The recruitment of sweet-shooting L.D. Bell High School just Lexi Gordon ended on Friday morning when she announced her commitment to UConn on her Twitter account. However, it really came to an end on Jan. 16 when she sat a couple of rows behind the Huskies' bench in a win over Temple.

It wasn't just that the three-time defending national champions were rolling past a solid Temple team as much as it was the chemistry she saw between the players and coaches.

"I love the culture of the program," said Gordon, who averaged 25.9 points and 9.4 rebounds as a junior. "I love the coaching interaction with the players and the players' interaction with the other players. Going there will get me out of my comfort zone and I am all into getting out of my comfort zone because I know he will make me into the best player I can be."

So what does Gordon like the most about how UConn plays?

"The ball movement and how they get everybody involved," Gordon said. "Stewie (Breanna Stewart) and Mo (Moriah Jefferson) are obviously great players but they all know their roles and everybody knows their roles perfectly, they have real good team chemistry and it shows."

The 6-foot Gordon is a tremendous shooter with 3-point range but is also willing to mix it up inside. She often had to guard post players in high school although that won't be the case in the AAU season or when she arrives at UConn.

Gordon, who recently cut her list of schools down to UConn, Baylor, Texas and TCU, had a chance to reflect on what is took to get to this point.

"It is really special," said Gordon, who is interested in sports broadcasting. "I have worked so hard for so long and it is not going to stop, I have so much work to do but just to know that my hard work has gotten me here, it is a blessing. It is crazy, nobody thought I would be at this point. In eighth grade nobody thought I would be here but I worked hard and outcome is crazy."

Gordon joins Jefferson as the only Texas natives to commit to UConn during Geno Auriemma's run with the Huskies. Just as was the case with Jefferson, Gordon's parents were willing to let their daughter make the best decision for herself.

"My parents have been the most supportive people in my recruiting process," Gordon said. "They have always told me it is my decision and not their decision. Both of them going to TCU, of course it was hard for me to say I chose Connecticut but my parents are behind me 100 percent supportive no matter what. It has helped a lot knowing they are on board. they pretty much let me handle it on my own."

Gordon joins Blair Academy's Andra Espinoza-Hunter as players from the Class of 2017 to commit to UConn. Stewart, Jefferson and Morgan Tuck will be playing professionally before Gordon plays her first game at UConn so there will be plenty of eyes on the incoming recruiting class of Molly Bent, Crystal Dangerfield and Kyla Irwin as well as the Class of 2017 to keep UConn in its familiar perch as a national-championship contender.

"The program is a winning program and I don't think that is going to change because they continue to bring in the right people," Gordon said.