UConn women's basketball

Balancing both academics and athletics can be a daunting task for the Huskies, and for every other collegiate athlete for that matter. Sophomore Tiffany Hayes did her best today. And she pulled it off in impressive fashion.
With UConn scheduled to practice at 2 p.m. Hayes knew that it would conflict with her statistics (discussion) class from 3 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. It’s a small class so there is nowhere to hide, with professor aware of who is present and who is not. And with material that will she will see on the upcoming final exam being covered, Hayes knew that she had to be in attendance.
So she made the proper plans. First, Hayes scheduled an individual workout with assistant coach Shea Ralph at 11 a.m. to compensate for the practice time she would miss. Among the things they worked on was shooting off of a screen.
The Huskies had a film session from 2 to 2:20. Hayes then participated in practice until 2:45 before heading to class. Team manager Matt Gade saved her the 10-minute walk by giving her ride.
“Basically, I came in like I was going to practice the whole time because I didn’t want to be thinking, `OK, what time am I leaving,’’’ Hayes said. “So basically I just practiced until it was my time to go and (associate head coach Chris Dailey) let me know that I was leaving at a quarter of (3). I just put my pants and my sweater over my practice stuff and Matt took me to my class. I was actually focused because I need a good grade on this final. But I was kind of thinking like, `I wonder what they’re doing. I wonder what they’re going through right now, missing two people because Lorin (Dixon’s) already out.’’
Hayes caught a break when class ended 10 minutes early. But rather than shut it down for the day like many college kids might have done, she raced back to Gampel Pavilion to catch the end of practice. She was back out on the court at around 4, in time to take part in the final 30 minutes of practice.
“I think it was like seven minutes till 4 and I look at C.D. and I was like, `Should I come back in?’ She shrugged her shoulders so of course I ran in and I put my shoes back on,’’ Hayes said. “I didn’t put any ankle braces or knee pads on. I came back in and we ended up going till 4:30 anyway. I guess I should have put my ankle braces on because I ended up rolling my ankle. But I just tried to get out here and help my teammates as much as possible because I knew that they would probably be tired or they were hurting. So I just wanted to get back out here as fast as I could.’’
Hayes, who is hoping to earn a 3.0 grade point average this semester, said it was the first time that she has experienced such a conflict in her schedule.
“I think we try to recruit that kind of kid and then when they get here they act that way,’’ coach Geno Auriemma said. “Tiffany had an individual workout because she knew she was going to miss a lot of practice, then did part of practice, then left and then came back to finish practice. I think it’s part of our culture, but it’s also more I think part of Tiffany and who she is.’’
Tina Charles was also affected today. She had to leave late in practice because she had to make a presentation in one of her classes.
“We had to change our practice time to accommodate both of those guys,’’ Auriemma said. “But that’s why they’re here. I’ve always said a kid that comes to practice and their mind is (messed) up because they didn’t do a paper or they didn’t study or they didn’t well on an exam that kid’s not going to be worth anything when they’re here. So I’d rather them feel good about that situation so they’ll be free and clear to think about what I’m trying to teach them.’’
As much as the Huskies are fierce competitors on the court, it’s easy to tell that they are equally as competitive off the court. Hayes said the team came up with a competition where the members were divided up into teams in a battle for the highest combined GPA.
Hayes is teamed with Kaili McLaren, Heather Buck and Charles.
“Our group is called `The Answer’ and our catch phrase is `there’s no problem we can’t solve,’’’ Hayes said. “I think somebody else is called `Suma Cum Laude.’ There’s a lot of different names, and basically we’re just seeing which team can get the highest GPA or who can get 3.0. So it’s just a little competition that we made up.’’

Dixon (hamstring) did not practice today and is unlikely to play tomorrow against Hartford at the XL Center.

Just a reminder: I will be conducting a live chat tomorrow from noon to 1 p.m.

Rich