Something tells me that over the next couple of weeks, Asjha Jones true value as a basketball player will finally begin to be appreciated as she shuts it down for two weeks to rest an ailing left Achilles tendon.

Dating back to her days at UConn, Jones was always overshadowed by more glamourous teammates. Much of that was due to her no-frills personality and the fact that she did not consistently force the issue offensively until her senior season. Still, when she graduated as a member of two national championship teams, she played in a then school record 144 games, had more than 1,500 points and nearly 800 rebounds. But Jones' value has and still does transcend her numbers. Whether it was setting a screen, boxing out her opponent, deflect a pass, she has an ability to do all the little things.

Now, even as she is one of the WNBA's premier players, she is still overlooked. I covered Jones her final three seasons in college and for much of her WNBA career and yet I have never received one e-mail about Jones whether it be good, bad or indifferent. I get e-mails on Bria Hartley on a regular basis who may or may not play at UConn and assorted other high school phenoms who may or may not suit up for the Huskies but not one for a player who epitomizes everything UConn stands far. Jones is talented, driven, successful, modest, classy and pretty much ignored by what is supposed to be the best women's basketball fan base out there. She was the seventh leading vote getter among Eastern Conference forwards and 15th among all Eastern Conference players. Some day somebody needs to explain that one to me.

With the Sun smack dab in a tight playoff race, the remaining 10 players will need to fill the void left by Jones' absence. While her 16.7 points will be missed, I think her biggest contributions come on a defensive end. Jones ability to lock up on the opposing team's top post player has allowed Sandrine Gruda more freedom on the defensive end. Lauren Jackson, arguably the world's top player, was 3 for 16 the last time she went up against Jones. In Seattle's seven-game losing streak to Connecticut, Jackson is shooting 39 percent from the floor. As a point of reference, Jackson's career field-goal percentage is 46.3. If you discard Jackson's first two seasons in the league, she is shooting 48.5 percent.

Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault referenced Jones' success against Jackson. It isn't limited to WNBA showdowns. When Jones' UMMC Ekaterinburg's team upset Jackson and Spartak Moscow Region in the best of three game Russian championship series, Jackson was just 14 of 35 from the floor.

This brings me to my next point regarding Jones, shouldn't she be in the mix to be on the U.S. squad in next year's world championships. From head coach Geno Auriemma, women's national team director Carol Callan to selection committee member Renee Brown, the talk was of adding a post presence to complement the eight players named to the Senior National Team on Monday. No offense to UConn's Tina Charles or Stanford's Jayne Appel, who are outstanding players who will likely be in the running for national team berths for years to come, but considering that defending Jackson will be one of the United States squad's No. 1 objective, wouldn't a player like Jones with experience and success slowing down Jackson be a wise addition to the squad.

Auriemma doesn't pick the players he will coach but he is not shy at offering his opinions on any matter and there may not be a person who is a bigger supporter of Jones than Auriemma. When he was putting together what is considered by many to be the best recruiting class of all time, Auriemma's one directive he gave associate head coach Chris Dailey was "just make sure we get Asjha Jones."

Now for a bit of trivia, tomorrow's game will mark the first time since the team moved to Connecticut that the Sun will have no former UConn players to call upon in a regular season game. Nykesha Sales played every game from 2003-05. When Sales missed 12 games in 2006, Jones was in the lineup for each game. Jones missed four games and Sales eight in the 2007 games but they were never sidelined at the same time. Last year with five UConn players in the fold, not having an ex-Husky to call upon was never an issue.