During the early days of March Madness, which now seem like the distant past, Lucy Gilson was scheduled to meet with a business major who had wedged the half-hour appointment to discuss her independent study into a hectic schedule.<\/p>\n
Just as the meeting began, the fire alarm sounded in the School of Business. Remaining in Gilson\u2019s office was not an option. The six-foot-tall Gilson and her equally tall student, notebook in hand, strode out of the building to continue the conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re a six-foot-tall woman, you stand out,\u201d said Gilson, who is head of the management department in the School of Business. \u201cBut when you are two six-foot-tall women, you stand out more. And she is also highly visible because of who she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u201d is a member of UConn\u2019s Women\u2019s Basketball Team, which broke all sorts of records in the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis last night. And Gilson was there, sitting behind the bench as the faculty advisor of the Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference and the faculty advisor to several of the players.<\/p>\n
Gilson’s various roles dovetail nicely with her area of academic expertise. She researches team effectiveness and teaches about leadership \u2013 and is particularly passionate about women\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n
Gilson was courtside not just last night but at many, many games this season. \u201cI\u2019m there working \u2026 watching Geno lead, watching my students perform,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are all doing our jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we each do our jobs well,” she added, “we perform well as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Do a search for news about UConn women\u2019s basketball, and you’ll find that the team\u2019s effectiveness and Auriemma\u2019s leadership are a consistent theme.<\/p>\n
That should come as no surprise, given the fact that the UConn women\u2019s team \u2013 and Auriemma \u2013 last night clinched their 11th national championship, the most of any college basketball program in history. In doing so, Auriemma surpassed John Wooden, the legendary men\u2019s basketball coach at UCLA, who won 10 national titles.<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s leadership? Just look to senior Breanna Stewart, who has been honored as the Final Four Most Outstanding Player four times, something that\u2019s never been done before in NCAA basketball history. What’s more, the team has won every game this season by double digits.<\/p>\n
\nIf we each do our jobs well, we perform well as a team. — Lucy Gilson<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
But it\u2019s not just their prowess on the court that attracts attention. One CNN story<\/a> leading to the championship game noted the \u201c5 Reasons why UConn\u2019s Women\u2019s Hoops Dominance is Incredible.\u201d Among them are the records listed here. But included on the list is also a non-athletic kudos: \u201cThe Huskies Score in the Classroom, Too.\u201d<\/p>\n