Warde Manuel believes he got a taste of what UConn basketball is all about after he was hired to be the new director of athletics. Now he is ready to be along for the ride as basketball kicks into high gear when the men's basketball team hosts American International in its preseason opener tomorrow night followed by the women's hoops team playing Indiana (Pa.) in its first exhibition game on Friday night.


"I got here at the end of the season, at least with my announcement and I was back and forth before I officially started so I got to see the excitement in the arena at Gampel and the XL (Center) for both the men and the women," Manuel said. "For me, I am looking forward to having our fans go out, support Kevin (Ollie) in his new role and support a phenomenal set of student-athletes, the backcourt on our men’s side and with Geno (Auriemma) and the women and the number of returners we had plus the No. 1 recruiting class in the country it is going to be really exciting. I am looking forward to seeing the teams perform and I hope our fans continue to support us like we have in the past in both sports. We are going to do some things to make it more exciting in the arena and really engage our fan base in a different way. We want them to come out, see the excitement and be a part of it and help cheer on our success."