NCAA women’s, men's basketball champs honored at the White House

Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The 2023-24 South Carolina women's and Connecticut men's NCAA basketball title teams visited the White House and met with President Joe Biden Tuesday to honor their respective achievements.

"To the families and friends and most of all to the players and coaches, congratulations on an incredible run of excellence," Biden said of the University of South Carolina women's team during the ceremony in the East Wing of the White House.

Biden especially praised coach Dawn Staley for turning around the South Carolina's women's basketball program, which finished the season with an undefeated record of 38-0.

Biden also greeted the University of Connecticut title team for the second time in two years.

"Welcome back," Biden said to the two-time defending national champions. "I won't be here next year, but you may be."

Speaking to Staley earlier, Biden said, "Coach, before you took the job in South Carolina, the women's team had just ... been to two tournaments in 17 years. And now, we're here to celebrate the third national championship [and] second in three years."

He said the team won 109 games against three losses over the past three seasons and is only the 10th team in women's college basketball history to post an undefeated season.

"You had to replace five starters due to the WNBA draft and graduation," Biden said. "And there were doubts all over ... about contending for the title this year."

The president said he picked the team to win the title and "won a lot of money" before admitting he was joking.

"You never gave up," Biden said of the team. "You kept the faith and you just finished the job."

He lauded the team effort required to defeat Iowa in the title game 87-75.

"In the back-and-forth game, everyone had to step up," Biden said. "Nine players recorded double-digit minutes" and "four players scored in double figures."

He said South Carolina's bench posted 37 points to none for Iowa's bench in the title game that drew a large television audience.

"The championship game was the most watched basketball game in five years, peaking at over 24 million viewers," Biden said. "I don't think anybody is watching men's basketball anymore."

Staley said the White House "symbolizes hope, unity and opportunity for all," and said the ceremonial event "is a moment that is not lost on me."

She referenced how South Carolina recently removed the Confederate flag from the state Capitol and described the flag as a "symbol that represented division and exclusion."

"That moment wasn't just a symbol being removed," Staley said. "It was about people coming together, uniting for a shared vision of progress, justice and equality."

Staley said the team embodies "diversity, inclusiveness and unity" and "doing things the right way."

Staley presented Biden with a team jersey with his presidential number on it, which he accepted and said he didn't play basketball in college.

Later, Biden congratulated the men's NCAA basketball champions for winning the program's sixth NCAA title in 25 years and being the first team to repeat as national champions in 17 years.

"It wasn't easy. Last year you started ... underestimated," Biden said of the Huskies.

"People questioned whether or not you had the talent to go back-to-back," he said. "I guess they didn't see you guys standing up."

Biden said the champions "proved everybody wrong."

"You were a force, winning the Big East regular season title, winning the Big East tournament, winning the NCAA tournament games ... by an average of 23 points," he said.

"Together, you capped off one of the most successful two-year runs in the history of the sport, ushering in a new era of UConn men's basketball, passing the likes of Duke and Indiana for all-time national titles.

"And now there's no doubt at all about who are the blue bloods of basketball."

UConn coach Dan Hurley said he wants the team to make visits to the White House an "annual thing."

"We knew we had the potential to have a special team, and it was a real simple mindset that we were trying to create," Hurley said. "Let's just win everything."

He said UConn had five chances to win championship trophies during the season and won all of them, from early season tournaments through the NCAA title run.

"Being a championship program, everyone in the organization understands the standards and the way we go about our business," Hurley said. "We understand that because we've climbed the mountain before."

"We played a brand of basketball that was absolutely beautiful to watch and absolutely dominant," he added.

The UConn team also presented Biden with a team jersey before the ceremony concluded.