'll find a way to toss in few tidbits on occasion from three-point range. Thank you, and fare well in your new role.

 

[winlots]

At least for this fan anyway ...for sure!

Jim Fuller was a sports fan's quintessential reporter. He was constantly digging up interesting tidbits and providing the most interesting and in-depth statistics.

JAVA: had meant to thank you, in my earlier note on this topic, for breaking this news/ Thank you
​

 

[Bama fan]

Thanks, Jim, and best wishes!

Adieu to Jim and Bonjour to Doug.

C'est si bon, mon ami. Well put.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Doesn't Doug Bonjour basically do high school sports? Seems as though Hearst is cutting back again.

Fuller is a fine journalist. Seems as though women's sports are once again getting the short end of the stick.

Why isn't Hearst management making this announcement? The absence of a management voice here really suggests that they both don't understand what UConn women's basketball means to the state, and that they just can't be bothered to find out.

Let's keep in mind that Hearst operates a newspaper monopoly over an area that includes about 40% of the population of the state (higher?). From New Haven to Middletown to Willimantic to Danbury to Greenwich and all points in between, there isn't a daily or weekly newspaper that isn't owned by Hearst. And as they've acquired all of the local papers, local reporters have been fired, and coverage cut back to a small handful of Hearst reporters.

I'd like to see Hearst explain what they're doing and why. This affects the most successful sport in the state. They owe us an explanation.

 

[huskymedic]

Doesn't Doug Bonjour basically do high school sports? Seems as though Hearst is cutting back again.

Fuller is a fine journalist. Seems as though women's sports are once again getting the short end of the stick.

Why isn't Hearst management making this announcement? The absence of a management voice here really suggests that they both don't understand what UConn women's basketball means to the state, and that they just can't be bothered to find out.

Let's keep in mind that Hearst operates a newspaper monopoly over an area that includes about 40% of the population of the state (higher?). From New Haven to Middletown to Willimantic to Danbury to Greenwich and all points in between, there isn't a daily or weekly newspaper that isn't owned by Hearst. And as they've acquired all of the local papers, local reporters have been fired, and coverage cut back to a small handful of Hearst reporters.

I'd like to see Hearst explain what they're doing and why. This affects the most successful sport in the state. They owe us an explanation.

Not sure they are “cutting back” in regards to UConn coverage:

Now if you want to talk about cutting back - look to the Courant as an example.