UConn women's basketball

Each time someone talks about Huskies’ red-shirt freshman Heather Buck the more and more they paint a picture of what type of person she is. She is as genuinely nice and willing to help in any way as they come. She certainly personifies what it means to be a friend and a teammate.
The latest proof comes from her decision to be Kelly Faris’ roommate. Associate head coach Chris Dailey did not ask Buck to do so. Neither did returning team captains Maya Moore and Kalana Greene. Buck made this decision on her own.
Faris is UConn’s only true freshman. But Buck has made it a two-member class by stepping up in a manner that is huge when it comes to making a freshman feel at home away from home as soon as possible.
“She needed somebody to be with and since we’re going to be together for these next four years I might as well,’’ Buck said. “I try (to be a big sister). That’s my goal. At the same time some times you want to figure some things out for yourself. I try and give advice and step back other times. It’s fun though. It’s fun to see a new person here and going through everything for the first time. It’s been a lot of fun to get to know her better. Just kind of hangout and watch dumb stuff on YouTube.’’
For Faris, having Buck by her side has been a blessing. She arrived on campus June 17. She will leave for home July 7 and then for the start of training camp with the USA Basketball U-19 team in Colorado Springs, Colo. July 9. Buck has made the transition to life at UConn much, much smoother to a family-oriented individual who’s heading off to college for the first time.
“She is a very, very nice person,’’ Faris said. “Not just that, but even just talking with other people she’s described as a person that would give you the shirt off her back if you need it. She’s been extremely helpful to me, showing me around, taking me places, letting me know how things work. She’s sacrificed to come back and be my roommate and kind of go through the freshman thing again even though she didn’t have to. So that was extremely nice of her and I’m thankful that she’s done that because it’s been a huge help so far.’’
In serving as Faris’ roommate it has also allowed Buck to see just how far she has come over the last year. All she needs to see is the pain in Faris’ face and hear her talk about the soreness in her body after the team’s conditioning workouts and weight lifting sessions. Buck remembers both so vividly.
“It’s been a huge difference because now Kelly’s here,’’ Buck said. “She’s my roommate and she’s been going through everything for the first time. And all the things that’s she’s saying I’m like, `Oh my goodness, I remember all this.’ I remember feeling that way and coming back and not wanting to move for a week. So seeing her go through all these things has really made me realize how much I’ve grown because now I get finished and I’m like, `Alright, I should go shoot right now. Let’s get something done.’ Last summer I was like, `Let’s see if I can make it up to my room without falling over.’ So I’m happy.’’
Buck said she finally felt like she physically fully belonged at UConn a couple of weeks ago in a pick-up game when she made a true hook shot and is now simply able to truly realize when she makes a mistake. She also recently took the time to sit in an empty Gampel Pavilion, imagining what it will be like taking part in a jump ball, blocking a shot and hearing the roar of the crowd in a game for the first time.
There is no question on her part now or that of the coaching staff that sitting out last season was the best thing for her.
“I feel like I have learned a lot and have gotten physically much better in the last year,’’ Buck said. “So I think I’m in a better position to be starting over. So I’m glad to get the opportunity to be starting over with all of the knowledge that I now have. Now when I workout I have a purpose and I’m thinking about, `Well, I’m going to be able to use this in individuals and I’m going to be able to do that in practice.’ And in pick-up I have some sense of where I should be going and what I should be doing when we’re just playing. I have a better sense of just how to move and what to do in this pace.’’

Faris, who is currently taking on-line classes in geography and anthropology, said that she does not anticipate being the only freshman on an experienced team will be a detriment next season. The Huskies that are currently on campus – Buck, Greene, Meghan Gardler, Jacquie Fernandes, Kaili McLaren, Caroline Doty and Lorin Dixon – have all made her feel comfortable in her new environment.
“It’s obviously a little bit different being the only freshman,’’ Faris said. “Obviously, Heather is a red-shirt freshman. But she’s been through it. She knows the ins and outs and how things work here. I think it may be a little difficult at times, but at the same time the girls have been really good so far with helping me with everything. Just everybody on staff is extremely helpful. So I don’t really see it being a huge problem or anything like that. There may be times where they’re used to something and I’m not so I’m trying to get through it. But they’ve been extremely helpful so I don’t really see it being a huge problem.

A recruiting source said Monday that Bria Hartley, a 5-10 point guard from North Babylon, N.Y who is UConn’s No. 1 target in the Class of 2010, made an unofficial visit to campus late last week.

Rich

The Huskies coaching staff had run like clockwork for so many years. It was head coach Geno Auriemma, associate head coach Chris Dailey and assistant coaches Jamelle Elliott and Tonya Cardoza. They knew everything there was to know about what it took to run the program. Nothing had to be said. The program basically ran itself from recruiting to molding players into the best they can be in order to annually keep the Huskies at the top of the sport.
But in the past two years the staff has undergone a facelift. Cardoza left to become the head coach at Temple following the 2007-08 season and was replaced by former UConn All-American/Pittsburgh assistant Shea Ralph. Last month Jamelle Elliott left to become the head coach at Cincinnati and was replaced by former Minnesota assistant Marisa Moseley.
Dailey said this week that the additions of Ralph and Moseley have been met by nothing short of a smooth transition.
“It’s been great,’’ Dailey said. “I think it gives us a good opportunity to kind of re-evaluate things and see what changes we might want to make and get new ideas. They both were in two different programs. But it also makes us think because Jamelle had played there and been there so long and Tonya had been there so long they knew the way we did things. They knew the rules. They knew what the expectations were and now we have to verbalize those again. Like even Shea, for the most part, knew as player. But with Marissa we really have to verbalize it and re-think it and it gives us an opportunity just to make things even better. And I’m really excited. Marisa and Shea have spent a lot of time together trying to get organized for recruiting and get a feel for who we want to recruit. It’s really been very positive and really good.’’

I have been in contact with a recruiting source. And they had a lot to say with the process set to heat up July 4. Landing Bria Hartley, a 5-10 point guard from North Babylon, N.Y, remains UConn’s top priority for the Class of 2010. The coaching staff is presently trying to arrange an unofficial visit for the end of this week. The Huskies are also in the market for a post player. Here are a few that they are interested in (in no particular order) – 6-3 Chiney Ogwumike from Cypress, Texas; 6-2 Whitney Bays from Huntington, W.Va.; 6-2 Shawnta’ Dyer from Marion, Ohio; 6-2 Cassie Harberts from San Clemente, Calif., who committed to USC but reopened the recruiting process after coach Mark Trakh resigned in March. She is an AAU teammate of UConn-bound guard Lauren Engeln; and 6-7 Jen Hamson from Pleasant Grove, Utah.
With four players already locked in from the Class of 2010, the Huskies have the luxury of focusing on the Class of 2011 and 2012 next month. If they do land as many as two post players from this current class it would give them option of possibly red-shirting one during the 2010-11 season should the situation warrant such a move.
The Huskies are extremely high on Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6-foot guard from Anaheim, Calif., and Betnijah Laney, 6-foot swingman from Clayton Del., in the Class of 2011. Laney’s mother, Yolanda, played for Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer at Cheney State in the early 1980s. But she is not putting any pressure on her daughter to follow in her footsteps. She has remained neutral in the process.

Rich

Associate head coach Chris Dailey could not have started her week any better at TPC River Highlands Monday. She made a 20-foot putt for birdie at No. 1 in the Aetna Tournament Players Pro-Am.
Dailey later sank an uphill, 25-foot putt for par at No. 7 before saying that she hoped she didn’t exhaust her supply of exceptional shots in one day when there were only a couple of fans to watch. The crowd will be considerably greater Wednesday when she tees off at No. 1 at 12:30 p.m. in the Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am.
Dailey will be teamed with Dustin Johnson and actors Luke Wilson and James Naughton. She said she is very excited to play with Wilson. And Eric Axley, the pro from Knoxville, Tenn. who she regularly plays with in the Aetna event, knows Wilson so she hopes he will be nice to her.
The event Dailey is most looking forward to participating in this week is the inaugural Women’s Day celebration Thursday. She will be the keynote speaker during a 90-minute breakfast that begins at 7:30 a.m.
“It’s the first time they’ve ever done it so I’m excited,’’ Dailey said. “They could’ve asked anyone. It’s a great opportunity. It’s also an opportunity for people to network. And as far as them listening to me speak, they want to hear about motivation and pressure and all those sorts of things that they can take into the business world to a certain degree. So it’s a great opportunity and I’m flattered that they asked me to speak.’’
Dailey said there are already approximately 230 people scheduled to attend the breakfast. There will also be a financial planning seminar, wine tastings, a wine seminar, a floral design demonstration, haircuts, health screenings and massages from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Suzy Whaley will conduct Golf 101, which will contain such information as which clubs to use and what shoes to wear, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. She will also conduct a women’s golf clinic from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Tickets are $40 for admission to the breakfast and the tournament, any one additional day ticket, access to special events and a $20 donation to the Aurora Women & Girls Foundation; $25 for admission to the breakfast and the tournament, access to special events and a $10 donation to Aurora; and $10 for tournament admission and a $10 donation to Aurora.

This was the fourth straight year that Dailey, who is a 25-handicap, has played in the Aetna Players Pro-Am. She has had the same caddie each year – Ray Lilley from Wallingford, who goes by the nickname “Gator.’’
Here’s Gator’s take on Dailey’s golf game.
“It’s definitely improved since the first time,’’ said Lilley, who also served as Geno Auriemma’s caddie for one year. “It’s not bad. She hits it straight every time. Just when she starts losing interest she just kind of unravels and picks her ball up. She plays pretty much bogey golf, which isn’t bad.’’
When it comes to putting, Dailey said that her fellow competitors compare it to making a free throw. Of course, she begs to differ.
“It’s so funny because they all try to equate putting to making a free throw and it’s not even close,’’ Dailey said. “Jay Williamson said (last year), `Come on, Chris, it’s just making a free throw.’ I said, `Jay, it’s not. When you shoot a free throw it’s exactly the same place. There’s no bends. You don’t have to read it. There’s no wind. There’s no rain.’ I think it’s because they don’t think I’m very smart and that’s the only analogy I can understand. But I’ve been really lucky because Eric is really nice and Jay Williamson was really nice.’’

Rich

The UConn trio of Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Tiffany Hayes were among the 12 players named to the USA Women’s World University Games Team Monday. The team will compete for the gold medal at the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia July 1-11.

Jantel Lavender (Ohio State), Kayla Pedersen (Stanford), Alexis Gray-Lawson (California), Ashley Houts (Georgia), Danielle McCray (Kansas), Jacinta Monroe (Florida State), Ta’Shia Phillips (Xavier), Jeanette Pohlen (Stanford), and Danielle Robinson (Oklahoma) also made the team. There were 15 finalists at training camp, which started June 18.

“I think that the committee has done a tremendous job of selecting this team,” USA and Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “We have everything that we need to bring home a gold medal. Our perimeter and our post game are exceptional. I don’t think we have any kinks in our armor. Now it’s just a matter of becoming a team – really working with each other and learning our offenses and our defenses in a very short amount of time. I could not be more excited about the individuals I’m going to coach and the opportunity in front of us.”

The team will continue training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. through Thursday when it will depart for Belgrade.

Montgomery was one of five finalists, along with Jennifer Barringer (Colorado track & field), Nicole Fawcett (Penn State volleyball) and Danielle Lawrie (Washington softball).

Rich

UConn sophomore Tiffany Hayes was not a lock to be named a finalist for the USA Women’s World University Games Team. All-American teammates Maya Moore and Tina Charles held that distinction when 29 players arrived at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. for team trials last month.
Just as Hayes did during her first season with the Huskies, she had to prove herself through her level of play. She became a success at UConn, being named to the All-Big East Freshman Team. And with standout performances on the final two days of trials May 16-17 she became the youngest member named to the list of finalists.
“It definitely was important for me to do good the last couple days because I know the first couple of sessions I didn’t do too well,’’ Hayes said. “I guess it was nervousness and me having to play with the older girls. The next couple days I was talking to Tina and she was just like, `Go out there and play like you know how to play and you’ll definitely make the team.’ So I just went out there and did my best.’’
The coaches split up the players into two groups over the final two days, with one consisting of those who were definitely going to make the team and another with those who were on the bubble. Hayes was on the bubble and excelled at shooting from the perimeter and finishing at the basket.
Hayes, 19, returns to Colorado Springs today for the start of training camp. There will be 15 players eyeing 12 spots on the team that will compete at the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia July 1-11.
Training camp will conclude July 25 and the team will then depart for Serbia. The final roster will be announced prior to the team’s departure.
“I’m just playing amongst the older girls, trying to do the best I can to make the team,’’ Hayes said. “If not, I tried my best.’’
It has been a tremendous run for Hayes, who said she wants to improve her ballhandling and her leadership skills during the off-season, since she arrived at UConn. She started 17 games for the Huskies last season, averaging 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 25.7 minutes.
Her signature performance came in the NCAA Trenton regional semifinals when she had career-highs of 28 points and seven assists in a 77-53 victory over No. 13 California. Hayes was 9-of-10 from the field – scoring more points in an NCAA tournament game than any other freshman in team history – and also had five 3-pointers, five rebounds and did not commit a turnover in a career-high 39 minutes.
Hayes presently stands a week away from potentially being one of 12 players selected to represent the United States in an international tournament next month.
“I think it’s really going well now, especially with me being on a national championship team, undefeated and all,’’ Hayes said. “That’s just a great feeling. I’m glad to be where I am right now because it’s a really good spot to be in.’’

Rich

Former Huskies All-American point guard Renee Montgomery was named one of five finalists for the prestigious Honda-Broderick Cup Monday. It’s an award that annually honors the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.
Montgomery is joined on the final list by Colorado’s Jennifer Barringer (track and field), Penn State’s Nicole Fawcett (volleyball), Georgia’s Courtney Kupets (gymnastics) and Washington’s Danielle Lawrie (softball). Lisa Fernandez, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in softball who won the award in 1993, will present the award during a press conference at Columbia University in New York June 22.

Below are career highlights of the finalists as they appeared on the release:

Jennifer Barringer (senior, track and field) – Barringer capped off a historic college career on the track as she became the first Buffalo to win three NCAA titles in the same event over the course of four years. The Oviedo, FL native captured the 3,000-meter steeplechase crown at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship last week at the University of Arkansas in an NCAA and meet record 9:25.54 – the fastest time recorded in the world this season. She won her first NCAA title in the event as a freshman in 2006 in a then-school record time of 9:53.04 and her second in 2008, when she defeated the entire field by 25 seconds. She holds a total of 6 NCAA records (indoor mile, 3k, 5k; outdoor 1500, steeplechase, 5k). She competed for the U.S. Olympic team at the 2008 Games and finished ninth in the 3,000m steeplechase, setting an American record of 9 minutes, 22.26 seconds. She is a four-time All-American USTFCCCA and Big 12 Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. The eight-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s honor roll carries a 3.564 GPA. She has been a member of the Dean’s List four times and is a three-time member of the Big 12 All-Academic First team.

Nicole Fawcett (senior, volleyball) – A 6’ 4” left-side hitter, Fawcett is a native of Zanesfield, Ohio. She led the Lions to their second consecutive NCAA title, serving the championship point, and helped her team become the first-ever with a no-loss regular season record (96-0). She also helped her team to the national title in 2007. The AVCA National Player of the Year, Fawcett was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and is a three-time AVCA First Team All-America selection. She averaged 3.78 kills per game (the second best on her team), and her .358 hitting average for the season (as an outside hitter) ranked 32nd in the nation. She was tops on her team for 40 service aces and added 210 total blocks for the year. Her mother played volleyball at Wright State University and her maternal grandfather was a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles in 1945. She is a Human Development and Family Studies major. She is currently playing professionally for Gigantes de Carolina (The Carolina Giants) in Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenio, Puerto Rico’s professional league.

Courtney Kupets (senior, gymnastics) – A native of Athens, GA, Kupets led her team to its fifth straight NCAA Championship title, winning the all-around, bars, beam and floor competitions and becoming the first gymnast ever to win a national title in each event. She finished the season ranked #1 in all-around, bars and beam, and second on floor and vault. She received five First-Team All-America honors, making a total of 15 for her career (the maximum for only competing three years). She is the all-time NCAA leader with nine individual championships and was named SEC, AAI National Senior and NCAA Southeast Regional Gymnast of the Year. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Kupets won a Silver Medal with her fellow U.S. team members in the team all-around competition, as well as an individual Bronze Medal in the uneven bar competition . She is a National Honor Society member and was c hosen as ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American in both 2009 and 2007 and is a recipient of NCAA and SEC postgraduate scholarships .

Danielle Lawrie (junior, softball) – A native of Langley, British Columbia, Lawrie struck out 12 batters and hit two home runs in this year’s deciding Super Regional win over Georgia Tech and hit a Grand Slam in the semifinal of the Women’s College World Series to send her Huskies to the Championship Series, where she led the team to its first-ever softball championship title. The 5’ 7” right-hander led the nation this year in strikeouts (521) and wins (42), was third in shutouts (21) and sixth in ERA (0.97). She was named 2009 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year and Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year, and with her 42-8 record the 2009 season has been her best ever. She set UW single-season school records in six categories this year: wins (42), strikeouts (521), innings pitched (352.2), shutouts (21), starts (50) and complete games (46) and broke career records for strikeouts (1,365), shutouts (41) and complete games (108). She also set season school records in strikeouts in each of her prior two seasons at UW: 387 as a freshman in 2006 and 457 in 2007. She competed for the Canadian National Team at the Olympic Games in Beijing, where they came in fourth. She is as an Education and Communications major.

Renee Montgomery (senior, basketball) – Montgomery, a native of St. Albans, WV and a four-year starter as point guard for the Huskies, captained her team to an undefeated season this year, culminating with the NCAA championship in which she scored 18 points in the final game. She received both the Big East Sportsmanship Award and the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award and was a WBCA, USBWA, and AP First Team All-American. Montgomery is one of only three players ever at UConn to boast 1500 career points and 500 assists, and she is the only player in school history to rank in the top-10 in points, assists, steals and 3-pointers. She started 139 consecutive games in her college career – the longest streak in the nation – and also played in 150 games, a program best. Montgomery was the #4 pick in the WNBA draft this year, chosen by the Minnesota Lynx. A communications major with a 3.1 GPA, she is also the first-ever active player inducted into the University of Connecticut’s Huskies of Honor.

Rich

The Huskies enjoyed one of the most memorable seasons in the history of the sport in winning their sixth national championship and rolling to a 39-0 record this season. Fans will have the chance to relive the magical ride to St Louis and beyond Tuesday and Wednesday night at 8 p.m. when CPTV presents “Witness to Perfection.’’
The program will also be steamed live at www.cpbn.org/program/witness-perfection.
“Witness to Perfection’’ will be hosted and narrated by Tahirah Williams. It will feature game highlights and interviews with coach Geno Auriemma, Renee Montgomery, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Kalana Greene, Tiffany Hayes, Caroline Doty and Kaili McLaren. Former UConn standouts Rebecca Lobo, Jennifer Rizzotti, Asjha Jones, Maria Conlon, and Barbara Turner will also provide their thoughts on the Huskies’ third unbeaten season.

Rich

Caroline Doty has had her bad days as she rehabilitates her surgically repaired left knee. Her close friend Tiffany Hayes can attest to that. But unlike when she was recovering from a torn ACL in the same left knee at home last year, there is a definitive difference as she currently attacks her rehab with same vigor and determination. She feels like she a true ally in Huskies’ trainer Rosemary Ragle.
Ragle was by her side today as she met with the assembled media at Gampel Pavilion. Doty began sprinting a couple of weeks ago. She expects to begin cutting in about another two weeks and Ragle said Doty could be cleared to play in mid-to-late August or early September, which would put her at the seven-month mark in her rehabilitation.
“Mentally (it’s better this time around) just because before I didn’t have Rosie,’’ Doty said. “I didn’t have somebody who was always there working with me. I had great trainers back at home, but it was more like a community thing where they had other patients too and they couldn’t really work on it. It was more like I was on my own. For here, I have great guidance and I have people watching to make sure I land a certain way every rep I do whereas last year I was kind of like on my own. And being more disciplined now. I learned from last year what I have to do and what I have to look forward to for this coming year. I just want to be 100 percent and I know with Rosie she’ll get me there.’’
Doty said she feels great right now. Other than rehabbing her knee, she is currently taking a biology class/lab during the current session of summer classes. Once the session ends July 10 she then will remain on campus to workout and finish up some rehab before heading home to vacation with her family and see some friends. And, most important, just be a kid.

Doty has seen plenty of pickup games in recent weeks. She said every player has improved from last season, but the performance of junior point guard Lorin Dixon and that of the post players has been impressive.
“Lorin with her shot, big-time,’’ she said. “I’ve seen Lorin in the gym shooting, putting up 3s, doing a bunch of stuff. Tina (Charles) and her explosiveness. Tiffany’s doing USA (Basketball). I heard she’s doing great things out there. I’m really happy for her. But the big thing for us is the number of post players. We still have Kaili (McLaren) and Tina. We have (Heather) Buck coming in. Unfortunately, we lost Jess (McCormack). So to have them and seeing how excited they are for next season, seeing them working out, seeing Kaili working out in the training room and doing extra bike work or doing post moves with Tina. And Buck’s always doing everything, especially because she’s doing a couple classes this summer too. It’s great to see that everybody’s so excited for this next season coming up and seeing all the work that’s going (on). We’re all excited.’’

The Huskies were asked by coach Geno Auriemma to take two to three weeks off following the end of what was a magical season. They abided by his decree, but it wasn’t easy.
“He said, `I don’t want any of you guys being in the gym together. I don’t want you guys doing anything for two to three weeks,’’’ Doty said. “We took that respectfully, but you know us. We couldn’t get out of here. We were getting bored so we’d throw a couple shots up. Nothing serious. It’s more of just kind of keeping it in our system. Then we had to go home for summer break and we still do our lifting and some form of conditioning to stay in shape because as a D-I athlete you really can’t take any time off because it takes a couple weeks to get out of shape and to get back in shape it takes another couple weeks. A lot of us can’t really afford that. A lot of us know that too, and plus loving basketball you always want to play. So we’re always just around shooting and doing our thing.’’

Rich