UConn coach Geno Auriemma thinks a lower rim would improve women’s college hoops, according to the Hartford Courant:

“What makes fans not want to watch women’s basketball is that some of the players can’t shoot and they miss layups and that forces the game to slow down,” he said. ”How do help improve that? Lower the rim…. Let’s lower the rim seven inches; let’s say 7’2″ inches to honor Title IX [instituted in 1972]. If you lower it, the average fan likely wouldn’t even notice it.”

Auriemma doesn’t think his idea would be well-supported by other coaches because of doubts that the level of athleticism would be able to keep up with a faster game. But he made his argument using analogies to volleyball and softball:

“Do you think the average fan knows that the net is lower in women’s volleyball than men’s volleyball? It’s about seven inches shorter so the women have the chance for the same kind of success at the net.”

“Why is softball played on a different field than baseball?” Auriemma said. “Why don’t they ask those women to play with 90-foot base paths?”

Reactions to the idea were mixed:

Geno Auriemma: Women's CBB needs a lowered rim and settle on one site for its Final Four. 100% agree cbsprt.co/SmXU87—
Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) October 23, 2012

Geno Auriemma wants the women's rim lowered to 7'2? That's like way too much. But I do think the women's game could benefit from it.—
Troy Machir (@TroyMachir) October 23, 2012

Auriemma has been the head coach for the Huskies for 27 years (804-129 overall, 388-59 conference). He has led the team to 13 Final Fours and won seven national championships.

Before the United States men’s national basketball team took the floor in an exhibition against Brazil on Monday, President Barack Obama came by the locker room to introduce himself to the players and offer words of encouragement as they prepared to go to London.

Obama shook hands with Kevin Durant, gave a hug to “champ” LeBron James and joked with “The Brow” Anthony Davis about being the rookie on the team in the video below, released by the White House on Tuesday.

The President also met with the women’s national team, congratulating and encouraging them while speaking with head coach Geno Auriemma about recruiting Vice President Biden’s granddaughter in about eight years.

All this took place Monday at the Verizon Center as Obama took in the men’s exhibition game versus Brazil, which the U.S. took 80-69 after trailing by 10 early in the contest.

Basketball coach Geno Auriemma is being sued for employment discrimination. (Terrence Vaccaro/Getty Images)

An NBA security official has filed a lawsuit alleging Geno Auriemma, the legendary Connecticut women’s basketball coach who will lead the U.S. Olympic team this summer, retaliated against her for rejecting his advances by convincing the NBA to stop her from becoming the top security official for the women’s basketball team at the London Olympics, the New York Times’ Michael Powell reports. The lawsuit accuses the NBA, USA Basketball and Auriemma of employment discrimination.

Kelley Hardwick claims that in 2009, while she was working for the team in Russia, Auriemma followed her, grabbed her and tried to kiss her at the team’s hotel. She stopped him and reported the incident but was willing to let it go, she said.

But this March, she said she was told that Auriemma had requested she not be a part of the security at the London Games. She reported her suspicions of retaliation to the NBA, which is part of USA Basketball, the organization that oversees the team. The league determined her removal was unrelated to Auriemma.

She subsequently filed her lawsuit.

“I was willing to close this story in 2009,” Hardwick told Powell in an interview. “If Geno had not interfered with my job and my livelihood, I would not have filed this lawsuit.”

Auriemma and the NBA declined comment to Powell, and USA Basketball did not return calls for comment, Powell reported.