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Geno Auriemma and UConn redefine domination

    by Bob Cooney
    Published 
That magical age of a half century hit me earlier this year, so that gives you an idea of what my time frame is as far as being a sports fan. When I was young, boxing was at it’s greatest time, with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers and so on. Various teams were taking turns winning Super Bowls, NBA championships and World Series. The Flyers won their only two Stanley Cups when I was running around playing each and every sport, my favorite being whatever was in season.
Then in my teens and the time there after, dominance started to be the norm. Montreal, the Islanders and Edmonton in hockey; Pittsburgh, Dallas and San Francisco in football and the Lakers, Celtics and Sixers in basketball.
When Mike Tyson was roaring his way through the heavyweight division, everything stopped. You plopped in front of the television and didn’t move until his anhiliation of whoever was in front of him stopped, usually very quickly. Then there was Tiger Woods bringing a whole new set of sports fans to the golf world.
As a fan, dominance draws like a moth to a flame. You watch because you either want to see it continue, or develop such a loathing for that person/team that you can’t wait for them to lose.
Geno Auriemma, now in his 30th season as the head coach of the Connecticut women’s team, has a team right now that surpasses any of the dominance of most of our lifetimes. With Monday’s 97-51 win over Duquesne, the Huskies improved to 34-0 this season, extending its winning streak to 71 games, making it the second-longest in team and Division I women’s history, behind the 90 in a row that ended in 2010. They own the top three streaks on that list. The win also put them in the regional semifinals for the 23rd consecutive year.
It was their 117th win over the past 118 games. Should Connecticut capture another title next month, it will be Auriemma’s 11th and the fifth time he’s done it with an undefeated record. They school has produced some of the most famous women's players of all-time, including Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Rebecca Lobo and Maya Moore. This year, senior Breanna Stewart will finish with the lofty status of legend when her career ends, as she’ll finish second on the school’s list of all-time scorers.
But as with Tyson and Woods and all those teams and players who seemed to win every title, you now watch Connecticut not so much to see the domination and the wonderful way in which they play the game, but to see the end of the streak.
Funny thing, being a fan. If you’re like me, you turn on a game and whoever is losing, you hope for a comeback so that the game will be interesting. But when it comes to dominance and the interest it garners, there’s nothing better. And over the past 20-plus years, few have been as dominant as the college team run by the Bishop Kenrick grad.
    BC
    Bob Cooney
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