UConn women's basketball

There is no cause for concern because Kelly Faris is wearing a boot on her right foot while she is not playing. Faris said as much following practice today at Gampel Pavilion.
Faris has had pain in her Achilles tendon.
“Now I’m in (the boot) all the time just to give it some rest,’’ Faris said. “It’s really nothing.’’
Faris also said that Saturday’s game against Seton Hall at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. could be the final time she has to wear a protective mask on her face due to the broken nose she suffered in practice Dec. 18.
“We want to get it so it’s starting to heal more so if I get hit again it doesn’t crack up and put me out longer,’’ Faris said.
Faris said one of her friends had fun at her expense last week when they gave her a pair of those toy Groucho Marx-like black glasses with the big nose for Christmas.

Lorin Dixon was upbeat today talking about her health. She missed the first nine games this season with a strained left hamstring and played just 51 seconds against Stanford in her debut Dec. 23. But she was able to play 11 minutes at Florida State Monday without incident.
Dixon said she is back to 100 percent health … mentally and physically.
“It was good,’’ Dixon said. “It really did help me. I didn’t think I was going to play, but going out there and playing was just a big boost for me, especially against a really good team like Florida State. So just playing 11 minutes the other night I felt good. I felt like, `Alright, you’re fine. That’s a great team. You ran up and down. You got your feet wet. You’re good to go. There’s nothing that’s going to hold you back anymore.’’’

Geno Auriemma again spent time pondering UConn’s greatness over the last decade. He said that the 2000 national championship is right there at the top when compared to the seven titles he has won during his Hall of Fame tenure with the Huskies.
“I think the 2000 team will always be one of my favorites because it was proving that we could do it again,’’ Auriemma said. “More people have won one than have won two. So to get a second one kind of makes your program a little bit more than just a one-hit wonder. Plus, it was in my hometown and there were a lot of friends and family and everybody there. So I think that was probably … And then the 2003 and ’04 teams because it was a bunch of young players and Diana (Taurasi) and I don’t think anyone expected that we would be able to do that after all those guys left. So I don’t know that any of them stand out more than the rest, but the 2000 team and what that team did … And we should’ve been undefeated. So I always remind them of that. And they don’t want to hear it because that still burns them up that we lost that one game (72-71 to Tennessee at Gampel Pavilion Feb. 2, 2000). I can’t believe that was 10 years ago.’’

I’d like to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year. I truly appreciate the fact that you take time out of your day to read my blog.

Rich

Here’s the link for my live chat that will run today from noon to 1 p.m. See you there.

Rich

The Huskies closed out the decade with a 78-59 victory at No. 12 Florida State Monday. It was their 50th straight win and the second time they have had a streak of this length in the last nine-plus seasons. Of course, UConn set an NCAA record by winning 70 straight games from Nov. 9, 2001 through March 11, 2003.
The Huskies finished the decade a combined 314-27 (.921) with two undefeated seasons, eight 30-win seasons, four national championships, six trips to the Final Four, seven Big East regular season championships and six conference tournament championships since the 2000-01 season.
Individually, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore were each named The Associated Press National Player of the Year. They also won the Naismith Award and the Wade Trophy. Taurasi was a two-time recipient of the Naismith Award.
Svetlana Abrosimova, Bird, Taurasi, Swin Cash, Moore, Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles were named Kodak/State Farm All-Americans. Bird, Taurasi, Moore and Montgomery was also named first team All-Americans by The Associated Press. And coach Geno Auriemma was three times honored by The Associated Press, Naismith and the WBCA as the national Coach of the Year.
“I’ll probably look back and think that you’ll never have that kind of opportunity probably ever again to do something like that because you’re doing it almost for the first time,’’ Auriemma said. “You can never duplicate what you’ve done. You can do it again, but you can’t duplicate it. Really that 2000, 2001, 2002 stretch right there, those three years, that’s about as good as it gets. I don’t know that any team has played basketball at that level or had that many great, great players be a part of it.’’

Due to the New Year’s holiday I will be conducting my weekly live chat Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. See you there.

Rich

Junior All-American Maya Moore was named the Big East Player of the Week for the first time this season today. Stunningly, it is just the third time in her career that she has been honored by the conference in this manner.
Moore won the award once as a freshman (March 4, 2008) and once last season (Jan. 19, 2009) despite earning national Player on the Year honors. She was honored this time after finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 34 minutes in the Huskies’ 80-68 victory over No. 2 Stanford last Wednesday.
Looking back at the game against the Cardinal, one of Moore’s assists was absolutely ridiculous. You know the one. The bounce pass that she made to Kalana Greene for a layup with 8:06 left in the game. The bounce pass that she delivered after catching – and controlling – a pass from Kelly Faris with her back to the baseline and without both feet on the ground and defenders in the area. The bounce pass she delivered to Greene without completely seeing her path to the basket. Moore just sensed where Greene would be. Yeah, that one.
Here’s Moore’s take on the latest head-spinning play by the nation’s top player.
“I was running down the floor,’’ Moore said. “I love running. Kelly Faris is a great passer. She gave me a pass, just kind of leading me ahead, and I saw that I had two defenders kind running with me. So as I went up in the air to catch it I saw Kalana doing the same thing … running the floor. So I just tried to slash it in between. And it was kind of a high pass, but Kalana … She’s ridiculous. She can catch and finish in all kinds of ways. I knew once I got it through the defenders that Kalana was going to finish. So it was just one of those momentum plays that just … And the crowd went crazy so we love that.’’
The play was nothing new for Huskies’ coach Geno Auriemma. With Moore in her third season now, he’s grown accustomed to seeing her make plays that are out of the ordinary.
“I want to look at it on video and make sure it was a pass,’’ Auriemma said. “That she wasn’t trying to shoot it. But I’ve seen her make plays like that. I love watching her when she’s in those transition areas because she just has incredible instincts.’’

Rich

Here’s the link for my live chat, which will be held today from noon to 1 p.m. See you there.

Rich

Kennitra Johnson didn’t know whether or not she would even been invited back to join the Huskies’ 1999-00 national team this week for their induction into the Huskies of Honor program. There was a get-together at coach Geno Auriemma’s house Tuesday night and a ceremony at halftime of Wednesday’s showdown between UConn and Stanford.
Johnson spent just two seasons with the Huskies, opting to transfer to Purdue following the 2000-01 season. But when she received a phone call from Sarah Darras, Geno’s right-hand woman, weeks ago regarding the event Johnson was ecstatic.
“I had no idea, but when Sarah called me there was no hesitation,’’ Johnson said. “I was going to come. I felt honored that they invited me. I didn’t know with me leaving. But with this school and this whole thing, once you’re a part of it you’re always going to be a part of it no matter what. That’s the beauty of it. So for them to invite me back was awesome.’’
Johnson’s decision to leave UConn had nothing to do with UConn itself. It was a personal decision. At the time she needed to return closer to her home in New Albany, Ind. to be with her mother, Charlotte Sutton, who was going through a difficult time.
Johnson, who eventually transferred to Division II Southern Indiana in 2002, said she has no regrets about the path her career took. She thoroughly enjoyed her time at UConn.
“I was 19, 20 years old trying to deal with a lot stuff with my mom,’’ Johnson said. “So no I don’t (have any regrets) because I felt like that was the best decision for me at that time. The two years that I was here I made great connections with a lot of people and then at that point I had to go. So I can’t go back and say `what if’ because that wouldn’t get me anywhere. But I enjoy my life. I do a job that I like.’’
Johnson was admittedly a bit nervous as she walked into Auriemma’s house Tuesday, not knowing quite what to expect. But upon seeing her old friends and coaches her nervousness subsided.
She even joked with associate head coach Chris Dailey about having to cover up the tattoo on her arm with a band-aid at games.
“It’s been 10 years since I’ve been back up here,’’ Johnson said. “So to walk into Coach’s house and see him and to see all the players I was overwhelmed, actually. It was a good feeling, though.’’
Currently, Johnson teaches physical education/health at her alma mater, New Albany High School. She helped out with the varsity girl’s basketball program the last two years, but she said she is not coaching this year.
Johnson said she still follows the Huskies.
“I’ll always be a part of UConn,’’ Johnson said. “It was one of the best times of my life. And to come back and to see Sue (Bird) and to see Asjha (Jones) and all these guys it really means a lot to me.’’

Svetlana Abrosimova received arguably the loudest ovation when the players were announced during the ceremony. She has always been a fan favorite.
Abrosimova is currently playing for UMMC in her native Russia. Jones is again her teammate, vying against Bird and Diana Taurasi and Moscow Spartak.
“That’s like my first reunion in life,’’ Abrosimova said. “I’ve never had a family reunion or anything like that. So, for me, when I walked in Coach’s house (Tuesday) night I saw all these people with families and kids. It’s really special. You realize how much these people mean to you. Yeah, we have our own lives now. Everybody’s on different levels and in different countries, but at the same time you have that special bond. And that separates you from other people.’’
Of course, Auriemma razzed her a bit. But Abrosimova said that “he tried to be nice to me because I just landed in the country a couple hours ago.’’
Abrosimova also took some time to relay what she remembers most from her career with the Huskies.
“Fighting with Coach all the time,’’ Abrosimova said. “Yeah, that was the No. 1 thing. I changed here a lot. I became more American, but at the same time I learned how to cherish my Russian roots too because you know you’re different when you come here and when you’re getting adapted to a new environment you learn how to find new people, new friends and Coach is like my second father to me. So it’s really special. When you play here and then you meet other players who played in different schools you just feel different. And you know that’s because that’s UConn. UConn’s tradition. He made us approach games, approach practices, time management, leadership … All the little things and you’re really different from everybody else.’’

Here’s another reminder … I will be conducting my weekly live chat Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. I hope to see you then.

Also, I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the time spent with family and friends over the next few days.

Rich

UConn announced today that the game against No. 7 North Carolina Jan. 9 at Gampel Pavilion is sold out. It will be the first sellout at the venue since Feb. 23, 2008 against St. John’s on Senior Day.
Also, less than 300 tickets remain for the game against No. 3 Notre Dame at Gampel Pavilion Jan. 16.

Just a reminder … Due to the fact that tomorrow is Christmas Eve I will instead be going my live chat Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. Hope to see you there.

Rich

Geno Auriemma called the Huskies together at practice last week to give them a quick glimpse at the big picture. They have not been challenged in their first nine games, winning by 45.9 points. This run includes beating then-No. 10 Texas by 25 in San Antonio Nov. 17.
Auriemma wanted to inform the players that the schedule was about to pick up. And pick up in earnest. Starting with tomorrow’s nationally televised game against No. 2 Stanford at the XL Center, UConn will play 13 of its final 21 games against teams either ranked in the Top 25 or among those receiving votes. In hearing this news, Meghan Gardler promptly rolled her eyes and said `It’s about time.’
“Even they understand,’’ Auriemma said. “It’s like, `Come on.’ It’s like you’re a boxer and you knock somebody out in the first round. It’s like `Come on, somebody hit me back would ya?’ Now you might not respond well, but you need that. You need that.
“I’m anxious. But there are things I see at practice everyday… When everybody says `they got 40 first-place votes.’ They don’t get my vote. Come to practice every day and give me a vote. I’m not necessarily voting for them every day. Some days I’m voting for them.’’
The Huskies did not come to UConn to repeatedly play teams with inferior talent. They came to play the best and to prove that they are the best in the nation. Stanford, who has six starters returning from the team that lost to UConn in the national semifinals last April in St. Louis, will significantly test the Huskies.
Led by All-American Jayne Appel, Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Kayla Pedersen up front, the Cardinal is a confident, experienced group.
“There’s that mindset that `They can’t beat us,’’’ Auriemma said. “Sure they can. And if they don’t think they can they shouldn’t show up. But I’m sure they think they can. In some ways, they’ve got everybody back and they added their point guard (JJ Hones). So they’re probably sitting there thinking, `You know what, we weren’t at full strength last year in the Final Four, and now we are. And we’re going to go out there and we’re going to kick their butts.’ If you’re (coach) Tara VanDerveer, why would you want them going out there thinking anything differently? So I fully expect for them to hit us with their best punch. And we should. It’s good.’’
Kalana Greene also believes that Stanford will come in with a ship on its shoulder, seeking redemption for last season’s defeat. But she said the Huskies will also have something to prove.
The knock on UConn is that it is not the same dominant team as it was last season with All-American Renee Montgomery in the lead. Montgomery burned Stanford with 26 points, six assists and four steals in 35 minutes last season. The Huskies will be looking to make a statement too.
“They’re going to come in here (angry),’’ Greene said. “Two years ago when we beat them in the Virgin Islands they came to the Final Four (angry … and won). And now it’s the same thing. We beat them in the Final Four last year so now they’re going to come in here with a chip on their shoulder. And I think we have an even bigger chip on our shoulder saying last year we did it with Renee. Now this year we’re trying to do it without her.’’

All-American Maya Moore finished sixth in the voting for The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year.
Here’s the breakdown:
Serena Williams (66 votes)
Zenyatta (18)
Kim Clijsters (16)
Lindsey Vonn (15)
Diana Taurasi (14)
Maya Moore (13)
Rachel Alexandra (10)
Bridget Sloan (3)
Jiyai Shin (2)
Erin Hamlin (1)

The Huskies have been recognized by SI.com in its All-Decade package. They were ranked No. 3 in “Teams of the Decade.’’ Diana Taurasi checked in at No. 9 on the list of “Female Athletes of the Decade.“ And Auriemma was No. 7 on the list of “Coaches of the Decade.“

Rich