Former assistant returns to Storrs as Temple coach

Last year, Tonya Cardoza sat on the sidelines during UConn's run to the Final Four. In fact, she had been a key part of the coaching staff for 14 years helping to build the women's basketball program as an assistant coach.

She had won five national championships alongside head coach Geno Auriemma and went to eight Final Fours. She worked with All-Americans like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.

In July 2008, she became Temple University's new head coach.

There, she led the team to a 21-9 record just a year after it lost in the NCAA Tournament first round, finishing 21-13.

It has been eight months since she packed up her bags and left small-town Storrs for the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia.

Now, she returns to Gampel Pavilion at the helm of the Owls as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. On Sunday, she and her team will face No. 8-seeded Florida 30 minutes after the Huskies finish their first-round game against Vermont.

Kalana Greene said she thought that Temple would be a lower seed after its loss to Charlotte - which received an 11 seed in the Oklahoma City Regional - but was happy to see the team receive a higher placing in the bracket.

Lorin Dixon and Tina Charles also expressed excitement that Cardoza would return to Storrs for another game, even if she is on a different bench.

"Honestly, I think she should just be excited," Dixon said. "I don't see a reason why Tonya should be nervous. Tonya's a great coach, you know, when she was here from the year I've known her, Tonya did an amazing job with me and with everybody else. I think she should just be excited to come back. I'm sure UConn fans are going to have a lot of love for her, so I don't see any reason for her being nervous."

Auriemma, however, said that the announcement was somewhat anticipated because of a tipoff that there was a possibility Temple would indeed come to Gampel if it received an at-large bid.

"I'm really proud of Tonya; I was talking to her today and it's apropos, I think," he said. "I'm glad she gets to bring her kids into this building so that she can show them what she helped to build."

That includes the recent success UConn has had on a national level. Greene and Charles credited Cardoza with the development of the guards - her specialty while at UConn - especially Renee Montgomery. Greene described Montgomery's relationship with Cardoza as one that made her a better player.

Of course, some may say that this means Cardoza knows secrets to shutting down Montgomery. Greene, on the other hand, does not see it that way.

"I think anybody in the Big East knows our secrets, in America," she said. "It's just everyone's seen everything that we've done, it's just a matter of us executing or them stopping us. And I think if we execute, it's going to be hard to guard us.

"Everyone knows what Renee likes to do, but they can't stop her."

Along with Cardoza will return Brittany Hunter, who graduated last year and was part of UConn's Final Four team. She is now Cardoza's assistant at Temple. Stacey Nasser, one of the UConn women's basketball team managers, is also now at Temple, as a graduate assistant.

Greene and Charles maintained that having two people who were integral at UConn last season return was not bizarre, nor would it be if both teams should win in the first round.

"It's going to be fine," Charles said. "I still talk to her [Hunter] all the time. But, you know, they have to win their game and we have to win ours so we can't look too far ahead."

Maya Moore stressed that the team could not look ahead to what is yet to come, and that the Huskies need to focus on what they are doing come Sunday before getting too excited about what-ifs.

And if both teams were to somehow face each other?

"It's a big change going from one coaching staff to another and losing players," Greene said. "So I'm happy for Tonya and what she's done and I wish her the best of luck in the tournament. But if we face each other, I'm not going to wish you that much luck."