April 2, 2014

ARLINGTON, Texas - Each year NCAA Division I women's basketball coaching staffs travel to the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four.

Head coach Krista Gerlich and her staff, assistant coaches Kristin Cole, Talby Justus and Ashley Crawford, and director of basketball operations Courtney Lee, are making this a team-building trip. Better yet, a staff-building trip.

"Our staff is really close, but this will allow us even more bonding time for us to enjoy each other's company in a less stressful environment," Gerlich said. "Also seeing where we want to eventually bring our team and our program is exciting as a staff."

The staff is piling into an SUV and driving nearly 11 hours to the Nashville, Tenn. for the tournament and the WBCA meetings.

"Nashville is a great place to host the Final Four," Gerlich said. "I've been to some AAU events there and it's a great city and great venue. There are a lot of on court demonstrations and meetings during the WBCA, and we're excited about the professional development."

UConn has won 44 straight games and will face off against Stanford, while the Fighting Irish take on Maryland Sunday. Both Final Four games are rematches from earlier this season. UConn and Notre Dame enter the Final Four undefeated.

"I saw UConn play at SMU this year and they're just so fun to watch. I think it would be great to see a new team come about, but a UConn-Notre Dame final would be a lot of fun just because both teams are undefeated and the women's game has never had that," Gerlich said.

Follow along on Instagram (utamavs) and Twitter (@UTAMavs) for pictures throughout the coaches' adventures.