Swin Cash \u201902 (CLAS), the former Husky star and current VP of Basketball Operations and Team Development for the NBA\u2019s New Orleans Pelicans, was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last fall. We caught up with her in November at Gampel Pavilion, where she became just the third UConn basketball student-athlete to have their number retired. Cash\u2019s 32 now hangs in the Gampel rafters alongside Rebecca Lobo\u2019s 50 and Ray Allen\u2019s 34.<\/p>\n
Cash\u2019s on-court accolades are legendary \u2014 on her way to two NCAA championships and three WNBA championships, she was named a first team All-American, an NCAA tournament most outstanding player, a four-time WNBA All-Star, and a member of the WNBA\u2019s 2021 25th Anniversary Team. But Cash was quick to tell us that she hopes to be remembered more for her contributions to the lives of others.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat to me is more important than the baskets I have scored and championships I have won. Helping the people that are coming behind you is what really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cash is proud of \u201cShe\u2019s Got Time,\u201d a podcast and social media presence she started to help women navigate a career in the business end of sports. \u201cI really wanted to create an intergenerational type of connectivity and community for women who want to be in sports.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her NBA front office job, Cash\u2019s responsibilities run the court. \u201cI oversee everything that touches our players, whether it is marketing, branding, or social responsibility, and I am also involved in our scouting, draft, free agency, and trade deadline processes,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a multitude of things that is a lot of fun and has also sharpened my skill set. My day-to-day interactions and interfacing with the business side of the team is constantly growing my understanding of that side of basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n
She translates that for the next generation.<\/p>\n