 |
| The UConn Huskies will be featured on a new HBO reality series in March. |
The UConn Huskies may be missing Breanna Stewart, who recently
earned WNBA Rookie of the Year honors with the Seattle Storm and is currently
playing in China, but they are still all over the airwaves. Case in point: HBO
Sports and IMG have announced an unscripted series chronicling the 2016-17
season of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team’s pursuit of a
fifth consecutive national championship. UConn
Huskies: The March to Madness will debut on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 10:00
ET/PT with a special hour-long edition, followed by new half-hour episodes on
subsequent Wednesdays.
Highlighting UConn Huskies: The March to Madness will chronicle the hard work and high expectations, game-by-game in the American Athletic Conference, as the Huskies seek to continue their extraordinary run of berths in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. Scheduled to run through the conclusion of the 2016-17 season, the show will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, and offer a unique look at the personalities who shape the powerhouse program.
the players, coaches and support personnel,
The reigning four-time national champions, UConn has
achieved unprecedented success in women’s college basketball and is on the
verge of surpassing the UCLA men’s basketball record of 11 NCAA national
championships. Under the stewardship of head coach Geno Auriemma, currently in
his 32nd season with the team, the Huskies have appeared in the NCAA Tournament
28 straight years, including appearances in 16 Final Fours. Last spring, as Connecticut
registered the sixth undefeated season in its illustrious history, it also
captured its fourth consecutive national championship in the process.
“We are always looking for fascinating stories that will
appeal to our subscribers, and this project will shine a spotlight on one of
the most successful athletic programs in America,” says Rick Bernstein,
executive producer, HBO Sports. “Under Coach Auriemma, the University of
Connecticut has built a tremendous program that excels year after year. Our
goal is to explore why this program is so accomplished and to tell the
backstories of the student-athletes who are committed to carving out a
remarkable piece of history on the college basketball landscape.”
“The Huskies’ program is the gold standard in college
basketball: outstanding leadership, a legacy of dedicated players and the
ability to make history time and time again,” says Mike Antinoro, senior vice
president, Programming and Production, IMG. “We are excited and honored to
share their unique story in partnership with HBO.”
For more than a decade, HBO Sports has been responsible
for some of the most compelling unscripted sports programming, with a stylish
and contemporary approach keyed by unrestricted access. “Hard Knocks,” launched
in 2001 in partnership with NFL Films, has won 14 Sports Emmy®
Awards, and the groundbreaking all-access reality franchise “24/7” has earned
18 Sports Emmy® Awards.
UConn Huskies: The
March to Madness marks HBO Sports’ second foray into a reality series
spotlighting a college sports program. Last year, HBO and IMG teamed up for
“Gonzaga: The March to Madness,” following that team’s march to its 18th consecutive
NCAA men’s basketball tournament berth.
Journalist Harvey Araton has written, “Perfection, or
near perfection, has become a virtual state of Connecticut grace.”
“We are absolutely thrilled to be involved in this
project,” says Auriemma. “Knowing the kind of high-quality content that is
showcased by HBO, I am already looking forward to watching the first episode.
This offers a tremendous opportunity for a lot of people to get an inside look
at our university and to see just what goes into building a championship team.”
UConn Huskies: The
March to Madness will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, and HBO On
Demand.
No comments:
Post a Comment