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Imani Boyette vs. Stefanie Dolson: “I hate Connecticut”

By Imani Boyette

Mar 31, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma reacts during the game against the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs in the semifinals of the women's Final Four at American Airlines Center. The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs defeated the Connecticut Huskies in overtime 66-64. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma reacts during the game against the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs in the semifinals of the women's Final Four at American Airlines Center. The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs defeated the Connecticut Huskies in overtime 66-64. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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I am writing this while on a three-hour flight to Connecticut. Once I land in Connecticut, I will board a charter bus and drive an hour from Hartford to Uncasville. The only positive thing about this trip is that it means season is around the corner, that I will get to put on the jersey for the first time in the 2017 season. Those that know me and/or follow me on Twitter know that the Nutmeg State is my least favorite state in the union.

But I don’t know if I’ve ever given Connecticut a chance. What better way to do so than to sit down with my newest teammate and UConn grad, Stefanie Dolson? So, I got together with Stef last night and explained to her my reasons for disliking the state that is home to her alma mater.

My first experience with Connecticut was my junior year of high school when I took an east coast college trip with my class and we visited Yale, in New Haven, CT. This trip was taken in January and it rained the entire trip. There was sleet everywhere and it even caused our bus to have trouble.

That was the beginning of the end.

Mar 28, 2016; Bridgeport, CT, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Breanna Stewart (30) defends against Texas Longhorns center Imani Boyette (34) during the first half in the finals of the Bridgeport regional of the women’s NCAA Tournament at Webster Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2016; Bridgeport, CT, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Breanna Stewart (30) defends against Texas Longhorns center Imani Boyette (34) during the first half in the finals of the Bridgeport regional of the women’s NCAA Tournament at Webster Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

I had a brief recruiting relationship with UConn. I had received mail outs and a hand-written letter from Geno, but I never followed up with interest. I knew I couldn’t play for him. I was the golden child and did not think I could survive in a state I had already grown to dislike surrounded by other golden children. At the time, I also didn’t want to play after college.

I eventually chose Texas, a place where I could immediately contribute and would be the gem of the recruiting class but also had the number one accounting program in the country. But the 2012 UConn recruiting class would also be special, they would go on to win 4 national championships and make history…and add to my dislike of the state. My junior year in college they would break the Sweet 16 margin of victory record by beating us and the following year, they would defeat us again in the Elite 8, ending my college career.

I respect UConn. There is no way to not respect the genius behind the machine that is Geno Auriemma, however, I can still dislike them. Call me Bitter Becky.

My dislike of UConn is, I’m sure, shared with most teams that lose to them in March and the teams they routinely pulverize in the American Athletic Conference.

Apr 8, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma hugs center Stefanie Dolson (31) during the second half of the championship game of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Womens Division I Championship tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Connecticut wins 79-58. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma hugs center Stefanie Dolson (31) during the second half of the championship game of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Womens Division I Championship tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Connecticut wins 79-58. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports /

And to this, Stefanie responded, “So you’re bitter? Okay. I don’t blame you for not liking UConn because we do beat a lot of people and now after losing I hate the people I lose to, too.”

Stefanie had a different goal in mind in her recruiting process. A small-town girl from Upstate New York, she “wanted to play [in the WNBA] but [she] didn’t think [she] could until [she] got to Connecticut.”

She went on to explain that she came from a place where only a handful of students had ever gone on to play sports in college and her family even debated moving to the city to give her a better chance at a college scholarship. She chose UConn because unlike me, she was used to the weather and “it was a championship place” but mostly because of the impression Coach Auriemma made on her.

“He was straightforward, he was like you’re not that good but we can make you that good,” she said. She also acknowledged that “it’s not for everyone”, explaining that her class started with five and finished with only two. She shared how hard her first year was telling me, “My first year I cried all the time, I almost left because I thought it was too hard. I just remember talking to him about it and he convinced me to stay.”

The final moment that solidified my hatred for the state of Connecticut was my draft day. My draft day was at The Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT and due to the middle of nowhere-ness of it, my husband missed my Draft Day. He spent an entire day trying to get to CT but after missing a flight, not getting a seat on a flight, and being forced to fly to New York and be driven down he arrived at the end of the night. There were simply not enough flights that day going to Connecticut. I was even asked in my presser if I liked Connecticut now to which the answer was still a resounding no. Stefanie called my reasons coincidental and lamented that she “had not heard that many people have that many problems.”

UNCASVILLE, CT – APRIL 14: The number ten overall pick by the Chicago Sky Imani Boyette poses for a portrait during the 2016 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 14, 2016 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)
UNCASVILLE, CT – APRIL 14: The number ten overall pick by the Chicago Sky Imani Boyette poses for a portrait during the 2016 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 14, 2016 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

So no, Stefanie did not make me fall in love with the Nutmeg State. However, I did learn a lot about my new teammate. She’s currently thinking about getting an apartment in Connecticut and I have an open invite.

Maybe a night on the town with the world’s tallest, most bubbly, and inviting person can change my relationship with Connecticut. Two wins to start off the season this week won’t hurt, either.

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