UConn women's basketball

Bria Hartley, a 5-10 point guard from North Babylon, N.Y. has made an oral commitment to attend UConn tonight, a recruiting source has confirmed.

More to come.

The players that come to UConn and play for Geno Auriemma will, of course, be extremely talented. That is a gross understatement. But they are also strong individuals off the court with endearing personalities. They seem to fit right in every year, enhancing the family atmosphere that recruits rave about when they make their unofficial and official visits.
And 6-foot-5 center Stefanie Dolson certainly fits that mold. Her personality is as happy-go-lucky as it comes and she is expected make an impact in the post when she joins the Huskies next season.
Dolson said that she didn’t know quite what to expect before spending a couple of days on campus last weekend with future teammates Lauren Engeln, Michala Johnson, Samarie Walker and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. Hey, one never knows … Bria Hartley and Chiney Ogwumike just might end up being her teammates as well.
The visit did nothing but reinforce Dolson’s decision to commit early to playing at UConn, and she felt right at home in Storrs. Even if it was pretty low-key.
“It was really fun,’’ Dolson said. “It was nice to get to know the team in a different way. We all hung out outside of the court. So it was cool to chill with them. We actually didn’t do a lot. We actually just sat around the apartments. We played Rock Band and Mario Cart. It’s good to know I’m going to be going there with people that I will know and have already gotten to hangout with and I’m not going there blindsided and not knowing anyone.’’
The Huskies certainly have taken to Dolson too. How do you know? She said they were taking light-hearted jabs at her because of the outfit she had on during First Night festivities Friday night. It consisted of a pick t-shirt, blue UConn shorts and Ugg boots.
Dolson took it in stride, laughing about it on the phone Sunday night. She said that people better watch out because she’s going to start a trend on campus when gets to town.
“That was sick,’’ Dolson said of her attire. “They make fun of me. They all joke around. I say it’s going to catch on. You’re going to see people walking around at UConn all the time with a pair of shorts and Uggs on. It’s going to be the new style.’’

The Huskies will be honored for winning the 2009 national champion during halftime of the UConn football game against Rutgers Oct. 31. Kickoff is noon.

Maya Moore and Tina Charfles will serve as team captains this season.

Lorin Dixon will be given the first shot at winning the starting point guard job. It appears that Caroline Doty will begin the season coming off the bench. Dixon, Tiffany Hayes, Kalana Greene, Moore and Charles were the staters on the f loor today.

A recruiting source said that Chiney Ogwumike will make an official visit to Stanford this weekend. She will choose between UConn and the Cardinal.

Big East assistant commissioner for women’s basketball officiating Barb Jacobs met with the team prior to practice today to go over certain rules of the game. Here are a couple of the more interesting things of her 30-minute meeting.
A team could be hit with an administrative technical foul if the starting lineup is not written in the official scorebook by the 10-minute mark or for changing the starting lineup once it has been written in the book. The free throws will be shot prior to the jump ball to start the game. A change to the lineup would be permitted if a player is injured during warm-ups, if a player becomes ill or if there is blood on the uniform.
UConn customary high-fives down the bench after a key shot or 3-pointer will have to be quicker this season because players and assistant coaches are not permitted to stand for any length of time on the sideline.
As far as the hand-check rule, a defender is permitted to quickly touch the ballhandler with one hand once. A second touch will result in a foul.

Rich

The rumors began to surface last this spring that Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had committed to play college basketball at UConn. At the time they proved to be just rumors.
Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6-foot junior wing from Anaheim, Calif., told the Connecticut Post in June that she was going to take her time during the recruiting process and would not make a decision until next year. All of that changed during her unofficial visit to UConn this weekend when Mosqueda-Lewis made an oral commitment to play for the Huskies, according to her Tennessee Flight Silver AAU coach Tom Insell.
“She decided she just didn’t want to go through (the process),’’ Insell said Sunday night. “She wants to be a kid, wants to go through next summer left alone and not have to worry about it. She’s the best player in the 2011 class hands down.’’
Mosqueda-Lewis, who told the Huskies’ coaching staff Saturday prior to participating in a Laser Tag event, becomes the first player from the Class of 2011 to commit to UConn. She chose UConn over California, Stanford and Kentucky.
Mosqueda-Lewis, who could not be reached for comment, was one of seven players to visit the campus this weekend. She was joined by seniors Stefanie Dolson, a 6-foot-5 center from Port Jervis, N.Y., Lauren Engeln, a 5-11 guard from Laguna Hills, Calif., Michala Johnson, a 6-3 forward from Lombard, Ill., and Samarie Walker, a 6-1 swingman from Dayton, Ohio, who have also ready made an oral commitment to play for UConn. Unsigned seniors Bria Hartley, a 5-10 point guard from North Babylon, N.Y., and Chiney Ogwumike, a 6-3 post player from Cypress, Texas, were also on hand.
“I know when I (committed) I thought I was going to wait too,’’ Dolson said. “But then you just know. I felt bad making them wait so I wanted to tell them. She got excited and wanted to do it. More power to her.’’
Mosqueda-Lewis averaged approximately 22 points, six rebounds and 3.4 assists last season to lead Mater Dei High to a 32-1 record. She was named a Parade Magazine first team All-American and the Gatorade California State Player of the Year.
Mosqueda-Lewis also averaged 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 19.2 minutes to lead the U.S. to a 5-0 record and the gold medal at the U-16 FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico City, Mexico in August.
“She’s the real deal,’’ Insell said. “Kaleena Lewis is probably the only kid that I’ve ever coached, that I’ve ever seen that when she shoots the ball you think it’s going in. She shoots with that type of confidence. From 35- to 40-feet in you have to be on her. She’s the best 3-player that we’ve ever had in our program and we’ve had some great ones. And she’s one of the top three players that I’ve ever seen … Maya Moore, of course, and (Diana) Taurasi. She’s on the level of those kids. Now will she take it to that level? Geno (Auriemma’s) the one that puts them there.’’

Rich

The rumors began to surface last this spring that Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had committed to play college basketball at UConn. At the time they proved to be just rumors.
Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6-foot junior guard from Anaheim, told the Connecticut Post in June that she was going to take her time during the recruiting process and would not make a decision until next year. All of that changed during her unofficial visit to UConn this weekend. A source confirmed Sunday that Mosqueda-Lewis made an oral commitment to play for the Huskies.
Mosqueda-Lewis, who told the Huskies coaching staff Saturday, becomes the first player from the Class of 2011 to commit to UConn. She also made an unofficial visit to UConn last January and chose the Huskies over California, Stanford and Kentucky.
Mosqueda-Lewis was one of seven players to visit the campus this weekend. She was joined by seniors Stefanie Dolson, a 6-foot-5 center from Port Jervis, N.Y., Lauren Engeln, a 5-11 guard from Laguna Hills, Calif., Michala Johnson, a 6-3 forward from Lombard, Ill., and Samarie Walker, a 6-1 swingman from Dayton, Ohio, who have also ready made an oral commitment to play for UConn. Unsigned seniors Bria Hartley, a 5-10 point guard from North Babylon, N.Y., and Chiney Ogwumike, a 6-3 post player from Cypress, Texas, were also on hand.
Mosqueda-Lewis averaged approximately 22 points, six rebounds and 3.4 assists last season to lead Mater Dei High to a 32-1 record. She was named a Parade Magazine first team All-American and the Gatorade California State Player of the Year.
Mosqueda-Lewis also averaged 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 19.2 minutes to lead the U.S. to a 5-0 record and the gold medal at the U-16 FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico City, Mexico in August.

Rich

Geno Auriemma had been telling Tina Charles since she arrived in 2006 that she could be one of the top players in the country. Last season she finally realized her true potential as a junior when she was named a State Farm All-American and the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after tallying 25 points and a team NCAA tournament record 19 rebounds against Louisville in the national championship game.
The season solidified Charles, who averaged 18.3 points and 11.5 rebounds and had four double-doubles in the NCAA tournament, as the top center of the decade. This season she will look to solidify herself as one of the top players in team history. Charles begins her senior season No. 10 all-time in team history in scoring (1,638 pts.) and No. 3 in rebounding (995). She will join Rebecca Lobo and Jamelle Elliott as the only players in team history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds and she’s expected to join Lobo as the only Huskies to total 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in their career.
Here is the best of the rest …
Asjha Jones was underrated during her first three seasons with the Huskies. That abruptly changed when she finished her career in grand style by averaging a career-high 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in 24.6 minutes during the magical season of 2001-02. She was named a third team All-American by the Associated Press for her efforts. And earlier this month Jones joined Charles and the rest of the U.S. National Team for a tournament in Russia.
Jessica Moore benefited greatly after becoming the first non-medical red-shirt in Auriemma’s tenure in 2000-01. She started 73 straight games during her sophomore and junior seasons and was a part of three straight national championship teams in her career.
Moore averaged a career-high 10.6 points in 2002-03 and 7.1 rebounds in 2003-04. And she showed her grit by playing the final 6:33 of the 2004 national championship game against Tennessee with a torn ACL in her right knee.

And the team of the decade is …. an easy decision.
Point guard Sue Bird; shooting guard Diana Taurasi; small forward Swin Cash; power forward Maya Moore; and center Tina Charles. Now that’s a formidable team if you ask me.

Caroline Doty emerged from the locker room last night following First Night festivities and asked a reporter if she had fooled him by coming out with crutches during her introduction. To recap: Doty stepped through the curtain, started to walk with crutches before throwing them aside and striking a pose just as John Travolta did on the dance floor in Saturday Night Fever.
It was a great effort by Caroline. But after listening to her speak so confidently about the condition of her surgically repaired left knee during Media Day Thursday we weren’t fooled.

The crowd last night was outstanding. Only some seats in the outer reaches of Gampel Pavilion were empty. Lastly, Moore’s final dunk of the night off a toss from Kaili McLaren was impressive.
There is a strong likelihood that Moore could dunk in a game this season too. “Coach doesn’t have a problem with it,’’ she said. “I’ve just got to find a time to do it.’’

Rich

A six pack of recruits is on hand to take in the First Night festivities at Gampel Pavilion. Stefanie Dolson, Lauren Engeln, Michala Johnson and Samarie Walker have already made an oral commitment to play for the Huskies. Unsigned senior point guard Bria Hartley is also here, while junior guard Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is on an unofficial visit.
A source said unsigned senior post player Chiney Ogwumike will arrive and begin her official visit Saturday.

Rich

In just two years, Maya Moore has not only emerged as the top player in the country but one of the top players in team history. She is hands down the top power forward of the decade.
Moore is the reigning national Player of the Year and a two-time first-team Associated Press All-American. As a freshman in 2007-08, she led the Huskies to their first Final Four appearance since 2004 when she averaged 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.6 blocks in 29.5 minutes in 38 games (30 starts). She followed by leading the Huskies to their first national championship since 2004 last season by averaging 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.5 blocks in 31.0 minutes.
Before her career is complete she could overtake Taurasi as the team’s best player.
Here is the best of the rest …
Tamika Williams made an impact as a freshman in 1998-99 when she averaged 13.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 22.4 minutes over 33 games (19 starts). She again had great success over the next two seasons off the bench, in which she started a combined four games, before starting all 35 games she appeared in during the undefeated season in 2001-02.
Williams averaged 10.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 21.9 minutes as a senior, earning honorable mention All-America honors from the Associated Press.
Barbara Turner was often undersized in the post at 5-foot-11, but she made up for it with a passion to succeed and her will to win. She averaged in double figures in scoring and at least 4.8 rebounds in every season, including 12.6 points and a career-high 7.5 rebounds as a senior in 2005-06.
Turner also led the Huskies to the NCAA regional final that season by averaging 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 35.0 minutes. Who can forget her game-winning, turnaround 3-pointer in the final seconds against Georgia in the regional semifinal in Bridgeport?
Charde Houston was in and out of Geno Auriemma’s doghouse probably more than any other player he has coached. But despite her troubles, she largely produced when given the minutes to do so. She averaged a team-high 13.7 points in the Big East tournament and 13.3 in the NCAA tournament as a junior in 2006-07.
Houston was then named the conference tournament Most Outstanding Player as a senior in 2008 after averaging 11.3 points and 7.0 rebounds.

Tomorrow I will take a look at the center position.

Rich

The defending national champion Huskies return virtually intact from a year ago. Virtually, that is. There is one gaping hole on the roster. The one that was created by the loss of All-American point guard Renee Montgomery to the WNBA.
With practice officially set to begin Saturday, Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said during Media Day today that no one will enter with a leg up on the competition for the starting job. Junior Lorin Dixon and sophomores Caroline Doty and Tiffany Hayes will vie for the right to be labeled the starter.
“We’ll know after the first week of practice,’’ Auriemma said. “They’re all so different. They all played point guard in high school. They’re all different, though, which is good. I don’t think there are any similarities between all three of them. So that means we could have three different things going on out there, which would be pretty good. I don’t think any of them will be bad. It’s just going to be levels of good. They’re all going to be good. If we played Carolina 12 times a year Lorin would be a first-team All-American. Can we get Lorin to play at the level? If we do … Can we get Tiffany to play the way she played for most of the (NCAA) tournament? Can we get Caroline to play the way she was playing before she got hurt? If those three things happen on a regular basis … And you hate to jinx kids, but Kelly Faris is really, really, really, really good. Nobody knows it. But she’s really, really, really good.’’
Auriemma said that Dixon is the most improved player on the team. He also said that Faris, the team’s lone true freshman, will not play a bad game at UConn. Now that’s a pretty bold statement from a pretty bold Hall of Famer.

Doty was beaming about the health of her surgically repaired left knee. She feels strong and is playing without any limitations.
“It’s not an easy thing to do, and she has done it with an awesome attitude,’’ assistant coach Shea Ralph said. “I think she’s gotten a lot of great support from her teammates and Rosemary (Ragle), our trainer, has done an awesome job with her. It’s hard through the summer. It’s easy to want to slack off, but she did a really good job doing the right things every day. I feel like she feels she’s strong, and she’s confident in the way she feels as a result of the work she put in.
“She has worked as hard as anyone I have seen and as hard as anything I did. Beyond that, hopefully. I think she is definitely where she needs to be, and now it’s just a matter of working back in on the court. She has a fire about her and the way that she plays. She brings that will to win. She absolutely refuses to lose, and she has a chip on her shoulder about it. Her work ethic is that kind of old school UConn feel where she is diving on the floor and doing those types of things that fans have revered about our program for a long time.’’
If you want to know just how much Doty is revered for her toughness and competitiveness, check this out … National Player of the Year Maya Moore said that if she had to play 2-on-2 for the national championship she would choose Doty.
“Whether or not she’s performing, if she’s out on the court working her but off, that work ethic and will is going to be infused into everyone else,’’ Moore said. “And when she is performing it’s fun to be on her team. She’s a key part of our team. Her competitiveness. She’s one of the most competitive players on our team, and when it comes down to it, you need competitive people to be out on the court with you. She just brings that killer instinct. You can tell just from watching her. Even after she hits four 3s, she wants to hit four more in your face. She doesn’t hold back. She’s going to have to bring that every night for us because that’s something you can’t really teach people. There are some players that just have that competitiveness, and she brings that. We will definitely need that.’’

The season kicks off to tonight with First Night festivities at Gampel Pavilion. Doors open at 6 and the event is free to the public.
Among the crowd on hand will be seven recruits, including unsigned seniors Bria Hartley, a 5-10 point guard from North Babylon, N.Y, and Chiney Ogwumike, a 6-3 post player from Cypress, Texas.
Stefanie Dolson, a 6-foot-5 center from Port Jervis, N.Y., Lauren Engeln, a 5-11 guard from Laguna Hills, Calif., Michala Johnson, a 6-3 forward from Lombard, Ill., and Samarie Walker, a 6-1 swingman from Dayton, Ohio, will also be making official visits this weekend. They have already made an oral commitment to play for the Huskies.
Junior Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6-foot guard from Anaheim, Calif., will be making an unofficial visit this weekend.

Rich