[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6869]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MEN AND WOMEN'S NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS 
                   UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT HUSKIES

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President. I come to the floor today to 
congratulate the University of Connecticut Huskies' Men and Women's 
basketball teams on their double national championship. This is the 
first time any school has accomplished this incredible feat. With this 
achievement, coaches Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma have solidified 
their place at the peak of college basketball's coaching mountain.
  On Monday night, the men, lead by terrific performances by Emeka 
Okafor and Ben Gordon, defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 82-73. 
This victory gave the men's program its second national title. On 
Tuesday, the women, on the strength of a brilliant 17-point effort by 
Diana Taurasi, completed the Huskies' double dip, knocking off the 
Tennessee Lady Vols by the score of 70-61 to capture their third 
straight national championship and the fifth in the school's history.
  These victories were captured with great teamwork, which was 
fortified by outstanding leadership. Not just from the two legendary 
coaches, but from the players themselves. On the men's side, Emeka 
Okafor, whose dominating second half in the semi-finals against Duke is 
the stuff of which legends are made. That performance, followed by his 
brilliant 24 point 15 rebound effort in the championship game earned 
him Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four honors, and will most 
likely make him the top pick in this summer's NBA draft. On the women's 
side was Diana Taurasi. Diana's greatness speaks for itself. She lead 
the Huskies to three straight national titles, compiled a career NCAA 
tournament record of 22-1, and was named Most Outstanding Player in the 
Final Four the past two seasons.
  This year started out with the greatest of expectations for both 
teams. They were both picked as pre-season No. 1 teams, but as the 
season wore on, each had their share of adversity. Coach Calhoun and 
Coach Auriemma saw their teams suffer tough losses and key injuries. 
Each team's best player would battle through nagging injuries that made 
many people question whether they had what it took to reach their 
championship aspirations. What is truly remarkable is that neither team 
ever doubted themselves. As the calendar turned to March, both teams 
battled through the adversity, and began the long steady journey toward 
greatness. After all the ups and downs of a long season, our UCONN 
Huskies finished the season where they started--on top of the college 
basketball world.
  Mr. President, today is a day of great pride for Connecticut. We are 
proud of Jim Calhoun, Geno Auriemma, and their terrific players. We 
thank them for their brilliance. We thank them for giving us such 
tremendous joy in watching them play. At a time when there are so many 
things that divide us and have us concerned, it is so important to have 
something that unites us, lifts our spirits, and gives us a sense of 
pride. Thanks to the Huskies' unprecedented accomplishment, today we 
can truly say Connecticut is the College Basketball Capital of America.

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