New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Moore leaves UConn-Tennessee feud in the past
UNCASVILLE — She’s the reason Pat Summitt ended the UConn-Tennessee series. The reason Summitt iced the greatest rivalry in women’s team sports.
Who knew Maya Moore would live long enough to see its return?
“I haven’t thought too much on it with everything going on with our season, but I’m sure it’s going to be exciting,” Moore said before the Minnesota Lynx faced the
Sun on Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena. “Any time you can create a new chapter (of) a story is always fun to see. There’s, ah, history there.”
Oh, we can quibble about the horrible impact of a UConn fan giving a recruit’s parents a homemade sign during the 2005 SuperShow in Storrs. Or the tragic impact of Caroline Doty sitting in Geno Auriemma’s office and eating Wendy’s with Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird. Or the sinful allegation of Bird and Taurasi meeting a recruit at the Gampel Pavilion door and escorting her to the coaches’ offices?
The truth is 10 of the 11 tickytacky allegations didn’t stick with the NCAA and the only one that did — which resulted in zero penalty — was UConn calling to set up a tour of ESPN. Something Moore could have done herself.
Sure, Summitt wanted Auriemma to stop being a wiseacre. But what she really wanted was Maya Moore to commit to the Lady
Vols. It was down to UConn and Tennessee. Moore would be a transcendent star, the way Candace Parker and Chamique Holdsclaw had been for Summitt. She would be a transcendent star, the way Diana Taurasi was and Breanna Stewart would be for Geno Auriemma.
So when Moore chose UConn, Summitt canceled the series without any explanation beyond saying Auriemma knows why. Auriemma would say, “She accused us of cheating at recruiting. She doesn’t have the courage to say it publicly.”
That’s why, in retrospect, the ESPN tour is so delicious. It exposed Tennessee for its pettiness that played so rough. It would be