UConn women's basketball

Scoring has not been a priority for UConn sophomore Kelly Faris throughout her career. She has done exactly what has been needed to help her teams to win. Usually, tending to the blue-collar aspects of the game is what has earned her playing time and recognition.

Faris, a 5-foot-11 guard, did not score a point in 52 minutes in two games at the Final Four last April in San Antonio. Yet, she was one of the most influential players on the court for the top-ranked Huskies.

UConn was not counting on a contribution from Faris on offense. Her role was to come in and play defense, rebound and make the right pass. This season, though, that has changed. And coach Geno Auriemma has made it clear that the Huskies need Faris to be a scorer.

“It’s the competitiveness. It’s doing what Coach asks you to do,’’ Faris said. “He’s still getting on me a lot because I’ve still got to get out of my old mindset of just constantly passing the ball. But when Coach Auriemma, a guy like that, asks you to do something then you’ve got to change it. He wants me to be more competitive on the offensive end and that’s what I’ve got to do.’’

Faris is not a complete stranger to being an offensive threat for her team. She completed her career at Heritage Christian High School in Indiana ranked second all-time in team history with 1,426 points.

Faris averaged 4.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 18.9 minutes over 39 games off the bench last season for the Huskies, who host Indiana (Pa.) tonight at the XL Center in their final exhibition game (7). However, she shot just 38.2 percent from the field, which is one reason why she spent a great deal of time during the off-season working on her shooting.

“It’s going to be a little bit of a struggle for her because she’s got the ball in her hands a lot more now,’’ Auriemma said. “And that’s going to take some getting used to. Last year she caught it and shot it, offensive rebounded and played defense. She’s ending up with the ball a lot because we’ve got to pass it to somebody to start the offense and she’s in that position a lot. And I want to encourage her to think of herself as a scoring threat, not just `I’m a role player. I play defense. I rebound.’ I said to her the other day, `You played maybe 50, 60 minutes in the Final Four last year and you were probably as influential as anybody in us winning and you didn’t score a point. If that happens this year, we’re going to lose. So we need you to be all that but still think of yourself as more of a scorer.’’’

Auriemma has praised Faris, who reached double figures in scoring just three times a year ago, throughout the preseason for being more offensive-minded and more confident. It showed during UConn’s 112-41 exhibition victory over Franklin Pierce Nov. 4.

Faris finished with 11 points (5-of-7 FG). She scored on put-backs, off cuts to the basket and off the drive.

“That was definitely something I was working on, but he’s going to want more than that every game,’’ Faris said. “It is progress. But, at the same time, I have to keep it consistent and move forward and not take any steps back.’’

UConn senior All-American Maya Moore averaged a team-high 18.9 points last season. Junior Tiffany Hayes averaged 10.2. They are the lone returning players that averaged in double figures in scoring.

Also, Tina Charles, Kalana Greene and Caroline Doty averaged a combined 36.4 points. The Huskies are in need of a third scorer with Moore and Hayes. At this point, Faris is a prime candidate to step into that role.

“Honestly, it depends on how everybody else is playing,’’ Faris said. “I can’t sit here and say. `Yeah, I have to score 15, 16 points or whatever it is every game.’ If Maya’s on we’re all going to try to give her the ball. If Tiffany’s on we’ll try to get her the ball. But I don’t think that I’m going to get by scoring two points or four points every game. I think he wants me up there. Not that I’m like, `Oh, my gosh I have to score every point.’ But the way his mindset is, and the way our team is right now, we have to have more than just two scorers.’’

Rich

Senior All-American Maya Moore and junior Tiffany Hayes are among the 50 preseason candidates for the Naismith Trophy, the Atlanta Tip-Off Club announced today. St. John’s junior Da’Shena Stevens of Stamford is also a candidate.

The list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors based on a player’s performance from last season and the expectations for this season. The award, which honors the top player in the country, will be presented during the Women’s Final Four in Indianapolis April 4.

The list of candidates will be cut to 30 in late February by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors. The Naismith Trophy voting academy will then vote to narrow the list to the four finalists in March.

Here is the complete list of candidates:

Danielle Adams Texas A&M

Kachine Alexander Iowa

LaSondra Barrett LSU

Angie Bjorklund Tennessee

Kelsey Bolte Iowa State

Jessica Breland North Carolina

Kelley Cain Tennessee

Cetera DeGraffenreid North Carolina

Elena Delle Donne Delaware

Skylar Diggins Notre Dame

Jasmine Dixon UCLA

Victoria Dunlap Kentucky

Dawn Evans James Madison

Casey Garrison Missouri State

Brittney Griner Baylor Power

Keisha Hampton DePaul

Amber Harris Xavier

Tiffany Hayes UConn

Ify Ibekwe Arizona

Amy Jaeschke Northwestern

Shenise Johnson Miami (Fla.)

Melissa Jones Baylor

Jantel Lavender Ohio State

Italee Lucas North Carolina

A’dia Mathies Kentucky

Sarah Miles West Virginia

Alex Montgomery Georgia Tech

Maya Moore UConn

Nnemkadi Ogwumike Stanford

Kayla Pedersen Stanford

Ta’Shia Phillips Xavier

Jeanette Pohlen Stanford

Samantha Prahalis Ohio State

Lauren Prochaska Ohio State

Chastity Reed Arkansas-Little Rock

Monique Reid Louisville

Jence Rhoads Vanderbilt

Danielle Robinson Oklahoma

Ta’Shauna Rodgers Georgetown

Shenneika Smith St. John’s

Brittany Spears Colorado

Da’Shena Stevens St. John’s

Shekinna Stricklen Tennessee

Helena Sverrisdottir TCU

Carolyn Swords Boston College

Louella Tomlinson St. Mary’s

Jasmine Thomas Duke

Courtney Vandersloot Gonzaga

Courtney Ward Florida State

Riquna Williams Miami (Fla.)

Rich

UConn recruit Brianna Banks, who now attends Fayette County High School in Fayetteville, Ga., will sign her National Letter of Intent Wednesday along with three of her teammates during an “Early Signing Day’’ event in the school’s Media Center at 8 a.m.

Rich

It will be a busy day for Huskies’ recruit Kiah Stokes Wednesday.

Stokes will lead the Linn-Mar High School volleyball team against Iowa City West in the Class 4A state tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at noon. She will then return to Linn-Mar to sign her National Letter of Intent to play for UConn.
The letter signing ceremony will be an event for all of the seniors that have received a Division I scholarship, according to Kiah’s father, Greg.

Stokes had 34 kills to lead Linn-Mar to a four-set win over Bettendorf in the Class 4A Region 7 championship Nov. 2.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who is regarded as the top player in the Class of 2011, will sign her National Letter of Intent Wednesday during a ceremony in front of family and friends at Mater-Dei High School at 10:45 a.m. EST. The event will also feature all of the athletes who have received an athletic scholarship.

Mater-Dei coach Kevin Kiernan said “the kids sign, get a cap and the coaches say a few words.’’ The players will then pose for pictures.

Rich

Baylor senior starting point guard Kelli Griffin has quit the team, it was announced today. She was one of four returning starters from last season’s team that finished 27-10 and lost to UConn in the NCAA national semifinals in San Antonio.

Griffin, who had started 50 straight games and was a All-Big 12 honorable mention pick by the coaches last season, is ranked seventh in team history with 362 assists, only 132 shy of becoming the program’s career leader. She averaged 7.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists and 33.5 minutes a year ago.

Griffin had four points, four assists and three steals in 20 minutes in an 89-46 win over Division II St. Edwards in Baylor’s exhibition opener Monday.

The second-ranked Lady Bears will meet top-ranked UConn in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic Nov. 16 at the XL Center.

Rich

Geno Auriemma started to cut himself off during his postgame game chat with the media last night. He knew his comment about 6-foot-1 freshman forward Samarie Walker would be one that would make the rounds on various media platforms today.

But Geno being Geno, he didn’t alter his train of thought and veer in a different direction. The straight shooter with a healthy dose of sarcasm provided his opinion on exactly what Walker needs to do this season to be productive offensively for the Huskies.

“In how many practices we’ve had … I don’t even know,’’ Auriemma said. “But I would venture to say that Samarie’s hit the rim from outside 10 feet once. So she knows the way she’s going to score is she’s going to have to work really hard around the basket. Post-up hard. Go offensive rebound. Defensive rebound, run the floor. She’s as athletic as anybody. And she’s as strong … stronger than most. And (Thursday) she showed all that. She’s strong. She’s athletic. She’s got pretty good footwork and good agility around the basket.’’

Walker was one player that truly stood out in UConn’s 112-41 demolition of Division II Franklin Pierce at Gampel Pavilion. She finished with 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds (four offensive) in 17 minutes. She entered the game for the first time with 13:12 left in the first half and immediately made an impact.

Walker had five rebounds in the first 3:06. And she capped this stretch with consecutive put-backs in a span of 19 seconds.

“I’d like to see a lot more of that now every day in practice,’’ Auriemma said. “Hopefully, this gives her like a sense of confidence, like `Hey, Coach is counting on me.’ If you look at our rotation (Thursday) we had seven players play a lot of minutes and then mix and match everybody else. And it’s not like you’ve got to work really hard to get in that seven. You’ve got to just jump over one person or two people. It’s like being in the old Big East with nine teams. All you’ve got to do is jump over one or two and you’re in the tournament.’’

Walker said she was a little nervous before the game. It hardly showed. There was also no sign of the hamstring strain that sidelined her during the preseason. She was aggressive around the hoop, challenging for every rebound she could get even a fingertip on.

Walker had six points and seven rebounds in 10 minutes in the first half. She said she tells herself that every rebound that comes off the rim is hers to get. At various points Thursday it looked that way.

With ample opportunity to earn playing time up front for the Huskies this season, Walker took an assertive first step.

“It was very exciting, especially for myself,’’ Walker said. “I know it’s always been a dream for me to play at UConn. And finally getting to play with Maya (Moore) and the other girls, it was a great experience and also good for us as a team to finally get to play with each other and not against each other.’’

Here’s Moore’s take on what the Huskies got out of their exhibition opener when they were not remotely tested.
“I think that’s who we are and why we’ve been who we are is it is doesn’t matter what the situation is,’’ Moore said. “We could be in a rec facility playing some pick-up with some guys and we would come out and want to win and compete. It’s about making good habits every time you’re out on the court. It’s about having fun when you’re making those good habits, and lifting each other up and somebody diving on the loose balls. It’s an exhibition game, but Kelly Faris and Tiffany Hayes are diving on the floor. That’s fun. And we realize that, especially me being a senior, your games are limited and every time you get a chance to go play you want to make the most of it. I thought we did (Thursday).’’

Auriemma was largely even-keel, as expected, following the game. It was an exhibition game. It provided the players with a reference point to draw on in practice and with game experience as many try to settle into new roles.

“I didn’t pay attention to one thing Maya Moore and Tiffany Hayes did,’’ Auriemma said. “I was looking at the game and I really didn’t notice anything they did, to be honest with you, because I really wasn’t paying attention to that. I’m trying to find all the people that were changing their status, were changing their role on the team. We’re asking them to do certain things that they didn’t do last season. How are they handling that? How are they acclimating themselves to that? So (Thursday) that was a positive step, certainly for Samarie because that’s kind of been where she’s heading. And Bria (Hartley’s) been like that since the beginning (14 points six assists). So I wasn’t surprised at what Bria did. But it was really good for me to see Samarie do what she did because to be quite honest she hasn’t done very much of that. She’s done bits of that, but she hasn’t done that much of that in practice. That was good for me to see that.’’

Here’s Auriemma’s sarcastic take on the Huskies’ early-season 1 vs. 2 matchup against Baylor Nov. 16 at the XL Center: “The more I talk to people whoever wins the Baylor game wins the national championship,’’ he said. “So I don’t think there’s going to be any more games after that. So our season has one exhibition and two more games and then we’re done. So we’re just trying to peak for the Baylor game.’’

Rich

The Huskies are going to need contributions from a lot of players this season. In tonight’s 112-41 rout of Franklin Pierce, they received them. It was only an exhibition game. But this team has players who can get some things done.

Six players scored in double figures for the Huskies. Six players had at least four rebounds.

Tiffany Hayes led UConn with a game-high 25 points and four rebounds. Maya Moore had 24 points, four rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

Freshman Bria Hartley had 14 points, three rebounds, six assists and two steals in 27 minutes off the bench. Kelly Faris added 11 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals. Lorin Dixon had 11 points and four assists. And freshman Samarie Walker finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes.

“We have to get contributions from everybody,’’ Moore said. “This is a new year. The old teams, the old history … It’s gone. This is what we have. And everybody’s going to have to come in and bring something. We can’t just depend on the reputation of the program or what people have done or what you’ve heard or what you thought. You have to come in and contribute and know when you’re in the game things have to happen. And I think people really accepted that challenge. All of us did tonight and we just have to maintain that and keep it going.’’

UConn’s five freshmen combined for 37 points, 20 rebounds and eight assists in 78 minutes.

Rich

UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma and his coaching staff had tried repeatedly over the past several months to land a post player. They recruited Elizabeth Williams, Sara Hammond and Ally Malott just to name a few players, with each situation ending with them opting to commit elsewhere.

 Kiah Stokes, a 6-foot-3 center from Marion, Iowa, was the final player on UConn’s radar for the Class of 2011. This time the fit was right for both sides. Stokes orally committed to play for the Huskies during a press conference Thursday at Linn-Mar High School.

 “I’m so excited for this,’’ Stokes said. “And I can’t wait for next year when I’m at the University of Connecticut and I put on that uniform. The relationship with the coaches is a big part for me. I love Coach Auriemma and all the assistant coaches. I think they’re hilarious. They’re funny. They know when to be serious and to get work done. It’s just a great balance of all of it put together. I feel like their personalities complement mine and vice versa.’’

 Stokes also had Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia and Iowa on her final list. It ultimately came down the Huskies and Hawkeyes. Her father, Greg, is Iowa’s third all-time leading scorer with 1,768 career points. And her brother, Darius, joined the Hawkeyes as a walk-on this season.

 “I’ve been going back and forth probably for a week between UConn and Iowa,’’ Stokes said. “So I would say (Wednesday) night was when I knew for sure that I just needed to come to UConn.’’

 Stokes joins Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6-0 wing from Anaheim, Calif. who is regarded as the top high school senior in the country, and Brianna Banks, a 5-9 guard from Newnan, Ga., in what is another quality recruiting class for UConn. The NCAA early signing period begins Nov. 10.

 Stokes, the 2010 Gatorade state Player of the Year, averaged 19.9 points on 65.0 percent shooting from the field, 13.5 rebounds and 5.8 blocks last season in leading Linn-Mar to a 26-0 record and the Class 4A state championship. She registered 20 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks in a 38-35 win over Des Moines in the title game.

 Stokes has also played for USA Basketball in each of the past two summers, competing for the 2010 U.S. Women’s Youth Olympic Games Team and the 2009 U-16 National Team.

 “I’m really looking forward to the next step in my career and I’m ready for the new challenges that I’m going to face,’’ Stokes said. “Coach Auriemma is a great coach and I’m excited that I am going to play for him for the next four years.’’

 Stokes made an official visit to UConn last month, attending First Night Oct. 15 and the first official practice the next day. She has amassed 1,079 points, 867 rebounds and 374 blocks in 76 games in her career.

 Stokes said that another factor in her decision was also the potential to play professionally after playing at UConn.

 “I definitely want to take my basketball career as long as I can before I get like an office job I guess,’’ Stokes said. “I know that Coach Auriemma and all the assistants do a great job of getting the best out of each player. I want to be pushed like that so I can hopefully get a career professionally and hopefully maybe the Olympics and overseas.’’