The Battle of Best Friends

by Ed LeFurge, Communications Intern

For the second time this season, Temple's women's basketball faced off against the Cincinnati Bearcats, but this wasn't your ordinary match-up between two schools; this was the face-off of two best friends.

For nearly 20 years, Temple's Tonya Cardoza and Cincinnati's Jamelle Elliott have been the best of friends. The two first met in 1995, Elliott's junior year playing at the University of Connecticut. It was then that Cardoza was hired as an assistant coach under the legendary Geno Auriemma.

When asked to describe her relationship with Cardoza, Elliott didn't hesitate.

"She's my best friend. I have known her over half my life. She coached me, we talk almost everyday, she is someone I would lay down my life for, I can't describe how close we are. That's the bottom line," Elliott shared.

"While I was a player at Connecticut and my junior year, 1995, she came on staff, Coach Auriemma hired her on staff. She picked a great year to come on staff, because that was the year we won our first national championship, so I guess she was the good luck charm her first year. We went 35-0, won the national championship; she coached me for two years."

Just a few years later, Elliott was hired alongside Cardoza as an assistant coach. Together, the two were a part of five national championship teams at UConn.

"Right after I finished playing I went to grad school and then the following year after that, I was on staff," Elliott said, "So our relationship went to when I was 19 years old. I'm about to be 40 now, so that's over 20 years, and we've been friends ever since."

"Coaching with her, it was great because we were winning usually and having the opportunity to win national championships," Cardoza said, "Now we are both in the same situation, trying to build our own programs. We are very supportive of one another."

There is no denying that the two are close.

"You know working together under Geno, when you're spending that much time with people, whether it's Geno or CD (Chris Dailey) as well, you just become really close and know so much about each other," Cardoza said, "We are always going to be dear friends, all four of us, and its just a special relationship with us. Everything that we've gone through, the successes, the lulls, we have always been here to support each other."

Even their former players recognize the relationship. Former Husky and current Temple assistant coach Willnett Crockett understands what it is like.

"They are still close now. I think it's a different dynamic, because they aren't around each other all the time, but I'm pretty sure they call each other 24/7 to see what's going, as far as when they play other opponents," Crockett said, "It's probably the hardest when they play each other, because obviously you don't want to be on the losing end."

In 2008, after 14 seasons with the Huskies, Cardoza left to fill the head coaching position at Temple. Much like Cardoza, Elliott coached at UConn for 11 seasons before becoming the head coach at Cincinnati.

In their first game against each other this season, in Cincinnati, Cardoza and the Owls got the best of the Bearcats with a 58-47 victory. The second time, however, it was Elliott and the Bearcats who out-played the Owls, 55-53.

"She does a great job with her team," Cardoza said about Elliott, and is looking forward to playing each twice a year during conference play.

"Obviously, we want to beat one another, and I know that she is extremely happy, and I am happy for her. This is going to be something that we will continue to do as long as we are in the same league," Cardoza said.

While the two are set to play each other twice during the regular season, there is the chance for the two to meet a third time during the conference tournament.

The inaugural American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship tips off on March 7 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Temple University Athletics

The Battle of Best Friends

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