Men's basketball has been played at the University of Connecticut since 1901, when the school was known as Connecticut Agricultural College.[6] The Huskies first achieved success under Coach
Hugh Greer, who over a sixteen-year period led the team to twelve
Yankee Conference championships, seven
National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA)
Tournament berths, and one
National Invitation Tournament appearance before dying suddenly during the 1962–63 college basketball season.[4] It was not until Calhoun took over the university's basketball program in 1985, however, that UConn grew from a regional basketball power to a nationally prominent one.[7] Under Calhoun, UConn won three national championships (
1999,
2004,
2011), seven
Big East tournaments, and ten
Big East[Note 1] regular season titles, while placing twenty-six former players into the
National Basketball Association (NBA).[9][10][11][12] Following Calhoun's retirement, new head coach
Kevin Ollie would lead UConn to a fourth national championship win in
2014.[13]
Women's basketball was not a major sport at UConn until the arrival of Auriemma in 1985. Under his guidance UConn has enjoyed unprecedented success, winning 11 national titles, including six at the end of undefeated seasons and four consecutive championships from 2013–16.[14] The Huskies also have the two longest winning streaks in NCAA Division I basketball history, at 111 games from 2014–17[15] and 90 games from 2008–10.[16] Connecticut's
rivalry with women's basketball power
Tennessee has been one of the most celebrated in the sport.[17] Twenty-six former UConn women's basketball players have gone on to play in the
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA),[18] and five—
Sue Bird in
2002,
Diana Taurasi in
2004,
Tina Charles in
2010,
Maya Moore in
2011, and
Breanna Stewart in
2016—have been selected
first overall in the
WNBA draft.[19][20] Stewart,
Moriah Jefferson, and
Morgan Tuck were the first three picks in the 2016 draft; this marked the first time three players from the same college were selected 1-2-3 in the draft of any major sport.[20]
Placards honoring the members of the Huskies of Honor are hung at the
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, the on-campus home court of UConn basketball. Additional information about each of the honorees is displayed on the concourse between the upper and lower stands.[21]
UConn officials have indicated that men's basketball alumnus
Ben Gordon will be added to the Huskies of Honor in the near future. The university is working with Gordon to determine when he will be able to attend an induction ceremony at a men's basketball game at Gampel Pavilion.[37]
The display
The Huskies of Honor display at Gampel Pavilion, located on either side of the arena on each side of the scoreboards, as of October 17, 2015[update]. Left are the placards for men's basketball and John Toner; right are the placards for women's basketball.
^Jacobs, Jeff (January 23, 1999).
"Greer's Presence Will Be Felt". The Hartford Courant. Tribune Corporation. Archived from
the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
^Canfield, Owen (October 27, 1998).
"Big-Time Thanks to Coach Toner". The Hartford Courant. Tribune Corporation. p. C5. Archived from
the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
Men's basketball has been played at the University of Connecticut since 1901, when the school was known as Connecticut Agricultural College.[6] The Huskies first achieved success under Coach
Hugh Greer, who over a sixteen-year period led the team to twelve
Yankee Conference championships, seven
National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA)
Tournament berths, and one
National Invitation Tournament appearance before dying suddenly during the 1962–63 college basketball season.[4] It was not until Calhoun took over the university's basketball program in 1985, however, that UConn grew from a regional basketball power to a nationally prominent one.[7] Under Calhoun, UConn won three national championships (
1999,
2004,
2011), seven
Big East tournaments, and ten
Big East[Note 1] regular season titles, while placing twenty-six former players into the
National Basketball Association (NBA).[9][10][11][12] Following Calhoun's retirement, new head coach
Kevin Ollie would lead UConn to a fourth national championship win in
2014.[13]
Women's basketball was not a major sport at UConn until the arrival of Auriemma in 1985. Under his guidance UConn has enjoyed unprecedented success, winning 11 national titles, including six at the end of undefeated seasons and four consecutive championships from 2013–16.[14] The Huskies also have the two longest winning streaks in NCAA Division I basketball history, at 111 games from 2014–17[15] and 90 games from 2008–10.[16] Connecticut's
rivalry with women's basketball power
Tennessee has been one of the most celebrated in the sport.[17] Twenty-six former UConn women's basketball players have gone on to play in the
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA),[18] and five—
Sue Bird in
2002,
Diana Taurasi in
2004,
Tina Charles in
2010,
Maya Moore in
2011, and
Breanna Stewart in
2016—have been selected
first overall in the
WNBA draft.[19][20] Stewart,
Moriah Jefferson, and
Morgan Tuck were the first three picks in the 2016 draft; this marked the first time three players from the same college were selected 1-2-3 in the draft of any major sport.[20]
Placards honoring the members of the Huskies of Honor are hung at the
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, the on-campus home court of UConn basketball. Additional information about each of the honorees is displayed on the concourse between the upper and lower stands.[21]
UConn officials have indicated that men's basketball alumnus
Ben Gordon will be added to the Huskies of Honor in the near future. The university is working with Gordon to determine when he will be able to attend an induction ceremony at a men's basketball game at Gampel Pavilion.[37]
The display
The Huskies of Honor display at Gampel Pavilion, located on either side of the arena on each side of the scoreboards, as of October 17, 2015[update]. Left are the placards for men's basketball and John Toner; right are the placards for women's basketball.
^Jacobs, Jeff (January 23, 1999).
"Greer's Presence Will Be Felt". The Hartford Courant. Tribune Corporation. Archived from
the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
^Canfield, Owen (October 27, 1998).
"Big-Time Thanks to Coach Toner". The Hartford Courant. Tribune Corporation. p. C5. Archived from
the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2010.