What was the first UConn WBB game that you ever watched? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

What was the first UConn WBB game that you ever watched?

I don't remember the game, but it was back in 1994 when CPTV started broadcasting the games.
 
MLK Jr day 1995 vs Lady Vols, became a fan of UConn within the 1st half. Been a fan every since.
 
I want to say it was January 1994 on campus and the opponent was Providence, which we pulverized. I know I followed the team results in the NCAAs for a couple of seasons before that.
 
MLK Day 1995. Tennessee vs UCONN, like a lot of posters in this thread. We live in the Danbury area, and the News-Times had almost daily front page articles on local hero Jen Rizzotti and the team. With all the hoopla, I decided to watch the game. My eldest daughter, three years old at the time, waddled into the room and peered at the TV. She asked me what I was watching, and I told her a very important basketball game. She looked again at the TV. “Those are Girls”, she said. “Girls can’t play basketball!” It amazed me that at three she already had picked up perceived gender differences! I put her on my lap and we watched the game, cheering Jen and the team. “Yes!”, I told her. “Those are girls and they certainly play great basketball!”

I started reading the daily Jenn Rizzotti / UCONN articles in the News Times to her, and we watched every game we could for the rest of the season together. I enjoyed watching the team win that championship with my daughter. I was also happy that she took away other things from watching UCONN together.

When she was in 7th Grade, she announced one day that she signed up to play football. It turns out they had sign ups at middle school and they told her girls can sign up for cheerleading while the boys play football. She told the boys in her class that she kicks their butts every day on the playground, so she can certainly do it on the field. We agreed to let her do it on the condition that she had to stick with out for at least two weeks before we would let her quit, as the equipment wasn’t cheap. The first few days were hard, and she really wanted to quit. She stuck it out and played the entire season. She ended up playing nose guard and was good at it. The coach of the team told me that he would wait to put her in the game when the other team was threatening to score. She would put on very bright nail polish, and when she lined up across from the Center, she would say to him, “Hey 83, what do you think of my nail polish?” Guaranteed fumble! She managed to get a few sacks and many tackles during the season. Her team won the league championship that year.

It all started with that game in 1995. I became a die-hard UCONN women’s basketball fan. My daughter did stop watching games with me many years ago, but the lessons she learned watching them with me have served her well: Teamwork. Practice. Having Fun. Don’t accept gender roles.
 
My freshman year at UConn (fall 1967) I went to watch a women’s game because my HS had a great team and I was pumped for WCBB. Well, I couldn’t believe my eyes - the game was at Hawley Armory (NOT the Field House), there were no stands or bleachers, and the teams wore PINNIES not uniforms !! I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. BTW, my HS team would have crushed them. Yes, we’ve come a long way, baby !!
 
Unlike most on the BY, I’m a late arrival.
I as never a basketball fan at all, but I turned on SNY for something and caught a Husky game in progress.
Was in 2017 or 2018.
Against one the Florida teams in the American conference.
Really liked how there was no dunking and very little showboating.
Katie Lou, Pheesa, Crystal impressed me.
Started watching more and more.
 
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MLK day game while I was stationed in the Netherlands also watched the NC game that year, both were on AFN. First and only time live was the game at Nevada Reno in the Lawlor Events Center on 11/28/17. At the time it was the largest crowd for any Women's basketball game, 7,815 in the State of Nevada. I believe that it's still for college or high school game. Last year the Aces had an average attendance at the Michelob Arena of 9,100+ and set the NV women's record when they played against Phoenix at T-Mobil Arena with 17,406 fans attending the final regular season game.
 
I had seen several on TV, but the first in-person was the MLK game at Gampel vs Tennessee in 1995. Without a ticket, I drove to Storrs from North Branford, waited until a few minutes after tipoff, and secured one from a scalper for............................hang on to your hats...........................$6. Then I was able to move down to the lower bowl at halftime. I was 47 years old then, but that day it was like I was back on campus as a student in the early 70s!

Sometimes the memory fades as we age. Other times it just gets brighter.
 
Jackalope said:
MLK Day 1995. Tennessee vs UCONN, like a lot of posters in this thread. We live in the Danbury area, and the News-Times had almost daily front page articles on local hero Jen Rizzotti and the team. With all the hoopla, I decided to watch the game. My eldest daughter, three years old at the time, waddled into the room and peered at the TV. She asked me what I was watching, and I told her a very important basketball game. She looked again at the TV. “Those are Girls”, she said. “Girls can’t play basketball!” It amazed me that at three she already had picked up perceived gender differences! I put her on my lap and we watched the game, cheering Jen and the team. “Yes!”, I told her. “Those are girls and they certainly play great basketball!”

I started reading the daily Jenn Rizzotti / UCONN articles in the News Times to her, and we watched every game we could for the rest of the season together. I enjoyed watching the team win that championship with my daughter. I was also happy that she took away other things from watching UCONN together.

When she was in 7th Grade, she announced one day that she signed up to play football. It turns out they had sign ups at middle school and they told her girls can sign up for cheerleading while the boys play football. She told the boys in her class that she kicks their butts every day on the playground, so she can certainly do it on the field. We agreed to let her do it on the condition that she had to stick with out for at least two weeks before we would let her quit, as the equipment wasn’t cheap. The first few days were hard, and she really wanted to quit. She stuck it out and played the entire season. She ended up playing nose guard and was good at it. The coach of the team told me that he would wait to put her in the game when the other team was threatening to score. She would put on very bright nail polish, and when she lined up across from the Center, she would say to him, “Hey 83, what do you think of my nail polish?” Guaranteed fumble! She managed to get a few sacks and many tackles during the season. Her team won the league championship that year.

It all started with that game in 1995. I became a die-hard UCONN women’s basketball fan. My daughter did stop watching games with me many years ago, but the lessons she learned watching them with me have served her well: Teamwork. Practice. Having Fun. Don’t accept gender roles.
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Thanks, Linart, for your post... it's really cool to read each and every one of the responses.

Jackalope, I also then and still do live just north of Danbury. During Jen's high school years in New Fairfield, I was lucky to take photos and write for a neighboring newspaper chain to the News-Times, often covering Jen's volleyball and basketball exploits for New Fairfield High School.

It was natural as a sports fan who'd followed UConn men's basketball since the early '60s that I should get into the women's team once Rizzotti was in Storrs. That she played a key role in '95 and was NPOY in '96 just clinched it for me.

I honestly can't remember the first UConn women's game I saw, but it was pure serendipity for me that Geno & Co. have blessed me and countless other Huskies fans with the incredible ride we've been on ever since.

Go, Huskies!
 
My first was the senior game of the 93-94 season. Had heard good things about the program and had never been in Gampel so I checked it out.
I was die hard Celtics fan back then. I was stuck by two things. First how fundamentally good were. Second the passion of the fans; especially when the two seniors were celebrated. I mean people were crying. Had never seen anything like that.
You could see then that greatness was coming to this program.
 
1980 or thereabouts, but I only watched between sets looking through a vent hole in the big green curtain that surrounded the court. It was me and probably no more than than 100 people. The first game I really remember watching was the 1985 MLK day game, like everyone else. Amazing that that was 38 years ago!

Want to blow your mind even more? Rebecca Lobo is 50 years old!!
 
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CL82 said:
1980 or thereabouts, but I only watched between sets looking through a vent hole in the big green curtain that surrounded the court. It was me and probably the best than 100 people. The first game I really remember watching was the 1985 MLK day game, like everyone else. Amazing that that was 38 years ago!

Want to blow your mind even more? Rebecca Lobo is 50 years old!!
Expand ...
Only off by a decade. Not bad.
 
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1985: During Geno's first year at UConn. I was studying Sports Medicine and we had to take various "Sports Techniques" courses. Geno actually taught the basketball class. We had to go to a game (in the old Field House) and write a report on the game.
 
My sophomore year at UConn, 1988. It was a home game against Vermont. Coach CD was teaching a health class and said that anyone attending a women's game would get extra credit and I made sure I attended that game and every home game I could from that moment on.
 
I was at work, and I happened by the electronics dept at a Bradlees. The 1991 FF was on and watched as Tonya Cardoza and Virginia knocked us off in the FF. I have watched just about every game since CPTV started airing the team in 1995.
 
I distinctly remember the championship game in 1995. That might have been my first but I think it was earlier that year. Could have been the MLK game but I’m not sure.
 
On TV, January 2000 vs. Louisiana Tech.
In person, at Georgetown around 2018. I've seen them twice since at Maryland.
 
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Went to UConn with and knew of Karen Mullins locally, watched her play a number of her games. she was the first scholarship player in the program and later became the longtime coach of the softball team.
 
1997 regional final against Tennessee. Still vividly remember watching Kara and Carla in tears as the undefeated season came to an end. I still think of what would've been had Shea not been injured in that first round game.
 
I suspect the MLK day game against Tennessee was my first as well. We had recently attended or were about to attend our first live game, Rutgers / George Washington at the RAC. We had been following Women's Basketball on TV - mostly local RU games on replay late night and the 1994 Final Four and really enjoyed the few national games that popped up such as UConn / Tennessee.

Who knew that the following year we would be Rutgers season ticket holders, would attend the 1996 Final Four in Charlotte and be seeing UConn quite regularly in person playing Rutgers.
 
I attended my first game in 1901 when it was Connecticut Agricultural College. ;)

IMG_0169.jpeg
 
Watched was on TV in 1991. The 61–55 loss to top-seeded Virginia in the national semifinals. In those days those were about the only games on TV (The final 4). In person was at Gampel in 1992 they played Miami (Lost that one too by 3 points) . In those days you paid to get in and sat wherever you wanted. First come first serve on the seats. Hard to believe it was like that at one time. Best game I ever went to was the first TENN game at Gampel on MLK Day. Still the loudest sporting event I ever attended. 2nd best was the Bird at Buzzer game in the BE Tourney at Gampel against Notre Dame. Lots of great memories over the years. Now that we are retired it's gotten too pricey for us to get season tickets. Still watch every one we can though.
 
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LOL, you're asking a guy who doesn't remember what he ate for dinner last night.

My curiosity with WCBB started when a friend of mine in '78 was getting a Masters degree from ODU. ODU had been a thing prior to that. However, it was unheard of to see WCBB on TV. Moved from NJ to CT in '89. UConn had already moved into the big time with the Big East. I watched my first UConn WCBB game when at least the home games were on CPTV. This had to before the TN MLK game because the state was already going crazy prior to that game. The exact game or opponent are lost to the dead synapses of my mind.
 
Since so many posters credited the MLK Day game against Tennessee as their introduction to UConn WBB, I am posting this link where you can watch the replay of the game on YouTube (and boy does Geno look young!)

 
As a Carolina fan living in Tennessee, I started watching UCONN when they would match up with UT...Pat Summit is my favorite women's basketball coach of all time. I've always said if I had a daughter who was a DIV 1 superstar and Pat recruited her, I would want her to play for Pat at UT, even though I'm a South Carolina native and Carolina grad.
 
I don't know what the first game was (I'm talking about in-person games here). I know I had taken my daughter to at least two or three previously when this one came up. UConn was playing BC in Boston, and we were living in a Boston suburb, so I took her and one of her friends to the game. My recollection is that it was billed as a special day because UConn was giving a basketball clinic to some kids -- who those kids were, I don't know. I seem to recall Rebecca Lobo showing kids how to dribble. UConn won the game, by the way.
 
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