H1834 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE April 12, 1999 (Mr. BURTON of Indiana addressed Congratulations, UCONN, the team, , winning the regular season cham- the House. His remarks will appear the president and all the folks back at pionship six times and the tournament cham- hereafter in the Extension of Re- Storrs. pionship four times. After only two seasons at marks.) Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the UCONN, Coach Calhoun led the Huskies to f University of Connecticut men's basketball the 1988 National Invitation Tournament team for winning the 1999 NCAA Division I championship. His teams have advanced to at GODSPEED TO OUR TROOPS IN National Championship over . least the round of sixteen in the NCAA tour- THE BALKANS UCONN's 77±74 victory over the Blue Devils nament seven times this decade. Coach Cal- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a culminated years of hard work, dedication and houn can be very intense, but he is committed previous order of the House, the gen- perseverance on the part of the players, to his players more than anything else. tleman from Connecticut (Mr. GEJDEN- coaches and the entire University community. In Connecticut, UCONN basektball is the SON) is recognized for 5 minutes. The residents of my state also deserve some state past-time. Every game is sold out and Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I of the credit for being among the most loyal, families across the state gather to watch every would like to join with my colleague supportive fans in the nation. game on TV or listen on the radio. The the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. The Huskies' ``road to the Final Four'' has Huskies have such phenomenal support be- SKELTON). Both of us had the privilege been long, but illustrious. UCONN has been in cause the team has a special relationship, a of accompanying Secretary of Defense the NCAA tournament twenty times in school dedication to one another which is infectious. Cohen into the theater. All of us history. Its teams have played in seven This commitment produced an extraordinary walked away, one, awestruck by the ``Sweet Sixteen'' and four ``Elite Eight'' games season. commitment and spirit of the young in the 1990s alone. The path to this year's Mr. Speaker, as a UCONN graduate and men and women who represent us Final Four appearanceÐthe first in school his- the representative of Storrs, I am especially there. Their technical ability, their toryÐincluded victories over Texas-San Anto- proud of the team's accomplishment. The proficiency is something that is awe- nio, New Mexico, Iowa and Gonzaga. UCONN team achieved its objective due to the extraor- inspiring, as well as their commitment. bested Ohio State to advance to the cham- Additionally, I think for me and oth- dinary chemistry between its members, skilled pionship game. UCONN's win over Duke pro- ers on the trip the commitment of the coaching and incredible support from its fans. duced the school's first NCAA Division I men's other NATO parties was something Once again, congratulations on a great sea- basketball National Championship and marked that struck us, and as we all pray and son and enjoy the titleÐ1999 National Cham- the first time since 1947 that a school from hope for a quick end to this conflict pion. New England has won the title. f and the safety and security of our men It goes without saying that basketball is a and women that are in the field, I join team sport. This UCONN team is the embodi- b 2000 with my colleague from Missouri and ment of that statement. Game in and game many others wishing them Godspeed. U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN KOSOVO: out, this group of extraordinary young men WHY THIS HUMANITARIAN CRISIS? CONGRATULATING THE UNIVERSITY OF worked together as a unit to achieve their CONNECTICUT MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM common goal. Every player made a contribu- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I do tion which helped the team win the Big East UPTON). Under a previous order of the want to take this first opportunity regular season and tournament champion- House, the gentleman from Pennsyl- back from the NCAA for a little bit of vania (Mr. GOODLING) is recognized for bragging rights, and when I was there ships, advance through the tournament to the Final Four and, ultimately, win the 1999 Na- 5 minutes. in Europe I met some other folks from Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I am Connecticut, some from my own dis- tional Championship. During the tournament every player made taking this opportunity to discuss one trict, and one of the great things about contributions that helped the team to move of the primary reasons I introduced our State is that our UCONN basket- ever closer to its ultimate goal. Kevin Freeman legislation that will prohibit the use of ball teams, men and women but this provided offensive spark throughout the tour- appropriated funds to the Department year it is the men’s turn, are really the nament especially in the game against Ohio of Defense from being used for the de- of attention from an athletic ployment of U.S. ground troops in perspective. Our team beat the Duke State and helped to contain national player of the year in the championship Kosovo unless deployment is specifi- Blue Devils 77 to 74 for that champion- cally approved by Congress and author- ship, and with this win UCONN became game. , who many people, includ- ized by law. the first school in New England to win ing this member, believe is the best defensive There are many reasons why Mem- this NCAA since 1947. player in , demonstrated It was a great team. They made an over and over again why he has earned this bers of Congress should support the incredible effort on that day and title. He played opposite star guards through- bill. Issues that need to be discussed in- through the whole season. What is out the tournament and made crucial plays clude the authority of Congress to de- clear to all of us is that each and every against Duke's in the final clare war, why this region is or is not one of the players put their heart and seconds of the championship game which vital to our national security interests, soul and every bit of effort in it, and I sealed the victory for UCONN. and whether the human and monetary congratulate each one of them. filled the lane throughout the tournament and cost of American involvement in this But I want to take a moment in par- in the final game played a crucial role in con- fight is worth risking American lives. ticular for and his entire taining Elton Brand. And what more can be The President has argued that for hu- coaching staff. Coach Calhoun, who is a said about the contributions of Richard Ham- manitarian reasons American interven- great coach and a great human being, ilton and Khalid El-Amin? Hamilton, who was tion is necessary. Why is it more im- someone that is involved in the com- named tournament MVP, scored an average portant for us to be involved militarily munity to help good causes, has been of 24 points in six tournament games capping in Yugoslavia, a country certainly of at UCONN since 1986 and has built an off the season with a 27 point performance in no real national security threat to the incredibly impressive record. In 13 sea- the final game. El-Amin, the team's floor lead- United States, when there are human sons his record is 304 wins, 120 losses. er, directed the offense, motivated his team- rights violations occurring in China, a Coach Calhoun has taken UCONN bas- mates and made crucial shots down the nation that is perhaps our biggest secu- ketball from the backwaters to the stretch in the victories against Ohio State and rity threat in the new world order? front edge of competition, and he has Duke. Others, including Edmund Saunders, While we rightly condemn Yugoslav succeeded time and time again in the Rashamel Jones and Souleymane Wane, President Milosevic for driving ethnic Big East, in the championships, and fi- played critical minutes in each game contrib- Albanians from Kosovo, we continue to nally this year in the NCAA. uting to the team's success. maintain a strategic partnership, sell For all my constituents, those like Coach Jim Calhoun and his assistantsÐ highly sensitive satellite information, myself who are graduates of the Uni- , and Tom MooreÐ provide normal trade relationship sta- versity of Connecticut and every cit- have done a masterful job. Over the past thir- tus to China, a nation that has sup- izen in our State, this was a truly ex- teen seasons, Coach Calhoun has built a pro- pressed and displaced over 128,000 Ti- citing moment and one that we will gram that has dominated the Big East, one of betans and commits some of the most revel in for some time. the most competitive conferences in NCAA horrific human rights abuses in the

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