Svetlana Abrosimova, Jen Rizzotti, Diana Taurasi. They all loved the fight.

"They thought they were right all the time. It was a test of wills," UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma was saying this week of his relationship with a few program greats. "They knew I was gonna win all the time. But they loved the fight.

"Tina's just a little too nice."

Tina is Tina Charles, UConn's 6-foot-4 All-America center. A senior, she scored her 2,000th career point on Saturday at Pittsburgh and is on track to become the Huskies' all-time leading scorer and rebounder before she graduates, as well as being the favorite to go as the top pick in this year's WNBA Draft.

Geno has had a few fights with Tina. Mostly they've been one-sided, with him trying to get her to play to her seemingly limitless potential.

He compared her to former national player of the year Rebecca Lobo, who also had high aspirations. Geno said she could have been governor or President of the United States, but he had to get her to have more of a "this kid wants to beat your ass and you want to beat their ass" mentality.

Such is the case with Tina, who said her mom has even offered to step in where Geno's heckling is concerned.

"She said, 'Maybe I should come and talk to him,'" Tina said with a smile this week. "She had to learn to let me go a little bit."

Tina and Geno are both mystified by the rumor that they don't like each other. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's like Svetlana, with whom Geno appeared to have a love-hate relationship. Memo to the class: Svet slept overnight at Geno's house this year when she was in town as the 2000 national championship was honored and had breakfast with his mom.

Tina has even had to dispel this myth where recruits are concerned.

"I love it here," Tina said. "Me and coach, when it comes down to it, we just laugh it off."