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Here’s the lineup and the guest list for tonight’s Senior Night festivities.
Manager Matt Gade will be accompanied by his parents Marcia and David from Wallingford.
Cassie Kerns will be accompanied by her parents Denise and Randy from Valparaiso, Ind.
Tahirah Williams will be accompanied by her parents Rita and Ira from Montclair, N.J.
Renee Montgomery will be accompanied by her parents Bert and Ron from St. Albans, W.Va.
Tipoff time is 7:54.
Enjoy the night.
Rich
Renee Montgomery has become one of the greatest players in the history of the program for the leadership she has displayed and for what she’s done on the court. It was enough for Geno Auriemma to make her the first active player inducted into the Huskies of Honor Feb. 15.
Renee, Diana Taurasi and Jennifer Rizzotti are the only players in team history with 1,500 points and 500 assists in their career. Renee, Svetlana Abrosimova and current assistant coach Shea Ralph are the only players in team history ranked in the Top 10 in scoring, assists and steals. And, one more thing … Renee is the only player in team history ranked in the top 10 in scoring, assists, steals and games played.
But there is a side to Renee that most people do not know. It’s one that elicits laughter from her teammates and the coaching staff. It’s her role as the leading prankster on the team. She started right away, preying on Tahirah Williams during the summer of 2005 when they were both just freshmen and didn’t know each other all that well yet. Heck, she even played a joke on her mother recently. So, obviously, no one is safe.
“I just like messing with people,’’ she said.
That might be an understatement. That first summer together she told Tahirah that Super Bowl XL was going to be held at Memorial Stadium and the players were going to be able to get tickets just like they do for their own games. And, yes, it was that Memorial Stadium. The same on-campus venue where the UConn football team used to play.
Renee got the coaches involved. She got the rest of the team involved. And for one very long day Tahirah was going crazy trying to get her hands on as many tickets as she possibly could.
“I thought it would be funny,’’ Renee said. “And then I realized how gullible she was so I just kind of ran with it. She has a big family. There’s like seven boys, seven girls and 13 grandkids or something like that. There’s a lot of them. So I’m going around talking to all my teammates like, `Just tell her you gave me all the tickets.’ She always gets this bright idea, `I’m going to go ask the coaches.’ Meanwhile, I had already gotten to T Cardoza and Double J (Jamelle Elliott). `They’re like, No, no, no. I need mine.’ She starts going crazy. She calls her dad. Her dad clearly doesn’t believe her. He’s like, `Just get them if you can get them.’ She’s gullible. I can always get her. Freshman year was rough. I’m glad she didn’t leave us.’’
The joke lasted until Renee said Tahirah started to cry because she couldn’t get any tickets. That and the fact that that everybody was tired of her begging them for their tickets.
“Personally, I would’ve never told her,’’ Renee said. “She would have went to the Super Bowl if it was up to me. I would never have told her. The whole time we’ve been here it’s been a running joke. Something’s always going on with her. I can’t even count how many things I’ve done to her.’’
Renee struck again in class that year when Tahirah was up in front giving a presentation. I’ll let Tahirah give her side of this one.
“You never want her to be in your class while you have a cell phone in your pocket on vibrate,’’ Tahirah said. “So we’re in class. It was anthropology and we had to talk about a tribe that we researched. So I had my phone in my back pocket and you could see it because I had my tight jeans on. I’m sitting there in front of the class talking and I feel a little buzz in my butt. And I’m like, `Oh, my God.’ So I just start cracking up laughing. Everyone’s like looking at me. She has this stone cold facial expression on like nothing’s happening. And I’m dying laughing. I’m like, `Hold on guys.’ And I’m pressing my butt like this (to turn off the phone) so it looks like I’m scratching. And I’m the only one in the class like laughing. I finally figure out it’s her calling me. And I’m like, `Renee, stop it.’ And she’s like, `What are you talking about? What am I doing?’ I said, `You know what you’re doing. Stop it.’ So everyone’s thinking I’m nuts and this was like the first ever class I had. She’s just so bad.’’
This year there was another episode. Again, Renee was the culprit and Tahirah was the victim.
“I had a project,’’ Tahirah said. “We were being a PR firm for DeBeers, the jewelers. And she was in the front row and I’m talking. Meanwhile, we only got through one slide. I’m the second slide and I’m ready to go. And I see her face and I just start freezing up. So I was pronouncing Angola, `Angolia.’ And then the teacher’s like, `Forget it. Sit down. I’m going to give you extra time to do it.’’’
Tahirah, laughing as she recounted the stories, promptly says that she loves Renee to death. That doesn’t mean she is any less gullible just hours before she’ll be honored on Senior Night at the XL Center. She might like to think so, but Renee, of course, isn’t completely sold on that one.
“She catches on maybe sooner,’’ Renee said. “It’ll go like a week for a joke sometimes. But now she catches on like two days later. She’ll be like, `You guys …’’’
Fellow senior Cassie Kerns is savvier than Tahirah. She doesn’t let herself get caught in Renee’s web of kind-hearted mayhem.
“Cassie doesn’t believe anything that comes out of my mouth unless it’s about basketball,’’ Renee said. “That’s the only thing.’’
Rich
The subject of Elena Delle Donne and the possibility of her playing for the Huskies at some point in the future has been relatively quiet since news broke last August that she would not be returning to UConn and would instead enroll at Delaware.
The storyline has long been one that Geno Auriemma considers to be in the past. However, it made it’s way to the present during his live show on CPTV Monday night.
Host Meghan Culmo said that she had received numerous e-mails from individuals who had concrete sources that stated Delle Donne still might play at UConn should she opt to return to the sport.
Geno quickly shot the notion down then. He did so again following practice today at Gampel Pavilion.
“One of the unfortunate situations that we’ve created – it’s nobody’s fault,’’ he said. “It is what it is. We’ve created it. The story surrounding our seasons most of the time has nothing to do with our game because the games have become so predictable. So there’s too much boredom so the thoughts go to everything else, whatever that is because there’s no mystery of how we’re going to do Saturday, how we’re going to do Sunday, Monday. The mystery’s all gone. The excitement’s all gone. The anticipation’s all gone. So the people on the Boneyard or the chat rooms and all that … what they going to talk about? Hope we play well on Saturday. We’re struggling a little bit. We’ve got to get back on track. What are they going to talk about? There’s just not a lot there. It took me by surprise when Meghan said it. I was like, `What?’ I was the most shocked person in the room I think. That’s the first I had heard of it.
“I wake up every morning hoping that I read that she’s playing basketball at Delaware or some place. That should die now. She’s not playing at Connecticut. I don’t know why people don’t understand that. She’s not going to play at Connecticut. If she was going to play at Connecticut she’d be here by now. People just don’t generally do that. You don’t go, leave and then come back. Look at the history of any sport. It just doesn’t happen.’’
The senior class will make history Saturday when they are honored prior to the Huskies/Seton Hall game at the XL Center. It will be the first time that the Senior Night festivities have not been conducted at Gampel Pavilion.
Along with the historical setting of the event, Auriemma said Thursday that Tahirah Williams and Cassie Kerns will make their first career starts. They will join fellow seniors Montgomery and Greene, who will return next season for a fifth year, in the lineup.
Moore or Charles will be the fifth starter against the last-place Pirates.
“I always have (started the seniors) so I don’t see why we would want to change now,’’ Auriemma said. “I always thought it’s quite an honor to start at Connecticut. I think everyone should experience that at least once in their life. And I think they’ll do well too.’’
Tahirah was sporting a wild hairdo at practice today. Her braids were taken out and Geno said it looked like that of Angela Davis, an American political activist who was associated with the Black Panther party. The ‘do also resembled the one that Charde Houston had for a brief spell last season.
A recruiting source said that Geno attended recruit Bria Hartley’s practice yesterday in North Babylon, N.Y. She is a 5-10 junior point guard who has drawn comparisons to Sue Bird.
Also, assistant coach Jamelle Elliott was on hand Wednesday at the Mater Dei/Laguna Hills game in California to see recruits Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Lauren Engeln.
Rich
Geno Auriemma will be appearing on Pardon The Interruption today at 5:30 on ESPN. It will be replayed at 6:30 on ESPN2. Among the topics expected to be discussed is the news made by Jim Calhoun this week and the fact that no team has yet to play the Huskies closer than 10 points this season.
Sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Mater Dei won the battle of UConn recruits last night in California. She scored 15 points to lead top-seeded Mater Dei to a 77-39 victory over Laguna Hills in the Division II-A quarterfinals. Junior Lauren Engeln finished with 14 for Laguna Hills (23-6).
Russ Davis, Engeln’s AAU coach, said today that he will sit down with the family next week to speak about recruiting and that a decision is not likely to come until at least April.
Here are some figures from the Huskies auction. All proceeds go to the Kay Yow Foundation.
Geno’s ties
Pittsburgh: Sold for $500
Rutgers: Sold for $212
Villanova: Bidding closes March 3 at 8:30 p.m.
Notre Dame: Bidding closes March 1 at 2 p.m.
Seton Hall: Auction will open Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Pink Jerseys from Pittsburgh game: All three jerseys sold for over $1,000
Geno’s sneakers from Pittsburgh game: Sold for $280
Player’s sneakers from Pittsburgh game: All three pairs sold for $237-308.
Rich
The NCAA tournament is all about matchups. This is something that Geno Auriemma has always believed and will continue to believe. There is no doubt that the Huskies will be the favorites to win the tournament, which will begin at Gampel Pavilion March 22 at noon or 2:30 p.m. But it will be matchups that predicate whether or not Kaili McLaren will be a factor at all as they chase their sixth national championship.
McLaren was not a factor against Villanova Wednesday. She did not play at all for the first time this season and for the first time since missing back-to-back games against Seton Hall and Georgetown last Feb. 9 and 12 due to her poor performance in practice.
“Kaili is Kaili,’’ Geno said. “No, no, no. Her knee is fine. I just didn’t see any way, shape or form that she could be out there guarding anybody that they had on the floor.’’
In the last 10 games, McLaren has one DNP, played just eight minutes against Louisville Jan. 26 and five each at Cincinnati Jan. 24 and at St. John’s Feb. 11. A player with so much talent needs to be more than a matchups-type of player. But it all falls on her shoulders to mold herself into more than that at this point in her career. That’s the ways it’s been since she joined the program. Geno wants her to mix it up in the lane more often and exploit favorable matchups inside. He also wants to become more than just a post player with remarkable passing ability.
McLaren is averaging 4.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 15.6 minutes off the bench this season. Her scoring, rebounding and minutes are all down slightly from last season when she averaged 4.9, 4.1 and 17.0, respectively, in 35 games (11 starts).
Rich
Senior Renee Montgomery, sophomore Maya Moore and junior Tina Charles have been named among the 30 players on the Naismith Midseason List, which was announced today.
The Big East has a nation’s high seven finalists. Angel McCoughtry (Louisville), Shavonte Zellous (Pittsburgh), Epiphanny Prince (Rutgers) and Laura Kurz (Villanova) are the others.
The winner will be announced during Final Four in St. Louis in April.
Rich
The Huskies clinched a tie for their 17th Big East regular season championship tonight with a 74-47 victory over Villanova. Of course, there was no champagne flying around the locker room or t-shirts and hats given out.
Kalana Greene, who entered the postgame media room clutching her left elbow after striking it on a door en route, might have had the line of the year regarding the tie for the title.
She was asked what’s better tying for the Big East championship or hitting your elbow on the door?
“Hitting my elbow with the door, definitely,’’ she said.
The Huskies stand just two wins shy of recording their fifth undefeated regular season (1994-95, 1996-97, 2001-02, 2002-03). Geno is giving the team the day off Wednesday before returning to practice Thursday to make a final push toward games against Seton Hall Saturday on Senior Night at the XL Center and at Rutgers in the season finale Monday.
Geno doesn’t like talking about things like undefeated seasons. But it was part of his postgame remarks to the team in the locker room tonight.
“I don’t like to bring up things that you can’t reach out and grab,’’ Geno said. “And talking about things that are down the road is not the way I do things. Before today, we just talked about today, a game that gives us an opportunity to do something we’ve tried to do since September. Tomorrow it’s going to be about that we clinched a tie. And I don’t think anybody in our locker room is doing any celebrations for ties. So we talked about what’s next. And what’s next is Saturday and Monday and what those two games mean. It’s right there now. They can feel it. They can sense it. And it’s a tangible thing. And I wanted them to think about that tomorrow on their day off and then come back Thursday ready to put in five days of hard work because there’s something that we can accomplish during those five days that puts them up there with some of the great teams that we’ve had.’’
Rich
Senior All-American Renee Montgomery has been named one of 13 finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is presented to the nation’s top point guard. She is looking to become third UConn player to win the award, joining Sue Bird (1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02) and Diana Taurasi (2002-03, 2003-04).
The criteria for the award are floor leadership, play-making and ballhandling skills that personified Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman during her career.
The current list of finalists will be cut to three finalists and a winner in early April. The announcement of the three finalists and the recipient of the award will be made during the Final Four in St. Louis April 5-7.
The award will be officially presented during a noon luncheon at The Detroit Athletic Club in Detroit April 22.
The other current finalists are Whitney Boddie (Auburn); Sha Brooks (Florida); Kristi Cirone (Illinois State); Cetera DeGraffenreid (North Carolina); Dawn Evans (James Madison); Shalee Lehning (Kansas State); Samantha Prahalis (Ohio State); Epiphanny Prince (Rutgers); Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State); Danielle Robinson (Oklahoma); Kristi Toliver (Maryland); and Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga).
Renee is also a leading candidate to win the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, which is awarded annually to players 5-foot-8 and under. Jennifer Rizzotti won the award in 1996.
Rich
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