UConn women's basketball

One of the biggest questions facing the Huskies entering the season was who was going to step up and provide depth on the post beyond junior Kaili McLaren. Geno Auriemma has liked what he has seen from freshman Heather Buck. She was expected to see playing time early because of her ability to rebound and her mobility.
Just a few days away from Sunday’s season opener against Georgia Tech the impact Buck will have from the outset is shrouded in uncertainty. She missed tonight’s exhibition finale against Team SRP and is in danger of missing much more time.
“She’s going to get tested again,’’ Geno said. “She’s waiting on a couple of strep tests and we’re going to find out whether it’s mono, it’s not mono, it’s strep, it’s not strep. I wish I could say definitively, `This is what it is.’ But it could be a week. It could be two weeks. It could be three weeks. It could be six weeks. I have no idea what it’s going to be.’’
Heather reported the symptoms two days ago, which casts some doubt as to how long the illness has actually been in her system. The likelihood is that she will diagnosed with mono.
This is far from a subject to joke about. But, as usual, Geno had some fun with it at the expense of the rest of the Huskies.
“It’s just two days ago that it really kind of came to the surface,’’ Geno said. “She’s a healthy kid. She’s been healthy her whole life. It’s being thrown in with these slugs that got her sick I think. She was living in Stonington and eating right and getting rest and doing all the things that nice kids do and hanging around nice people. She was always healthy. Now put her in with these McDonald’s-eating vigilantes all the bad stuff happens.’’
As far as which direction Geno will turn should Heather be sidelined for an extended period he isn’t quite sure. He did throw out a few scenarios, though.
“If it’s six weeks it’s going to be really difficult,’’ Geno said. “It’s going to be imperative that Tina and Maya play well and stay out of foul trouble, and Kaili comes in and gives us significant minutes. And that’s only three. We’re going to have to find somewhere, somehow, wherever. … Meghan (Gardler), Tahirah (Williams). A combination of the two. Or Kalana (Greene) and we have to go real small. I don’t know. But we’ll know more about that in the next couple days.’’

The Party of One has finally become an official member of the program. Kelly Faris, a versatile 5-11 guard from Plainfield, Ind., signed her National Letter of Intent during a ceremony with two of her teammates this afternoon at about 2:30 at Heritage Christian High School. The NLI was then faxed to the UConn athletic department offices.
Faris, who has been a joy to deal with during the whole recruiting process, took the time tonight to respond to an e-mail. Here’s what the only member of UConn’s 2009 recruiting class had to say about her special day and joining the program:
“I just signed the next four years of my life away to UConn basketball,’’ she said. “It actually means a lot to finally be officially a UConn Husky. I am very excited to get to play with that group of girls and play under UConn’s coaching staff. They have a great program and have the drive unlike any team I have ever seen. As much as I can’t wait to play at UConn, I still have my senior year to finish strong and make as many memories with my friends as I can. We have a great group of girls here and we love to have fun. So my focus right now is to make the most out of this last basketball season. I also plan on getting back to UConn to see a game or two, but I don’t know when yet.’’
Since UConn received a copy of Kelly’s letter Geno is now able to talk about her publicly. He gushed about her following the game tonight.
“Obviously, it’s the first time that I can talk about Kelly as a player and everything that you see it’s ironic because what you see from (current freshman) Caroline (Doty) is a lot of the same things that you that Kelly is,’’ Geno said. “The same kind of player, the same kind of personality-type. She’s a little more reserved from what I’ve seen. She’s much more conservative in her approach to the game. Coming from the Midwest I guess you expect that than from smart (alec) from Philly Caroline. They have a different mindset, but their skills are very similar and what they do for their team. They’re both really, really smart and they’re really physically tough kids and mentally tough kids. Kelly’s probably a better defender than either (current freshman) Tiffany or Caroline. Kelly is somebody that she’s going to step in next year as a freshman and have an impact on our team right away just like these to guys are right now.’’
Here’s Geno on whether or not a consummate team player like Kelly will become more offensive-minded once she gets to UConn:
“Depending on how good our team is you never know,’’ he said. “Sometimes people like that just really blossom as offensive players. Right now she’s content to do all the little things that other players don’t do. That’s how she made the (U.S. U-18 Women’s National Team) that she played on. When I talked to her when she made the team I asked her, `Why did you make the team?’ She said, `Because I think I did all the things nobody else wanted to do and the coaches told me they liked that.’ So she knows who she is and she knows what she’s good at and I think she’s exactly what we were looking for and she’ll be a great complement with these guys because she can play a bunch of different positions. And she can handle the ball, pass it, shoot it. She’s smart. So I’m hoping that she comes in here and is just as confident as the two guys we have right now.’’

Rich

The Huskies made their first appearance of the season at the XL Center Wednesday night in their exhibition finale against Team SRP. They will play seven regular season games at the venue formerly known as the Hartford Civic Center. But in a change this season the final game – Saturday, Feb. 28 against Seton Hall – will serve as Senior Night.
Senior Night is an emotional event that has been reserved for the final game at Gampel Pavilion. But in the interest of convenience for the families of Renee Montgomery, Tahirah Williams and Cassie Kerns the seniors decided to conduct the event downtown.
The final regular season game at Gampel is Feb. 24 against Villanova. But it lies on a Tuesday, which would mean that the families would have to travel during the week rather than on the weekend.
“It was more convenient,’’ Renee said. “I think it’s on the weekend and just because most of the seniors have family coming from a long distance it would be easier to have it then then on a (Tuesday) night. Just as far as working and everything I think I was more convenient. We all decided as seniors that would be the best bet.’’
Keep in mind that Kalana Greene could also be a part of the ceremony should she not opt to petition the Big East for a medical hardship waiver. She earned that right after tearing two ligaments in her knee and playing in just eight games last season.

The Huskies got some considerable love from the folks at ESPN.com today. In their season preview, Renee was selected as the top point guard in the country and Maya Moore was the top small forward. Also, Tina Charles was listed among the Top 5 centers. Kalana also received at least one vote from those who contributed to the poll – Mechelle Voepel, Graham Hays, Charlie Creme, Beth Mowins and Melanie Jackson.

Rich

I know times are tough. But it’s a crime that Sunday’s season opener against Georgia Tech at Gampel Pavilion is not sold out. Not only is it Game No. 1 for the national championship favorites, but the 1994-95 team, the one that got this madness started by finishing 35-0 and winning the program’s first national championship, will be honored during a ceremony at halftime. It will be part of the Huskies of Honor program. According to team spokesman Randy Press, 12 of the 13 players from that team will be on hand. Pam Webber will be the only one not in attendance. Tickets are available at UConnHuskies.com or by phone at 860-525-4500 and 203-624-0033.

The Huskies will wrap up the exhibition season tomorrow night against Team SRP in Hartford. There will again be no TV coverage, but the WTIC Radio Network will have it covered. Team RSP will have a local flavor with former Villanova forward and Fairfield native Kelly Nash, former Fairfield forward Allison Glover-Thorne and former Southern Connecticut forward Shamika Jackson all be in uniform.

By the way, the cover of Sports Illustrated’s college basketball preview with Maya Moore and Hasheem Thabeet on the cover is impressive. It’s definitely one that belongs hanging on the wall at home. It will be available this week.

The UConn Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will hold a food drive at Sunday’s game. Fans are asked to bring non-perishable food items, which will benefit the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic.

Lastly, the games at West Virginia Jan. 10 and at St. John’s Feb. 11 will both start at 7 p.m.

Rich

One game in what is shaping it to be a 41-game jaunt to St. Louis – when you factor in the two exhibition games, of course – has come and gone. Thursday’s 100-49 rout of Division II Stonehill wasn’t the cleanest performance you’re going to see by the top-ranked Huskies. They had their lulls, as every team tends does from time to time. But let’s forget about those lulls, because you know Geno Auriemma won’t. This is still the first week of November, right. You don’t win the national championship during the first week of November.

Here are a few observations I gathered:
The Huskies reached the century mark on the scoreboard and five players scored in double figures, which leads me to believe that this offense has the potential to be as potent as any Geno has assembled.
They had 50 rebounds, including 11 by Maya Moore in one of the quietest double-doubles you’ll see for her.
They made 10 3-pointers. And they even made free throws (18-of-26) with a refreshing sense of accuracy.
But what about the 24 points, 21 shots (14 3-pointers) and 44 minutes combined from Caroline Doty (14 pts/three 3s/21 minutes) and Tiffany Hayes (10/2/23)? Or the fact that Doty is clearly confident enough in herself to launch 12 shots in her first game wearing a UConn uniform. That was one more shot than Maya The Magnificent took in seven more minutes on the floor. Caroline looked every bit like she belonged in a UConn uniform last night, and she certainly belongs in the starting lineup. Opponents are going to have to respect her or she’ll stick a 3-pointer down their throat in a moment’s notice. That will open things up big-time for Tina Charles in the paint and it will clear some more room for Maya to operate as well.
Unless Caroline experiences a complete meltdown over the next nine days it’s highly unlikely that she will not be in the starting lineup against Georgia Tech in the season opener Nov. 16. And her surgically repaired left knee is hardly seems to be a hindrance at this point.
As far as Maya goes, I know Angel McCoughtry, Courtney Paris and Kristi Toliver are as talented as they come. But if her performance against Stonehill is any indication of what type of year is in store for her, she will undoubtedly be the favorite to earn national Player of the Year honors. 14 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and four steals in 28 minutes. And the beauty of it is that the numbers came within the flow of the game. All of sudden her stat line was overflowing.
Tina was a dominating presence with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks in 21 minutes. Those are All-American-type numbers. Those are numbers Geno wants to see every time she takes the floor or else she will again get an ear full of Geno’s best barbs.
Renee Montgomery was Renee Montgomery with 17 points, four assists and six steals. She is the leader. There is no question. And she is as driven as anyone on the team to lead the Huskies to a national championship.
Kaili McLaren was again productive in 11 minutes off the bench with nine points, three rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 11 minutes. She is going to have to play a vital role off the bench this season. Beyond Tina, it’s up to Kaili and Heather Buck to hold up their end in the post.
Lastly, how sweet was it to see Kalana Greene running up and down the floor, slashing to the basket, pushing the ball and leaping for rebounds without the slightest hitch in her right knee. As far as she’s concerned she’s back to her pre-injury form. She might not be at 100 percent yet, but she’s still more than good enough to make an impact.
She finished with seven points, three rebounds and five assists in 20 minutes.
Here’s what Geno had to say about Kalana last night: “We were commenting on the bench how she came out. I think Jamelle was the first to say that she looked very aggressive and there doesn’t seem to be any hesitancy on her part. She just is acting like it was last year. There doesn’t seem to be anything in her body language that would make me want to think anything otherwise. I thought there was one play where she just really swooped in and had a layup. After the fact I remember it just flashed across my mind like, `Wow, I haven’t seen her do that in a long time.’’’
Kalana was pleased too.
“There’s a lot more that I still have to get back, but the worst of it is over,’’ she said. “And everything feels better now. (The muscle memory) is coming back faster than I thought it would because the entire summer everything was slow. But it’s coming back faster now that I’m playing more, I’m practicing, I’m doing everything. It’s coming back pretty fast and my body’s responding well.’’

Rich

Every day that you are around the Huskies it seems that you learn more and more about them and what makes them tick. They are far from your ordinary elite student-athletes. Sure, they have their sights set on winning a national championship. But they also want to be winners in the classroom and in the community.
And Wednesday we learned that this group of Huskies is more in tune with politics than any other team Geno Auriemma has coached at UConn. It’s not that Geno discusses politics with them during team meetings. He’ll stick to X’s and O’s and what they are or are not doing on the court.
So when his wife Kathy and his daughter Alysa arranged a get-together with the team over their house to watch the election results unfold Tuesday night, Geno looked on as the players rejoiced and even shed a few tears when Senator Barack Obama became the first African-American president in the history of the United States.
“I try not to talk politics and religion with my team,’’ Geno said. “I’ve got enough problems with those guys with other stuff. If I already have a problem with somebody because they’re not rebounding or making layups the last thing I want to find out is they’re voting for a guy that I don’t like. So I try to stay out of that. But Kathy and Alyssa were really hopped up on this whole election. They were pretty gung-ho and they were pretty involved. So they got the team together and it was kind of a celebration. They stayed there till midnight. It was like dancing in the streets, man. It was like Mardi Gras. Not me. I stood and watched. I was a political observer. I wasn’t necessarily part of the celebration. I was happy for them.’’
Kalana Greene, who is from St. Stephen, S.C, was one of the Huskies who was considerably moved by the results. This was first time she has voted in a presidential election. And Obama’s election was of utmost significance to her family.
“The presidential election is something that’s big every four years and we should never take it for granted,’’ Kalana said. “I’m just happy to see my grandparents and my parents who fought so hard. I spoke with my grandma and she talked about how she didn’t have the right to vote growing up and drinking from separate water fountains. So for me it’s a big thing. But I’m even happier to see her be alive and actually see something like this happen. And her vote actually meaning something and her actually being proud to vote and seeing the changes she saw in the last couple years.
“I’m proud. Not to say that I’m not proud of the last president, but I’m proud that somebody I voted for and wanted to win has won. I don’t think everything’s going to change miraculously, but I definitely see him taking things in the right direction in the next term.’’
Who was the party leader on the team, you ask? That’s easy. It was senior three-year captain Renee Montgomery.
“I think she was the one breaking legs if people didn’t vote,’’ Geno said. “She was twisting arms. What was the first number they put up when everybody celebrated? 284? She was convinced she would wake up (Wednesday) morning and that they would’ve found some glitch and he would’ve lost. She was trying to come up with every scenario that could possibly involve him losing after he had won.’’
Ultimately, of course, Geno molded the election into a lesson for his players. Come on, now. You know that he couldn’t not find something about it that somehow did not relate to basketball. A president’s tenure spans four years. So does a player’s career in college. There you have it.
“He’s got four years to prove that he’s as good as he says he is,’’ Geno said. “They do too. They come to school here. They’ve got four years to prove they’re as good as they think they are and to leave some kind of mark. So I gave them some similarities. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s ironic that they get four years to get it done.’’

Rich

Renee Montgomery, Tina Charles and Maya Moore continue to gain preseason recognition. The trio was among 30 candidates named to the Wooden Award All-American team, which was announced very early this morning. The e-mail came down at 12:50 a.m. to be exact.
The top-ranked Huskies were the only team among the 25 represented with three players on the list. Maryland (Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman), Rutgers (Epiphanny Prince, Kia Vaughn) and California (Devanei Hampton, Ashley Walker) each had two players named.
The Big East had a list-high eight candidates, with Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry, Pittsburgh’s Shavonte Zellous and Marquette’s Krystal Ellis also being honored. The ACC was second with five, while the Big 12 had four.
The list will be trimmed to 20 in mid-January before approximately 15 players will be placed on the national ballot in March. The Wooden All-American Team will be announced during the week of the Elite Eight.

Rich

It’s been a long, grueling stretch for both Kalana Greene and Caroline Doty. Both players have overcome torn knee ligaments. Both players have spent hours in the training room. Both players have had their eyes on tomorrow night’s exhibition opener against Stonehill. Tomorrow night will be the first game Greene will compete in since last Dec. 17 when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament and a torn lateral collateral ligament in her right knee. And it will be the first game Doty will compete in since she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee last September in a soccer game. She has not played since her junior season at Germantown Academy.
Both players expressed their excitement about getting back on the floor for the first time in an official game following practice at Gampel Pavilion today.
“It’s exciting,’’ Greene said. “The season’s starting. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about. It’s not about me coming back for the first official game. Every day in practice it’s great to play again. It’s the first time I have been back since that night. But the only thing I’m looking at is us perfecting the things that we’re good at and making the things that we’re not good at better. That’s the only thing I’m worried about. I’m not worried about myself individually.’’
Said Doty: “I’m very excited. I’ve been waiting for it I think since I verballed in November just to see what it’s all about. I’m going to need to take a step back and soak it all in … first time, first experience. But I think once I get in the flow it’s going to be just like another game. It’s the start of my college career. Just the way I go out now kind of sets the standard for how the season’s going to go, how the next four years are going to go. So it is a big deal. Even though it’s exhibition I’m still going to go out there like it’s a regular game. I want to prove to the coaches that my defense is as good as I think it is. I want to get some steals. My big goal is to make my first shot, make it an open shot. And then, most importantly, just stay composed and win.’’
Kalana is a lock to start. Doty is one of three players Geno Auriemma will choose from for that fifth spot along with Kalana, Renee Montgomery, Maya Moore and Tina Charles. Geno said he will basically flip a coin to determine who takes the floor for tip-off.
Sophomore point guard Lorin Dixon and freshman guard Tiffany Hayes are also being considered to start.
“We’re trying to experiment with a couple different players,’’ Auriemma said. “We always play with three guards so that’s kind of nothing new for us. So one of the guards we’re not sure who it’s going to be … Lorin or Tiffany or Caroline. One of those guys. They’ve all been pretty much the same. So it really doesn’t matter. They’ve all been good. Whoever it is tomorrow, if they keep practicing well that’s who it’ll be. And it really doesn’t matter because they’re all going to have to play the same amount of minutes anyway.’’
Geno said he foresees Kalana being able to play the same number of minutes per game that she did last season. She averaged 22.3 in eight games and that she won’t get as fatigued in games as she does at times in practice because of the frequent play stoppages.
He also has seen her making progress regularly, which has been encouraging,
“Her timing’s getting a little bit better,’’ Auriemma said. “She’s making progress every day and she has her moments where she’s not quite where she was. But it’s getting better every day. I think that’s the first thing that you have to watch for is can they get their aggressiveness back where they’re not tentative about should I or shouldn’t I. She seems to be doing pretty good in that area.’’

Kalana, Renee and Maya have been named team captains. Maya is just the second true sophomore in Geno’s 24-year tenure to be honored with a captaincy. Renee is the other.

Rich

Kim Williams, the mother of highly touted senior center Kelsey Bone, was kind enough to post a comment on the blog that I wrote earlier this week regarding the comments Kelsey recently made on a Houston sports radio show concerning her decision not to attend UConn.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to her for taking the time to express her feelings on the matter.

Here are her unedited comments:

“I am Kim Williams, Kelsey’s mother and would like to put an end to this
senseless attack on my daughter’s comments on a local Houston radio show.
There is one thing that I think most people have lost in all of this
discussion. You are publicly speaking about a 16 year old girl. We have
tried to be very gracious throughout this process. I have been personally
called by people who I have never met, nor have I ever given my phone
number. I have been the buffer throughout this process for my daughter
because she is young and innocent, but most of the people that she has had
to deal with are adults. Adults who are so crazed about sports, that they
forget that they are dealing with a young kid who is trying to make the
decision of a lifetime. Kelsey has been in the unique position of being
one of the top players in this country. With that comes attention. She
did not ask for the attention, it is her talent that has brought it. If
she were not a talented athlete most of you would not know that she
existed. We are not afraid of the media. As a matter of fact my daughter
has been on the cover of Rise Magazine, featured in Sports Illustrated and
will be featured in the upcoming issue of ESPN The Magazine. We have done
several interviews and do so very often. Everytime she opens her mouth and
gives a comment, some adult chooses to take issue with it. Kelsey chose
not to come to UCONN for reasons that she shared with Coach Geno A. the one
who was actually recruiting her. She does not owe the fan base of UCONN an
explanation. She was asked a question about UCONN on the radio show and
stated that there had been a lot of contact from the media. That is a
FACT. She never stated any persons name, but she was not making that up.
I have several emails and phone messages from people who were from several
Connecticut papers. My daughter has even received mail at her school
asking her to please come to UCONN or play in the Big East. There was even
a reporter who chose to publish a list of Kelsey’s 5 schools (which was
incorrect) when he had not confirmed those five schools. The reporter
contacted me about the list and I chose not to reply, so he decided to
publish the list anyway without having the correct information. So why
should she retract her comments about what she felt when a professional
journalist would not retract his printing of information that was
incorrect. I realize that your fans are very excited about the UCONN
Huskies as they should be. Great Team, Great Coach, and Great Fans.
However, my daughter is not coming to play at UCONN. That was her choice
and her right. Hopefully this will end this discussion. I wish the UCONN
Huskies the very best this year.”

Rich