1/1 Connecticut Huskies (0-0)

Results: Connecticut 85, St. Rose 44
Player of the Game: Jr. W Maya Moore (19p, 7r, 6a, 5s, 2b, 24m)
Defensive Player of the Game: Jr. W Maya Moore (1dr, 5s, 2b, 24m)
Freshman Player of the Game: Fr. G Kelly Faris (14p, 2r, 4a, 3s, 25m)
Stat of the Game: 2nd Chance Pts.: UConn 35, St. Rose 8

Summary: All-Americans Moore and Charles picked up right where they left off in the 2009 Title Game help UConn defeat top DII program St. Rose scoring 19/7 and 14/11, respectively. True Freshman Faris made her career debut and Doty returned from last seasons ACL injury without batting an eye. Faris came off the bench and was very impressive. She quickly established herself as a defensive nightmare and very-sound offensive threat. The future looks bright for #34. Doty looked unfazed in her first real game in over 10 months and finished with 11/6 in 20 solid minutes off the bench. The Huskies backcourt had a terrible shooting night only hitting 7 of 29 3's specifically Hayes who only finished with 3pts. on 1-11 shooting (1-9 from deep). Dixon looked more confident, but struggled as the starting point guard. Moore still needs to learn how to create more contact in order to put more pressure on the refs to blow the whistle and ultimately get to the free throw line much, much more (like 10-12 times a night). The Huskies as a team didn't get to the line much tonight as the refs only blew 23 times combined, but they didn't execute well when they did get there only hitting 6 of 12 FT's (neither Moore or Charles got to the line). Charles, Greene, and Dixon are great in the paint, but have to expand their range (especially Dixon). Geno and staff are not likely very pleased and the players won't be satisfied after watching the game film. Overall, a decent outing by the defending National Champs. The expectations are high in Storrs, and clearly, much more improvement is needed.

Game notes (pdf) for today's exhibition game vs. St. Rose Golden Knights (DII).

Location: Gampel Pavilion (Storrs, CT)
Time: 7:30pm (ET)
TV: none
Radio: WTIC/NewsTalk 1080
Internet: HuskyVision
Live Stats: GameTracker

The four University of Connecticut men's and women's basketball exhibition games will be available via streaming video at HuskyVision on UConnHuskies.com. The four exhibition games will not be available on commercial television.

A subscription to HuskyVision is required to view the games and is priced at $9.95 and can be purchased at UConnHuskies.com.

The four games that will be streamed will be:
Wed., Nov. 4, men vs. AIC, 7:00pm (XL Center)
Thur., Nov. 5, women vs. Saint Rose, 7:30pm (Gampel Pavilion)
Sat., Nov. 8, men vs. UMass-Lowell, 1:00pm (Gampel Pavilion)
Mon., Nov. 9, women vs. Vanguard, 7:00pm (XL Center)

The games will also be archived on the site for viewing by subscribers.

UConn is also the UNANIMOUS #1 in the 2009-10 Preseason ESPN/USA Today Poll released today.

Moore History:

Today Jr. All-American SF Maya Moore was named as an unanimous selection to the 2009-10 Preseason AP All-America Team along with fellow UConn teammate and Sr. All-American C Tina Charles. Moore received all 40 media votes and becomes the 7th player in WCBB history to be selected unanimously to the preseason AP All-America team. And for the fifth time in WCBB history, two teammates from the university were selected to the preseason team.  It's the third time two Huskies have been on the preseason team as Jen Rizzotti and Kara Wolters were named in 1995-96 and Shea Ralph and Svetlana Abrosimova were named in 2000-01. Rizzotti and Wolters were first-team All-Americans after the season, too (OTH, Ralph and Abrosimova both ended the season with injuries).

The 2009-10 Preseason AP Poll was released today:

UCONN: UNANIMOUS #1.

Do I even need any commentary?? I mean, what would I say that hasn't already been said (twice)??

The Most Shocking News of the Day!!

The defending National Champions were picked to win the 2009-10 Big East Conference Regular Season Title in a poll voted on by the league coaches today at Big East Media Day. Connecticut was the unanimous choice by the coaches. Connecticut's Maya Moore was selected as the 2009-10 Preseason Big East POTY and Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins was picked as the 2009-10 Preseason Big East FOTY. Twelve players were named to the 2009-10 Preseason All Big East Team including Connecticut's Moore, Tina Charles, and Tiffany Hayes (Kalana Greene was named an honorable mention).

2009-10 Preseason Big East Poll:
1. Connecticut 225 (15)
2. Notre Dame 210 (1)
3(t). DePaul 171
3(t). Louisville 171
5. Pittsburgh 167
6. Rutgers 156
7. Syracuse 126
8. Georgetown 124
9. West Virginia 121
10. Marquette 111
11. South Florida 86
12. St. John's 84
13. Villanova 78
14. Seton Hall 33
15. Providence 31
16. Cincinnati 26

( ) - Indicates first-place votes

2009-10 Preseason BIG EAST Honors:
Player of the Year:
Jr. F Maya Moore, Connecticut (not being unanimous is baffling to me!?!)
Freshman of the Year:
Fr. G Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame*

2009-10 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team:
Sr. G Ashley Bartow, Notre Dame
Sr. C Tina Charles, Connecticut*
So. F/C Keisha Hampton, DePaul
So. G Tiffany Hayes, Connecticut
Sr. F Nicole Michael, Syracuse
Jr. F Maya Moore, Connecticut*
Sr. G Deirdre Naughton, DePaul
Jr. G Liz Repella, West Virginia
Jr. G Angel Robinson, Marquette*
Sr. G Kahla Roudebusch, Cincinnati
Sr. G/F Lindsay Schrader, Notre Dame
So. F Da'Shena Stevens, St. John's

* - unanimous selection
{an extra member was added to the preseason team due to tie in the voting}

2009-10 Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention:
Jr. G Deseree Byrd, Louisville
RSr. G/F Kalana Greene, Connecticut
Sr. G Brittany Ray, Rutgers

More Bittersweet (Recruiting) News!

As our heart continue to be filled with sadness over the loss of UConn Football Star Jasper "Jazz" Howard, one of the Top Point Guards in the country is helping round out UConn's 2010 recruiting class quite nicely. Today 5'10 Sr. PG Bria Hartley (North Babylon H.S., NY) verbally committed to becoming the 5th member of this year's class.  Hartley was on campus this weekend on her official visit and took in UConn's First Night and first official practice. Welcome to Storrs, Bria!!

Now the Huskies await word from the #1 Player in the 2010 class, 6'3 Sr. PF Chiney Ogwumike (Cy Fair H.S., TX), who attended UConn's first practice this weekend on her official visit to the Storrs campus. Ogwumike's top 3 are Connecticut, Notre Dame, and Stanford, but Stanford has been rumored to be her landing spot ever since her older sister, Nneka, signed to play there in 2007. She will make an official visit to Stanford this coming weekend. (As a freshman, Nneka [a Top 5 recruit in the 2008 class] quietly came away with 13pts. & 12rebs. against UConn at the 2009 Final Four, but NOW she is a Sophomore this season and you WILL notice her when UConn plays Stanford at the XL Center [Hartford, CT] on Dec 23rd, 2009).

Bitter-sweet (Recruiting) News amist Tradegy:

Early today the UConn family, campus, and community lost a very special member of its family.  Starting CB for the UConn Football team, Jr. Jasper Howard sadly became UConn campus' first homicide in over 30 years after losing his life early this morning outside the UConn Student Union after suffering stab wounds in an altercation around 12:30am. As a UConn Alumni, I am even more devasted by this loss to our tiny little community and pray his assailant is captured quickly and brought to justice. My thoughts and prayers go out to Jazz's family and unborn child.

[The UConn Police and Connecticut State Police Major Crime Unit continue to actively investigate this incident and ask that anyone with information pertaining to the incident contact UConn Police at 860-486-4800.]

Fast-forward to 10:30pm for the only good news of the day: while UConn Women's Basketball team awaits the decision of two of the top-ranked uncommitted players of the 2010 class, the Huskies received their first verbal commitment for the 2011 class today. H.S. Junior 6'0 SF Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Mater Dei H.S. (CA), is ranked as the #1 overall player in the Blue Star rankings and #2 overall (#1 wing) in the ESPN HoopGurlz Super 60.

Today Phoenix Mercury G/F Diana Taurasi become the first former UConn player to be named WNBA Most Valuable Player. She garnered 27 1st-place votes and 323 points overall en route to being named the 2009 WNBA MVP. She led the league in scoring at 20.4ppg on her way to winning her third Peak Performer Award for Scoring and being the leading vote-getter for the All-WNBA teams (named to the 2009 All-WNBA First Team).

On Sept. 5, Taurasi became the fastest player to 4,000 career points doing so in 197 games to break Lauren Jackson’s record (209). She led the league in three pointers made with 79 and ranked seventh in the league in three-point shooting percentage (40.7). Taurasi ranks 13th in league history for points scored (4,029) and third in all-time points per game (20.3). This season, Taurasi ranked among the WNBA’s top ten leaders in nearly every category, including points per game (first), three point field goals made (first), three-point field goals attempted (fourth), three-point field goal percentage (seventh), free throws made (third), free throws attempted (fifth), free throw percentage (sixth), field goals made (fifth), field goals attempted (10th), blocks per game (eighth) and defensive rebounds per game (sixth).

She was also named to 2009 First Team All-WNBA, her fourth consecutive honor and fifth overall in her six WNBA seasons (2005 season was named to the Second Team), a WNBA All-Star, her fourth such appearance, and earned the 10th-career Player of the Week Award for the week of Aug. 17th. Her efforts helped propel the Mercury to the best record in the WNBA at 23-11, which also tied a franchise record, and the top overall seed in the 2009 WNBA Playoffs.

Currently, Taurasi has led (23.8ppg, 5.2rpg, 4.7apg) the Mercury to the 2009 WNBA Finals to face the Indiana Fever. Game 1 of the Finals begins tonight on ESPN2 live from Phoenix at 9:00pm. Check out the rest of the Finals schedule here.

2009 All-WNBA Teams
First Team:
G Becky Hammon, San Antonio (169) [3 MVP votes, 77]
G Cappie Pondexter, Phoenix (151) [1 MVP vote, 99]
F Tamika Catchings Indiana (167) [3 MVP votes, 163]
F Diana Taurasi Phoenix (201) [27 MVP votes, 323]
C Lauren Jackson, Seattle (179)
Second Team:
G Katie Douglas, Indiana (138) [5 MVP votes, 128]
G Deanna Nolan, Detroit (75)
F Candace Parker, Los Angeles (100)
F Sophia Young, San Antonio (72)
C Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles (69)

Today Minnesota Lynx and former UConn All-American PG Renee Montgomery was added to the USA Senior National Team training camp roster. She becomes the 7th current or former UConn player named to the roster which will be coached by UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma. Montgomery's Minnesota Lynx Head Coach Jennifer Gillom was recently named an assistant coach for the USA Senior National Team along with DePaul Head Coach Doug Bruno. The other six UConn players are Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tina Charles, Asjha Jones, Maya Moore, and Diana Taurasi (Taurasi who will not attend camp due to participation in 2009 WNBA Finals).

Today Minnesota Lynx and former UConn All-American PG Renee Montgomery was named to the 2009 WNBA Adidas All-Rookie Team. Montgomery garnered 11 of the possible 12 coaches votes (coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team). Montgomery, the No. 4 overall draft pick, became a consistent option off the bench in her first season. She averaged 9.0 points and 2.1 assists. Montgomery, who started nine games this season ranked third on the Lynx in assists and ranked in the top five among rookies in assists and points. She tallied a career-high 24 points in a 95-88 win over the Connecticut Sun on Aug. 7th.

2009 WNBA Adidas All-Rookie Team:
F DeWanna Bonner, Phoenix (12)
F Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta (12)
G Renee Montgomery Minnesota (11)
G Shavonte Zellous Detroit (11)
F Marissa Coleman Washington Mystics (6)

Time to play with the BIG Girls!!!

Today USA Sr. National Team and UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma announced that UConn All-Americans Sr C Tina Charles and Jr Maya Moore along with Stanford All-American Sr C Jayne Appel, have been invited to participate in the first practice sessions for the USA Sr. National Team from Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 2009 at American University in Washington, D.C. They are the only three college players that have been invited. Moore is still recovering from a sprained knee that she got during practice for the World University Games. According to Auriemma, she's progressing fine and will be ready for the camp. In the time since, it has been determined that that a pair of Connecticut Sun players, former UConn All-American Asjha Jones and Lindsay Whalen, have also been invited. The practice session begins a process that will lead to the 12-member 2012 U.S. Olympic team. The first major competition for the squad will be the 2010 World Championship in Prague, Czech Republic, in late September 2010.

"We need to see how good they are in relation to the professionals," Auriemma said.

Connecticut All Americans Sr Tina Charles and Jr Maya Moore today were named as two of the 2009-10 31 preseason candidates for the 2010 Women's Wooden Award. Moore won the prestigious Wooden award last season. The Huskies were one of four teams with two players on the list along with Ohio State, Stanford, and Gonzaga (yes Gonzaga!!).

The Wooden Award Committee will release the Midseason Top 20 list in late December. The National Ballot, consisting of approximately 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA, will be released in March. The Women's Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced during the week of the NCAA Elite Eight. The 34th annual Wooden Award ceremony will held during the weekend of April 9-11.

ESPN's College GameDay crew rolling into Storrs...

For the first time in ESPN's College GameDay (and crew) will travel to Storrs, CT for a Connecticut women's basketball match-up. UConn will face Notre Dame on Jan. 16, 2010 at 9:00 pm on ESPN to kick off the 2010 conference season. Here's a look at the complete College GameDay schedule:

Date Site Game (All 9:00 pm ET on ESPN unless otherwise noted)
Jan. 16 Storrs, CT Notre Dame at Connecticut (women’s)
Jan. 23 Clemson, SC Duke at Clemson
Jan. 30 Manhattan, KS Kansas at Kansas State (7:00 pm ET)
Feb. 6 Champaign, IL Michigan State at Illinois
Feb. 13 Lexington, KY Tennessee at Kentucky
Feb. 20 Seattle, WA UCLA at Washington
Feb. 27 Syracuse, NY Villanova at Syracuse
Mar. 6 Durham, NC North Carolina at Duke

2009-10 Preseason Wade Watch List!!!

Lots of Husky and Cardinal flavor with UConn and Stanford both landing 3 players each on the 25 member 2009-10 Preseason Wade Watch list. UConn Sr. C Tina Charles, Jr. SF Maya Moore, and So. SG Tiffany Hayes are on the "watch" list which will award the 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy to the WCBB's DI Player of the Year next April at the Final Four in San Antonio, TX.

P.S. - not to sound spiteful, but why was it mentioned nowhere in the article about the fact that Moore was the 2009 Wade Trophy winner...shouldn't that have been the opening sentence...something like "2009 Wade Trophy winner Maya Moore headlines the 2010 Preseason Wade Watch list..." (wake up people, Parker wouldn't have gotten this treatment)

Welcome Back, Cash Money!!

Seattle Storm SF (and former UConn All-American) Swin Cash won MVP honors at the 2009 WNBA All-Star game today after turning in a record-setting performance with 22 pts. (most points in All-Star game history), 6 rebs., and 4 asts. as the West defeated the East, 130-118. The game was played at the Mohegan Sun Arena home of the Connecticut Sun and it turned into a UConn coming out party as Cash's teammate Seattle Storm PG (and former UConn All-American) Sue Bird garnered a double-double with 16 pts., 5 rebs., and 10 asts. (most assists in All-Star game history) for the West. Phoenix Mercury SF (and former UConn All-American) Diana Taurasi finished with 18 pts., 4 rebs., and 4 asts. and Minnesota Lynx PF (and former UConn All American honorable mention) Charde Houston had 16 pts., 6 rebs., and 3 stls. for the West. Connecticut Sun PF (and former UConn All-American) Asjha Jones quietly added 6 pts., 4 rebs., and 6 asts. for the East. All told the FIVE former Husky Greats totaled 78 pts., 25 rebs., 25 asts., and 3 stls.

Add in the 2009 NCAA Championship and I'd say it's a great year to be a Connecticut Husky!!!

All you big-time UConn Huskies fans out there should be excited. With the 2009 WNBA All Star Game being played at the Mohegan Sun Arena (home of the Connecticut Sun), UConn fans have a chance to see the best of the best in the WNBA, but that also means the best of the best former UConn players will be on display. Seattle Storm's Sue Bird and Swin Cash were picked to be starters for the Western Conference by the fans last week and today the reserves were picked by the coaches. Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi and Minnesota Lynx's Charde Houston were named reserves for the Western Conference while Connecticut Sun's Asjha Jones was named a reserve for the Eastern Conference.

2009 WNBA All Star Game
July 25, 2009 3:30 pm ET (ABC)
Mohegan Sun Arena
hosted by Connecticut Sun

Eastern Conference
Starters:
G Alana Beard, Washington
G Katie Douglas, Indiana
F Tamika Catchings, Indiana
F Candice Dupree, Chicago
C Sylvia Fowles, Chicago
Reserves:
G Jia Perkins, Chicago
G Katie Smith, Detroit
F Shameka Christon, New York
F Asjha Jones, Connecticut
F Sancho Lyttle, Atlanta
C Erika DeSouza, Atlanta


Western Conference
Starters:
G Sue Bird, Seattle
G Becky Hammon, San Antonio
F Swin Cash, Seattle
F Lauren Jackson, Seattle
C Lisa Leslie*, Los Angeles
Reserves:
G Diana Taurasi, Phoenix
G Cappie Pondexter, Phoenix
F Charde Houston, Minnesota
F Sophia Young, San Antonio
F Tina Thompson, Los Angeles
C Nicky Anosike, Minnesota
*F Nicole Powell, Sacramento (inj. replacement)

It is July and UConn Sophomore Sensation Maya Moore is still winning awards!!!! Last night she won an ESPY for 2009 Best Female Collegiate Athlete. The 2009 ESPY awards will be broadcast on Sunday, July 19th on ESPN at 9:00 pm. UConn was up for a total of 4 ESPY's including Best Team (the 2008-09 UConn women's basketball team), Best Coach (UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma), and Best (Overall) Female Athlete (Maya Moore, Connecticut).

Another title game, another MVP award...

This time it was UConn Sr. Tina Charles winning MVP honors with a monster 28 pt., 18 reb. performance in the Gold Medal game of the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. Charles along with fellow UConn teammate So. Tiffany Hayes led the USA to an 83-64 victory over Russia and an undefeated 7-0 record for the tournament. UConn Jr. Maya Moore was also on the team, but sat out the entire tournament as a precaution for pain in her right knee (sprain). Charles led USA in scoring (16.1 ppg), rebounding (6.1 rpg), FG's made (47) while Hayes was fourth in scoring (8.7 ppg), 1st in 3-pt FG's made (9), third in assists (1.9 apg), and t-2nd in steals (1.7 spg)