Geno is Right: Firing Jamelle Elliott was a Disgrace

Cincinnati athletic director Mike Bohn announced on Thursday that he would not be retaining Jamelle Elliott as the Bearcats’ women’s basketball coach.

Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, who coached Elliott as part of the Huskies’ 1995 national title team, didn’t take too kindly to the decision.

Auriemma referred to the firing as “positively disgraceful” in a tweet on Friday.

Geno is right. Cincinnati posted its best season in the last 15 years under Elliott, earning its second WNIT bid during her nine year tenure with the Bearcats. She has built a competitive team in a highly competitive conference, a league that features not only the UConn juggernaut but also emerging powerhouses in USF and UCF. You didn’t hear one complaint in the press from Elliott about the Bearcats spending this season playing at a high school gymnasium.

This Bearcats team has been set up for continued success in the AAC. I can’t imagine why AD Bohn would want to pull the plug now. Jamelle Elliott has built a winning culture in the UC women’s basketball program, one that is now threatened.