UConn women's basketball

UConn-bound recruits Bria Hartley, a 5-foot-10 point guard from North Babylon, N.Y., and Samarie Walker, a 6-1 wing from Dayton, Ohio, are among the 20 players that have been selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) to compete in the 19th annual WBCA High School All-America Game, it was announced today.
Among the 19 players that have already signed a National Letter of Intent, UConn, Tennessee, Duke, Stanford and California will each have two players in the game.
The players who have been selected will be divided into two 10-person teams. The college-style regulation game will be held April 3 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas at 5:30 p.m. EST.
This year’s game will mark the first time it will be played on the same court as the NCAA Women’s Final Four. Admission is free, but tickets for seating in the reserved section are available at www.wbca.org.
Fellow UConn-bound recruit Stefanie Dolson, a 6-5 center from Port Jervis, N.Y. earned honorable mention honors for the game.

Rich

This was the type of game Caroline Doty certainly needed to boost her confidence. She had scored 11 points in the last four games on 4-of-19 shooting, including just 3-of-11 from 3-point range, in 85 minutes.
But Doty found what she was looking for in the first half Sunday at Louisville, scoring all of her 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting (3-of-3 3-pointers) in 15 minutes.
“I needed it, definitely,’’ Doty said. “Who doesn’t? You’re not feeling it the last couple of games and you come out and hit a couple of shots and you start having a lot of fun out there. The game is so much better and so much easier when you’re having fun. When you get out there and make shots it leaves you feeling good. My knee is not really bothering me. It’s not that bad.’’

The Huskies will hold their annual Senior Day event Feb. 27 against No. 16 Georgetown at the XL Center. Tina Charles, Jacquie Fernandes, Meghan Gardler, Kalana Greene and Kaili McLaren will be honored.
The activities will begin at approximately 11:40 a.m. A 10-minute pocket has been reserved for the ceremony. Tip-off is slated for noon.
Tickets are still available for the game and can be purchased by calling 1-800-745-3000 or by logging on to www.ticketmaster.com.
The 2010 senior class is a combined 130-6 and has won three Big East regular season championships, two conference tournament championships, made two trips to the Final Four and won the 2009 NCAA national championship.

Rich

It will be a long day for Kelly Faris. It will be one that consists of two games – one she will participate in and one that she has a vested interest in as a fan.
For starters, Faris will look to help lead the top-ranked Huskies to their 62nd straight win when they meet Louisville at Freedom Hall at noon. She will then pray for a quick return flight back to Connecticut so that she can catch as much of Super Bowl XLIV as she can. After all, her beloved Colts are taking on the Saints in Miami.
Faris lives in Plainfield, Ind., which is roughly 30 minutes outside of Indianapolis. Her family has had season tickets for years and she has been fortunate enough to attend numerous games. Do I even need to tell what her prediction is for the game?
“It’s definitely got to be the Colts,’’ Faris said. “They’re going to disappoint me if they don’t pull it out. But I think they can pull it off. I do. I wish I was going to be going. I’m going to be missing I think like part of the first half at least. It’ll be a fun game once I get to watch it.’’
The Huskies are expected to land at approximately 5 p.m. today. Kickoff is at 6:25. The bus ride back from the airport will be the determining factor as to how much of the game she misses.
Faris was in attendance the last time the Colts reached the Super Bowl Feb. 4. 2007 when they defeated the Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI at the then-named Dolphin Stadium in Miami. MVP Peyton Manning threw for 247 yards and a touchdown.
Tonight, her father, Bob, and her sister, Kristi, will be in Miami.
“We all went to the one that they had three years ago in Miami,’’ Faris said. “Those two are just going this time. They’re going to have fun and enjoy it.’’
With the exception of Lorin Dixon, the Huskies have sided with Faris. They believe the Colts will win. However, the UConn coaching staff is leaning in the direction of the Saints. Kaili McLaren said that assistant coach Marisa Moseley went as far as to say the Saints will win by 750 points.
“In the beginning it was the Colts I think because Kelly was there,’’ McLaren said. “So everybody just tried to say the Colts. But then like the coaches are saying the Saints. So I think the players are more on the Colts side, except for Lorin, and then the coaches are saying the Saints. Lorin just likes to go against the grain always.’’

Rich

The unbeaten Huskies have captured the attention of the nation with their continued pursuit of history this season. There have been pieces in Sports Illustrated and the USA Today recently chronicling what is now a 61-game winning streak and UConn’s string of blowout victories.
In the coming weeks, the Huskies will be profiled like they never have before. ESPN is in the process of putting together a reality-based, all-access program focusing on UConn’s exploits on and off the court.
Four episodes will air on ESPNU beginning later this month.
“Tina (Charles), especially, has been saying since freshman year that we should be on tape because some of the stuff that happens is just hilarious,’’ senior Kaili McLaren said. “And now that we have the opportunity it’s just cool to see it happen, especially in our last year and just be able to track everything that’s going on.’’
McLaren and fellow senior Jacquie Fernandes will carry handheld cameras through the end of the season to capture off-court footage. ESPN interviewed the team Thursday at Gampel Pavilion. It will also set up a camera up in the locker room and film live game action.
“I kind of feel like James Cameron,’’ McLaren said. “I’ve got an HD camera and I’m going around and I just get to do whatever and it’s cool. I just want to show everybody how much fun we have. We’re not just like zombies and do certain things. We just like to have fun.’’

UConn coach Geno Auriemma has held Caroline Doty out of practice this season at times in an effort to give her surgically repaired left knee as much rest as possible. Now he is looking to do something else to aid Doty.
Auriemma said following practice today that he needs to find a way to get Doty, who has been spending the majority of her time at point guard this season, more shots within the offense.
“She hasn’t practiced every day because her knee was bothering her and I was trying to maybe just not overdo it,’’ Auriemma said. “But she’s not getting as many shots as she did when Renee (Montgomery) was here because she’s handling the ball more. So I’ve got to figure a way to fix that. I’ve got to get her some more shots. I think that’ll help. She’s a shooter so I’ve got to get her more shots. And I know she’ll make them when she has to make them.’’
Doty scored 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting (3-of-5 3-pointers) in 30 minutes at Duke Jan. 18. It marked the third straight game she had played at least 30 minutes (94 total). She has since scored 11 points in the last four games on 4-of-19 shooting (3-of-11 3-pointers).
Doty took just one shot in 18 minutes in Tuesday’s victory over No. 11 West Virginia, missing badly on a 3-point attempt with 5:30 left in the first half. She was replaced by Kelly Faris to start the second half and played just five minutes in the second half.
“I was more like spotting up last year where here I’m trying to create more because if I’m just standing there and doing what I did last year nothing’s going to happen,’’ Doty said. “If Tiffany (Hayes) were to bring up the ball I’ll be able to spot up and get more open shots. But I think it’s all about open looks. I guess I have to create more for myself if I were to look for more open shots. And just keep working at the game and trying to get better at different parts. And right now that’s my challenge is to get open looks and try to get more shots up. I’ve got to keep working on that.’’
Doty didn’t seem overly concerned about a lack of shots. She is focused on distributing the ball to the Huskies’ main scorers – Maya Moore, Charles and Kalana Greene. They are averaging a combined 48.9 points per game, which is more than UConn is yielding to the opposition (44.6).
“Being the point guard is all about seeing who the go-to players are,’’ Doty said. “And Tina dominating down low and Maya playing as well as she is and Kalana playing as hard and as aggressive as she’s been playing … I think it’s important to focus on getting them the ball. I’m going to come off screens and look to shoot. But I’m going to come down and see what I have to do. If Tina’s wide-open I’m going to give her the ball because you know she works hard down there. You know Maya’s working hard. There’s three main scorers right now. And as the point guard it’s important to get the main guys involved.’’

The Huskies hosted a couple of hundred people representing numerous high school, middle school and AAU teams from across the state today at practice. The Christian Heritage girl’s basketball team was among those teams in attendance.
The players sat in the seats in the lower level of Gampel Pavilion during practice. Auriemma, who had to be on his best behavior during practice, addressed the crowd and entertained some questions after practice. And following their post-practice weight training session the players too met with the girls, parents and coaches. The Huskies introduced themselves and posed for photos.
“It put it into perspective like how many people are really watching and looking up to you,’’ Doty said. “When you’re playing games you just see a big bowl full of people you’re kind of just like, “Alright, it’s a typical day.’ But here you kind of buckle down. You meet people face-to-face and you know these little girls are looking up to you. A couple of parents were like, `Thank you so much for being great role models. We really look up to you.’ It puts everything in perspective and how respectful we have to be and how you have to be a good role model for these girls because you never know who’s watching.’’

Rich

The Huskies have won 61 straight games heading into Sunday’s meeting with Louisville at Freedom Hall. They have won 60 straight regular season games, 130 straight against unranked opponents, 53 straight regular season games at home and 236 straight regular season games at home against unranked opponents. They have also gone 211 straight games without allowing a team to shoot over 50 percent from the field.
All of these streaks are, of course, impressive in their own right, especially the current overall winning streak which is nine short of UConn’s Division I record of 70. But the one streak that truly exemplifies the overall consistency of the Huskies is the fact that they have not lost back-to-back games in 600 games. This is a streak they truly take great pride in extending.
“We try not to miss two shots in a row,’’ senior Kalana Greene said. “To lose two games in a row? I know I haven’t done that. Losing is not an option. Coach (Geno Auriemma) always goes when we’re playing bad, `Maybe we should lose and it will pick you guys up,’ but he doesn’t mean it. Besides, make a mistake in a win and then we’ll correct it. Winning is what we want to do. That’s why I came here. I came here to win. Up to this point I’ve lost 11 games in five years and some teams lose more than that in a single season. We don’t even think about losing. It’s never in our minds. You work to win and if you do the work you won’t lose.’’
UConn has not lost two straight games since the final two games of the 1992-93 season – an 87-73 loss to Providence in the Big East tournament semifinals March 7, 1993 and a 74-71 loss to Louisville in the first round of the NCAA tournament March 17, 1993. The Huskies are a combined 556-44 (.927) since those defeats.
To put this run in perspective, the best rival Tennessee could do was go 313 games without suffering consecutive losses. That string ended Jan. 26, 2006 after losses to Duke and Kentucky in a span of four days.
“We take every game to heart,’’ Auriemma said. “We certainly don’t like losing. We don’t like not preparing properly and we prepare the best that we can to win every game. Then win or lose, we try to learn from it and play better the next game. Maybe that’s a big factor. When we win we think about things we can do better. When we lose we break it down and tear it apart and come ready to go the
next game.’’

Former UConn recruit Jacki Gemelos finally made her debut for USC in Thursday’s 61-55 loss at California. She had eight points, five rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes.
Gemelos, who chose to attend USC after de-committing from UConn, was tabbed as the top player in the Class of 2006 along with Tina Charles. But Gemelos has since undergone four ACL-related surgeries – two on each knee.

Rich

Maya Moore has been named to the five-player 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I First Team, which was announced today by the Academic All-America Committee. Nominations and voting for the All-America programs are conducted by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Moore is now eligible to be named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team, which is expected to be announced in early March. She is seeking to become the first women’s basketball player at UConn to be named a first team Academic All-America in back-to-back seasons since Jennifer Rizzotti (1995, ‘96). Rebecca Lobo (1994, ‘95) and Leigh Curl (1985, ‘86) were also honored in back-to-back seasons.
Moore currently has a 3.7 grade point average in an individualized major.

Rich

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

Rich

Here’s a look back at Tuesday’s victory over No. 11 West Virginia:
TURNING POINT – The Mountaineers pulled to within 36-29 with 17:08 left in the game. Just over six minutes later, the game was over. The Huskies hit West Virginia with a 24-3 run. They made eight straight shots. West Virginia missed six straight and went without a field goal for 5:36. Tina Charles (seven), Kalana Greene (six) and Kelly Faris (five) combined for 18 points in the run for UConn.
“We got a little frustrated because of the offense and the quit defending,’’ West Virginia coach Mike Carey said. “That’s what they do. They frustrate you and then they make a big run. I only had one timeout left. I kept trying in the first half to stop their runs. But eventually you run out. (Heck), I would need about 15 timeouts. I don’t have enough timeouts to stop their runs. They’re a great team.’’
UNSUNG HERO – Faris. She started the second half in place of Caroline Doty and immediately became a factor for the Huskies. It was her steal in the backcourt and ensuing three-point play that triggered UConn’s game-breaking run. Faris finished with nine points (4-of-6 FG), two rebounds, four assists and two steals in 24 minutes.
“With this team you kind of have to be ready to fill any role at any time,’’ Faris said. “So I think that’s all our mindset. You’re just going out to play basketball. So whether you’re coming off the bench or you’re starting you’ve just got to go out and execute.’’
BEST ‘X’ AND/OR ‘O’ – It was all about patience for the Huskies offensively in the second half. They slowed down, allowed the offense to flow and executed. UConn shot 68 percent from the field in the half (17-of-25) and was 8-of-9 during the run.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS – Faris played more minutes vs. West Virginia since playing 33 vs. Clemson Nov. 29. She also scored more points since scoring 12 vs. Richmond Nov. 28. “I would say for the last two weeks maybe, Kelly’s been playing great,’’ Auriemma said. “She went through that stretch with the mask thing, and I think that really affected her. But she’s been really good the last couple weeks.’’ … Through Auriemma’s eyes, the Huskies seemed to be struggling defensively in the first half. Here’s what he said to them during a timeout: “I said, `Let’s change our defense. Let’s go from not guarding them to guarding them,’’ he said. “At one point I asked them, `Which defense should we be in? The one that gives them wide-open layups or the one that gives them open 3s? You choose. I’ll leave it completely up to you.’ They just looked at me like, `Why do you have to call timeout and we come over here and listen to this (garbage)? Why don’t you tell us something constructive.’ Then I look up and they had 24 points at halftime. How can you complain about a defense that gives up 24 points in a half?’’
LOOKING AHEAD – The Huskies will travel to Louisville for a rematch of the 2009 NCAA tournament final Sunday. It is the first of two road games in a span of four days for UConn.
BY THE NUMBERS
4 – Shots made by Caroline Doty in last four games
42 – Made FTs by UConn in the last two games (53 attempts)
600 – Games without back-to-back losses for the Huskies

Rich