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June 30, 2008
Tonya's Day Has Arrived
The contract has been finalized and longtime UConn assistant coach Tonya Cardoza has officially become a head coach. She will be introduced as the new Temple women’s basketball coach Tuesday during a press conference in the Fox-Gittis Room at the Liacouras Center at 2 p.m.
Live video streaming will be available at www.owlsports.com.
Cardoza, 39, fills the void that was created when longtime friend and former Virginia teammate Dawn Staley left the program to take the same position at South Carolina May 7. Cardoza spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach under Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma.
The Huskies were a combined 465-41 with five national championships, eight Final Four appearances, 12 Big East regular season championships and 11 conference tournament championships during her tenure.
Cardoza worked primarily with the UConn guards and has developed into a strong recruiter. She played a key role in the development of Olympians and former Huskies All-Americans Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi and current UConn State Farm/WBCA All-American Renee Montgomery. She also served as a confidant for the players.
Rich
Posted by Elliott on 4:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 25, 2008
New Deal for Geno
UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma never had any doubt that a new contract would not get done. Neither did UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway. It was only a matter of time before Auriemma’s Hall of Fame tenure was extended.
Tuesday, such a deal was finalized. Auriemma has agreed to a five-year, $8 million contract extension that runs through April 15, 2013. The new deal goes into effect July 1.
``I want to thank President Michael Hogan and Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway for all their support,’’ Auriemma said. ``The people of Connecticut have been very supportive of our program for over 20 years now. This new contract is a direct reflection of the university’s commitment to me and the commitment that my family and I have to the university.’’
Auriemma, 54, will earn $1.4 million this season. The figure will increase $100,000 annually until reaching a maximum of $1.8 million in 2012-13. This new deal makes him the highest paid coach in the history of the sport.
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt is currently the highest paid coach in women’s basketball. She agreed to a six-year deal May 22, 2006, one that averages $1.3 million per year, that runs through the 2011-12 season. Her salary will top out at 1.5 million in the final year of her contract.
Auriemma was in the fourth year of a five-year, $4.875 million deal that was set to expire June 30, 2009. Under his previous contract, he was due to earn $1.125 million beginning July 1.
Auriemma’s base salary of $300,000 in the first year of the new contract will increase $25,000 annually. He will also receive $1.1 million in the first year of the contract for speaking and media appearances. That sum will increase $75,000 annually.
The contract will also pay Auriemma one month’s base salary if the Huskies reach the NCAA tournament, two months if they reach the Final Four and three months of they win the national championship.
Auriemma will receive the greater of half a month’s base salary if he is named the national Coach of the Year or one-quarter of a month’s base salary if he is named the Big East Coach of the Year.
``The University of Connecticut is very pleased to announce this new contract,’’ Hathaway said. ``We believe that Geno Auriemma is the finest women’s basketball coach in the country. He has brought great pride and honor to our institution for over two decades. Geno’s teams have achieved greatness on the court while also serving as some of the finest ambassadors in the history of the University.’’
Auriemma, who was inducted into the Women’s Basketball and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, has led UConn to a record of 657-122 in 23 seasons. He is a five-time Associated Press National Coach of the Year, a four-time Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year and a seven-time Big East Coach of the Year. He has also coached eight Olympians, six National Player of the Year recipients and 11 first-team All-Americans.
The Huskies have won five national championships under Auriemma, made nine Final Four appearances and have won 16 Big East regular season championships and 14 conference tournament championships.
UConn has also made 20 straight trips to the NCAA tournament, reaching the Sweet 16 in each of the past 15 seasons.
``Like all of our other UConn coaches, Geno is an outstanding leader and educator for the young people in our program,’’ Hathaway said. ``In addition, he has become a very active and respected member of our Connecticut community.’’
Rich
Posted by Elliott on 6:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Temple's Choice Is Tonya
A source familiar with the process Wednesday confirmed that UConn assistant coach Tonya Cardoza will be named the new head women’s basketball coach at Temple. The two sides are currently ironing out the final details of her contract.
A formal announcement is expected to be made Friday. Cardoza, 39, was ultimately chosen over Wake Forest associate head coach Natasha Adair.
Cardoza, who was in her UConn office Wednesday, would not comment on the situation until it becomes official. The job has been vacant since former head coach Dawn Staley accepted the same position at South Carolina May 7 after a successful eight-year run at Temple that included six NCAA tournament appearances and four Atlantic 10 championships.
Staley has endorsed Cardoza, a long-time friend and a former teammate at Virginia, since her departure. The two played on the Cavaliers’ 1991 Final Four team that defeated UConn in the national semifinals in New Orleans.
Cardoza’s first task as head coach will be to construct an entire coaching staff. Lisa Boyer and Cynthia Jordan have joined Staley at South Carolina. Fred Schmiel is now an assistant at San Diego State and Mary Wooley has left the profession in order to return to school.
Cardoza, who joined the UConn staff in 1994-95, spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach under Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma. The Huskies were a combined 465-41 with five national championships, eight Final Four appearances, 12 Big East regular season championships and 11 conference tournament championships during her tenure.
Cardoza worked primarily with the UConn guards and provided a powerful recruiting presence with a deft ability to identify talent. She played a key role in the development of Olympians and National Player of the Year honorees Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, and most recently State Farm/WBCA All-American Renee Montgomery and Ketia Swanier. She also had a knack for molding less heralded players, such as Maria Conlon, into steady contributors and has served as a confidant for the players.
There is currently no timetable for a replacement to be named.
Rich
Posted by Elliott on 1:06 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 24, 2008
Tonya Still In The Mix At Temple
Despite being a finalist for both the Northwestern and George Washington head coaching positions in recent weeks Huskies assistant coach Jamelle Elliott will be returning to UConn for her 12th season. Former GW coach Joe McKeown was hired at Northwestern earlier this month and Colonials assistant Mike Bozeman was officially elevated to the head man there Tuesday.
The status of fellow long-time assistant Tonya Cardoza remains very much up in the air. She is a finalist for the opening at Temple, which was vacated by her friend and former Virginia teammate Dawn Staley. Staley left to become the head coach at South Carolina May 7.
A decision at Temple is expected to be made by the end of this week. Hall of Famer and women’s basketball guru Mel Greenberg reported that Wake Forest associate head coach Natasha Adair is also a finalist.
Staley has endorsed Cardoza, who has spent the last 14 seasons at UConn.
``If they hire Tonya, I will be thrilled for her and Temple will be getting a great addition,’’ Staley told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Rich
Posted by Elliott on 7:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 18, 2008
Status Quo With Elena
UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma has seen the toll that the recruiting process can take on a player. He’s been involved in this relentless, often cutthroat, process since he was an assistant coach at Virginia in the early 1980’s.
Auriemma has also been involved in the process as a parent, with his son, Michael, headed for St. Joseph’s. The experience has made it easy for him to relate to what prized recruit Elena Delle Donne, a 6-foot-5 guard from Wilmington Del., is going through at the present time.
Delle Donne left summer school at UConn and returned home June 3 just two days after her arrival. The timetable for her return remains unknown at this point. Auriemma, who competed in the Travelers Championship Celebrity Pro-Am today at the Tournament Players Club, said Delle Donne is not expected to enroll in the second summer session, which begins July 14.
``Everybody’s different, obviously,’’ Auriemma said. ``If every single kid that you coach was identical that’d be an absolute miracle. Kids all have their own timetables. So I think in Elena’s case it’s just she’s not ready yet, and for whatever reason. So all you can do is just hope that she gets those issues resolved – whatever they be – and get a chance to move on from there.’’
Auriemma said that he continues to stay in touch with Delle Donne to ensure that she knows that nothing has changed from his perspective. With the likelihood that she will not attend summer school, the next target date for a potential return is the start of the fall semester Aug. 25.
Freshman point guard Caroline Doty is currently on campus. Incoming freshman Tiffany Hayes is due to arrive Sunday and incoming freshman center Heather Buck will attend the second summer session.
This is the second hiatus Delle Donne has taken in as many years. She declined to play for USA Basketball and shut down the recruiting process early last July before making an oral commitment to attend UConn late last August.
``I think there’s not a person in the world that doesn’t go through some sort of apprehension some times, especially when you’ve been the center of attention since you were 12,’’ Auriemma said. ``Sometimes you just say, `Hey, look, I think it would be pretty good to just kind of lay low for a while.’’’
Delle Donne, who was competing at the varsity level at Ursuline Academy when she was in eighth grade, averaged 29 points and 11 rebounds in 15 games last season in leading the Raiders to their fourth state championship in five years. She finished her career with a state record – male or female – 2,818 points.
Auriemma also made it a point today to dispel any notion that Delle Donne’s departure had anything to do with an incident in which she was chastised by her teammates during a pick-up game or anything involving the coaching staff or the university.
``You get the dopes out there,’’ Auriemma said. ``I had this one woman asking me, `Were you nice to Elena?’ I said, `No. You know what? I took the best player in the country. She came up here and in two days I managed to throw her off the team.’ People are just stupid sometimes. It’s an individual thing. It’s got nothing to do with UConn, the players, the coaches. Basketball itself. So all the speculation in the world and all the questions in the world doesn’t change the fact that when she’s ready she’ll make the necessary moves. But until then she’s home and doing the things that kids do during the summer after they graduate.’’
Rich
Posted by Elliott on 2:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
