The UConn women’s basketball team will have to wait until next year’s recruiting class to add some size to its lineup as highly-touted A’ja Wilson signed with South Carolina today.

The 6-foot-4 Wilson, considered by many as the top player in the high school Class of 2014, made her announcement live on ESPNU.

UConn was one of the four finalists for Wilson but in recent weeks and months North Carolina and South Carolina emerged as the leaders for Wilson who averaged 34.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 3 steals and 5 rebounds as a senior at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina is set to return its top nine scorers from a team which went 29-5 and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Gamecocks already had one of the top recruiting classes coming in and with the addition of Wilson could be a team that poses one of the greatest threats to UConn's bid to win a third national title in a row.

With Wilson’s announcement UConn’s recruiting for the year is now completed. The Huskies signed wings Courtney Ekmark and Gabby Williams and guards Sadie Edwards and Kia Nurse. UConn is in the mix with some of the top-rated forwards in the Class of 2015 including De’Janae Boykin, Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson.

Add the Parade Magazine national player of the year award to the growing list of honors won by UConn recruiting target A'ja Wilson.

The 6-foot-4 Wilson has already been named the WBCA and Naismith national player of the year after averaging 34.4 points, 14.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 3 steals and 5.1 blocked shots per game to lead Heathwood Hall Episcopal School of Columbia, S.C. to the South Carolina Independent School Association Class AAA title.

Wilson averaged 34 points, 15.7 rebounds and 8 blocks in three state tournament games and hit a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the state title game against Northwood into overtime. Wilson finished with 37 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks in the 66-58 win. Wilson had seven 40-point games including a season-high total of 56 against St. Joseph Central. She had two triple-doubles as a senior and five games with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds.

Wilson has narrowed her list to UConn, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee but has not set a date for announcing her college decision.

Wilson was joined on the 20-member Parade All-American squad by RHAM senior Sarah Veilleux.

UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target A'ja Wilson, Class of 2015 target Katie Lou Samuelson and former recruiting target Brianna Turner were named finalists for the Naismith Trophy Girls' High School Player of the Year award.

Wilson, a 6-foot-4 forward at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, S.C., is averaging 35.1 points. 14.2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3.2 steals and 5 blocks per game. Wilson, who is shooting 69 percent from the field, has scored at least 24 points in every game this season with a high of 56 (on 19 of 22 shooting) in an 85-82 loss to St. Joseph Central.

Samuelson, a 6-foot-3 forward/guard at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif., has five 30-point games as a junior and is averaging 24.5 points per game and has 70 3-poiinters for the Monarchs, the No. 2 team in the USA Today national high school poll.

The winner will be named on March 20.

UConn commits Sadie Edwards and Gabby Williams as well as Class of 2014 recruiting target A’ja Wilson were among 24 players selected to play in the girls’ McDonald All-American game which will be played on Apr. 2 at the United Center in Chicago.

Edwards, a Meriden native who is in her second season at Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., will become the second Connecticut native to play in the girls’ McDonald’s All-American game. Former Hillhouse star Bria Holmes, now the leading scorer at West Virginia, played in the 2012 game.

Edwards, a 5-foot-10 guard, is averaging 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists as a senior.

Williams, a 5-foot-11 wing, is averaging 19.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 4.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game at Reed High School in Sparks, Nev.

Wilson, a 6-foot-5 forward, is averaging 36.1 points, 15.9 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 5 blocks per game at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, S.C. highlighted by four games with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds.

Last year was the first time since a girls’ game was added to the schedule in 2002 that a future UConn player did not take part in the game as 22 players who would suit up for the Huskies have played in the game.

There will be no WBCA High School All-American Game at the Final Four although in an email to the Register, Jack Watford of the WBCA said there are hopes of bringing the game back in the future.

Here's breakdown of former and current Huskies to play in previous McDonald's games

2002: Willnett Crockett, Ann Strother, Barbara Turner and Nicole Wolff
2003: Brittany Hunter
2004: Charde Houston
2005: Renee Montgomery
2006: Tina Charles, Kaili McLaren
2007: Lorin Dixon, Maya Moore
2008: Tiffany Hayes
2009: Kelly Faris
2010: Stefanie Dolson, Bria Hartley, Samarie Walker
2011: Brianna Banks, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Kiah Stokes
2012: Moriah Jefferson, Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck

While UConn is not doing with its pursuit of Class of 2014 prospects, the letters from commits Sadie Edwards, Courtney Ekmark and Gabby Williams are expected to be signed and faxed today.

According to Blair Academy coach Quint Clarke, there will be a short ceremony before practice today when Edwards will sign her letter. According to Williams' mom, it is the same deal at Reed High School when Williams will be one of two athletes to sign at around 3:15 local time (6:15 p.m. in Connecticut). Softball pitcher Jacke Sertic will sign with North Dakota State.

I'm not exactly sure how the signing is going to be done with Courtney Ekmark since she is being homeschooled for her senior season. Her dad Curtis emailed me on Monday saying that they hadn't really discussed it yet so perhaps it will be similar to Breanna Stewart, who signed her letter on the roof of the family car.

The national early signing period began today and runs through Nov. 20.

Canadian national team guard Kia Nurse could make her decision before the end of the early signing period but the nation's No. 1 recruit A'ja Wilson is not expected to sign until the late period.

A'ja Wilson is expected to take an official visit
to UConn later this month according to her AAU coach

On Monday morning I was watching a replay of the Full Court Fresh 50 Invitational when a little thing like the news that UConn fired football coach Paul Pasqualoni made me put that project on hold.

I finally got around to watching the entire game, which was played on Sunday, so I could come up with unofficial numbers of how UConn commit Courtney Ekmark and recruiting target A'ja Wilson did in the game.

Again, these are just my unofficial numbers but I had Ekmark scoring 10 of her 14 points in the second half. She had three 3-pointers, five rebounds, three assists and a steal while Wilson had all nine of her points in the first half and added 18 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots to lead the White team to a 101-64 win over the Blue.

What was interesting about the game is the the White team's head coach is Jerome Dickerson, who is Wilson's AAU coach and also coached former UConn guard Kalana Greene in AAU while the Blue team's coach was UConn Class of 2015 recruiting target Asia Durr's AAU coach.

I spoke to Dickerson earlier tonight to get his take on the performances by Ekmark and Wilson.

"She (Ekmark) can rebound, she can pass, she can dribble, she is a great player and a great teammate," Dickerson said.

"I have know A'ja since she was 12 years old and A'ja, I played her at the 1 (point guard), 2 (shooting guard) and 3 (small forward). I thought the USA team hurt her game because they only had her play by the basket and when I had her during the summer, I had her playing the 2. I missed having her the whole July because she was with a USA team and they had her playing the 4 and 5, I had her playing the 1, 2 and 3. It helped because she got the experience but it hurt because the other girls shot the 3's and took players to the basket, that part of the game she didn't even display and that is the best part of her game. She knows she can do all of that, she knows she could have dominated the game but she decided to play team ball and pass the ball to her teammates because she could have scored 50 points in that game."

Dickerson said that Wilson is planning to take a visit to UConn later this month. When I asked him if she was planning to visit the weekend when the Huskies will hold its annual "First Night" festivities he thought that was the weekend but he was going to reach out to Wilson's family to confirm that and get back to me.

"She talked to UConn already and they have dates set, I think so it is going to be before basketball season and the rest (of the visits) after basketball season," Dickerson said. "Her mom doesn't want her to do visits during the season because she will have a lot of think about. Coaches are going to be on her so she is going to have a whole lot to think about take. She will couple visits before basketball season. Hopefully she will make it beforehand."

That last part was something new because the last time I spoke to Dickerson he thought Wilson would wait until the spring to make her college decision.

In the midst of some three days of coverage at the New Haven Open tennis tournament I did manage to get a little work done on the recruiting beat.

I spoke to Jim Westbeld, the father of UConn recruiting target Kathryn Westbeld, yesterday and was a little surprised with what he had to say.

I figured Westbeld must be near the top of the list of uncommitted recruits the Huskies are putting the full-court press on. However, Jim Westbeld said they have not had much contact with the UConn coaches in recent weeks. That doesn't mean that UConn isn't still very much in play to get the 6-2 forward out of Ohio Division I state champion Fairmont but it does mean that no date has been finalized yet for Westbeld to take an official visit. I would be very shocked if Westbeld didn't make her way to UConn in the coming months for a visit.

Jim Westbeld said his daughter cut her list to four schools (UConn, Notre Dame, Duke and Ohio State) in June and those are the four schools still in contention for her. He said one of the things that his daughter likes the most about the UConn program is how the team success is put ahead of individual accolades because that is the way she places her priorities as well.

Westbeld has drawn some comparisons to Louisville's Sara Hammond. I watched some of her games that were available through live stream and she reminded me of current Connecticut Sun forward Kelsey Griffin with her ability to score inside and out.

I also spoke with A'ja Wilson's AAU coach and Jerome Dickerson said that Wilson is planning to take an official to UConn but is still finalizing the other schools she will be visiting. Then he said something that might send the recruiting-obsessed UConn fans over the edge if it actually ends up happening as he said Wilson could wait until March to commit to a school.

I would expect Wilson to be in attendance the weekend of UConn's First Night festivities (Oct. 18-19) but waiting to hear back from Dickerson before I can confirm that.

Long-time friends and frequent basketball rivals Epiphanny Prince and Tina Charles
will be teammates on the Eastern Conference All-Star team this afternoon.

Many of the parade of stars who will be taking part in today's WNBA All-Star game have shared the court with reigning WNBA MVP Tina Charles in the past.

Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx teamed with Charles to lead UConn to back to back national championships; Allison Hightower has been a teammate of hers with the Connecticut Sun since both were drafted by the team in 2010 while All-Stars Seimone Augustus, Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles, Angel McCoughtry, Moore, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi and Lindsay Whalen were teammates of Charles on the gold-medal 2012 Olympic squad. However, there is nobody who will take the court who knows Charles as well as fellow Eastern Conference starter Epiphanny Prince.

The two grew up playing on the same courts before becoming rivals in AAU, high school and college.

Prince let me in on a little secret as she "she wasn't good" when the two first crossed paths on a basketball court nearly a decade and a half ago.

"We have come a long way for both of us to be able to make it especially for both of us coming from New York so I think it is really special," Prince said after Friday's Eastern Conference practice at Mohegan Sun Arena..

So what impresses Prince the most about the way that Charles has emerged into one of the world's best players?

"Just her work ethic because she wasn't always the most talented and she has worked hard, now she is one of the top centers in the league so I think her work ethic definitely got her there," Prince said.

Prince has vivid recollections of those early days when Prince was 12 and Charles 11.

"I was playing with Exodus and she was playing with the Gazelles and we were always playing against each other," Prince said. "She wasn't good. I think she just started playing  and we always talk about that and she says 'do you remember when I couldn't even make a layup?' Now look at her now."

While Prince wasn't sure what kind of player Charles would turn out to be, she knew pretty much from the first day that they met that Charles would go out of her way to help others which is exactly what Charles has been doing since she received her first paycheck. Whether it is funding a school in Africa or donating money to be defibrillators, Charles' generosity seemingly has no bounds.

"She has always been a loving, caring and giving person so  for me I am not that surprised by that at all," Prince said.

I also thought I would pass on a story about UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target A'ja Wilson who ranks third in rebounding and blocked shots heading into the final two days of the FIBA U-19 World Champiosnhip for Women.

The U.S. team was pushed to the brink by previously undefeated France in its final round-robin game before holding on for a 69-63 victory which allowed the U.S. to clinch the top spot in the quarterfinals.

UConn rising sophomores and U.S. co-captains Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck led the way for the U.S. Stewart had 22 points, six rebounds and three steals while Tuck finished with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Duke rising sophomore Alexis Jones had a key block and 3-pointer (assisted by Tuck) after France had pulled within two points.

UConn's Moriah Jefferson had five points, three assists and two steals while UConn recruiting target A'ja Wilson had eight points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.

The U.S. will face Japan in Friday's quarterfinals.

Here are quotes from Stewart, Tuck and Wilson courtesy of the folks at USA Basketball.

BREANNA STEWART
How tough was tonight’s game against France?
 It was really tough. I think that was the most consistent team we played. They kept coming at us. They played great, but when it really came down to it, we really stepped up our defense so that they had a really hard time getting shots.

On the 3-pointer by Alexis Jones:
That was great. I wasn’t sure she was going to get it off in time. I saw the shot clock and Morgan (Tuck) had it with two seconds (to go) in her hands, but I knew she just had to shoot it and I was hoping it was going in.

Was it good to get a game like that under your belt heading into the medal round?
 I definitely think it’s good. To play a team of that caliber in the second round is wonderful so it can get us prepared for the medal rounds, because teams are only going to get better. We might meet up with France again.

How were you feeling tonight, having to play so many minutes?
 I was feeling good. I loved the time outs, it’s nice to get some air and some water, but in a game like that you want to be in the game.

MORGAN TUCK
Was it good to get a game like that under your belt heading into the medal round?
 I think so. We really haven’t had a close game since we played our exhibition against Australia. So, I think it gave us a good feel of how the medal rounds will be and how we have to make sure that we really focus in and be deliberate on offense and defense.

With time winding down on the shot clock, you passed the ball to Alexis Jones, who hit the 3-pointer. Will you walk me through that possession?
I saw B (Bashaara Graves) get the rebound and I saw they were really collapsing, so I called for it. I didn’t see the shot clock, but I saw Alexis wide open. So, I just passed it to her and she let it go and it went in.

How huge was the 3-point attempt that she blocked on the other end?
 It was really big. That was a really big play that we needed. We needed a stop and that’s what we were struggling to get. I think she did a great job of being really tough on the offensive end and then coming right back and being tough on defense.

What can you tell the younger kids about what you’re going to face in the medal round?
 Kind of like today, they’re all going to be really big games. The teams are great, so we just have to make sure we have the focus like we had today toward the end of the game more. We’re going to have games where each possession matters and not always games where it’s a 30-point or 40-point margin.

A'JA WILSON
On tonight’s game:
 It was a good one. We have respect for them; they have respect for us. We knew that when we came out after scrimmaging them that it was going to be a hard one. But, we came out and took care of business. It was a great game.

Was it good to get a game like that under your belt heading into the medal round?
I think it’s really good, because we learned from it. Even though we won we can still learn from it. It’s something that will wake us up a little bit, because we’ve been killing teams here. To have a close game, it knocked us back to reality. This road to gold is not about to be easy. It was a really good game to get under our belt.

How important are veterans like Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck to this team in a game like tonight?
 They are the backbone to this team. They are coming off of a NCAA championship and they have great leadership. They really help us out. I know they help me out especially. Out on the court, me being a rookie and getting a chance to play with them and feeding off of them, it’s just a positive all the way around.

UConn rising sophomores Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson combined for 32 points to lead the U.S. to a 88-54 win over Canada in the FIBA U-19 World Championship for Women.

Stewart had 14 points and two blocked shots, Tuck had 13 points and four steals and Jefferson added five points, seven assists and three steals as the U.S. improved to 5-0 and is guaranteed to finish in the top two in Group F.

Duke rising sophomore Alexis Jones led the U.S. with 17 points to go with five rebounds and seven assists, Tennessee rising sophomore Bashaara Graves and Kentucky incoming freshman Linnae Harper added 10 points each while UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target A'ja Wilson had seven points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

The U.S. wraps up the round robin portion of the tournament playing undefeated France in a game that will decide the Group F title. The quarterfinals start on Friday. If the U.S. wins tomorrow, it will draw the No. 4 seed out of Group E which will be the winner of the  Russia/Japan game.

Heading into the final day of round-robin play Stewart is the tournament's second-leading scorer at 17.4 points per game and she is doing it with some pretty gaudy shooting numbers as she is 17 for 17 from the free-throw line, 6 of 9 from 3-point range and is shooting 56.1 percent from the field. Tuck is the tournament's No. 8 scorer (15.2 PPG) and is sixth in steals (2.6) while Jefferson leads all players in assist/turnover ratio (16 assists/3 turnovers). Wilson is tied for fifth in rebounding (9.2) and third in blocked shots (2.2).

Here are quotes from Jefferson and Stewart courtesy of USA Basketball.

MORIAH JEFFERSON
How much has Canada changed as a team since you played them in Lanzarote, Canary Islands?
I think they’re a lot more physical tonight. They came out, especially on defense, packing it in and being really aggressive. And then on offense they were very efficient.

Is that how they were able to keep the game close through most of the first half?
Yeah, basically. They came out running their sets well. They kind of took us out of our rhythm a little bit, but then we kind of got back in the flow after that.

On the play of Alexis Jones:
Incredible. She came out on fire, so I was like, ‘well, wherever Lex is, that’s where I’m going to try to get the ball to.’ I think we all as a team recognized it and we just fed the beast.

On the USA’s 22 assists on 35 baskets:
We want to be able to get a lot of scores off of assists, so that we don’t have to try to create our own shot. We can penetrate and kick or duck in for the post, things like that.

On the USA’s 19-0 run:
It was a combination of defensive pressure and Nia Coffey, honestly. She came in and got like three steals in a row, something like that, some assists, a couple buckets. She came in and made a huge improvement on the game.

How was Canada able to limit your scoring in the fourth quarter?
We kind of got out of our rhythm on offense. Once we got out of it, we never got that flow back and then we ended up having a five-minute run without scoring. That’s something that’s not acceptable. We’ll look over it in film and fix it .

BREANNA STEWART
On the USA’s 8-0 run to close out the first half:
First of all, I our defense wasn’t as good as it usually is and we were letting them get dribble penetration. But I think that once we really refocused and got ourselves together, we got back into it.

Were you looking past Canada, knowing you had beaten the team by 20 in the Canary Islands?
I don’t think we looked past them, but I think we needed to be more prepared on how hard they were going to come at us. This was a game they needed to win and we can’t let them do that, obviously.

What were they running against you?
They have a lot of sets. They go through their sets and they get the shot they want to get. We needed to really try to disrupt that and not let them get the shot they wanted and play our best defense on their best player.

On the play of Alexis Jones:
Lex played great. I think she recognized when she could take the ball to the basket if she was open and we need more of that.

What do you know about France?
They’re a very good and athletic team and I think that we really need to pick our stuff a little bit, pick it up defensively and be ready for them because they’re going to come at us strong tomorrow.

UConn's Morgan Tuck had 18 points in win over Netherlands.

UConn rising sophomore forward and U.S. co-captain Morgan Tuck had 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in a 102-42 win over Netherlands as the U.S. improved to 4-0 at the FIBA U-19 World Championship for Women.

UConn's Breanna Stewart, who led the U.S. in scoring in the first three games, finished with 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots while Moriah Jefferson, who missed the previous game with a sprained left wrist, returned and finished with two points, two rebounds and three assists.

"Morgan) Tuck sets the tone," U.S. head coach Katie Meier of Miami said. "She sets the tone from the beginning. And Stewie (Breanna Stewart), I would give Stewie more than two blocks. From what I saw, I thought she got the ball in the air a lot and really changed the game on the defensive end. She played some of her best defense for sure tonight. She can guard every position.

"A’ja (Wilson) gets a couple offensive put-backs and it really gets her going," Meier said. "She had a couple moves tonight that were so high level and so composed. Her first game here, she had some jitters. Ever since then she’s made some great reads. She would be a starter on anyone else’s team in this tournament. "

UConn recruiting target A'ja Wilson goes up for
two of her game-high 20 points in Monday's win.

Wilson, a UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target A'ja Wilson and one of three high school players on the 12-member U.S. squad, continues to impress as she had a game-high 20 points and added eight rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.

"I was really just cleaning up everybody’s shots," Wilson said. "They were great shots they were taking, but they just weren’t falling. I was just rebounding and putting them back up. One of our goals was offensive rebounds, so I really focused on as the ball would go up to go get it and put it back in the basket. So, that’s what I did."

Two years ago Stewart and Tuck were in the same situation as Wilson as they were talented high school kids playing with some college stars. Now they are the team co-captains and team leaders.

"Two years ago I was just trying to fit in, trying to find a way to help in any way, trying to do the small things," Tuck said. "Now, I’ve kind of taken on a leadership role. I’m trying to make sure that everyone is on the same page for the shoot-arounds and the games, trying to be like a mother type with the team and trying to make sure that everyone has everything that they need and that we’re all ready to go."

Stewart leads the  team in scoring, averaging 18.3 points per game to go with 5.3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.5 blocks. Tuck is averaging 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals. Wilson is contributing 14 points per game and she leads the team in rebounding (9.3) and blocks (2.0). The only double-digit scorer for the U.S. is Duke rising sophomore Alexis Jones, who is averaging 10.5 points and has a team-high 15 assists.

The U.S. continues play in the second stage of round robin action tomorrow with a game against Canada. If the U.S. wins and France beats China then the Wednesday showdown between the U.S. and France will be for the Group F title. With a 4-0 record, the U.S. is guaranteed to finish in the top four in Group F and has clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.

UConn rising sophomores and U.S.U-19 team co-captains Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck combined for 44 points as the United States rolled to a 113-47 win over host Lithuania in the first pool-play game for both teams at the FIBA U-19 World Championship for Women on Thursday.

Stewart hit her first six shots and had 19 points in the first quarter and finished with 26 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals. Tuck added 18 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals while Moriah Jefferson finished with eight points, two rebounds and three assists. All three UConn rising sophomores started for the U.S.


"The bright lights, she knows when it’s time to shine and she was just … her efficiency, too," Miami and U.S. head coach Katie Meier said. "She only missed two shots in the first half. She missed one three and one jumper. Her stroke was perfect and what I love about this team is that they were saying, ‘we’ll get it to Stewie. We have to feed Stewie.’ When she’s hitting her jumper, she’s very hard to guard. She was stroking it tonight."

UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target A'ja Wilson finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots.

Tennessee rising sophomore Bashaara Graves had 13 points and seven rebounds while Northwestern incoming freshman Nia Coffey had 10 points.

The U.S. continues play in Pool D Friday against China before wrapping up the first stage of preliminary round play against Mali on Saturday. There will be live streams available beginning with the quarterfinals.

Here are quotes from Stewart and Tuck courtesy of USA Basketball.

BREANNA STEWART

Do you recall having a quarter like the one you had in the first quarter?
"I’m not sure. I don’t pay attention to that, but I’m sure I’ve been hot like that before."

Were you just feeling it or were you simply wide open?
"I think it was a mixture of both. They weren’t playing that great of a defense. It seemed that after a cut, you’d be open. But at the same time, there were some of my shots that just went in."

How were you able to pull away so quickly?
 "I think our full court pressure really helped. When we press like that and get them out of their sorts, we’re able to get a lot of breakaway layups in transition. It really helped us on offense. "

You all seemed to get a lot of easy steals. Was that the case?
"I don’t know. I think that maybe they weren’t expecting us to be as strong defensively, or something like that, but we were getting up in them and we knew we had to come out strong in the first quarter and really get things going for the bench and the rest of the team."

How hard is it to stay focused when you have such a big lead?
"It’s not that hard. You have to forget the score. You have to think about your team goals, you have to try to go after those and try to complete those."

MORGAN TUCK
What was it like to finally get the U19 World Championship started?
"It was a relief kind of. We were in training camp for a little bit and then finally getting out there for a game, it was a little different. It was nice to play a different team."

On Breanna Stewart’s performance in the first quarter:
"It was amazing. She was just on fire, hitting her shots. That’s something we needed to get us going. I’m hoping she can do that every game."

How were you able to pull away so quickly?
"Our group that started, we were really clicking on all cylinders. Our defense was good. Our press was really aggressive and we were getting our hands on the ball. We were really just running the floor. When Moriah (Jefferson) or Lex (Jones) would get a steal, then me, Bre (Stewart) and Bashaara (Graves) were just running the floor and getting layups."

UConn rising sophomores Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck had 11 and 10 points respectively and pulled down five rebounds each as the United States U-19 team defeated Canada 69-49 to win the Lanzarote International Invitational title.

UConn's Moriah Jefferson added two points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals and UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target A'ja Wilson had six points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Stewart was the leading scorer for the U.S., averaging 10.3 points and also had a team-high four blocked shots while averaging 5.3 rebounds per game. Tuck averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds while Jefferson averaged 3.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and led the team with nine assists in wins over Australia, Spain and Canada.

Morgan Tuck scored in double figures in two of the three games

Wilson led the U.S. in rebounding (7.3 per game) and was the fourth-leading scorer (8.3).

Former UConn recruiting target Linnae Harper, who is an incoming freshman at Kentucky, averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds in the tournament.

The U.S. heads to Lithuania and will open play in the FIBA U-19 World Championship for Women against host Lithuania on Thursday.

Here are quotes from Stewart and Tuck courtesy of the folks from USA Basketball.

BREANNA STEWART
You came out with some pressure defense, is that going to be one of the keys to this team?
I definitely think it’s going to be one of the keys. We want to come out with a strong intensity and just play well. Having a veteran lineup, coming out and playing strong like that, it really makes it easier for the second lineup to come in and play just like that.

What do you think about the USA’s second wave?
I think it’s great. I think we, the first lineup gets up into them and tries to start the game off strong, but then they come in and they’re just as strong. It just helps pull out the win.

Is that how you were able to pull away from Canada, with the second wave having just as much intensity?
Yeah, I think it’s defense and having a bench that’s so deep. You can change the position. You can have so many different lineups. You have a team like that, it’s pretty easy for the coach to create something that’s going to disrupt other teams.

How is the team chemistry right now?
Right now I think the team chemistry is good. These three days that we’ve had are very helpful going into Lithuania. It helps the new people get more accustomed to the international type of play and we’re going to take it and move forward with it.

MORGAN TUCK
What was the game plan against Canada?
We wanted to come out and show that we’re a really good team. Coach Meier really stressed that the focus of the game was to be mentally focused. We kind of didn’t do that as well as we should have in the first two games, so I think we were trying to just go out there and disrupt (Jamie Weisner), because she was their best player, but we kind of let (Emily Potter) get what she wanted.

On the USA’s pressure defense:
I think we did pretty good. We let it up a little bit in the middle of the game, but we put another group in that really picked it up. I think when we realize that when we play defense like that, how we started and how we ended, then we can beat any team.

What have you learned about this team throughout the tournament?
We learned people who really step up in pressure situations and the people who we can really count on. Now we’re getting more chemistry because we’re in actual games and it’s the feel of a real game. I think we’re feeling really good going into Lithuania.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had 12 points and
11 rebounds in semifinal win over Australia.

UConn's Bria Hartley had 14 points and five assists and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added 12 points and 11 rebounds as the United States held off Australia 79-78 to advance to the World University Games gold-medal game.

Australia rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead on a pair of Marianna Tolo free throws with 1:08 to play. Central Michigan's Crystal Bradford pulled the U.S. within a point when she made 1 of 2 from the free-throw line with 54 seconds left.

Bradford grabbed her own miss and scored with 14.4 seconds to play to put the U.S. up by a point after the U.S. forced a 24-second shot clock violation on the previous possession.

Australia had two chances to win the game but failed to convert. Tolo's shot in the lane was too strong and Odyssey Sims grabbed the rebound.

Sims, playing on her 21st birthday, had 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals as the U.S. advances to Monday's championship game to play Russia. The game will air live beginning at 1:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

Baylor's Odyssey Sims (left) had 20 points and Central Michigan's
Crystal Bradford scored game-winning basket against Australia.

Hartley had a key three-point play after Russia pulled within seven points but it only temporarily slowed the surging Aussies. Australia was 7 of 8 from the line in the final 4:10.

Hartley had a pair of three-point plays, including one which sent resulted in the fourth foul being called by Australia’s star center Tolo, and a pair of assists during an 11-2 third-quarter run which gave the U.S. an 11-point advantage.

Alice Kunek had 20 points and Tolo had 16 points despite being limited to 21 minutes due to foul trouble for Australia.

Here are quotes from Hartley following the thrilling win.

How was the team able to pull out a win?
"We're a little bit disappointed in ourselves, giving up a 16-point lead. Especially since we started so well in the second half, and we just kind of let them come back and make free throws. But credit to Australia, they played really well and they made the right plays. But in the end we made the right plays. We got the box out and got the rebound on that last shot. A lot of times you seal games like that. It's the second rebound that kills us, so we were able to finish tonight.

On the USA's dominate third quarter:
"Definitely after the first half, we thought we had to come together, everyone had to get a pace, and I think we did a better job of boxing out in that third quarter. We got rebounds and we were able to push in transition. I thought Odyssey did a great job of getting to the basket. That was part of our game plan. We knew they really couldn't keep us in front because we are more athletic than them, so Odyssey did a great job of breaking her man down off the dribble and finishing."

Also, UConn rising sophomore Breanna Stewart and Class of 2014 recruiting target A'ja Wilson had eight points each as the U.S. U-19 team defeated Spain 78-49 in its second game at the Lanzarote International Invitational. The U.S. wraps up tournament play tomorrow against Canada before heading to Lithuania for the U-19 World Championships. Canada is 1-1 in the tournament and its top scorer is Oregon State rising sophomore Jamie Weisner.

Moriah Jefferson had four points, three assists and two steals and Morgan Tuck added two points and three rebounds for the U.S.

Former UConn recruiting target Linnae Harper, an incoming freshman for Kentucky, led the U.S. with 15 points.

UConn rising sophomore Breanna Stewart (above) had eight points and two blocked shots and top Class of 2014 UConn recruiting target A'ja Wilson (left) also had eight points in the U.S. U-19 team's win over Spain.

Here are quotes from Jefferson courtesy of USA Basketball.

On the USA’s start:
We came out a lot more focused this game. We came in and got our defense going well and that’s when our offense came on.

Everyone contributed today, what are your thoughts on the overall play of the team?
Tonight was good for our chemistry, because everybody got confidence. We got everybody the ball. We were moving the ball a lot, which is good for our confidence.

Was it good to have a game like this to get you used to the way the international game is called?
Yes, definitely. Clearly we weren’t getting a lot of calls and there were a lot of travels called. So you have to learn to adjust, especially with the fouls because we had a lot by halftime.

Do you think the energy you bring to the court helps fuel your teammates?
I hope so. I just come out, try to be as loud as I can, get the defensive side going and I know the offense comes off of that.

What was the key to the way the team started the game tonight?
The way we played last night was not okay. We knew that we didn’t play defense well. We knew that we had to come out and start strong. We wanted to represent the USA a lot better than what we did last night.

On Canada, the USA’s next opponent:
From what I’ve seen that they really like to pound it in some and then kick it out, get a lot of open shots. They’re kind of like Spain, but I think they’re just a little more physical.

After three rather convincing victories, the United States team needed to work before moving into the World University Games semifinals.

Sweden, which nearly beat gold-medal candidate Russia on the final day of pool play, only trailed the U.S. by four points with less than 6 1/2 minutes to play in the third quarter in Friday's quarterfinals.

With the U.S. in danger of being knocked out of medal contention, UConn All-American Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis picked the perfect time to find the range. Mosqueda-Lewis scored five consecutive points in a span of 56 seconds and seven of her nine points came during a decisive 22-7 run.

The U.S. pulled away for a 103-72 victory as Baylor's Odyssey Sims had a game-high 20 points and UConn's Bria Hartley had 17 points and five rebounds. Mosqueda-Lewis added seven rebounds and two assists while Central Michigan's Crystal Bradford and Duke's Tricia Liston added 11 points each as the U.S. advances to the semifinals to play  Australia at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be televised live on ESPNU. Australia advanced with a 72-58 win over Canada behind 21 points from Alice Kunek Kunek averaged 13 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Bulleen Bombers in the WNBL during the 2012-13 season.

It's going to be an interesting contrast as the U.S. team consists of some of the top college players while 10 of the 12 players from Australia played in the WNBL last season with Tess Madgen, Katie Ebzery, Emma Langford and Kunek finishing among the top 13 scorers in the most recent WNBL season. That list doesn't include WNBL veteran Mariana Tolo (who I remember having a monster game in an exhibition against the U.S. national team a couple years ago) who headed off to play in Europe after some impressive seasons in Australia. Former West Virginia center Natalie Burton is also a member of the Australia squad.

Hartley had three 3-pointers in the first quarter and even with the UConn All-American scoring 11 points, the U.S. only led Sweden 26-24 at the end of the opening quarter.

Binta Dammeh (who had stints with pro teams in Germany and France in the 2012-13 season) had eight points in a span of 2:57 to put Sweden up 40-37 with 4:30 left in the first half. U.S. head coach Sherri Coale rolled the dice and brought Mosqueda-Lewis back into the game even though she picked up a pair of fouls in the first quarter. Mosqueda-Lewis had a key basket and assist as the U.S. ended the first half on a 14-0 run. Sims, Hartley and Bradford each had four points during the run to give the U.S. a 51-40 lead at halftime.

Sweden pulled within four points after a basket by Georgia Tech’s Danielle Hamilton-Carter with 7:09 left in the third quarter and it was still a four-point margin when Mosqueda-Lewis began to deliver.

Mosqueda-Lewis is the leading scorer (12.8 points) and rebounder (6.5) for the U.S. while Hartley is the team's second-leading scorer averaging 12.5 points per game.

Also, all three UConn players were in the starting lineup as the U.S. U-19 team defeated Australia in an exhibition game.

Morgan Tuck had a team-high 17 points in 17 minutes, Breanna Stewart had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Moriah Jeferson had four points, six rebounds and four assists in a 71-66 victory. UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target A'ja Wilson added 11 points and nine rebounds. The U.S. will play Spain tomorrow and Canada on Sunday in the Lanzarote Invitational Tournament in the Canary Islands. The U.S. opens play in the FIBA U-19 World Championships on Thursday against Lithuania.

A year ago after her round at the Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey raved about rising sophomore Brianna Banks' improvement on the court and more confident state of mind. There were no such proclamations when she spoke with Rich Elliott of the Connecticut Post and I after her round of golf on Wednesday.

"This has been a real odd year because normally the kids are in summer school in first session and that would be now but the three freshmen (Moriah Jefferson, Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck) because they made USA Basketball took Maymester and the other guys because of USA Basketball are coming second semester. (Incoming freshman) Saniya Chong because she doesn't graduate until late June isn't coming until second session so we really don't have anybody on campus right now, everybody else will be around second session. It is weird, it is the first year it has been like this."

For UConn head coach Geno Auriemma this offseason has been pleasantly serene. Unlike the past few years where he would be bouncing around getting ready for national team training camps, he has no USA Basketball responsibilities. Much of his time has been spent bonding with his second grandson Andrew who was born a couple weeks back.

"It's been kind of quiet," Auriemma said. "Each one we win it gets less and less chaotic especially this year. Other some of the travel that I have done, some that I had to do and some I wanted to do, it has been pretty quiet because I don't have USA Basketball, recruiting starts July 6 so I am just kind of keeping a low profile until then."

Obviously when the July viewing period begins next month Auriemma and his staff will continue the pursuit of some big kids to add to the recruiting class headlined by verbal commitments Sadie Edwards, Courtney Ekmark and Gabby Williams.

A'ja Wilson, rated by many as the best player in the Class of 2014, is at the top of UConn's wish list but when I spoke to Wilson during the U-19 national team trials she said her intention was to take all of her official visits so don't look for any commitments from her in the immediate future. A new name is emerging as Lynee' Belton is very much on the Huskies' recruiting radar. In a Washington Post story written 2 1/2 weeks ago, it was reported that Belton has visited UConn and there is clearly plenty of interest in the 6-foot-2 forward who will be a senior at the Bullis School in Potomac, Md. UConn is still involved with other forwards including Kathryn Westbeld, Taylor Rooks and Lexi Gussert as well as wing Sierra Calhoun. With Chong, a 5-foot-9 guard, the only member of the incoming recruiting class and the only commitments in the Class of 2014 being perimeter players, obviously securing commitments from a couple of big kids is a priority for the Huskies.

UConn has made it clear that it would welcome walk-ons since it will only have nine scholarship players next season. Dailey said she hasn't heard much of possible non-scholarship students expressing an interest in trying out for the team.

"I am not sure," Dailey said. "I am not worried about it. We have enough practice players."

Dailey wasn't sure of the status of Becca Pope who was with the team for a few months last year after transferring from UConn-Avery Point. While she has a chance of taking part in drills with the team when she is enrolled at UConn, at the current time it is looking like Pope will not be a part of a program next season.

"Hopefuly we will have some other kids," Dailey said. "It is not an easy thing to do, we don't have a lot of Marci Czels or Colleen Healys running around who are able to do it."

                                                                    (Photo courtesy of USA Basketball)
UConn rising sophomore Breanna Stewart (left) and Class of 2014
recruiting target A'ja Wilson were named to U-19 national team.

UConn will be well represented on the U.S. World University Games and FIBA U-19 World Championship squads.

All-Americans Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Bria Hartley were among the 12 players selected to play for the U.S. in the World University Games while the trio of Moriah Jefferson, Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck were named to the U-19 squad after a three-day training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target A'ja Wilson was also named to the U-19 squad.


This is the fourth straight year that Hartley will represent the U.S. in an international competition as she was a member of the U-18 squad in 2010, U-19 team in 2011 and last summer played for the U.S. in the FIBA 3x3 World Cup while Mosqueda-Lewis was a member of U.S. junior national teams from 2009-11.

Jefferson, Stewart and Tuck were teammates on the U.S. team which won the 2012 FIBA Americas U-18 championship. Jefferson started all five games and averaged 5.6 points, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals while Tuck and Stewart were the top two scorers on the U.S. team. Stewart has played on five different U.S. squads since 2009 including the 2011 U-19 team while Tuck was the leading overall scorer in the U-18 tournament in 2012 at 17.8 points per game.

The World University Games will be held in Kazan, Russia from July 6-17 while Lithuania will host the U-19 World Championships from July 18-28.

Here are quotes from the four players with UConn ties on the U-19 roster courtesy of the folks at USA Basketball.


MORIAH JEFFERSON
How did you feel when you heard your name called for making the USA U19 Team?
Coming out here, you’re playing with a bunch of great people and everybody is doing their best and going their hardest and you never really know until the last second when they call your name.

You’re on the U19 team that includes the coaches and five players from last year’s U18 team, how is that going to be helpful this year?
It will help a lot because we already know what coach (USA U19 head coach Kate Meier) expects and we know a lot of the plays, so we can help the younger guys, and the people that just came in we can show what it is like to be on this team.

What is your role going to be on this team, what can you bring to this year’s team?
Leadership, point guard experience and trying to get everybody into their position. And also defense, that’s one of the main things I take pride in, so I can come out and try to push the tempo a little bit with my defense.

What is it that brings you back to USA Basketball each summer?
I just love it. You come out here and get a lot of great experience, you get in shape with the altitude, you meet a lot of great people and that’s just the basketball part of it and you want to represent your country, but outside of that you meet a lot of great people and have a great time while you’re here.

BREANNA STEWART
This is your sixth USA Basketball team, what keeps you motivated to keep coming back?
USA Basketball is the best thing about my summer. That’s what I look forward to, creating new experiences with new people. Sometimes they’re with the same people, but it’s just really fun. And I enjoy going for the gold medal.

At the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship you were one of the youngest players on the team. How will your role change with this team?
It’s funny how my role is changing, because this is my second U19 team. Last time I was one of the younger ones. This time I’m one of the older ones, and it’s weird. But, I have to be a leader because I’ve been in these situations before and some people haven’t. I have to help show them the ropes.

What does it mean for you to represent your country in this manner?
It’s an honor. I appreciate everything USA Basketball has done for me in letting me keep coming back to try out again and again, and continuing to go for gold medals. I don’t think there’s anything else you can ask for.

What can you teach some of the younger players about USA Basketball, both on and off the court?
USA Basketball on the court, obviously you’re going to go out, you’re going to play your heart out, you’re going to leave everything on the court because this is 12 people who are considered at the top of high school and college basketball for their age group. Teams are coming after us, and they want to beat us. We have to know that every team’s going to play us the best they can, and we need to just keep our composure.

Off the court, you really have to represent the United States and show people in other countries who we are, create our own image of ourselves. We need to try to change their minds about the United States in a positive way.

MORGAN TUCK
How does it feel to be returning to USA Basketball for another chance at a gold medal?
It feels really great. Every time just gets better and better. We have a different group. We have a couple I’ve played with before with USA Basketball, but I think it’s more exciting because we have a lot of new people on this team.

At the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship you were one of the youngest players on the team. How will your role change with this team?
Definitely being more of a leader. When I was on the team the last time I just tried to fit in and try to make my mark. Now I need to take more of a leadership role and try to make sure that the younger players who haven’t been here before understand the international game and they feel comfortable with it.

What can you contribute to this team?
I think I can help with the low post presence. We are a really big team and I’m the smallest post, but I feel that I can use my physicalness around the basket. I think I can be a good leader out on the court.

You already have three gold medals in international competition. Can you describe the feeling of winning a gold medal and why it keeps you coming back for more?
It’s a great feeling. It makes you feel like you’re the best in the world. When I get up there, I think of the pictures of the Olympic team when they’re on the podium, and that’s my dream one day. I feel like I’m slowly getting closer. I just love coming back. You get to play with the best players in the country. You play with people at school and your same team, but to come out in the summer, get together, practice a little bit and then go play, it’s a great feeling.

A'JA WILSON
What kind of emotions were you feeling when you heard your name called as one of the USA U19 World Championship Team members?
Oh my gosh! It was a great feeling. At first I was shocked, to tell the truth because this weekend I felt that I had the roughest time. I did not feel that I played really well. But, when my name was called and my named being Wilson, it was the last name. I was just like, ‘uh oh.’ And then finally she said A’ja Wilson, and I was like, ‘oh my gosh, this is such an honor.’ I’m really excited.

What do you think stood out to the committee this weekend, what do you bring to the team?
I guess, me being so young, I kind of bring the energy sometimes. I’m not saying that everybody else is old, but I guess I can bring the energy. We have height, of course, and then we also have versatility. I think I also bring those things to the team, and being a good teammate.

What does it mean for you to be able to represent your country?
It means a lot. It really does. I’ve watched these girls on TV. I’ve gone to some of their games, and just to play with them, it means a lot. Playing the sport that I love and playing for the country that I love, it’s just a great feeling to have.

Are you excited about learning from the coaching staff and the rest of your teammates?
Definitely I am. I’m very excited.

Now here are some quotes from Hartley and Mosqueda-Lewis after they were named to the WUG team.


BRIA HARTLEY
Did you think you had played well at trials?

                                  (Photo courtesy of USA Basketball)
UConn teammates Bria Hartley and Kaleena Mosqueda-
Lewis were among 12 players named to U.S. team playing
in World University Games.

I thought I played OK. I didn't think I played my best basketball ever. I'm just really happy that the committee picked me. I'm really excited that I was good enough to make the team.

Were you nervous this morning?
I was a little nervous. Even though I have made the team before, you don't want to come in here thinking, 'Oh, I'm definitely going to make the team.' You have to stay humble, but you also want to be confident, thinking you could possibly make the team. You have to come out and play basketball the way you know how to.

What do you think the committee saw in you?
I think it was versatility, because I am a combo-guard. I can play a little bit of the one and the two, and I can make sure all of my teammates are involved. Also, just talking and encouraging, that's the main thing I like to do.

KALEENA MOSQUEDA-LEWIS
Were you nervous this morning?
I was a little nervous because I definitely did not shoot very well during this whole try-out, and that's kind of my job. I tried to do a lot of other stuff, like rebounding, hustling hard on defense. Luckily it worked.

How does it feel to make your fourth USA Basketball Team?
It's still special; every time is special. Now it's really cool because I will be playing with girls that I have played against in college. A lot of them, Odyssey and Tricia and a lot of them I watched before I even got to college and said, 'They're really good.' Now I get to play with them, so it's really cool.


Joining Jefferson, Stewart, Tuck and Wilson on the U-19 are former UConn recruiting targets Linnae Harper (who signed with Kentucky) and Brianna Turner (one of three high school juniors to make the team) as well as Penn State's Candice Agee, Tennessee's Bashaara Graves, Duke's Alexis Jones, Northwestern signee Nia Coffey, Washington incoming freshman Kelsey Plum and St. Mary's High School guard Gabby Green. Hartley and Mosqueda-Lewis are joined on the World University Games squad by Central Michigan's Crystal Bradford, Oklahoma's Aaryn Ellenberg, ReShanda Gray of California, Southern California's Cassie Harberts, Nebraska's Jordan Hooper, Tricia Liston of Duke, Tennessee's Ariel Massengale (a high school teammate of Morgan Tuck's), LSU's Theresa Plaisance, Shoni Schimmel of Louisville and Baylor's Odyssey Sims.

The World University Games squad will return to the U.S. Olympic Training Center on June 25 for final preparations before embarking for Russia on July 1. The U-19 team will hold its training camp in Colorado Springs from July 1-9 before playing in a tournament with Australia, Canada and Spain in the Canary Islands from July 11-14.

The complete list of the players trying out for the U-16 national team will be coming out soon, perhaps as early as tomorrow.

Wander around the Internet these days and it won't take long for rumors about where top high school junior A'ja Wilson will decide to go to college. However, the multi-faceted 6-foot-4 star for Heathwood Hall in Columbia, S.C. is still months away from figuring out her college of choice.

I spoke with Wilson for about 10-15 minutes by phone after today's first practice session at the U.S. U-19 national team trials at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. I will be writing a story for tomorrow's paper about Wilson's humbling early days on the court but figured I would pass on some of her thoughts on the recruiting process.

"I am taking all of my officials," Wilson said. "I sit down with my parents and every night we have a discussion about what is going to happen over this summer and pray over it

"I am very open right now because I am focusing on getting out of junior year," Wilson said. "I don't have a top 10, a top five, a top three. Once I get out of school and that is May 31. In June that is when I will start settling in because I will have a lot more time on my hands without worrying about school so much and that is when I will start thinking about it."

So what is she looking for when she picks her school?

"Just having a great relationship with the coach and the team, of course and also what would I do after I graduate from the school, where could I go, where could they get me. I want to go to the next level, I want to go to the highest level of basketball I could possibly go. Also, if I would get hurt or couldn't play anymore, could I still see myself there for the rest of the years that I have there. In college my team is going to be my second family, almost pretty close to my immediate family because I am going to be around them for so long."

As luck would have it, she ran some of the UConn players heading to Colorado for the U-19 or World University Games training camp in the Dallas airport.

"When I got to the airport the first people I saw were Breanna Stewart, Bria Hartley and Morgan Tuck and it was amazing because they had just won a national championship and I was in the airport with them," Wilson said. "Then I look over and I see (North Carolina's) Xylina McDaniel, Meighan(Simmons) from Tennessee and Cierra (Burdick) and it really hit me 'wow, I am here with these girls and I am flying on the same plane with these girls.' It is great to see how they could have lost to a team but they come together as one here."

When I spoke with her AAU coach recently, he said one of Wilson's greatest attributes is her work ethic. Maybe since she was on the small side of things when she first started playing basketball before a major growth spurt between her freshman and sophomore years in high school, but she doesn't act like the resident superstar on or off the court (until the ball is in her hands).

"I never walk off the court with a 'what if' question in my mind," Wilson said. "I give it 110 percent every single time."

Considering how much passion Wilson plays with, the last several months have been trying for her at times.

She missed the first seven games of the season for Heathwood Hall due to a wrist injury. When her team opened the season by losing three of the first four games, she was just a tad bit restless.

"It was so hard to watch because I was out with my wrist injury," Wilson said. I missed our opening game and it was against Pinewood Prep and they are out rivals. It was very tough, I don't even think I slept that night because it was very tough to watch and knowing that I can't go out and help my team but on a positive note, it helped me build my leadership skills. I have a goal for myself every year and last year my goal was to be poised on the court and I think I handled that pretty well. This year it is building my leadership role. That really helped me from a leadership perspective."

More recently, Wilson injured her knee during an AAU game.

"I came down on a girls' foot and I tweaked my LCL so I have been in therapy for two weeks leading up to the trials so it was good to get back," Wilson said.

Fresh after leading UConn to its eighth national title and taking part in the post-championship celebrations, it is time to get back on the road for UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, associate head coach Chris Dailey and assistant coaches Marisa Moseley and Shea Ralph.

Like so many of the coaching staffs from the major programs, the quartet will head out to the Deep South Classic in Raleigh, N.C., the Boo Williams event in Hampton, Va. and Windy City Classic in Chicago.

With commitments from Class of 2014 perimeter players Sadie Edwards, Courtney Ekmark and Gabby Williams the obvious focus for the UConn coaching staff is landing some inside players.A'ja Wilson is clearly at the top of UConn's recruiting wish list and she will be playing in the Deep South Classic.

I spoke to Wilson's AAU coach Jerome Dickerson (who also coached former Husky Kalana Greene with the Palmetto 76ers AAU program). He said that "everybody loves UConn and loves Geno" and UConn is very much in play with the multi-faceted Wilson who stands anywhere from 6-4 to 6-6 depending on which site you choose to believe. Dickerson believes Wilson will wait to take her official visits before making a decision. Dickerson also said that Wilson received her invitation to try out for the U.S. junior national team. What I've been hearing if that the list of invitees could be out as early as the end of the week but it is more likely for the list to be announced by USA Basketball next week.

Kathryn Westbeld who led her Fairmont squad to the Ohio Division I state title and the 6-foot-2 forward plays for the All-Ohio Black and Taylor Rooks, an AAU teammate of Edwards and the Gatorade State Player of the Year in New Jersey as a junior, have both visited UConn. Another frontcourt player on UConn's radar is Lexi Gussert out of Forest Park High in Crystal Park, Mich. There was a recent television report stating that Gussert narrowed her list to five schools and UConn was not on that list. However, what I've been hearing is UConn is still very much involved in the recruitment of Gussert while Christ the King star Sierra Calhoun is another player drawing interest from UConn.

With so many of the top players at events the UConn coaches will be attending this weekend it would not be shocking to me if a new name or two emerged but we'll have to wait and see.

The commitment of Meriden's Sadie Edwards gives UConn pledges from two of the top perimeter players in the Class of 2014 (to go with Courtney Ekmark) and it would not be a shocker to see another perimeter player be a part of the this recruiting class. However, the ultimate grade of this class could ultimately be determined by the abilities of the Huskies to secure commitments from inside players.

Connecticut coaches have made multiple trips to see A'ja Wilson and Kathryn Westbeld play and the two already have scholarship offers.

Wilson is considered by many to be the best prospect in her class is an intriguing player. When she was a freshman she played on the perimeter before growing a couple of inches before the start of her sophomore season. Now she is listed at 6-5 but does not consider herself a prototype low-post prospect. However, that shouldn't be taken as a sign that she doesn't mix things up. She has averaged more than 14 rebounds in her four seasons at Heathwood Hall Episcopal in Columbia, S.C. (Wilson suited up as an eighth grader).

Despite being sidelined at the beginning of her junior season with a wrist injury, Wilson was spectacular during the 2012-13 season. She recorded a double-double in all 21 games she played in and finished the season shooting 69 percent from the field. Her final numbers were 28.7 points, 14.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.2 steals and 5.3 blocks per game. She stepped out and was 5 of 8 from 3-point range.

Wilson has yet to make a visit to UConn but everything I've heard is that there is plenty of mutual interest.

Westbeld is a 6-foot-2 forward led Fairmont High in Kettering, Ohio to their first state title. Westbeld had double-doubles in all four games in Ohio's Division 1 tournament and averaged 15.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Fairmont had lost to Twinsburg in the Division 1 championship game during her freshman and sophomore seasons before preventing Twinsburg's bid for a three-peat with a 52-48 victory.

The game was rebroadcast on SportsTime Ohio yesterday and I taped the game to see Westbeld play. I could see why the Huskies are pursuing her. She is an extremely well-rounded player who can score inside and out, sets screens, helped break the press and looked comfortable handling the ball out on the perimeter. One recruiting source I spoke to compared her game to Louisville's Sara Hammond. The player she reminded me of was Kelsey Griffin of the Connecticut Sun.

Westbeld's final numbers were 14.5 points (on 66.3 percent shooting), 9.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.7 blocked shots. She is a product of the highly successful Dayton Lady HoopStars AAU program and is the type of highly-skilled player the Huskies (and any other program for that matter) love to coach.

She was also one of five players named to the JJHuddle.com All-Ohio first team