The last time Geno Auriemma was in New Haven, he was checking out Hillhouse star Bria Holmes.

His latest stop in the Elm City had little to do with basketball. Auriemma arrived at the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament to do an interview with Bruce Barber (along with Angela Santacroce, a member of the board of directors for Geno's Cancer Team), sign some autographs, a press conference and then he took in the Caroline Wozniacki/Dominika Cibulkova.

The big news coming out of the Auriemma camp was that he became a grandfather but there was other subjects he address. First, here are links to the videos of his discussing being a grandfather for the first time and also the partnership between Geno's Cancer Team and the Pilot Pen. Also, here's the story I wrote for today's paper.

Auriemma also admitted that the combination of becoming a grandfather for the first time in addition to his duties at UConn and as the U.S. national team coach is beginning to take its toll.

I am just starting to feel it now. It is just starting to build up. It is all starting to catch up to me. These next two weeks or next 10 days, I need to back off a little bit. Come September 3 and we start training camp, there is nothing we can do about it. It's been busy but it's been good but these last two weeks I have kind of felt it. It's been a lot of travel and a lot of other stuff. (There's been) USA Basketball stuff, recruiting stuff but between now and Sept. 3, I will recharge my batteries and then it is off we go. Let's go win.


There was some stuff I was unable to get into the story including Geno talking about the importance of having Chris Dailey, Shea Ralph and Marisa Moseley to run things with the program in the month when he is either holding training camps or coaching the U.S. team in the FIBA World Championships.

"I would be very concerned, no question. (With) Chris, Marissa, Shea, I don't have to show up until the NCAA tournament," Auriemma said. "There is nothing I would do that they would do different, there is nothing that they are going to do that I would question. I am very fortunate. I wish we had more upperclassmen, tht would be good. We are split down the middle, there are five of us and five of them. There are five freshmen and five guys returning so it is a battle of us against them, a battle of the good guys against the enemy and we just have to get them on our side quick."

One thing I learned yesterday is that Auriemma played tennis in junior college. He said he played at No. 4 singles and No. 1 doubles and was a serve and vollier because "I couldn't hit the ball over more than three times in a row."