Defeats New Zealand, advances
Auriemma ‘so proud' of recent NBA hires
HARTFORD, Conn. — In the past year the NBA has seen an influx of women on
Athe sidelines and in the front offices of a league that’s had predominantly male leadership since its creation. General managers and coaches are looking past gender with a push from Commissioner Adam Silver and in their search have found multiple UConn alums.
Former Connecticut stars Sue Bird and Swin Cash have each taken jobs in the NBA in the past year. Bird was hired as a basketball operations associate in the front office of the Denver Nuggets in November. Cash accepted the role on Tuesday of vice presiand
dent of basketball operations team development in the New Orleans Pelicans’ front office.
For UConn coach Geno Auriemma, watching his former players succeed at all levels of the sport has been exciting, but he realizes the opportunities they’ve been given speak to a much bigger development in the way women are viewed in the basketball world.
Fans cheer on Blues at champ celebration in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS — After a halfcentury of disappointment, even Mother Nature didn’t dare spoil the celebration of St. Louis’ first-ever Stanley Cup championship.
A morning downpour fizzled to a light rain by the time the parade began Saturday, and the sun popped out just as a rally was starting before a massive crowd on the grounds of the Gateway Arch.
The Blues ended one of sports’ longest championship droughts on Wednesday by beating the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the first title for a franchise that joined the NHL 52 years ago. Fans poured into the city for the celebration. There were no immediate crowd estimates, but local leaders’ expectations of at least a half-million people appeared to be spot on.
The long-awaited championship stirred strong emotions in St. Louis, a city still smarting from the departure of the NFL’s Rams in 2016. The loss of the football team seemed to strengthen the fans’ bonds to the Blues and their beloved baseball team, the Cardinals.