Women's Hoops Guru

By Mel Greenberg

STORRS, Conn. - Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma isn't running for political office in Pennsylvania anytime soon.

However, when the subject of Tuesday's presidential primary in the Keystone State came up during Auriemma's wide-ranging postseason press conference in Gampel Pavilion Tuesday on Connecticut's campus, he mused he had the potential for success in the state in which he spent his formative years.

"I could run," said Auriemma, who grew up in Norristown after being born in Italy.

"I'd get the Catholic vote," he grinned. "I'd get the Italian vote. And I'd get the Philadelphia vote -- that would be real big."

He also agreed he would attract a lot of ballots in Pittsburgh, because former Huskies star Swin Cash was from the major city in the western part of the state.

"And now that (Former Penn State coach) Rene's (Portland) isn't there anymore, I'd probably get a lot of votes in State College."

When it comes to campaigning style, Auriemma said he'd drink Ballantine Beer during his stops in Philadelphia.

"I'd do it to honor Buddy Gardler," Auriemma said of his former high school coach at Bishop Kenrick and who's daughter Meghan plays for him at UConn.

"The only award I ever got when I was there was he once made me the Ballantine player of the game. -- Three rings," Auriemma said of the beer company's marketing logos.

"It was like the Olympic symbol. Three zeros. That was me. The boxscore said 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists,."

Meanwhile, don't expect the teams of Auriemma and Tennessee coach Pat Summitt to be on the same game ticket anytime soon unless it involves the NCAA tournament in doubleheader or head-to-head competition.

Summitt cancelled the decade-plus regular-season rivalry just before last summer but never quite elaborated on her reasons.

During the season it was reported that she was unhappy with his recruiting of Georgia's Maya Moore, who helped lead the Huskies to the Final Four and was the nation's top freshman.

Auriemma had said several months ago he would discuss the topic once the season was over, but when reporters got around to the issue during Tuesday's session, he playfully hesitated at first.

"I just said that to get everybody to stop asking about it," Auriemma said.

Biut then the words started to gush out.

"(Summitt) knows why we’re not playing," Auriemma said. "I’m not the one that made the decision not to play. So she should just tell you why we’re not playing instead of saying `Geno knows.’ I do know. She accused us of cheating at recruiting. She doesn’t have the courage to say it publicly. So, yeah, Geno does know. And I’ve said it."

Complaints out of the Southeastern Conference to the NCAA, reportedly instigated by Tennessee, had stated that former Huskies stars Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird had given Moore a ride in Atlanta to an awards show.

That later was refuted when it was determined that both WNBA All-Stars were playing overseas in Russia when the alleged violation occurred.

A second SEC protest, which was later considered to be a minor NCAA violation, involved a member of the Connecticut basketball office, who was not named, helping arrange a tour of ESPN in nearby Bristol for Moore and her mother during an unofficial visit in 2005.

There had been some speculation that Connecticut and Tennessee would resume the rivalry in December at the Maggie Dixon Classic in New York City's Madison Square Garden.

Auriemma nixed that matchup Tuesday, although he expressed enthusiasm for playing in the event named for former Army coach Maggie Dixon, who died suddenly right after her first season as a head coach in which she led the Black Knights to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2006.

"If you’re not going to play here or there, you’re not going tovolunteer play them at Madison Square Garden in a charity event that’s supposed to help a good cause," Auriemma said. "How could they be involved in that? That would be something that’s good for the game."

Connecticut will play Penn State, while Rutgers will again play Army, although the official announcement has yet to be made naming the doubleheader participants.

Asked under what circumstances Tennessee and Connecticut could play again if Summitt so desired, Auriemma jested a comparison to a recent Notre Dame-Connecticut football longterm football proposal that would not include any home games in the Huskies' stadium in East Hartford.

Auriemma said the series would have to be ten games -- eight in Connecticut, with the other two being in Nashville and Memphis, which would be in the Volunteer State, but not in Knoxville, where Tennessee's campus is located.

``That would be my proposal to them,’’ Auriemma said. ``That’s the only way I would do it.’’

Auriemma said at this point the only reason the breakup of the series is still discussed because the media won't let the story go away "even though everybody else has."

``It doesn’t irk me,’’ Auriemma said. ``With some people that’s just their style. They’re passive-aggressive. They always want to have somebody to blame for what’s going on. There’s a lot of things I know about a lot of people. That doesn’t mean I cancel the series. This is the same person who said if the Duke fans didn’t treat her players right she was going to cancel that series. So if people don’t stop misbehavin’ they’re only going to play a regular season scheduled with conference games. Unless that starts to bug them. So the bottom line is it’s not going to change. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not going to change.’’

Auriemma was presented with the coach of the year award from the Naismith Club in Atlanta.

He did have some serious and introspective comments about that honor, as well as addressing several other topics.

But since the Rich Elliott, the Guru's colleague at the Connecticut Post already transcribed all those remarks, the Guru will send you over there with this link and if more posts have just been added, you want to read the one called: Geno Being Geno.

And the Guru being the Guru, the ride back to Philadelphia is still ahead.

-- Mel .