UConn basketball teams set for unique Bahamas experience
For the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams to take part in the Battle 4 Atlantis, which presents an early opportunity to find out how good they really are, a major structure at the Caribbean’s largest resort must undergo a complete transformation.
A 200,000-square foot convention center at Atlantis Paradise Island becomes a 4,000-seat basketball arena with the installation of a court, seating, scoreboards and all else that goes into hosting high-level college basketball and its elaborate television production.
After year-long planning, the final heavy lifting creates a venue that the nationally-ranked teams and brand name programs in each bracket are accustomed to for November MTE’s (multi-team events) — a loud, fans-on-top-ofthe-court “arena” for business-as-usual basketball.
“Look, people say, ‘Oh, my god, you play in ball room, the lights are dim,” said Lea Miller-Tooley, founder and CEO of Complete Sports Management, the marketing agency that developed the event in 2011. “When you get in there and you see it and you see the fan camaraderie and you have that kind of access to a team you have followed for years — you don’t get that in Storrs. It’s such a unique atmosphere and that, to me, is the coolest part.”
Geno Auriemma and the Huskies’ second-ranked women open Saturday against Minnesota and would be in line to face No. 1 South Carolina in Monday’s championship game, marking the conclusion of the women’s debut tournament at Atlantis. Dan Hurley and his 23rd-ranked Huskies open Atlantis’ 10th men’s tournament Wednesday