"No conference makes a university," athletic director Warde Manuel told reporters in Lincoln, Neb., after the women's team clinched its berth in the Final Four. "No conference made us. We are doing what I said we'd do all along. We will focus on ourselves and our success."
Despite being shunned by the power conferences, despite the breakup of the old Big East Conference, despite recent losing seasons in football, despite playing in a new conference with a lower profile, the American Athletic Conference, UConn is the only school in the country with both teams in the Final Four. The Huskies also are the only school to win titles in the same year, 2004. With all that as a backdrop, the Huskies continue to make a name for themselves.
"UConn's success this postseason is more important than in any other single year in its history," said Darren Rovell, ESPN's sports business reporter.
Said Manuel: "The big benefit is to our fans, our supporters, our students. And it shows the rest of the country the level of commitment to success that we have as an institution for a number of our different programs."
The most important benefit that UConn could reap from its success this month is to draw the attention of one of the so-called power conferences.
"That depends on whether or not you think the shake-up is over," Rovell said.
"Realignment is a dynamic that is not in our control," Herbst said. "It's not like we can go around, show PowerPoint presentations to prove how great UConn is that will make people fall down in admiration. It's not how this works. We need to win. We need to win a lot, across the sports. We need to take care of our student-athletes and we have to do well in school."
One common thread in the recent shake-up has been a desire on the part of conferences to tap into the New York market. The ACC looked for it in adding Syracuse, the Big Ten in inviting Rutgers, a decision it could now be second-guessing. UConn fans filled Madison Square Garden last week during the NCAA Tournament.
"We are taking advantage of every opportunity we have, like at Madison Square Garden last weekend," Herbst said. "Fairfield County? New York City? We are New York's college team. I don't think it could be any more evident than it was in the Garden."
"UConn deserves to extend its footprint more than Rutgers does, and the New York venues, Madison Square and the Barclays Center, would fight over a pinky-wink match at this point, there is so much bad blood between them," Rovell said. "So UConn could take advantage of that."
http://www.courant.com/sports/colle...nal-four-0404-20140403,0,3139762.story?page=2
Despite being shunned by the power conferences, despite the breakup of the old Big East Conference, despite recent losing seasons in football, despite playing in a new conference with a lower profile, the American Athletic Conference, UConn is the only school in the country with both teams in the Final Four. The Huskies also are the only school to win titles in the same year, 2004. With all that as a backdrop, the Huskies continue to make a name for themselves.
"UConn's success this postseason is more important than in any other single year in its history," said Darren Rovell, ESPN's sports business reporter.
Said Manuel: "The big benefit is to our fans, our supporters, our students. And it shows the rest of the country the level of commitment to success that we have as an institution for a number of our different programs."
The most important benefit that UConn could reap from its success this month is to draw the attention of one of the so-called power conferences.
"That depends on whether or not you think the shake-up is over," Rovell said.
"Realignment is a dynamic that is not in our control," Herbst said. "It's not like we can go around, show PowerPoint presentations to prove how great UConn is that will make people fall down in admiration. It's not how this works. We need to win. We need to win a lot, across the sports. We need to take care of our student-athletes and we have to do well in school."
One common thread in the recent shake-up has been a desire on the part of conferences to tap into the New York market. The ACC looked for it in adding Syracuse, the Big Ten in inviting Rutgers, a decision it could now be second-guessing. UConn fans filled Madison Square Garden last week during the NCAA Tournament.
"We are taking advantage of every opportunity we have, like at Madison Square Garden last weekend," Herbst said. "Fairfield County? New York City? We are New York's college team. I don't think it could be any more evident than it was in the Garden."
"UConn deserves to extend its footprint more than Rutgers does, and the New York venues, Madison Square and the Barclays Center, would fight over a pinky-wink match at this point, there is so much bad blood between them," Rovell said. "So UConn could take advantage of that."
http://www.courant.com/sports/colle...nal-four-0404-20140403,0,3139762.story?page=2
