Geno Auriemma slept here. Perhaps.
Not sure if the best college basketball coach in history bedded down in the lone hotel in Trenton during the Huskies romp to a sixth NCAA championship in 2009.
Back then, Trenton still had a shot at real revitalization as Sovereign Bank Arena hosted a regional championship. Wait. What? Yes, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and Rider University welcomed UConn in the Trenton NCAA Women’s Tournament.
What? Yes. In the Trenton Regional semifinals, UConn beat California, 77-53, then Arizona State, 83-64, to advance to the Final Four for the ninth time in 14 years. Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery, and Tina Charles led UConn to a 39-0 season, ending with victories against Stanford and Louisville in NCAA semifinal and final games, respectively.
A lone crossed path with Auriemma occurred in 2009 at Sovereign Bank Arena. He strolled the concourse headed to a postgame media appearance. Coach Auriemma eyed my media credential and we started talking before a handler interrupted. Questions would have to wait until he arrived in a specific place. Auriemma delivered an override of pomp and circumstance. “Come on, walk and we’ll talk,” he said.
Wait. What? Yes, Auriemma had boxed out his handler to deliver this personal keepsake. Of course, the story got told at Nino’s Pizzarama on Chambers St. on Sunday where I watched the final quarter with owner Fernando Biondi. Biondi’s been making pizza for as long as Auriemma’s coached UConn. His business lists in Hamilton on the border of Trenton. And, yes, just like UConn, Biondi delivers some of the best pizza and cheese steaks in the Greater Trenton area.
The brush with Auriemma gets told everywhere, especially after major moments like the Huskies most recent triumph.
“No kidding,” Biondi said. His response garnered expected minor amazement, unlike the acclaim Auriemma gained with the Huskies’ most recent success.
Former Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer received his own keepsake, a court side team chair from the Women’s event at Sovereign Bank Arena. The chair gained significance with the latest UConn victory.
“I see that chair everyday in my workout room. It means a lot to know the City of Trenton hosted UConn and other special teams,” Palmer said. UConn remains a special team with another run of national championships in its crosshairs.
After drubbing South Carolina, 82-59, on Sunday, the Huskies hold national championships in 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2025. Auriemma has coached UConn since1985.
There’s probably a receipt or information somewhere that confirms where Auriemma and UConn players and staff stayed during the 2009 NCAA Regionals.
Let’s just say they all bedded down in the Trenton Marriott Hotel at Lafayette Yard en route to an undefeated season and championship.
