The latest update on Samarie Walker's odyssey is that she is expected to touch down in Colorado Springs a little after 10 (noon Eastern time) meaning she will miss the morning session which has just started but will be here for the second session today.

Maybe it's something to do with her name because the only other Under-19 participant yet to arrive is UCLA commit Markel Walker, who is expected later on today.

Epiphanny Prince of Rutgers and Jessica Breland of North Carolina, who both accepted invites to try out for the World University Games team, will not be trying out after all. There is a possibility that they can be granted a waiver and get named to the team even though they were not there. Just my opinion, but considering all the talent here (and it is quite impressive) I don't think the committee would need to consider people who didn't make it here.

One ramification of all of this is I can cross one of my story ideas off my list. I was planning to do a feature on the close friendship between Prince and UConn's Tina Charles. That story will have to wait until the winter I guess.

UConn, as you can imagine, is well represented with Charles, Moore and Hayes trying out for the World University Games team, incoming freshman Kelly Faris and Samarie Walker, one of four high school junior to have committed to UConn, looking to make the U-19 squad. Also, Matt Gade, a student manager with the women's basketball team the last four years, is a member of the support staff for the trials.

The only other piece of news to report (even if it is not UConn related) was that Penn State coach Coquese Washington is pregnant. Washington is a part of the committee which selects the teams and during the introductions Thursday night, it was mentioned that Washington is "with child." Not sure if that is news or not but it was the first I heard of it.

The story on Kelly Faris anxiously looking ahead to her freshman season at UConn is the first of four straight days of stories coming out of the trials.