Event 39 – What Happens When a Pair of Hoopheads Travel to the Self-Proclaimed Basketball Capital of the World?

Fran and I enjoying the UConn-Notre Dame women’s basketball game in Gampel Pavilion.

The Written Word

Still Photos

  • One of my first looks at Gampel Pavilion.
  • Getting ready to walk through the front door.
  • This statue of former UConn men’s coach, Donald “Dee” Rowe, greets guests (and serves as a soda stand, apprently).
  • My first look at the Gampel Pavilion court.
  • Fran and I with the NCAA Championship Trophy.
  • Checking out another corner in the place.
  • Legendary men’s coach Jim Calhoun has a banner.
  • As does women’s coach Geno Auriemma, who is next to former players in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
  • UConn likes to remind fans its programs have won plenty of championships.
  • The amount of success the women’s program has enjoyed is mind-boggling.
  • Check out the women’s basketball honors!
  • There aren’t too many places that boast 12 National Championship Banners.
  • And the men have six of their own!
  • UConn coach Geno Auriemma walks by us on his way to the bench.
  • And gives Notre Dame coach Nielle Ivey a pregame hug.
  • Pregame introductions were an event as well.
  • My view of the game’s first possession.
  • UConn’s Ashylynn Shade rises for a baseline jumper.
  • Geno patrolling the sidelines during the first half.
  • We witnessed a bit of history. UConn’s next legend, Sarah Strong, scored her 1,000th career point.
  • Mercifully, the ice storm that hit the region was but a mere remnant by the time we arrived.
  • Pregame grub at Huskies Restaurant & Bar was solid.
  • A piece of the court from UConn’s first men’s NCAA Championship in St. Petersburg greets diners at Huskies.

Video

My first look at Gampel.
Coach Geno Auriemma arrives.
Geno and ND coach Niele Ivey embrace.
The opening tip and first possessions.
The University of Connecticut Dance Team performs.

Fun Facts

  • Traveling Party – Me and my friend Fran
  • Last Time Visited – It was the first time for both of us in Storrs, CT, and at Gampel Pavilion.
  • Check Your GPS Before Departing – Call it a rookie mistake. Or maybe naivety. Either way, as Fran and I departed Storrs bound for our next destination (Springfield, MA), I made the mistake of not looking over the route my device mapped for us. It took us down some dark, hilly, and narrow-ish roads on our way to the freeway. In the daytime and not on the heels of an ice storm, it would probably be fine. At night and in unfamiliar surroundings, well …
  • Running List of States Traveled To/Through (30 total) – Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, & Wyoming
  • Running List of Countries Traveled To/Through (8 total) – Argentina, Canada (Manitoba, Ontario, & Quebec), England, Japan, Korea, Scotland, United States, & Wales
  • Distance Traveled – My home to DTW 53 miles, flight from DTW to Boston 633 miles, Logan to Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT, 87 miles, for a total of 773 miles.
  • Cumulative Distance Traveled After 39 Events – 74,014 miles
  • Up Next – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.