Catching Up

From a reporter’s standpoint, I think having Barbara Turner back in town Friday night only made me miss her more.
She’s still a pleasure to talk with and still a great quote. I say talk with opposed to interview because Barbara doesn’t make the process feel trying or one sided. She seems to enjoy the questions and answers — if she doesn’t, boy can she fake things well — and knows how to tell a story in the most engaging of ways.
Among the best excerpts from the interview not to make the paper — you could write til no end when talking with her — were how she’s still a jokester like in her days at UConn (coach Anne Donovan called her a ‘Nut’ in a recent birthday card, which Barbara took as a term of endearment) and the headband she wore opening night. It hasn’t reappeared after she got plenty of heat from all of UConn’s coaching staff, although she claims that was the point of the fashion statement.
Also, as a testament to her relationship with UConn players, Barbara told us before tip that all 12 members of the current team were coming to the game. I didn’t catch all of them, but on the way out, myself and two other reporters who also cover the UConn women and Sun bumped into six members of next year’s sophomore or junior class.