University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Celebrates Gampel's 30th And 'Dream Team'
2/9/2020 10:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Danny Barletta
UConn Athletic Communications
STORRS, Conn. -- At halftime of the UConn men's basketball game against Cincinnati on Sunday, members of the 1989-90 team were honored as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary the opening of Gampel Pavilion.
The 1989-90 UConn team, the first to play in Gampel, put together UConn's "Dream Season," the first UConn team to win 30 games, the first to win a Big East regular-season championship, the first to win the Big East Tournament championship and it reached the Elite Eight. Among the former Huskies who returned to Gampel Sunday to be honored Chris Smith, Rod Sellers, Scott Burrell, John Gwynn, Lyman DePriest, Murray Williams, Marc Suhr, Dan Cyrulik, Oliver Macklin, Assistant Coach Howie Dickenman and, of course, Head Coach Jim Calhoun.
That season was one of the most important in the program's history, as it marked the entrance of UConn basketball onto the national stage.
"Thirty years ago, these were the guys who got the whole thing started," said Calhoun, addressing the crowd at halftime after the introductions. "The Big East Championships, the National Championships, the All-Americans, all the great things -- they started it all because they believed in each other, they believed in our coaching staff, but they really believed in UConn."
Besides its Big East titles in 1989-90, UConn earned a No. 1 seed in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1979. The team's run in the tournament was magical, including game-winning buzzer-beater by Tate George in the Sweet Sixteen against Clemson. Burrell, who threw the full-court pass that set George up, said that is still one of the top five moments of his life.
UConn would go on to lose to Duke in the Elite Eight on another last-second shot by Christian Laettner, but clearly a new basketball era had begun in Storrs. The Huskies went on to make six more tournament appearances before finally winning their first National Championship in 1999.
Smith, the leading scorer on the 1990 squad and still UConn's all-time leading scorer with 2,145 points, said it's crazy to see what the program became after that season.
"It's great, it's great," Smith said. "Just being recruited by UConn, I remember my family back in the day were like, 'Why are you going to UConn? They're last in the league.' Just to come here and make a change and to see where it's come from where we were, it's unbelievable."
Another milestone for UConn basketball came in that season: The Huskies left their old on-campus home in the Field House and moved into the brand new Gampel Pavilion. Sellers said he still remembers the first game ever played in Gampel — a 72-58 win over No. 15 St. John's on Jan. 27, 1990 — like it was yesterday.
"It was insane," Sellers said. "It was so loud in there. I mean it was unbelievably loud. It was just electric … To beat those guys, it was tremendous. St. John's was really good."
The Huskies went on to win all five of their games in Gampel that year en route to the first 30-win season in program history. Burrell said moving into Gampel definitely changed the atmosphere at their games.
"It just brought it up to the next level," Burrell said. "The atmosphere was awesome. You had so much energy, you never got tired. You played relentless for the fans and Coach and for your teammates, which was fun. Fun to play in."
It's not a coincidence that Gampel's opening intersected with the breakout of UConn basketball. Smith said he feels Gampel really contributed to the program's emergence.
"Just being on campus and allowing the fans to really come to the games," Smith said. "The kids on campus, just to come to the games and make it a little crazy. It's good for us because … it just builds excitement."
Thirty years later, Gampel is still one of the most iconic venues in college basketball, and it still provides a significant home-court advantage for UConn. The 1989-90 Huskies saw firsthand that their legacy lives on, as the 2019-20 Huskies produced a thrilling 72-71 overtime victory over Cincinnati before 9,405 roaring Gampel fans.
