The frame reserved for Geno Auriemma’s photo is empty — it rests atop two display cases of autographed UConn basketballs to the right of a collection of Joel Embiid memorabilia — inside a suburban Philadelphia sandwich shop. Auriemma’s late mother, Marsiella — an Italian immigrant once praised by President Barack Obama at a White House visit — had lobbied the store owner to stick her son’s picture on the Bar of Fame.
And why not? Auriemma was raised in Norristown, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles from the Collegeville Italian Bakery that was the family’s cheesesteak stop of choice. Auriemma places an order for his team so substantive when UConn plays each season at Villanova that owner Steve Carcarey is forced to decline the offer of free tickets to the game so he can assist his staff.
