Geno Auriemma Doesn’t Let Travel Problems Interfere With Winning

Geno Auriemma is sitting at a table at a hotel in Rhode Island, food laid out before him, surrounded by his Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team that he has every reason to suspect might, in just a few weeks, win the 13th national championship in the school’s gilded history.

The legendary coach is looking at eggs, muffins, fruit, coffee. In his mind, though, he sees basketball. He sees opportunity.

“This,” says with Wizard of Storrs, “is called the Breakfast Breakdown.”

Soon, Auriemma is moving items around, diagramming a play. Will it work? Probably — the Huskies are 33-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country heading into the start of next week’s NCAA tournament, and everything Auriemma has touched this season has seemingly gone exactly to plan.

Alas, this specific moment is scripted, part of Marriott Bonvoy‘s newest campaign, “Where Gameday Checks In.” The advertising spot, developed with Wieden+Kennedy New York and directed by filmmakers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris of “Little Miss Sunshine” fame, was shot at the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites South Kingstown Newport Area.

It very much rings true, however. “I’ve been staying at Marriott Bonvoy properties for 42 years now at least, and maybe even more, so it wasn’t anything that I had to make up,” Auriemma said recently about taking part in the spot, though he added the Breakfast Breakdown was a little different in real life. “It [usually] ends up being salt and pepper shakers, coffee cups, whatever is available. That one was a little bit different.”

A Past With No Meeting Rooms

Now in his 41st season in Storrs, Auriemma has traveled around the world winning titles and elevating the sport of women’s basketball. The championships are won for all the world to see. They are earned in private moments like the one mimicked in the commercial, in a thousand hotels just like the one depicted in the ad.

That ad is part of the new campaign that features a series of spots with the likes of U.S. Rugby player Ilona Maher and ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit and also includes Marriott Bonvoy teaming up with the “Show Me Something” podcast — hosted by Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham and journalist West Wilson — to launch the limited series “Live From the Bracket.” The four-episode series will explore the lasting impact of sports-related travel on players and fans and will be available on Apple, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, X and YouTube. Each show will dive into the culture of college basketball and life on the road and how even moments that might seem small can create lasting memories.

“When I first started we couldn’t get a meeting room, [hotels] wouldn’t let you have a meeting room,” Auriemma said. “So we would meet in my room and I didn’t necessarily get a suite back then, you’re all crammed into your room and you’re watching film in your room. Now fast forward to today and we never have to worry about a way we can get into a hotel and out of the hotel.”

The pain points are different these days. “The big thing that we look for — and obviously that’s why we find ourselves in Marriott Bonvoy properties whenever we possibly can — is a food program that allows us to take care of our athletes the way we would if we were home,” said Auriemma. “We want to do it the exact same way when we’re traveling. We [also] need a ballroom big enough that we can set up our table in a fashion where everyone can see each other. Some places will say we can do seven roundtables, we need a table big enough for 30 people. Then we need a place to create a walkthrough basketball halfcourt scenario. We’ve never not been able to do that. Those are the things that make a difference.”

New Travel Challenges Await

This March is bringing a different kind of travel challenge. On March 2, the NCAA issued a travel warning to schools and coaches that will be taking part in the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments starting next week, alerting them to possible logistical problems getting around the country because of a shortage of charter planes.

Asked if he worries about the potential problem of getting his team wherever it needs to go over the next few weeks, Auriemma said, “We always worry about it. The charter space has shrunk a lot over the years. Less companies are flying teams so there’s a tremendous demand. Teams are all flying and want the plane when they want it and leave and get back when they want. It’s always been a problem.”

There haven’t been too many problems on the court for Auriemma and his Huskies this season, and he doesn’t anticipate letting any travel snafus interrupt their quest for a title.

“When you think about it, winning is the easy part,” said Auriemma, who has been ably assisted on logistics like travel for more than 30 years by Sarah Darras, UConn’s assistant athletic director for women’s basketball administration. “Getting there in one piece — that’s the hard part because it’s out of your control. The only way it matters is if you as a coach make it a big deal. I don’t make it a big deal with our team.”

One example of many: Last year the Huskies clinched Auriemma’s 24th Final Four appearance with a win on a Monday night in Spokane, Washington. They then had to fly to Tampa, site of the Final Four, the next day and get ready for practice and interviews on Wednesday and Thursday before playing the national semi-finals on Friday against a UCLA team that had had an extra day of rest.

“The alternative is we could be flying home,” Auriemma said. “The problem is if you make it a problem. You gotta learn to roll with it, man, and not make it bigger than what you can control.”

The end result, of course, was two Huskies victories by an average of nearly 29 points and another national title. They were, as always, in total control.