Women’s Basketball Coaches Aim to Return to Madison Square Garden

Geno Auriemma from UConn and Joe Tartamella from St. John’s are eager to see women’s college basketball return to Madison Square Garden. During Big East Media Day, the two coaches shared their enthusiasm about potentially playing in this iconic venue once again.

“We used to play here at St. John’s,” Auriemma recalled. “I really hope we can do that again.” Indeed, St. John’s hosted Butler at the Garden in February as part of a special doubleheader event.

While the women’s team isn’t scheduled to play at MSG this season, Tartamella isn’t completely shutting down the idea of future opportunities.

Currently, the date of the March 1st game between UConn and St. John’s is listed as “undetermined,” raising some questions about whether it will actually take place in Manhattan. Interestingly, St. John’s men’s team has no game that day, with only the Knicks set to play at 1 p.m.

Auriemma and Tartamella have explored various options to bring women’s basketball to MSG, including the idea of hosting a four-team event—something akin to the Champions Classic planned for December at Barclays Center.

They also discussed the possibility of staging another doubleheader featuring both men’s and women’s teams at the Garden. “I think, regardless of who it is, we should aim to play a game or two here every year,” Auriemma stated. “It’s great for St. John’s University.” He expressed optimism about the response they’ve received so far, suggesting it might happen sooner or later.

Starting his 14th season with St. John’s, Tartamella emphasized the significance of the venue. Having coached over a dozen games at the Garden, he considers it a powerful recruitment tool. “For us, this is home,” he said. “Every time I come here, I still get chills.”