For the article “Basketball Capital of the World,” celebrating the University of Connecticut (UConn) men’s basketball’s fifth national championship, we wanted to avoid a tired recap, and we wanted two voices: one speaking to what this means to Connecticut and the UConn community and one explaining how this sits in the national conversation about basketball elites. We also had just a couple weeks to pull it off. Tapping into resources in our department and the professional connections of our staff, we sunk a slam dunk: UConn’s own news director and lifelong Husky diehard Tom Breen provided the former, and famed sports commentator Jim Nantz of CBS Sports provided the latter. Bookending our visually compelling cover package on the win, their commentary stoked the good feelings of our alums and UConn fans and put into ink just how much UConn deserves to be spoken about in the same breath as basketball powerhouses such as Duke.
From the Judges
Fun, feel-good piece that keeps the reader engaged. Enjoyed the quiz questions sprinkled throughout the piece, as well as the stunning photographs!
