If anybody's been wondering why there has been no mention of fundraising events being held under the umbrella of Geno's Cancer Team, it's because the fundraising organization has been shut down.

The issue was that Geno's Cancer Team was at a crossroads and if it was going to continue as a fundraising force it would need to become a corporation. Geno Auriemma and his wife Kathy simply did not have the time to serve as heads of a full-fledged corporation.

"We were thinking in what direction we needed to go in and how we were going to forward with it," Geno Auriemma said after Saturday's practice. "We felt like there are other things we wanted to do, Kathy and I. We needed to be able to do those things and not be tied to one thing and have everything run through the Jimmy V Foundation so we are still going to do a lot of events but it is going to be more spread out and more diverse than it was in the past. There are still a lot of people working for that cause and that hasn't changed it is just our involvement has changed a little bit.

"We had an event (Friday) night at my house and we raised $90,000 for a doctor friend of ours who was going some work on juveline cancer so we are going to have an opportunity to do a lot of things but trying to incorporate and become a corporation became a little more difficult than we wanted it to be and it was just time and we don't have the ability to do that right now."

GENO REACTS TO HARRY PERRETTA'S 600TH VICTORY
Veteran Villanova coach Harry Perretta joined the 600-win club when the Wildcats defeated Iona 76-47 in the championship game of the Iona TipOff Classic on Saturday.
Auriemma was asked about his good friend's milestone victory.

"Six hundred wins that is pretty significant," Auriemma said. "Harry has been doing this longer than I have and he's managed to stay the same. He hasn't changed much, he hasn't changed his style of play much and I'd like to see them getting back to being one of the top teams in the league if it is possible. i know it is much more difficult now that it used to be in our league with 16 (teams) instead of eight or nine. They make playing in our league really interesting because they force you to play like nobody else plays so I am never surprised who they win regardless of who they play. They beat teams that you would say they have no business beating because of their style of play and it has been like that for 30-something years.

Of Perretta's 600 wins, none garnered more attention than a 52-48 loss to Villanova in the 2003 Big East final.

"They snapped our streak of 70 in a row," Auriemma said. "I think he knew he had a really good team and he had the right mix at the right time. I remember what a struggle that game was for us. I think we really hit the wall. We were up nine and couldn't put them away. I'll never forget (Nicole) Druckenmiller made a huge shot, they were a heck of a team then and it was probably the best thing that happened to us at that point because we went on to win a national championship. That loss kind of took the air out because those streaks, they take a lot of you. You don't realize it while you are doing it but they take a lot out of you. I am glad it was him. If it was anybody, I am glad it was him and any time you can help make somebody famous, it is a good thing so I hope he appreciates it."

Former Mercy of Middletown star Rachel Roberts had 16 points in the victory and with 31 points in wins over Michigan State and Iona, the junior guard was named the tournament MVP.

BIG WIN FOR UCONN RECRUITING TARGET
Junior Stephanie Mavunga, who was recently quoted as saying she was planning to visit UConn in the near future, had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead her Brownsburg (Ind.) to a 46-39 win over perennial Indianapolis-based power Ben Davis High on Saturday.