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UConn football: Auriemma weighs in on selection of new coach
>>“When I heard that there wasn’t going to be a search firm, I smiled and I was pretty excited about that,” Auriemma said. That is a testament to how quickly Benedict has earned Auriemma’s trust and Auriemma believes having the decision made by Benedict with help from the UConn athletic department’s Chief Operating Officer Beth Goetz and Deputy Athletic Director Vic Cegles will hire the right person for the job after previous regimes swung and missed on the hires of Paul Pasqualoni and Bob Diaco who lasted 28 and 37 games respectively before being fired.
“I wasn’t privy to any of the conversations leading up to the decision that was made but ever since Dave has been here, all of my conversations with him have been incredibly enlightening for me in that he has a real good handle on what this is about, what we are trying to do, the challenges that are ahead of us,” Auriemma said. “I think when you think about taking the job at Connecticut the last couple of years, you are thinking it is mostly upside, you win a bunch of games, we continue to win championships, the football team keeps moving forward, things happening around the country. All of a sudden you are here and you are faced with a lot of challenges. Being around him, the team that he has assembled is really good. He is not afraid to surround himself with people that are really good at what they do. He allows them to be really good at what they do. He, Beth and Vic certainly have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the football world so I don’t expect my phone to be ringing (looking for) any suggestions.”<<
>>“It is part of life,” Auriemma said. “I was trying to explain that to our players. Obviously they are pretty good friends with a lot of guys on the team and I don’t get into that part of it but that is the real world. Sometimes when you are playing college sports, you are in this bubble and in this fantasy land. You get up in the morning and get everything you want every single day. Then something like that, I tried to explain that to them that is a reminder that when they leave here and get into the real world, they are being evaluated on their performance and that is what happens. The sooner they learn that, the sooner they understand that, I think that helps them and it helps everybody. College athletics is some ways is not that much different from the real world anymore.”<<
>>“When I heard that there wasn’t going to be a search firm, I smiled and I was pretty excited about that,” Auriemma said. That is a testament to how quickly Benedict has earned Auriemma’s trust and Auriemma believes having the decision made by Benedict with help from the UConn athletic department’s Chief Operating Officer Beth Goetz and Deputy Athletic Director Vic Cegles will hire the right person for the job after previous regimes swung and missed on the hires of Paul Pasqualoni and Bob Diaco who lasted 28 and 37 games respectively before being fired.
“I wasn’t privy to any of the conversations leading up to the decision that was made but ever since Dave has been here, all of my conversations with him have been incredibly enlightening for me in that he has a real good handle on what this is about, what we are trying to do, the challenges that are ahead of us,” Auriemma said. “I think when you think about taking the job at Connecticut the last couple of years, you are thinking it is mostly upside, you win a bunch of games, we continue to win championships, the football team keeps moving forward, things happening around the country. All of a sudden you are here and you are faced with a lot of challenges. Being around him, the team that he has assembled is really good. He is not afraid to surround himself with people that are really good at what they do. He allows them to be really good at what they do. He, Beth and Vic certainly have a wealth of knowledge and experience in the football world so I don’t expect my phone to be ringing (looking for) any suggestions.”<<
>>“It is part of life,” Auriemma said. “I was trying to explain that to our players. Obviously they are pretty good friends with a lot of guys on the team and I don’t get into that part of it but that is the real world. Sometimes when you are playing college sports, you are in this bubble and in this fantasy land. You get up in the morning and get everything you want every single day. Then something like that, I tried to explain that to them that is a reminder that when they leave here and get into the real world, they are being evaluated on their performance and that is what happens. The sooner they learn that, the sooner they understand that, I think that helps them and it helps everybody. College athletics is some ways is not that much different from the real world anymore.”<<
