The UConn men’s basketball team returned Tuesday evening to the campus that the school has called the “Basketball Capital of the World.”
Fans filled the streets of eastern Connecticut, cheering as team buses passed on the hour-long drive from Bradley International Airport to Gampel Pavilion.
Several thousand fans waited inside the arena to hear coach Dan Hurley and the players of UConn, who beat Purdue 70-65 Monday night for the school’s second straight title and sixth in the history of the program.
Hurley noted that the team began working toward its goals last June, a few months after winning the program’s fifth title.
“And then we won absolutely everything,” he said as the crowd began to roar its approval. “We won everything, everything – the Big East regular season, the Big East tournament, we won the East Region and we went and got you your sixth national championship, back-to-back like we talked about.”
The coach also took the opportunity to unveil the new plaque on the arena’s “Husky of Honor” wall, honoring guard Tristen Newton, the Final Four’s most outstanding player.
“Immortal,” Hurley said. “Immortal.”
The welcome home ceremony capped a full day of celebrations that began with the Huskies’ victory over Purdue in Arizona.
Thousands of students gathered on campus after the final horn in a party that stretched into the early hours of the morning.
UConn police said six people, ages 18 to 21, were arrested during the celebrations. The charges ranged from criminal mischief to rioting to interference with police activities.
Any student arrested is also subject to university disciplinary action.
Someone took a fallen street sign and smashed it partly through the glass facade of the student recreation center, but for the most part the celebrations were peaceful, the school spokesperson said , Mike Enright.
A victory parade is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday through Hartford, from the state Capitol to the XL Center, where another victory rally will take place.
“For the second year in a row, the UConn men’s basketball team wowed the nation by dominating the NCAA Tournament, and now it’s time for Connecticut to give them the victory celebration they deserve ” said Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont.
Such festivities have become somewhat routine at UConn, which, in addition to its six national championships in men’s basketball, has won 11 women’s titles over the past 30 years. The school is 17-1 in NCAA basketball title games.
“UConn has a high standard now and that means winning championships, so we’re going to continue to do that,” Donovan Clingan, UConn’s 7-foot-2 sophomore center, told the crowd Tuesday night.
Last year, 16 people were injured, 39 people were arrested and six students ended up being expelled over more widespread vandalism.
Precautions were put in place Monday to prevent this from happening again.
Before the Final Four, the school removed aluminum streetlights along Hillside Road, the main thoroughfare through the center of campus, and replaced them with temporary lighting.
The school also limited the size of the campus monitoring team. Only 6,700 students, all of whom won tickets to the event through a lottery, were allowed into Gampel Pavilion and took their seats in the upper bowl of the 10,000-capacity arena.
The general public was excluded from the event and, unlike last year, no alcohol was sold or allowed inside, Enright said.
New York Post
