Auriemma to open restaurant at casino

Thursday, June 9, 2005 | 9:16 a.m.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma announced Wednesday that he will open a restaurant inside the Mohegan Sun casino.

The move is being discouraged by the NCAA, which doesn't like the idea of a coach being linked to a gambling establishment, and comes amid growing scrutiny in Connecticut of coaches entering outside contracts.

"Geno Auriemma's Fast Break," a 300-seat, food-court style establishment, is scheduled to open at the Indian casino next year. It would be Auriemma's first restaurant. But the coach said he is also considering opening an eatery in Hartford and would consider further expansion if the venture is successful.

"It's an unbelievable moment right now for a lot of people," Auriemma said. "This is just the beginning of what I think will be a special relationship."

archive