Freshman Kiah Stokes came to UConn with the potential to make an immediate impact. She earned All-American honors as Linn-Mar High in Iowa. And with 6-foot-5 sophomore Stefanie Dolson as the lone legitimate post player in the primary rotation for the third-ranked Huskies, an opportunity for Stokes to earn ample playing time presented itself.
Stokes, a 6-foot-3 center, initially did not take advantage of her opportunity. She never before had been required to play to her to full capabilities each time she stepped on the floor. And this was something Stokes struggled with for some time.
Her effort at practice paled in comparison to that of her teammates. It would become a point of frustration for the UConn coaching staff and players. So much so that Coach Geno Auriemma twice benched her and Stokes learned that the Huskies had reached a point where they were not fond of playing with her if she was not going to compete to the fullest.
“Your teammates, you’re with them all the time,’’ Stokes said. “You think off the court everything’s fine and then (UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey) tells you something like that … It kind of hits home like, `Oh, my teammates, they don’t like playing with me if I don’t play how I should.’ Once I heard that it was kind of like another wake-up call. It just kind of hit me like, `This is serious. I need to get going.’’’
This had nothing to do with the Huskies, who will host South Florida Saturday at the XL Center (1; CPTV), shutting Stokes out. Off the court everything was fine. But when it comes to positioning themselves to win a national championship, every player being on the same page on the court is vital.
Auriemma benched Stokes against Fairfield Dec. 29 and at Villanova Jan. 14. It was following the Villanova game that it became crystal clear to Stokes that she needed to change.
“It was frustrating,’’ UConn junior Kelly Faris said. “You look at somebody and you’re around them every day, and you know what they can do. And when you see them not be able to get that, you want to push them. You want to do this. You want to do that. And you really want them to get there. And that’s what this program is about is getting to that point and pushing past it.’’
To Stokes’ credit, she has changed. Stokes is averaging 7.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 17.3 minutes over the last four games. It is her best four-game stretch of the season.
“She’s definitely done a 360, and good for her,’’ Faris said. “Good for her that she’s realizing it and she’s changing and working on the things that she needs to work on. So she’s definitely changed, and she’s gotten a lot better.’’
Just two days after being benched at Villanova, Stokes responded with her first career double-double –
11 points, 11 rebounds – in 12 minutes against then-No 24 North Carolina. She finished with eight points, seven rebounds, one steal and three blocks in a season-high 24 minutes at Syracuse Wednesday.
Stokes has had at least six rebounds in three of the last four games. She has also played a combined 43 minutes the last two games, her highest two-game total of the season.
“For every two steps forward she gives you a little bit of hope,’’ Auriemma said. “And then there’s things that, obviously, she’s still a freshman. But I don’t hesitate as much more to throw her in the game as I did earlier. And her practice habits have changed a lot. I said going forward that her development was going to have a big impact on how good our team was going to be down the road. And she’s getting better.’’
Not only has Stokes refined her practice habits, but she is putting in extra work with Dailey and assistant coach Marisa Moseley. The workouts feature shooting drills and 1-on-1 exercises in the lowpost.
Stokes said that she will also work with an available practice player at times, allowing them to attempt to block her shot so that she has to be stronger with the ball and more physical in the lane.
“Every day I’m working harder and getting extra workouts in,’’ Stokes said. “Each day is progress. But it’s getting better. I’m getting more minutes and I think my teammates trust me a little bit more, which is what I keep hoping and hoping is they build more trust in me.’’
For Stokes, it is all about working harder at this point. She seems to have finally grasped what it takes to have success at this level, and at UConn in particular. And her teammates have taken notice.
“It was really hard for us to see somebody like Kiah that we know is good, that we know can be a great player and a great asset to our team not playing up to her ability and not playing up to everybody else’s level,’’ UConn freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis said. “She’s doing a lot better and she’s being a lot more help to our team. She’s getting aggressive and she’s scoring for us. She’s rebounding. And I think that she feels better about her performance, which makes us feel more confident in her.’’
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