UConn Women's Basketball Champions Honored at Celtics Game
The C's honored the C's, namely the University of Connecticut Huskies' women's basketball team, on Wednesday night amidst their respective championship paths.
UConn's latest batch of champions descended upon TD Garden to receive a heroine's welcome in Beantown, where the Boston Celtics are engaged in their latest playoff series.
Despite some absences (such as Paige Bueckers, who is prepping for her first professional season with the Dallas Wings), the team was warmly welcomed when honored while the defending NBA champion Celtics took on the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Boston put on a show for the Huskies, mastering the Magic by a 109-100 final to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.
Boston has had its share of UConn alumni take to its iconic parquet floor, such as Ray Allen and Kemba Walker. It was a bit of a personal trip for UConn freshman breakout Sarah Strong: her mother, former WNBA All-Star and two-time NCAA leading scorer Allison Feaster, works in the Celtics' front office as the vice president of team operations and organizational growth.
"It's a surreal feeling. I'm still processing it but it's just great to just have won the championship," Strong said of the national championship realization in an interview with Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston. "We worked so hard for that so it really means a lot to us. We all went to UConn to have these expectations and just be challenged every day."
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla previously praised the work of Huskies women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma, labeling the longtime boss a great mentor as he chased another title.
“He really took me under his wing — just how to go after greatness, how to manage talent, how to coach talent at the highest level,” Mazzulla said earlier this month, per Conor Ryan of Boston.com. “You’ve got to know how to deal with that perspective, because I think as successful as he’s been, he’s got great perspective.”
The Celtics will look to emulate the Huskies and close out the first-round series quickly this weekend, as they travel to Orlando for two games, the first on Friday night (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
