UConn women's basketball

In just over two months the Huskies will begin their quest for an NCAA record-tying third straight national championship. They’ll do so riding the longest active Division I winning streak in the country.

The Penn State volleyball team had its 109-match winning streak stopped Saturday in a 3-0 loss to Stanford at the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic in Gainesville, Fla. The Nittany Lions had not lost since dropping a five-set match to Stanford at the Yale Classic Sept. 15, 2007.

UConn has won 78 straight games since an 82-73 loss to Stanford in the national semifinals in Tampa, Fla. April 6, 2008.

Rich

The Supershow/First Night festivities in the middle of October have long been a top showpiece for the Huskies when it comes to impressing recruits. The national championship banners, the national Player of the Year recipients, the Huskies of Honor and a healthy supply of adoring fans at Gampel Pavilion is unlike what most programs in the country can provide.

But if a recruit cannot make a visit during that particular weekend, this weekend will be equally impressive. Huskies/U.S. Senior National Team head coach Geno Auriemma and a host of elite players open training camp today in Hartford and will play a pair of exhibition games at the XL Center in Hartford Friday against Australia and Sunday against Spain.

Seniors Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6-foot-0 wing from Anaheim, Calif., who has orally committed to play for UConn, and Sara Hammond, a 6-2 forward from Mount Vernon, KY, will make a visit over the next couple of days. Mosqueda-Lewis is ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2011 by ESPNU HoopGurlz. Hammond is No. 12.

Former UConn players Tina Charles, Asjha Jones, Renee Montgomery and Diana Taurasi and current Huskies’ senior All-American Maya Moore are all expected to compete for the U.S.

According Brian Stewart, whose daughter Breanna is the top player in the Class of 2012, UConn also invited her to visit this weekend. However, the family could not make it work.

Stewart, a 6-4 forward from North Syracuse, N.Y, is currently planning to visit Duke Oct. 14 during a family vacation to North Carolina. She also wants to visit Virginia and Notre Dame at some point, and Brian said there is a possibility of attending UConn’s game against Baylor at the XL Center Nov. 16.

“The way it is with them right now is they’d love to have her out there whenever she can get there,’’ Brian Stewart said. “They really want her there. I kicked around the idea of the Baylor game with Breanna. We haven’t made any plans, though. I know we’re going to. She wants to go back out there before the end of the year.’’

UConn, Penn State, Duke, Virginia, Kentucky, Louisville, Notre Dame and Syracuse are some of the schools Breanna is considering at this point. Brian Stewart said that “it’s fair to say’’ that UConn has offered Breanna a scholarship.

“We don’t talk about it that much,’’ Brian Stewart said. “Have we gotten a letter that said we are offering you a scholarship? We’ve gotten a lot of those from other places. But I don’t think that that’s been necessary from UConn. We know they want her. We feel there’s a very mutual interest. She’s had offers from several schools. I know in my heart that they have Breanna as a top recruit. I think they really like her and a lot of schools do because I think Breanna is very … I’ve heard the word `coachable.’ She comes across like she could easily fit into their program because she’s like a sponge to me. She’s very easy going and very eager to learn.’’
“I know there’s certain schools, including UConn, that are probably going to be there at the end that’s for sure. How do you not have UConn on your list if they think that highly of you? But right now she’s uncommitting. We talk about it a lot and we’ve gone back and forth a little bit with it. And we’ve kind of sent the message right at this moment Breanna and I and her AAU coach they just want to kind of lay low and not have too much contact in the next couple of months. Because of the floodgates that have opened she wants to just kind of focus on the schools that she’s already established relationships with. And that’s not to say she’s not open to, for example, an Oregon that has shown a lot of interest. But right now it would be so overwhelming for her. I think she wants to enjoy the beginning of her junior year. She had a busy summer and she has no idea so she doesn’t want to strain her brain with the idea of doing too much. But she’s certainly thrilled with the schools that are interested in her and I know she’s talked to UConn on a couple of different occasions. Coach (Chris) Dailey. Coach Auriemma. She’s kept in touch with them. She’s talked to them a couple times since she’s been back (from France) as well as some other coaches like Coach Muffet (McGraw) from Notre Dame.’’

Senior Betnijah Laney, a 6-0 wing from Clayton, Del, said Wednesday that she has not yet set up all of her official visits. Senior Kiah Stokes, a 6-3 forward from Marion, Iowa, will make an official visit to UConn for First Night Oct. 15 and the first day of practice the following day.

Rich

The Huskies will host Baylor in the 18th annual State Farm Tip-Off Classic Nov. 16 at the XL Center at 6 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2 and is one of 20 live games during ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.

It will be the fourth appearance for both teams in the event. UConn has not appeared since defeating Georgia at the Hartford Civic Center to open the 2000-01 season. The game, which is the start of a home-and-home deal with the Lady Bears, will be a rematch of the Huskies’ 70-50 victory in the NCAA national semifinals April 4 in San Antonio.

“We are very excited to be a part of ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon,’’ UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Baylor is an outstanding team and the ESPN audience, along with the crowd at the XL Center, should be treated to a great game. Once again State Farm has stepped up to help make this possible and I would like to pass along my thanks to them.’’

Said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey: “We are so excited to be playing in our fourth State Farm Women’s Tip-Off Classic. It truly should be a classic with Baylor and Connecticut, two 2010 Final Four teams, matching up.’’

The date of the final non-conference game has finally been announced. The Huskies will travel to North Carolina Jan. 17 (7 p.m.; ESPN2).

Rich

UConn coach Geno Auriemma has lost a member of his staff for the third straight year. Jack Eisenmann, who served as the Huskies’ director of basketball operations for the last nine seasons, has been named an assistant coach at Fordham.

Eisenmann joins former UConn assistant coaches Tonya Cardoza and Jamelle Elliott as those who have recently moved on. Cardoza is now in her third season as the head coach at Temple. Elliott is in her second season as the head coach at Cincinnati.

“I am excited to work with Jack,’’ head coach Cathy Andruzzi said. “He brings significant experience to our staff, having previously been a head coach and a member of the staff at UConn that won five national championships. His knowledge of the game and exposure to the highest level of Division I basketball will be an asset to our program.’’

Eisenmann was part of 310 wins in 334 games during his stay at UConn. He had previously spent 12 seasons as the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Ottawa where he led the team to its first Ontario Provincial Championship in 1993.

“I am thrilled to become a member of the Fordham University women’s basketball staff,’’ Eisenmann said. “I have known Coach Andruzzi for eight years and have watched her build a program that seems poised to accomplish great things this season. I am very excited to be able to become a contributing assistant coach to a steadily improving program. I look forward to working with the entire staff and players. I am determined to add positive accomplishments to the program at this great academic/athletic institution known as Fordham University.’’

Rich

Junior guard Caroline Doty underwent successful surgery today to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a small posterior meniscus tear in her left knee at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. The procedure, which took approximately three hours to complete, was performed by team doctor Robert Arciero.

It was the third time that Doty has been forced to have the ACL in her left knee repaired since Oct. 23, 2007. This time about one-third of the patellar tendon was taken from her right knee and inserted into the left knee to serve as the ACL.

The allograft taken from cadaver was rejected following the second surgery Jan. 22, 2009.

“She made out great,’’ said Kevin Doty, Caroline’s father. “Dr. Arciero was real pleased. No surprises. Obviously, she’s beat up and hurting like hell. But she looks good. They settled in her into the hotel now so she’s just sleeping. It’s a tough situation. I think the outcome was very positive. Hopefully, it continues to progress that way.’’

Doty, who averaged 6.8 points and 3.5 assists in 25.3 minutes last season, will miss the 2010-11 season. She has two years of eligibility remaining in her career.

Kevin Doty said that Caroline will be back in the training room Thursday to begin her rehabilitation, working toward regaining full range of motion to prevent the formation of scar tissue. He also said that because she has a full year to recover that Arciero will be even more conservative than he normally is during this particular rehabilitation process.

“Even last year the timetable was very conservative,’’ Kevin Doty said. “It was never rushed or moved up or anything like that. I guess just the psychological part of, `Hey, you know what, I’ve got a year.’ He may just say we can just make sure this thing really (takes), gives it every opportunity to totally take and heal, which being her own tendon we won’t have that rejection factor that we had to deal with with the allograft from the cadaver.’’

Rich

Junior guard Caroline Doty will undergo surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee Aug. 31 at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. The procedure will be performed by team doctor Robert Arciero.

This will be the third time since Oct. 23, 2007 that Doty has been forced to have the ACL in her left knee repaired. She will miss the 2010-11 season, but she has two years of eligibility remaining in her career.

Rich

Junior guard Caroline Doty will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in her left knee for the third time since Oct. 23, 2007 in the next few weeks.

It was expected that she would start at point guard for the two-time defending national champion Huskies this season. Now, as they have successfully done many times in the past, they will have to move on without one of their key components.

Auriemma took some time during his USA Basketball teleconference Wednesday to speak about the loss of Doty and moving forward.

“Caroline has had this issue for a while,’’ Auriemma said. “It’s kept her from playing in the past and now it’s going to keep her from playing this season. It’s unfortunate that it happened. It’s unfortunate, the timing. It’s something you wouldn’t wish on any player once, much less three times. So Caroline’s going to put on a happy face and she’s going to put up a good front. But deep down inside you know that she’s really struggling with this and as soon as we start practice she’s going to struggle more and as soon we start playing the struggle’s going to get even more difficult. But that’s the hand she’s dealt right now and I’m not worried about us. I’m not one of these guys that’s going to keep reminding everybody, `Hey, if we had Caroline we’d be really good.’ As we go through the season Caroline’s not playing for us this year. And we’re going to have to figure out a way to do what we want to do with who we have. Caroline’s got her own issues. Her issue is to get healthy and our issue is to try to do whatever we set out to do but do it without a real important part of our team. So it’s going to be difficult. But it’s not supposed to be easy. We did it two years ago and now we’re going to have to do it again.’’

Doty, then a freshman, missed the final 22 games during the national championship season of 2008-09.

Rich

The USA Basketball Women’s National Team will open training camp for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Washington, D.C. Sept. 4, it was announced Wednesday. The team will practice at 10 a.m. daily, working out at The Flint Hill School in Oakton, Va. Sept. 4-5 and at American University’s Bender Arena in Washington, D.C. Sept. 6-7.

UConn senior All-American Maya Moore will be among the players competing at the camp.

“I’m really looking forward to that first week in September in D.C., and even more so the following few weeks as the (WNBA) playoffs wind down and we’re able to add more and more players,’’ UConn and Senior National Team coach Geno Auriemma said. “Speaking for all the coaches, we’re anxious to get our whole team together. And even then it might not happen until the start of competition, but at least we’re getting close.’’

Team USA will train at the XL Center in Hartford Sept. 9-12. It will practice Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. before meeting Australia, the defending world champions, in an exhibition game Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. The U.S. will also practice Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. and will meet Spain, which is ranked No. 5 in the world, in an exhibition game Sept. 12 at 1 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now online at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at the XL Center box office. Prices range from $10 to $75 (additional fees may apply).

Also, Australia and Spain will play an exhibition game at the University of Hartford Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 and too can be purchased through all Ticketmaster outlets.

Jayne Appel (San Antonio Silver Stars), Rebekkah Brunson (Minnesota Lynx), Ebony Hoffman (Indiana Fever) and Kia Vaughn (New York Liberty) have been added to the USA National Team roster.
The World Championship will be held Sept. 23 through Oct. 3 in the Czech Republic.

“Certainly one of the positions that we are trying to shore up is in the post,’’ Auriemma said. “With Candace Parker not being available because of her operation, these four additions give us a lot of options to choose from. I’m anxious to see how they fit in. And depending on who’s available because of the playoffs, I think it’s important to have as many options as possible.’’

Rich