UConn women's basketball

Geno ate a piece of pizza and then talked for roughly 25 minutes today about what the Huskies did against a Rhode Island team that was clearly overmatched from the tip. 91-43. And it could have been much worse. Freshman Caroline Doty (24) was the only starter that played more than 20 minutes. He was pleased with how they kept their focus in the game; pleased with Doty and fellow freshman Tiffany Hayes; pleased with Tina Charles; pleased overall for the most. And then the topic turned to former Huskies All-American Jen Rizzotti and her Hartford Hawks.
The Hawks took down No. 6 Duke 53-51 in the first round of the DePaul Invitational Friday in Chicago. Former McMahon star Lisa Etienne scored 15 points and the Hawks held Duke to 26.6 percent shooting from the field. They also forced 26 turnovers in defeating a ranked team for the fourth straight season. Duke, who is ranked No. 5 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, is the highest ranked team Hartford has ever defeated.
Geno was gushing over the accomplishment. He loves his former players to death and he loves to see them do well. This was one of those moments he cherishes, one that he couldn’t wait to contact Jen and pass along his congratulatory comments.
“When I saw the score, I texted her and I said, `If that score’s right, wow, that is a (heck) of a win,’’’ Geno said. “Because sometimes you don’t know if you saw it right. It just kind of flashed by. Then I saw it again. That’s the point you want to get to where you get a really, really good team who is on a neutral court and you play really well and you find a way to win. And all of a sudden now, you’re at a whole different level than you were before. Beating people at home people can comment about something happened and whatever. On the road, difficult. You want to get your first win to just let everybody know, that `On a neutral court, we’re as good as anybody.’ And I think that’s what the Hartford women’s team did is they just proved that on a neutral court – forget about the homecourt advantage they have or getting some bad calls or bad breaks on a visiting team’s court – on a neutral court like it would be most of the time for the NCAA Tournament, `We can beat anybody.’’’
The Hawks will play DePaul for the championship tonight. They will take aim at the Huskies on New Year’s Eve at the XL Center. Maybe this is the year that the Hawks slay the giant. Maybe …
“A lot of good is going to come out of this,’’ Geno said. “Not for us, because now we’ve got to play them. And now they probably think they can beat our (backside). So I’m not excited about that game. I never was, but now I’m less excited than I was before. (DePaul coach Doug) Bruno’s next. She might be the Big East champ by the time this is all over. Who’s the Big East champ? The Hartford Hawks. They get Bruno. They get us. A couple ACC teams … They’ve got a Big 10 team coming up. They just might run roughshod over the entire country. Who knows?’’
Geno can remember the good old days when upsets were so special to the Huskies. On the way up there were plenty that served as benchmarks. Now there is no such thing as an upset when it comes to UConn winning a game. It is supposed to win every game, and it is supposed to win every game like it did today against Rhode Island.
“I remember how much fun that was to go on the road and get a team that didn’t think you could beat them, and you beat them,’’ Geno said. “That you’re the only one who thought that you could win, instead of now I’m the only one that goes in thinking we can lose. Everybody says, `There’s no way you can lose this game.’ I’m thinking, `Oh really?’ Yeah, I miss those days a lot. I love all those players, but I don’t miss coaching some of those guys because that’s probably why it was 50-50 because we probably weren’t as good as the teams we were playing talent-wise. But I miss the upsets. I miss the excitement that goes with them. So it’s a different kind of feeling now.’’

The Huskies are on their way to New York as we speak. They will take an early morning flight to Salt Lake City tomorrow.

Rich

What a difference a year makes for Kalana Greene, doesn’t it? She literally could not remember the particulars from the game at San Diego State last Dec. 21 despite watching it on TV. It was a game that saw the Huskies commit 28 turnovers – the second most in team history according to the media guide. But that wasn’t the reason the game escaped her memory banks. It’s because she was so doped up on prescribed pain medication. That was the day she had surgery to repair tears to the anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in her right knee.
The only thing she recalls is talking to Geno Auriemma afterwards.
“I had surgery like 6 a.m. that morning and the game was late, like 9 p.m. our time,’’ she said. “I remember being home, and I remember watching the game, but I don’t remember what went on. I remember Coach talking to me after the game saying, `It was terrible. We had 28 turnovers.’ So I don’t remember the game, but I know it feels a lot better this year to be able to play.’’
Fast-forwarding to Thursday night Kalana’s comeback parade took another turn for the better. She scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and had three assists in 20 minutes. It was another fine performance by a player – and fellow Steelers fan – who has seemingly turned the corner. And spending time on the bench last season seems to have paid huge dividends for her as well.
“Watching from the sideline it’s different from playing,’’ she said. “You get to see what the coaches see from a different aspect. And I’m definitely reaping the benefits. I think I’m a lot calmer under pressure. I kind of know what I’m going to do next. I’m more confident on the floor and it’s like I kind of get some swagger from the coaching side of it, just watching so many games and seeing what I should do next.’’
The entire team had its swagger back last night. San Diego State, who was far inferior to the Huskies and to Georgia Tech for that matter, simply got run over.
UConn shot 64.1 percent from the field and led by 29 at halftime and by 43 three minutes into the second half. This was a performance worthy of a No. 1 ranked team. There was no frustration offensively. There was no stopping in the halfcourt set. The Huskies had their foot on the gas the entire game, and it was impressive to watch.
What was also impressive was that they received 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a combined 58 minutes from their top three reserves – fearless freshman Tiffany Hayes (11 points, six rebounds), Kaili McLaren (six, two) and Lorin Dixon (three assists, two rebounds). Tiffany actually played 24 minutes, which was more than starters Renee Montgomery (21), Kalana and Tina Charles (16).
People have deservedly been talking a lot about Caroline Doty so far because she has earned a starting role. But Tiffany is going to be special. The way that she stepped up and drained that 3-pointer with 11:53 left in the first half was awesome. She had been in the game only 1:52 at that point. It’s not like she cares. She was open and she let it go from NBA range. Talk about confidence.

By the way, I don’t know how many other people were shut out by CPTV early on last night. But a couple of my friends in my hometown up in the Northwest Hills told me today that they did not see the first half last night because CPTV aired a show involving Carol Burnett instead. Maybe if they call and complain CPTV will throw them a UConn mug or something. I’m just saying.

Rich

To play 40 minutes or not play 40 minutes? That is the question that Geno Auriemma has been asked many times recently. A caller called him out on his weekly radio spot on WTIC-AM 1080 last night about playing Renee Montgomery too many minutes during the NCAA tournament last season. And Renee again hit that magic number of 40 in the season opener against Georgia Tech Sunday.
At this point, though, there is no concern. Does Geno want this to become a regular occurrence? No. Does he think it will hurt the team in the long run and stunt the growth of the Huskies’ bench? Yes.
He was asked once again about the importance of developing a bench following practice Wednesday at Gampel Pavilion.
“I get asked that a lot as if playing 40 minutes is really taxing on a kid,’’ Auriemma said. “I love when I hear that. The last time they played 40 minutes would have been Sunday. So the next time they have to play 40 minutes would be Thursday. So you would think that you’re not exactly sending the kids into the coal mines. So it’s not so much can those guys do it or not do it? Of course they can. The question is can you develop other players to offset a sprained ankle here and there, a couple bad calls, tonsillitis or whatever the case may be. So, yeah, I said that I wish I would have played Lorin more (Sunday) and Kaili’s had a good week of practice. So that gives us eight if you count those two and Tiffany and then who knows from there. But, obviously, I would love it to be eight rather than five. But if it has to be five then it has to be five. But I would rather it be eight.’’
Keep your eye on Kaili, Lorin and Tiffany tomorrow night against San Diego State. They appear posed to put Sunday’s game behind them and provide the Huskies with some quality minutes off the bench.

Geno said it will still be another two weeks before freshman Heather Buck is able to participate. She’s not permitted to do anything basketball-related right now as she attempts to shake a bout with mononucleosis.
“All I know is the doctor said that they thought three weeks,’’ Geno said. “Now that would mean that she’s probably already had it for a couple weeks. My guess is two more weeks. She looks better today. She’s looked better every day. She goes to class. As long we get everything straightened out … But it’s not full-blown. It’s not like wore-case scenario kind of mono.’’

Tina Charles will receive a commemorative game ball for becoming the 31st player in team history to reach 1,000 points prior to Saturday’s game against Rhode Island at the XL Center. She reached the mark with 11:16 left in the first half Sunday.

The Huskies earned their 750th win in their 35th season Sunday (750-284). They have averaged 22 wins over the previous 34 seasons.

Rich

Geno Auriemma recalled a time when the world wasn’t such a friendly place. During the 1970s, ‘80s and 90’s he felt was a time that was filled with selfishness, greed and the quest for lavish self-possessions.
In his undying quest to aid cancer research, Auriemma, the Hall of Fame coach of the UConn women’s basketball team, has been looking for a fresh avenue to further his charge. One that would re-energize the desire in an individual to give of oneself without looking for a reward on the other side.
And, in conjunction with assistant executive director Dave Maloney and The Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS), Geno’s Cancer Team has found its latest initiative. Auriemma and Maloney publicly announced a partnership at CAS headquarters this morning that will help advance the cause further than it has ever been by turning to the students that attend the nearly 1,100 schools in the state for help.
“We’re trying to have the biggest impact, cover the widest area,’’ Geno said. “That’s an awful lot of kids who can take it and run with it. So I think that’s a perfect place to start. Everybody wants to talk about reaching out to adults, and that’s all well and good because they have all the money. But you have to create a culture of giving and it has to start at the earliest stages and that’s what we were trying to do.’’
The point people at the various schools will be either principals, assistant principals, dean of students, directors of student activities, and athletic directors. The charge will be placed shortly on the CASCIAC website. It will be posted on the list of approved activities by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC). It will appear in the CAS December bulletin that is distributed to each of its members, and Maloney also said that the footage of Monday’s press conference will soon be shared with CPTV.
Auriemma lost his father, Donato, to cancer in 1997. Maloney lost his wife, Deborah, to cancer following an eight-year battle last April 25. A month later Maloney, who has been friends with Auriemma for more than 20 years, invited him to play in a member-guest golf tournament at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. where this partnership began to take shape.
“He and I usually play golf, and as any golfer knows when you’re walking down the fairway conversations evolve,’’ Maloney said. “I had just lost my wife due to breast cancer. We were talking about this and about that. Other things popped up. And then all of sudden all of this came together late this fall.’’
There have been about 75 schools that have gotten involved in what was a grassroots program over the last four years. They raised about $17,000 the first year and more than $25,000 last year, according to Merle Kaplan, who is the captain of the student initiative.
Representatives, including students, from four schools were in attendance Monday to present their contributions to the cause. Sarah Darras, Auriemma’s executive assistant, donated 17 inches of her hair as part of the recent “Ponytail Drive’’ at the Quaker Hill Elementary School in Waterford that totaled about 180 inches. Her 7-year-old daughter, Jayne, donated 14 inches along with 12 classmates and three other mothers.
Students, including third-grader Sarah Sammataro who has leukemia, at the Ryerson Elementary School in Madison raised over $18,000 to heighten awareness for blood-related cancers by donating spare change as part of the “Pennies for Patients’’ campaign. Third-grader Brendan Clark shared the fact that his brother was diagnosed with leukemia when Brenden was 2 and that without such charitable contributions he wouldn’t be alive today.
Students at the Sage Park Middle School in Windsor, as part of the “Shoe Box for Kids’’ charge built shoe boxes filled with items such as shoes, hats, undergarments, toothbrushes and toothpaste for needy children around the world. And the Cheshire High field hockey team raised approximately $1,000 in 24 hours as part of “Play for the Cure’’ against Mercy Oct. 1 to help combat breast cancer.
“What I love about this particular drive is that it’s getting the young people involved,’’ Kathy Auriemma said. “It’s not just about corporate guys writing big checks. The efforts to get young people involved is the avenue you have to take these days. Everyone should just look at what Obama did. It’s amazing the connections you can make at the grassroots level and what a difference it can make.’’
Geno’s Cancer Team consists of Geno and Kathy Auriemma, Darras, Kaplan, Naugatuck native Joyce Armantano and Angela Santacroce. They have helped raise more than $1.4 million to date to fight cancer.
Each school will take it upon themselves to decide how it will generate money for this cause. All proceeds that are generated go directly to cancer research.
“One of the reasons why I like this collaboration is because it’s not about you personally winning a game or you and your team beating another team,’’ Geno said. “It’s a lot bigger than that. What we’re here to do is to encourage you to at least start walking down that path to do things that go above and beyond what it does for you personally other than it gives you that feeling of you’re part of a bigger world than the one you think you live in.’’
Pink wristbands with “Geno’s Cancer Team’’ etched on them are being distributed. Others wristbands will read “Remember. Celebrate. Believe.’’
“Remember the past and those that have gone before you, whether they’re still here or they’re no longer with you,’’ Geno said. “Celebrate today and what you have going for you right now. And believe in the future that you’re going to help define.’’
Auriemma said that together this is going to evolve into the biggest thing in Connecticut schools. He also said recently that a high school from New Mexico has joined the program.
“It restores the faith I think that you want to have as a parent and as a member of the community that good things are happening in our schools,’’ Auriemma said. “It restores my faith that kids want to belong to something. To me, that’s part of growing up. If you don’t belong to something it’s hard for you to really experience what it means to be a full person. So it’s really gratifying for me. It really is.’’

Rich

This wasn’t Division II Stonehill or Team SRP on the same court with the top-ranked Huskies Sunday afternoon in their season opener. This was a young, athletic and talented team from Georgia Tech that was looking to make a name for itself at the expense of the top-ranked Huskies. And make a name for itself it did.
With 10 underclassmen on their roster, led by dynamic freshman Mo Bennett, the Yellow Jackets were within three points with 5:12 left in the game and then missed two layups in the next 70 seconds when they had a chance to climb even closer. The Huskies survived because they have All-Americans Maya Moore and Renee Montgomery as well as Tina Charles on their roster. The Big Three made the plays they needed to for UConn to avoid the upset, something Stanford and Maryland could not do over the weekend.
The Huskies can take away many things from this game. And I’m sure the tape provided Geno with plenty of ammunition to take with him to practice. First, they need to execute better offensively. Many times it appeared as if they were settling for any shot rather than running through the offense one more time to get a more desirable shot. They missed 15 of their 19 3-point attempts. That will have to improve, or they can just pound the ball into Tina inside. She looks like she’s going to have an All-American-type season.
And, most important, is the fact that the Huskies received virtually nothing from their bench. This definitively will have to change or they will have a difficult time winning the national championship. Renee can’t be asked to play 40 minutes every game or even in the high 30s. She’ll be cooked come March. So will Maya, who played 39 minutes Sunday.
Tiffany Hayes, Lorin Dixon and Kaili McLaren combined for eight points, three rebounds, two assists, four turnovers and four fouls in 36 minutes. Kaili played just nine minutes, the least on the team.

Geno was joking about how many kids have been produced by the members of the 1994-95 national championship team following the game. He said there are 19, and they were running around his house during a get-together Saturday night. One that he said was one of the most fun nights he has had in a long, long time.
Here’s his take on the night:
“There was 50-something people there and there was kids everywhere. And I told Rebecca, `You guys were always pretty bad defensively so I’m not surprised.’ But she made a great point. She said, `Well, Coach, we were always very productive on the court.’ And I just looked around and I just could not believe how many kids were there. It’s just unbelievable. The transformation from those kids from then to now it’s like as good as they were when they played and they kind of changed the face of women’s basketball. When you see what they’re doing now and how they’ve grown up it’s like they never stopped being different than everybody else, special. And the way they interacted with these guys (that are on the team now) I thought was one of the highlights of the night because a lot of them in 1995 … I don’t think that’s the reason they came to Connecticut.’’

Nykesha Sales, who’s career seems to be limbo at the moment, spent two days practicing with the Huskies at Gampel Pavilion last week. Geno couldn’t help himself with this one. The sarcasm was flying – again.
“’Kesha came to practice the last two days,’’ he said. “She hasn’t played since April. She thought she was coming over to get a couple shots in and run around. So we put her on defense so that she could simulate Georgia Tech’s trap. And she just terrorized these guys for two days. I hope we don’t go on probation for having her come to practice twice. I hope it doesn’t reach those places where we get in trouble for having players come to practice, but it was good to see her out here. It was good to see the whole crowd. It was really good.’’

Rich

There will be two members of the Auriemma family involved in college basketball games tomorrow. Geno will, of course, be leading the Huskies in their season opener against Georgia Tech at Gampel Pavilion at 2 p.m. But his son, Michael, will be competing roughly one hour away in Worcester, Mass. when St. Joseph’s meets Holy Cross at 4.
Michael is a freshman walk-on for Phil Martelli’s Hawks. They opened the season with a 69-57 win over Rider at the Wachovia Center Friday in Philly. Michael did not play. With circumstances the way they are Geno is not expecting very much support from his family at Gampel. Frankly, I’m sure he’d like to with them at the Hart Center supporting Michael too.
“Suffice to say that there probably won’t be a lot of Auriemma family members at Gampel Pavilion Sunday,’’ Geno said. “But my mother will be there. She still loves me.’’
Geno is hopeful that he will finally be able to take in one of Michael’s games in December when there is a 10-day break in UConn’s schedule. His current target is Dec. 11 at Villanova. There is no doubt that the first time he sees his son in his No. 55 St. Joe’s jersey will be an emotional experience for both father and son.
“I saw the media guide and obviously, I thought, `Wow. This is pretty amazing to see,’’’ Geno said. “The first game I see him in warm-ups and if he gets the chance to have an impact on a game, that will be incredible for him. This is something that he’s always wanted to do. That’s been his dream. From a parent’s standpoint, it’s like watching my daughter, Alysa, when she’s on stage. As long as they’re passionate about what they’re doing, then I’m passionate for them.’’
As far as the Huskies opener there is an anxiousness about Geno and his players. They have been tabbed as the favorites to win the national championship. They are ranked No. 1 in the AP and the ESPN/USA Today polls. Maya Moore is an AP preseason All-American and the ESPN.com preseason Player of the Year. Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles also have a strong chance to earn All-American honors, while Kalana Greene could position herself to claim some form of comeback player of the year awards. Freshman Caroline Doty looks like she is going to be a special talent, one that will be fun to watch each time she takes the floor. It’s almost like what is she going to do next … Drain a 3, make a steal or dive for a loose ball. Tiffany Hayes, also just a freshman, looks to be a player that Geno will be able to count on too. She’s not afraid to shoot the 3 or take the ball to the hoop. The confidence that her and Caroline have speaks volumes about where they are mentally at this point.
“I’m anxious to see what we look like,’’ Geno said. “I’m anxious to see what the parts look like against a good team, an NCAA team from last year that is going to put us in a little different situation than we’ve been in the last two games. I’m going in with … I remember we played Georgia one year (2000) and we were up 30 at halftime and they were the No. 3 team in the country. And I was the most shocked person in America. I knew we were good, but I didn’t know we were going to be that good. So I know we’re good. But I also remember we went out to California on our way to Hawaii one year (1991) and we got smacked pretty good, and I was the most shocked person in America. So I’m anxious to see how we do on Sunday. I’m starting to get a sense of who we are, but it’ll be a little more evident I think after we get back from BYU.’’
There are still tickets available for tomorrow’s game (log on to www.UConnHuskies.com; call 860-525-4500 or 203-624-0033). According to one Big East coach, they don’t see how the Huskies will lose even one game this season let alone fail to win the national championship.

Rich

The Huskies faced plenty of adversity last season, losing two starters to knee injuries en route to reaching the Final Four. While the loss of freshman Heather Buck to mononucleosis for a minimum of three weeks is hardly at that level, they find themselves again facing some adversity at the start this season.
There is no telling when Buck will be back. And when she comes back she will have to make up for the time she’s missed in practice. That’s what troubles Geno most about her absence. Not the lack of depth in the post.
Geno praised Heather for the progress she’s made during the preseason after practice Friday. But he also said that she needs regular reps in practice to continue to make strides. She’ll likely have to wait a month before she can begin to get back into the flow of things.
“I think because of the numbers makes it more significant than it would be otherwise,’’ Geno said. “If you looked at it purely on how much Heather’s ready to contribute at this point in time in her development you would say, `How many points. How many rebounds? How many blocked shots are we talking about?’ But because the numbers are what they are the minutes that she may be able to give us would be helpful. How much she would be able to help stat-wise during those minutes I don’t know that anyone could put that in it’s proper context. But, to me, the big thing with Heather is her not being able to practice and not being able to get to the point where in a month or two there may be some evidence on the stat sheet of what Heather’s done on the floor. But right now I’m just disappointed that she’s not going to be able to come to practice every day and continue to get better.’’
The key player who needs to immediately provide the Huskies with a low post presence off the bench is junior Kaili McLaren. And she comes into Sunday’s opener against Georgia Tech on the heels of what has been an inconsistent preseason. She played just nine minutes Wednesday against Team SRP and Geno is clearly not happy with the way she is playing right now.
He desperately wants her to get into the lane and mix it up rather than being content to stay on the perimeter.
“That’s one of the big hurdles that we have,’’ Geno said. “Jamelle’s always on her more and more and more every day to be assertive, to make yourself a presence inside the lane, to not be satisfied with just being a perimeter player. You’re not helping yourself and you’re not helping us by just standing out there and doing that. You’ve got to do that. Nobody likes to do things that are hard for them. Everybody likes to do things that are easy. For her it’s easy to stand out there and pass the ball because that’s what you’re good at. How about in addition to something else, that would be good. With Brittany that is what she wanted to do and now
there’s a little bit of a void there. I would hope she would listen and understand that’s a need that we have and you need to fill it. When it comes down to it, you put her in a case where she has no choice. You hate to do that because you always like to give them a choice, a little freedom on the court is good.”
As far as providing the Huskies with productive minutes over the next couple of weeks, Geno said that it’s a must for Kaili to do so.
“She’s going to have to,’’ Geno said. “To me, the things that are always of a huge priority for me is when you get to be an upperclassman in our program the expectation level is that you want to contribute, you should be able to contribute and that you’d be disappointed if you’re not put in that situation. And I think that’s where we need to be with Kaili. Whether it’s in practice or whether it’s in games my thing has always been with Kaili … be consistent. Either be consistently good or consistently bad, which means be consistently average. If you can’t be great every night then be average every night. And what I’d like for her to be is, obviously, really good every night. But I hope that that’s the direction that we’re headed in and we’ll see because the games start on Sunday and then you would want to be able to get some meaningful minutes.’’
Kaili looked to be a bit frustrated with herself standing in the hallway outside the locker room today. She knows she has to be consistent. She knows the Huskies need her to be. And she’ll continue to work at it every day.
“It’s just realizing I can’t do the same stuff I’ve been doing over and over, like in the games just fouling,’’ she said. “I just have to be a lot smarter defensively. I see myself taking steps forward and then there’s a step back. So I just want to be continuously moving forward. I’m not as up and down as last year, but I just need to continue forward.’’

Rich

Freshman Heather Buck will be sidelined for a minimum of three weeks with mononucleosis, according to team spokesman Randy Press. She will be evaluated weekly by the team training staff.
The Huskies are currently practicing at Gampel Pavilion. There will be more to come.

The Women’s Final Four sites for 2012-2016 were revealed Friday by the NCAA.
2012 – Denver. Mountain West Conference, host.
2013 – New Orleans. University of New Orleans, host.
2014 – Nashville. Ohio Valley Conference, host.
2015 – Tampa Bay. University of South Florida, host.
2016 – Indianapolis. Butler University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Horizon League, hosts.

Rich