Mike Anthony: Geno Auriemma, coaching in front of cardboard cutouts, can’t yet wrap his mind around the absurdity of 2020 college basketball settings - Hartford Courant

Geno Auriemma's behind-the-scenes workplace in the Gampel Pavilion, court media members are all on the court, and the Saturday after UConn opens the season that is happening on another planet , His virtual press conference paused for a while.

"This is the strangest thing ever," Oriema said.

The entire game day experience-with the exception of the 56-point Eskimo victory-is almost unrecognizable. This is the new norm for college basketball, falling into a pandemic and playing in empty buildings.

The cardboard cut appears in the form of a "fan" with photos of several species (people, pets). The team workbenches are arranged three rows deep and occupy the space of the campus lecture hall. The coaches wear masks (anyway, most of the time). When the inspiring band played, the applause filled, replacing the traditional atmosphere of 10,000 fans cheering. The pre-match hype video montage asked fans to speak up, and about 125 people tried it.

Nowadays, Gampel has always been a vacuum cleaner of traditional basketball energy. It is full of a strange mixture of amazing things and sad things, until we get rid of the shackles of viruses that change...all skin colors.

"We have more dog posters in the game than humans." Auriemma said. "When was the last time? There are more dogs than humans in the Gampel Pavilion. And this is not even a dog show. I'm just not used to this, man. I watched it again and saw my wife. I'm not sure if it's her or The cardboard version. This is the strangest thing. Seriously, I have never seen anything like this."

First, let me point out that I don’t believe any fans care about the media’s experience, especially when every fan is turned away. And they shouldn't, not an iota. However, as we move further into the season of "everyone is doing their best", it is worth mentioning that traditional observation and information flow have been largely destroyed.

The women at Kennedy University won the game at Seton Hall on Tuesday, believed to be the first Huskies game on the road since the late 1980s or early 1990s, without the intervention of the Connecticut media. Bob Joyce and Deb Fiske of ESPN 97.9 played a game at the studio on Columbus Boulevard and watched it on TV. Courant's beat writer Alexa Philippou took a look on the Hartford sofa. I watched on the sofa in Windsor.

In any other year, we will report at 6:30 pm on the court in South Orange, New Jersey, and then face-to-face with Auriemma and the players. There will be a real press conference and follow-up dialogue. For members of the media who try to analyze the show in a way that respects the curiosity of the fan base, Auriemma one-on-one or in small groups in the hallway is one of the most valuable experiences.

Temporarily missing. I have no complaints. We are scaling 2020 and covering the most popular teams in Connecticut, this is a trip. Some reporters sounded like they were calling from a pay phone on Mars. Internet and phone connections come and go. No matter how comfortable and insightful Auriemma and Dan Hurley are in recent months, all of this is impersonal, and the addresses of a program state are one after another. However, this is strange. It is 2020.

"Do you know that they have those posters in the end area, where there are more dogs than people?" Auriemma said. "My mother is watching. Her [cardboard image] is there. She thinks it is the most bizarre thing she has ever seen. She is 89 years old and has seen everything since the Second World War. …I think we should have a liaison for [media members] at the post-match press conference. I want to see an incision so I can look at it and throw a small spitting ball at you on the side of your head Or hit you on other objects so that we can at least inject some humor into this nonsense."

In the game, the sideline and the bench are no longer the sideline and the bench. Volleyball matches can be held in this space, usually occupied by the now collapsed stands. The "benches" consist of three rows with 10 chairs in each row, a total of 30, located on the side of the court opposite to the scorer's table to increase the distance from other game staff.

Coaches and players must wear masks when they are not on the court, although every coach I have seen wears masks sometimes. Players and staff have allocated seats. Each player seat has a "baby cot", which includes hand sanitizer, a bottle of water, sports drinks, towels, tissues, cigarette holders and masks.

Each work area has a hand sanitizer station, and the manager disinfects the chairs before the game and during the intermission. Every time the game resumes, the stools used during the timeout will be disinfected. At the end of the game, the coach and players waved or saluted their opponents instead of shaking hands.

These cardboard cutouts (about 1,000) are part of a plan to raise funds for the UConn Foundation. For only $50, fans can put their image, or the image of a cat or dog, on a seat near the stadium.

The architecture in the game does not sound much different from the later. There are no emotional peaks and valleys in the game, and momentum fluctuates. Auriemma called the flat atmosphere "a bit numb."

He said: "It's really stupid." "It doesn't even feel like basketball. I feel sorry for the new students. When they signed the letter of intent, they were watching on TV. "I want to run out of the tunnel. There are 10,000 people in Gampel. Unbelievable, energy and crowd will go crazy. "They walked out (applause). It seems that they are on a bad stand-up night.... When the fans come back, our kids will know how special it is. So if they take it for granted, I assure you that they will no longer be.

None of us will take it for granted anymore.

Auriemma said: "They have the opportunity to participate in the game, which is grateful." "I think they are grateful for that. I know the coaching staff is like this, and people watching at home may also be like this."