In classic Geno Auriemma fashion, he was ready for a witty response to even the most basic of questions.

As the question and answer session with Auriemma was nearing an end on Thursday, I asked Auriemma who would be starting in tomorrow's preseason game against Indiana (Pa.).


"Maybe fried calamari and tomato mozzarella, those would be my starters," Auriemma said before getting down to the business of providing a serious answer to my inquiry.

"For our team it is such a new team but we have guys coming back. Other than Caroline (Doty) who has been in and out of practice, has tweaked this and tweaked that and Bria (Hartley), who hasn't practiced, we are fairly healthy so Stefanie (Dolson) is back 100 percent, Kelly (Faris) is, Kaleena (Mosqueda-Lewis) is. You look around and the exhibition games are a great opportunity to kind of mix and match, throw some people out there together and see what happens. Stefanie, Kaleena and Kelly would be really good starters for three and then tomorrow I will pick two names out of a hat and go with that."

With newly-hired radio color commentator Deb (Baer) Fiske in attendance at Thursday's practice, Auriemma decided to have some fun at the expense of the point guard on his first Final Four squad.

"I'll tell you about Debbie," Auriemma said. "She may have been physically the strongest point guard we've ever had. I don't think in four years at Connecticut or all the times I have seen her play in high school and AAU, I don't think I saw anybody take the ball from her. She never gave the ball up and she led her team to the Final Four. That alone makes her qualified to be a part of the media because she has had that kind of success. What troubles me is that she is the only point guard I had who didn't speak so I don't know how she is going to do on the radio because she didn't speak. She is certainly a lot more vocal now than she was as a player and I think somehow or another TIC managed to find somebody who will talk as much as Kara (Wolters). They did go to extremes, they went from 6-8 to 5-5 so there is a big difference in what you are going to hear tomorrow and what you heard from Kara but a different perspective on the game from a point guard to a center. I am excited. I hope people come to the game, I hope people listen on the radio. It is a new season, a whole new group of TV people, a new group of radio people, a new group of freshman. It is an exciting time to be a part of UConn basketball."

Staying on the subject on it being an exciting time to be a part of UConn basketball, I asked Auriemma if he was excited to see how things are going to come together with the Huskies' men's basketball team which is being coached by former UConn guard Kevin Ollie.

"I think from a head coaching perspective, I think when you take over a job and you are picked preseason No 1 in the country or in the top 10 it is a little nerve wracking I would think, not that I would know because I have never been in that situation," Auriemma said. "When I took over at Connecticut, we weren't expected to make the NCAA tournament or do anything so I think the fact that there has been so much said and written about players coming and going and all the issues around the men's basketball program, I think it is a great situation for Kevin. He has the perfect personality because it is kind of a team that not a lot of people have talked about a national level and Kevin is not a coach who has had success on the national level so I think they are perfect for each other. I am excited for them and I am anxious to see how they look."

The UConn men's basketball beat AIC in its preseason opener on Thursday behind 24 points from freshman Omar Calhoun. Calhoun's sister Sierra is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2014 and word is that Auriemma will be making his way down to NY to check out Calhoun on Sunday.