𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙒𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙚 [𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴]

ɪɪ. ɴᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ

"𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙮
𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙡𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚?"
 -𝘔𝘢𝘤 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘰

"In the presence of greatness, tread carefully." That's what one of her professors used to say, and now, more than ever, Noa understood the weight of those words.

Noa sat in a stiff leather chair, waiting outside Coach Geno Auriemma's office. The walls were lined with framed photos of championship wins and smiling athletes holding up trophies. Legends. Icons. Women who had left an indelible mark on the sport—and in the middle of it all, the mastermind who had led them there. The head coach of UConn women's basketball.

Michael leaned against the wall, scrolling through his phone, while Evelyn fussed with the sound equipment, her brows furrowed in concentration. Noa appreciated the distraction, but nothing could stop the nervous energy crawling under her skin.

"We've got this," she muttered to herself, though she wasn't entirely sure.

The door creaked open, and a woman's voice called out, "Coach Auriemma will see you now."

Noa stood, smoothing down her jacket. Stay cool, she told herself as she stepped into the office.

Geno Auriemma was seated behind a large desk, his hands clasped, eyes sharp. Even sitting down, he seemed larger than life. The weight of his reputation pressed down on the room. He motioned for her to sit without saying a word.

"Coach, thank you for taking the time to meet with me," Noa began, taking a seat and fighting the urge to fidget.

"Let's skip the pleasantries," he said, his tone neither warm nor hostile—just factual. "You're here from the BBC. You want to make a documentary. Tell me why I should care."

Noa blinked. He didn't mince words. She took a breath, gathering her thoughts. This was her moment to convince him.

"I'm not here to make just another documentary about basketball," she said, locking eyes with him. "I'm here to tell the story of the players, the women who have shaped this program. People know the stats. They know the wins. But they don't know the sacrifices, the moments off the court that define these athletes."

Auriemma raised an eyebrow. "So you're here to make a people piece, not a sports doc?"

"I'm here to make a human story," Noa corrected. "Your team is a dynasty, but I don't want to focus solely on the games. I want to show what it means to be a woman in sports—how this program pushes them to be more than just athletes. I think the world needs to see that."