Sue Chicken obtained a standing ovation at Gampel Pavilion as her No. 10 jersey was formally retired by UConn. Geno Auriemma stood by her aspect whereas calling her “the best level guard to play basketball, man or lady.” As soon as she received the microphone from him, Chicken joked that he had by no means stated that in entrance of her.
She has typically stated that UConn seems like household. This weekend, greater than all of the championships and private accomplishments, she highlighted that Storrs, Conn. helped form her as a participant and as an individual.
`That is residence,” she stated. “That is the place it began. So to see what we’re about to see, my quantity up within the rafters, the rafters subsequent to those different legends, it is an unimaginable, unimaginable honor. Exhausting to place into phrases.”
Chicken joined Rebecca Lobo and Swin Money as the one two different gamers from this system to get that honor to this point. Maya Moore shall be subsequent, nevertheless it has to occur after her induction into the Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame as a result of that could be a requirement for jersey retirements at UConn.
“I feel it represents how in a listing of some unimaginable folks, how distinctive some actually had been for lots of various causes,” stated Auriemma, who has coached UConn to 12 nationwide championships. “The wonderful factor about these three, and Maya, the fourth, was the unimaginable quantity of success they’d after they left right here. That as nice as their accomplishments had been right here, what they’ve carried out since they left has been nothing in need of unimaginable.”
Chicken earned two nationwide championships throughout her time with UConn whereas amassing a powerful 114-4 report. She turned this system’s first ever No. 1 total WNBA Draft choose in 2002, after which went on to win 4 WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm, in addition to 5 Olympic gold medals with Workforce USA. Chicken formally retired in 2022, however her influence continues to be being felt at UConn and elsewhere.
Chicken received video messages from former teammates and different UConn greats, which had been performed on the area all through the sport. These included movies from Lobo, Money, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi.
“That No. 10 is among the large the explanation why I went to Connecticut,” Taurasi stated. “I am proud to name you a teammate, sister and a fan for all times. All of us love you. Congratulations.”
The present Huskies had been additionally excited to rejoice Chicken. They wore the c-ball throwback uniform, the identical one Chicken used to put on, on Sunday throughout their 102-35 win towards DePaul. Earlier this week, UConn shared clips of gamers thanking Chicken for her influence on ladies’s basketball.
“If you’re enjoying basketball and also you wish to play the fitting method, you wish to play like Sue Chicken,” Azzi Fudd stated. “You wish to be a pacesetter like her. You wish to be a ground common like her. You wish to have that form of IQ.
“To see what she was in a position to accomplish right here, the adversity that she confronted right here, within the W, and what she’s been in a position to do, I feel gamers now have to offer her a lot credit score and thank her. Give her all her flowers as a result of she actually helped pave the best way to make issues doable. So thanks Sue for making UConn what’s is now, serving to construct the W, and serving to develop my love for basketball.”
