CONNSTEP Joins Connecticut in Honoring UConn Women’s 2025 NCAA Basketball Title

By Amanda Beaulieu 

It’s a sight University of Connecticut basketball fans have come to expect: an April championship parade and rally in downtown Hartford. 

 

For the third straight year, fans of all ages cheered on another Husky national title, further cementing UConn’s nickname: The Basketball Capital of the World.  

 

After the UConn Men’s basketball team won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2023 and 2024, 2025 was all about the women. 

 

An estimated 20,000 fans packed Trinity, Jewell, and Trumbull streets, all eager to see the UConn Women’s team, led by superstar Paige Bueckers, as they celebrated their dominant NCAA Tournament performance. 

 

Parade participants included the Hartford Police Department Color Guard, UConn Fire Department, Hartford Business Improvement District, Magic Soul Drumline, and the Connecticut Army National Guard.  

 

The Huskies, decked out in their championship gear, rounded out the procession, waving to fans from atop an open-air double-decker bus, throwing t-shirts and candy to the cheering crowd. 

 

UConn’s 2025 title marks the 12th championship for Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma, who has now won titles in four different decades. 

 

Addressing the crowds chanting “Geno, Geno” at the rally in front of the XL Center following the parade, Auriemma thanked the thousands I attendance, telling them, “This is pretty incredible, it’s pretty special…but we already knew that because you guys are special fans and you’re special supporters.” 

 

Azi Fudd, named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament, also spoke to fans, calling the championship a “storybook ending.”  

 

Bueckers expressed thanks for the support the team has received from not only Connecticut, but around the world, saying, “It’s meant everything to all of us to play here, to represent this program, to represent you guys, the state of Connecticut, and we love you all, thank you.” 

 

The Huskies’ parade and rally were organized through a partnership between the City of Hartford, the State of Connecticut, and the Hartford Business Improvement District.

 

According to Governor Ned Lamont, no city or state funding was used to pay for the event, including costs for police, fire, and ambulance services; public works and sanitation; staging and production; permits and insurance; and labor hours for event set-up, management, and take-down. Many businesses and organizations jumped in to sponsor the event, and CONNSTEP was proud to be one of them. 

 

“We are very appreciative of the many businesses and organizations whose sponsorship is covering the costs of this victory parade and rally,” said Governor Lamont. 

 

“Their donations are making this event possible, and I thank all of them for helping to honor the 2025 UConn women’s basketball national championship team.” 

 

The UConn, CONNSTEP connection goes back 31 years to 1994 (just one year before the UConn Women went undefeated and won their first NCAA basketball title).  

 

What is now CONNSTEP, began at UConn as the State Technology Extension Program (STEP).  

 

Today, the University and CONNSTEP work closely on projects like CT SMARTE, connecting Connecticut’s small and medium-sized manufacturers with advanced technologies to drive efficiency and growth.  

 

UConn and CONNSTEP are both integral parts of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, helping bring manufacturing ideas to life from ideation through to marketing. 

 

UConn is also one of the universities involved in Capstone Projects. Connecticut manufacturers annually present university engineering students with real-world design challenges, fostering collaborative problem-solving and providing students with practical experience. CONNSTEP facilitates the connections between the universities and the manufacturers. 

 

In addition to CONNSTEP, many other businesses and organizations sponsored the parade and rally: 

• Coca-Cola 
• Jordan’s Furniture 
• Hartford HealthCare 
• LAZ Parking 
• Mohegan Sun 
• Nassau Financial Group 
• PeoplesBank 
• Travelers 
• Bear’s Smokehouse Barbecue 
• CT Realtors 
• UConn Health 
• Connecticut Army National Guard 
• Delta Dental of CT 
• Sam’s Food Stores 
• Two Roads Brewing 
• Verogy 
• WFSB 

 

The following businesses provided substantial in-kind services: 

• C2 Vehicles 
• DATTCO 
• Manafort Brothers 
• Mitchell Auto Group 
• Peter Pan Bus Lines 
• Powerstation Events 
• XL Center 

 

Congratulations to the Huskies on a tremendous season!