NCAAW: Rizzotti looks back at UConn’s historic 1995 national title

This week, UConn will make its 24th trip to the Final Four in Tampa. They can come away with their 12th championship in program history. It is a program that has been a standard bearer in women’s college basketball. They have produced some of the game’s biggest names, and all done under the auspices of one of the most passionate coaches in the sport’s history, Geno Auriemma.

As UConn seeks to enhance its stature, it is time to go back 30 years to where it all began.

The year was 1995. Bill Clinton was the president. TLC encouraged us not to chase waterfalls but to “stick to the rivers and lakes that we’re used to.” Michael Jordan came back to the Chicago Bulls after his brief stint in minor league baseball. The biggest blockbuster was Die Hard With a Vengeance. And a former popular football player was caught up in the trial of the century.

So much was happening, and in Storrs, Connecticut, a group of 12 young women laced up their sneakers and took to the floor, unleashing a wave of basketball brilliance. The Huskies were four years removed from their Final Four appearance in 1991, which was Auriemma’s sixth season in charge. In 1994, the Huskies finished their first 30-win season, thanks to a core group of phenoms, including Kara Wolters, Jamelle Elliott, Jennifer Rizzotti and Rebecca Lobo.

The Huskies began 1995 with the players responsible for their success one year prior, plus top recruit Nykesha Sales, and they didn’t let anything get in their way. They went undefeated at 35-0 en route to their first national championship, defeating the Pat Summitt-led Tennessee Lady Vols 70-64.

Along the way, the Huskies followed the Lady Vols’ path, becoming a big draw both at home and throughout the country. Their ascension coincided with women’s college basketball growth in popularity, with major cable outlets, namely ESPN, broadcasting more games on television.

Rizzotti, the All-American point guard and current president of the Connecticut Sun, says the rivalry between UConn and Tennessee particularly captured people’s interest, as the Huskies were trying to take the crown as the dominant women’s basketball program in the country from the Lady Vols.

“Pat Summitt and Tennessee were the standard by which we measured ourselves,” she said to Swish Appeal. “We wanted to reach the success that they had. It wasn’t just highly-contested games against the No. 1 or 2 team, but this up-and-coming team was fighting this giant in Tennessee and what it built. We loved that underdog mentality, which is the biggest compliment you can give another team.”

It was also a time when social media was non-existent, and television ruled the media landscape. Therefore, the players would have to go home and catch the highlights on SportsCenter. During that period of less-than-saturated media, Rizzotti didn’t realize that she and her teammates were changing the sport; they were enjoying the game in its simplicity.

“Looking back, it was pretty unbelievable that we had an opportunity to experience that,” she said. “None of us knew what we were starting. We worked hard to become national champions. Fortunately, we were able to enjoy the journey, which many kids can’t because the expectations at UConn are so high.”

She also fondly remembers how everyone on the team got along throughout their journey to the top. “The chemistry set us apart,” she said.” The fact that we were bought in the fact that we were close to each other brought a level of accountability that was rare at the time.”

This occurred under the watchful eye of Auriemma, who has as brilliant a basketball mind as there ever was. He was able to mix Xs and Os with a strong sense of family, where everyone was on the same accord and developed genuine trust in one another.

Rizzotti says those attributes translated into the team culture. “He was responsible for the accountability,” she said. “He understood the kind of players he wanted to recruit to this program. He taught us to be accountable to each other and great teammates, and how to put that together at all times is a great recipe for success. We enjoyed that.”

Fast-forward 30 years, and the records—and personalities—speak for themselves. From Rizzotti and Lobo to Diana and Sue to Maya to Paige and Azzi, all can claim bragging rights for sustained excellence.

Much has changed since 1995, but UConn’s status as a top contender has not. The enduring legacy of that 1995 team was obvious: They were the beginning of one of the greatest runs in sports, but it was much more than just winning. It was about achieving sustainability.

“I think we are all proud to be a part of what UConn has become,” Rizzotti said. “I think the way that the players play, the way they compete, who they are as people, is a reflection of all of us who went before them. It was never about just playing the game of basketball; it was about playing the game as it was supposed to be playing. What Paige and Azzi are doing with that platform makes you proud. We are proud of the legacy, that the program has continued to recruit the right people, play the game the right way and give back to the game.”

30 years on, greatness still has not ceased to amaze.