The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Emotional time for Auriemma at Bryant’s memorial
CINCINNATI — Geno Auriemma fought back tears while speaking at a memorial for Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, on Monday in Los Angeles.
But it wasn’t just grief and sadness that he felt amongst the 20,000 in attendance at the Staples Center.
“It was obviously a difficult time for a lot of people, but at the same time … the event was a celebration of lives. There were enough people in the arena that contributed to making it feel more like a celebration than it was an actual funeral,” the UConn women’s basketball head coach said Wednesday following a 105-58 win at Cincinnati.
Auriemma was among a host of basketball greats to speak, including Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Diana Taurasi and Sabrina
Ionescu. During his speech, Auriemma remembered Bryant as a fierce competitor, a loving father and a sincere ambassador for the women’s game.
“It was very uplifting,” Auriemma said. “Even the things that were said that were sad and made people cry were uplifting. You left that building feeling better that you were there and better that what you heard was something that we all hope we get.”
Bryant and Auriemma, both Philadelphians with Italian roots, were close friends, and Gianna — nicknamed Gigi — admired the Huskies’ program. The Bryants had watched UConn play multiple times in person, including Senior Day at Gampel Pavilion last March.
“I saw former (Virginia) men’s basketball player … Olden Polynice, we stopped and chatted for a while and
he shook his head,” Auriemma said. “He goes, ‘You know what, when I’m gone I hope I get 1/1,000th percent of this’ because it was an amazing turnout. And it was an amazing show of love for those people. We should all be so lucky to have a little bit of that.”
Following the ceremony, Auriemma and associate head coach Chris Dailey flew back to Connecticut in time for practice Tuesday morning.