Maybe it's just me but it seems as if every year there are fewer and fewer basketball-related event at UConn's First Night festivities. But with a packed house watching the event, I don't think anybody was complaining.
Since no UConn women were in the dunking contest (something that could change when Breanna Stewart is in uniform next year), the only basketball even they took part in was the 3-point shooting contest.
Freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was up first and finished with a total of 12 out a perfect score of 25. DeAndre Daniels was up from the men's team and had just five before Bria Hartley ended up with a score of 11. That set the stage for men's sophomore Niels Giffey who passed Mosqueda-Lewis' total before he even got to the last rack of balls Giffey finished with 19.
Freshman Ryan Boatright beat out classmate Andre Drummond to win the dunking contest.
Former UConn men's players Ray Allen, Kemba Walker (who received the loudest ovation of the night), Rudy Johnson and Hasheem Thabeet were the surprise guests. I thought Sue Bird would be a surprise guest for the women but that was not the case.
The women's team did compete in the dancing competition and won rather handily.
Geno Auriemma's remarks to the crowd were rather tame by his standards. He made no guarantees of another title or even another trip to the Final Four.
"There really isn't anything that you can describe, if you've never been on this floor, you've never been a player and don't know what this feels like, there is no feeling in the world that a player to feel that you were wanted, appreciated and wanted to play," Auriemma said to the crowd. "They don't really come here to play for the library or the chemistry building and they don't come here to play for the biology department. They come here to play for you guys."
Recruits Morgan Tuck, Xylina McDaniel and Taya Reimer were sitting with their families surrounded by plenty of UConn staff members just in case any fans or media members decided to try to get a little too close. They are all expected to be at tomorrow's practice (the recruits and not the fans and/or media).
Thought it was kind of funny that often-injured guard Caroline Doty came in with the help of a scooter when she was introduced to the crowd.
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