A spot on the UConn women’s basketball bench is usually reserved for the world’s most prized recruits. Geno Auriemma’s roster includes eight former five-stars, while his coaching staff features several former pros.
This year, however, a UConn fan will join the Huskies on the bench in two preseason games, courtesy of an ongoing auction sponsored by The University of Connecticut Foundation, Inc. The promotion applies to UConn’s Oct. 19 exhibition against Texas at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford and the Oct. 25 exhibition against Army on campus at Gampel Pavilion.
The auction began Friday afternoon, with opening bids of $2,000 for each game, and will run through Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. In addition to a unique perspective on UConn basketball, the experience includes a premium parking pass, hospitality passes to the Champions Club, and a team-issued Nike polo to wear on the bench.
New exclusive auction is now live! 🏀 Bid on your opportunity to sit on the @UConnWBB team bench during their preseason game against Texas or Army! These experiences are limited exclusively to preseason games. Bid here: https://t.co/tinNfFESWM https://t.co/l0OQOdAqBW
– UConn Huskies (@UConnHuskies) October 9, 2026
Several notable provisions are also outlined for the auction, seemingly designed to safeguard the UConn program from any recruiting or eligibility violations. Participants must be at least 25 years old, cannot currently be enrolled in high school or college, and cannot work either as a coach for a prospective student-athlete or offer instruction to UConn student-athletes.
For fans who miss out on the auction, tickets to UConn’s exhibitions against Army and Texas start at $17, according to third-party provider SeatGeek. UConn’s preseason opener will be held Monday evening against Syracuse at Mohegan Sun Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET and tickets starting at $74.
This article originally published at UConn women’s basketball auction offers fans a spot on bench with Geno Auriemma’s Huskies.