UConn-bound recruit Breanna Stewart, a 6-foot-4 star post player from North Syracuse, N.Y., was again in attendance Wednesday at the Carrier Dome to watch most of her future teammates take apart the Orange.
It was only natural following the game that a member of the local media asked UConn coach Geno Auriemma about the top player in the Class of 2012. It was only natural that Auriemma again spoke glowingly about Stewart.
“It’s the things that I think coaches really value in players, and especially big kids,’’ Auriemma said. “Our coaches, we like to ask, `If this kid was 5-10 instead of 6-4, would she be a really good basketball player? Would she be one of the Top 10 basketball players in the country?’ And a lot of times, the answer’s `no.’ The reason the kid’s a good player is because they’re 6-4. Breanna … If she was 5-10, she’d still be one of the best players in America. And the fact that she’s so competitive and is skilled and has a really good understanding of not only the game but her effect on the game.
“It’s tough being a freshman at UConn, and she’ll find that out. It’s very difficult because the expectation level is going to be really, really high. And there’s going to be times when she can’t meet those expectations. But if you were to draw up something and say, `OK, what does a kid need to come to UConn as a post player or a wing or anything?’ She can play any position she wants. `What does that person need?’ And she’s got all those qualities, and she’s an even better person than she is a basketball player. You don’t find that too often. But we’re lucky at UConn. We happen to find those kids that are like that.’’
As Stewart sits in the stands and watches the Huskies she finds herself part fan and part future member of the team.
“I’m both. Of course, I’m cheering for them and I’m really excited about being out there with them next year,’’ Stewart said. “Just watching them makes me excited to get there. But there are times you watch and you see yourself out on the court. I’ve played with some of them in USA Basketball and I know them from visiting campus a couple of times. It feels great to see them do well.’’
Senior Tiffany Hayes now sits in 14th place all-time in team history in scoring with 1,556 points. She said recently that her points are of the “silent’’ variety.
“Hopefully, I can continue to stay under the radar and those silent points,’’ Hayes said. “It didn’t feel like 35 (Wednesday). So those were silent points to me as well. I didn’t realize it until Coach said it in the locker room. So I’m like, `Wow.’ It was a surprise to me.’’
Auriemma, however, does not think there is anything silent about Hayes’s offensive game right now or the fact that she is rising up UConn’s scoring chart.
“The fact that she’s played in so many games (136), kids that play at UConn today have such an advantage,’’ Auriemma said. “They’re playing 40 games per year, and sometimes back then those guys were not playing that many. And she’s had the advantage I think of playing with great, great players. She kind of reminds me of Nykesha (Sales). Nykesha played with Jen (Rizzotti). She played with Jamelle (Elliott) and Kara (Wolters) and Rebecca (Lobo), Shea (Ralph). When you have a lot of really good players around you sometimes people don’t notice how many points you’re scoring or how many assists you have or rebounds you have or how many steals you have. Because you’re the other guy, you’re the other guy, you’re the other guy. And I think now they mean more – her points, her rebounds, her assists – and they’re not silent any more. Now her game is on loud speaker, and that’s where it should be at this point.’’
Rich
UConn will not make it to the Final Four if Faris continues to take only 1 shot and Dolson continues to miss layups because she is afraid of contact.
Once again, the media and fans think Hayes is a great player because she scored 35 against a terrible team.
Hayes still has to show up when it really counts – against Baylor, Notre Dame, Stanford, and March Madness.
I will take Jen Rizzotti, Asjha Jones, and Tamika Williams. You can have Hayes.
Comment by Jesus Martinez — January 26th, 2012 @ 11:14 am
Was it me, or did Coach Auriemma keep his starters out there an awfully long time? Was he rubbing it in for a coach and a team that UConn doesn’t like? A couple of years ago Syracuse was talking so much trash and being so rough on the court that Maya said she wanted to beat them by fifty, and they did.
Was this a personal thing?
Comment by anonymous — January 26th, 2012 @ 12:58 pm
Again Hayes comes through! Dolson was 0-4 in the first half with 2 fouls-because the Syracuse player muscled her up- and did not allow Dolson to do her usual pushing and banging just for the sake of pushing and banging. I wonder if Buck had the same stats how long would she last on the floor- I will tell you -not very long!!
The game should have never been as close as it was in the first half with the talent that UCONN has- the UCONN post players were invisible-Thank God Tiffany came to play!
Comment by Go figure — January 27th, 2012 @ 5:09 pm