Bruno and Auriemma Will Go Head-to-Head Wednesday Night
12/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO - When Doug Bruno and Geno Auriemma meet to shake hands on Wednesday night, the showdown between No. 23/18 DePaul and No. 1/1 Connecticut is simply the latest installment in a powerful 25-year friendship and rivalry that defines the essence of these women's basketball luminaries.
The two coaches will set aside their old-school, old-world relationship for a couple of hours while summoning up all their motivational savvy and instincts in hopes of guiding their team to a victory at McGrath-Phillips Arena.
No matter the final outcome, Bruno and Auriemma will likely retire to a local watering hole afterwards to regale in the evening's festivities and savor their shared belief of living life to its fullest.
"When you love to compete, you want to go against the best," Bruno said. "UConn is the gold standard of women's hoops. You know you're facing the best team and best coach in the country.
"The moment you step between the lines, you forget about who is coaching across the way. I don't think about Geno. You're trying to get your team to play its absolute best against the best in the nation."
Bruno quickly acknowledges that reconnecting with Auriemma is always about more than the game.
"Geno and I have a friendship that is not just about basketball---it's about life," Bruno said. "It's about our families and children and grandchildren. It's about books, movies, music, golf, traveling and being on the road together during recruiting and while coaching together with USA Basketball. It's about all the life experiences we've shared.
"Of course, we do have our differences. Geno is a connoisseur of fine wines and even has his own brand of wine. I'm more of a Miller Lite kind of guy."
At its core, it is a relationship based on a common sensitivity and desire to help those less fortunate in our world. Both have risen from humble origins to a place among the best in their profession.
Auriemma came over to this country from Italy after growing up in the small mountain village of Montella in the southern part of the country. He grew up in a house without electricity, running water or heat.
Bruno lived in a trailer in south suburban Robbins growing up. It was a blue-collar, working man's upbringing in which a college education became a reality only after a tough-as-nails basketball player from Quigley South received an athletic scholarship from legendary DePaul coach Ray Meyer.
Their friendship began when Auriemma was in Chicago for a coaching clinic in 1990 and asked Bruno for tickets to a Bulls game. Bruno and Auriemma sat eight rows from the court and watched Michael Jordan put on a show. Whenever Auriemma is in town during the warm-weather months, he and Bruno will attend a Cubs game.
They became even closer when DePaul joined the BIG EAST Conference in the 2005-06 season. The first league game facing one another was Jan. 28, 2006 with UConn prevailing 84-75 at DePaul. UConn has won all 10 games in the series including two BIG EAST tournament games.
DePaul was poised to pull off the biggest upset in program history in March of 2008. The Blue Demons led No. 1 Connecticut by 17 points early in the second half before a sold-out and raucous McGrath Arena crowd.
UConn battled back, but Allie Quigley's baseline jumper with 30.9 seconds left gave Bruno & Co. a 76-74 lead. A Huskie free throw with 14.6 seconds left followed by a Maya Moore steal set the stage for Ketia Swanier's basket with 1.6 seconds on the clock in UConn's 77-76 win.
"When I'm coaching against a friend, it's only difficult when we win," Bruno said. "That is always bittersweet. You love to win and are happy for your players. But it's not the same kind of joy when it's your friend. That just happened when we beat Colgate and good friend coach Nicci Hays Fort last Friday.
"For me, it's not as hard losing to a friend as beating a friend. That being said, we're going to have to beat UConn to experience that."
Bruno and Auriemma share a mutual admiration and respect along with a matching perspective on growing the game of women's college basketball with a fast-paced, entertaining version of the sport.
"I enjoy the perspective Doug brings to the game," Auriemma told the Hartford Courant. "He's coached at every level there is in just about every era you can imagine. He's very passionate about the game and his players. He's one of the few coaches in America who I've have never heard say anything that wasn't positive about his players. He loves to practice and is constantly upbeat."
Not long after Auriemma was chosen to coach the USA Basketball Women's National Team, Bruno was added to the staff as an assistant coach. The two of them led Team USA to World Championships titles in 2010 and 2014 and to a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. They will be side-by-side going for the gold again at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Bruno accompanied Auriemma on a visit to his childhood home in Italy and has stayed at the home of Geno and his wife Kathy a number of times. They both won't soon forget getting stuck in an elevator in Spain.
Auriemma spoke at a special ceremony Nov. 6, 2010 commemorating Bruno's 25th season and the dedication of the "Doug Bruno Court" at McGrath-Phillips Arena. When Bruno became only the third Division I women's coach to have a basketball court named in his or her honor, Auriemma came and spoke at the dedication.
"Once Doug Bruno becomes your friend, you have a friend for life," Auriemma said. "We compete as hard against each other as any two coaches in the BIG EAST---he's like a bulldog. Each time we meet, at that moment, I want to beat DePaul more than anything else.
"But he is also part of my family. He is a father, a teacher. He is DePaul and the city of Chicago."
Bruno is hoping to re-enact a scene that played out three years ago in London.
"After we won the gold medal, we didn't get back to the hotel until 1:30 a.m.," Bruno said. "There was a celebration, but a lot of players had to get ready to depart later that morning to rejoin their WNBA teams. By noon, everybody was gone.
"Geno and I were up until 6 a.m. We talked about what a great experience it was, pulling this Olympic team together at the last minute and going on to win the gold. We reflected on how difficult it was and all the stuff we worked out.
"This was a four-year journey in which you have to finish on top."
In the course of their journey over the last quarter of a century, Bruno and Auriemma have never stopped ascending.
"There is a prayer my grandmother gave me when I was 12 years old," Bruno said. "It talks about living every day to the fullest so that you can look forward with confidence and look back without regrets. Be yourself---but be your best self. Dare to be different and follow your own star.
"Don't be afraid to be happy, enjoy what is beautiful and love with all your heart and soul. Forget what you have done for your friends and remember what they have done for you. And there's more.
"I try to live by that prayer, and Geno does too. Being around him, we're the same in that regard. That prayer in a nutshell sums up how I live and how Geno lives."
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The 2015-16 DePaul women's basketball tickets are on sale now at www.depaulbluedemons.com/tickets. Join in and be part of the BIG EAST action all season long at McGrath-Phillips Arena. Flexible mini packages including the PICK 6 and UConn+1 as well as group ticket offers are also available for purchase and feature great savings off of single game ticket rates. Call the DePaul ticket office at (773) 325-SLAM (7526) and speak with a ticket representative to learn more about joining the excitement of DePaul athletics.