The first two rounds are in the books at the EuroBasket Championships and three of the top 14 scorers are players who were drafted by the Connecticut Sun.

Johannah Leedham, a third-round pick of the Sun in 2010 who attending Connecticut's training camp and was one of the last players cut, finished ranked third in scoring with an average of 16.8 points, 7.5 rebounds,  a tournament-leading 4.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game although it wasn't enough to help Great Britain advance in the tournament. Despite finishing with the same 2-3 record as the Czech Republic, Great Britain lost the tiebreaker and was eliminated after pool play.

Alba Torrens, selected in the third round in 2009, is eighth in scoring with an average of 14.2 points per game as Spain went 6-0 in pool play to set up a showdown with the Czech Republic tomorrow in the quarterfinals..

Sandrine Gruda, taken by the Sun in the first round of the 2007 draft, averaged 12 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals as France went 6-0 in pool play and will meet Sweden in the quarterfinals.

The Sun still own the rights to Torrens and Gruda but Leedham, a former star at Cheshire Academy, is free to sign with any WNBA team.

The teams of the three former Connecticut Sun draft picks all advanced to the second round at the EuroBasket Championships.

Alba Torrens led Spain to the Group B title by averaging 19.7 points (the second most during the first portion of the tournament) to go with 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Sandrine Gruda led France to the Group C title with a 3-0 record. Gruda averaged 9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1 steal and 0.7. blocks. Johannah Leedham's Great Britain team finished 2-1 in Group C with the only loss coming today to France. Leedham averaged 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the three games.

The biggest news coming out of the first round is that perennial World Championship medal contender Russia failed to qualify for the second round after going 1-2 in Group B and therefore will not be eligible to play in the 2014 World Championships due to the first-round ouster.

There's a couple of days off before the second round of pool play begins on Thursday. Spain carries a 2-0 record into Group F play while France and Great Britain open play in Pool F with 2-0 and 1-1 records respectively.

Former UConn star Maya Moore won't play in the China's WCBA All-Star game this weekend because of an ankle injury.

Moore who has been putting up incredible statistics (even for her) is to top vote-getter for the all-star game but rather than risk a setback which would limit her participation in the playoffs, she won't play in the all-star game.

Moore, playing for the Shanxi Xing Rui Flame, is leading the WCBA in scoring averaging 39.7 points per game. She is also averaging 12.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

Closer to home, the Atlanta Journal Constitution had a story on Moore's Olympic ring being stolen and sold for $144.

TORRENS BACK IN ACTION
Former Connecticut Sun draft pick Alba Torrens returned to action after nearly an entire calendar year leading to the possibility that she could make her way over to Connecticut for training camp.

The 6-foot-2 small forward plays for Galatsaray in Turkey and following the press conference announcing Anne Donovan as the new Connecticut Sun head coach, Sun general manager Chris Sienko said the franchise is hopeful that Torrens will come over to the U.S. to make her WNBA debut.

Former Connecticut Sun third-round draft pick Alba Torrens was named the European Women's Player of the Year.

Torrens was named the MVP after leading her Avenida team to the EuroLeague Women's title. During the season, she averaging 15.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

With Spain failing to qualify for the Olympics, the Connecticut Sun hierarchy had hoped to bring the 22-year-old Torrens over to make her WNBA debut this season however Torrens suffered a serious knee injury last month.

Former UConn star Kalana Greene realized that basketball is a business after a draft-day trade sent her from New York to Connecticut. Greene certainly took a business-like approach to her first game against her former teammates.

When I spoke to her on Saturday morning, Greene admitted to being more focused on helping the Sun to a much-needed road win than sharing the court with the players she called her teammates last season.

"We had to win," Greene said. "We can't come back from a road trip 0-3. At the beginning of the game, it is kind of weird going up against all your old teammates and after the game ... But for my team, I am just glad we got a win. It was a tough road trip and we came home. For me, it is a job. It is obviously nice to be back in that city."

Greene had a career-high four steals and finished with seven points in 28 minutes but her greatest contribution may have been in shadowing former teammate Cappie Pondexter. Greene helped disrupt Pondexter enough that the All-Star game starter was just 5 of 14 from the floor and had seven turnovers in Connecticut's 68-59 victory.

I was a bit surprised to hear Kalana say that she rarely defended Pondexter during practice last season.

"Not really that much, we had a lot of guys in practice so probably once or twice," Greene said.

Greene said she is still weighing her options before deciding which European team she will play in the winter.

WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR?Before the season, Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault said that if Spanish national team start Alba Torrens where to join the team after the European championships, the call would be Torrens' to make. On Saturday Thibault said he is not anticipating having Torrens play in the WNBA this season. However, next year is looking like a reasonable possibility for Torrens to join the Sun.

Spain was a real disappointment in the EuroLeague championships, failing to advance past the second round of pool play. Since they failed to finish in the top five at the EuroBasket event, Spain was not automatically invited to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women. If Spain doesn't get an invite for the qualifying tournament (which is appearing likely), they will not be headed to the Olympics which would free up Torrens to spend the entire 2012 season in the WNBA.

As for former Cheshire Academy star Johannah Leedham, it could be a longer wait. Leedham is a key member of the Great Britain team which is automatically entered into the 2012 Olympics as the host team so the earliest Leedham figures to give the WNBA a shot would be 2013.

"She is going to be in the Olympics so I haven't spent much time thinking about it," Thibault said. "She has played pretty well and she is a good player. I talked to Tom Maher, the head coach of the British national team and (he said) her best basketball is still two years away. He feels this experience without the pressure of having to make the team here will actually (hurt) her. Going to the Olympics and playing against those good players will make her more prepared coming into training camp. He didn't feel like she would be ready to make the team now."

Maria Stepanova had 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead Russia a 59-42 win over Turkey in the EuroBasket gold-medal game.

Former UConn star Svetlana Abrosimova did not score but had five rebounds in 14 minutes for Russia.

Abrosimova, who played six games for the Connecticut Sun in the 2008 season, is one of five players with ties to the Sun who played in the tournament.

Abrosimova averaging 5.9 points and 3.8 rebounds.

Former Sun forward Sandrine Gruda led champion France in both scoring (121 points) and rebounding (56) in the nine tournament games.

Johannah Leedham, a third-round pick by Connecticut in the 2010 WNBA draft, led Great Britain with 72 points in six games.

Evanthia Maltsi (who played 26 games for the Sun in 2007) averaged 13.7 points, 7.0 rebounds in three games for Greece.

Alba Torrens, taken by the Sun in the third round of the 2009 WNBA draft, led Spain with 83 points in six games.

Gruda, Torrens and Leedham were among the top 15 scorers in the tournament. Maltsi would have been including among the top tournament scorers but with Greece eliminated after the first round of pool play, she did not play enough games to qualify.

The Connecticut Sun already knew it would not be facing Lauren Jackson when Seattle comes to Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday because the former WNBA MVP is out with a hip injury. Now the status of another former MVP scheduled to play in Connecticut this week is up in the air.

Candace Parker injured her right knee in Sunday's loss at New York. She is headed back to Los Angeles to have an MRI done on the knee.

Los Angeles plays at Connecticut on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

TORRENS STRUGGLES IN EUROBASKET FINALE
Connecticut Sun draft pick Alba Torrens missed all 13 of her shots including going 0 for 6 from 3-point range as Spain was eliminated from advancing to the EuroBasket quarterfinals with a 75-71 loss to Croatia on Sunday.

Spain finished 2-3 in Group F and in a tie for fourth place. The top four teams advance to the quarterfinals but Croatia, which also finished 2-3, earned the fourth and final spot based on its win over Spain.

Torrens finished the tournament averaging 13.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals but couldn't help Spain, which finished third in the 2010 World Championships, suffer a stunningly early exit from the European Championships.

The good news is that Torrens would be free to join the Sun, if she is so inclined, since her EuroBasket obligations are completed. Before the season, Connecticut coach Mike Thibault said the decision to join to team would be up to Torrens. With the Sun struggling to get consistent offensive production from the perimeter from players other than Renee Montgomery and Kara Lawson, a player like Torrens could be a welcome addition. While the "glass is half empty" types might scoff at Torrens' 35 percent field-goal percentage in the EuroBasket event, it should be noted that she was the 13th leading scorer in the EuroLeague averaging 15.8 points on 49.5 percent shooting.

Back to the EuroBasket tournament, another former Connecticut Sun third-round pick will wrap up play in the event on Monday when Great Britain plays Russia.

Great Britain can not advance to the quarterfinals but former Cheshire Academy star Johannah Leedham has been impressive during the tournament.

Leedham, despite seeing her playing time limited as she works her way back from a knee injury, has scored in double figures in her last four games and is averaging 12.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals in just 20.4 minutes per game.

Former Cheshire Academy star Johannah Leedham had four points, three rebounds and two assists but her Great Britain squad lost 55-40 in the opening day of the EuroBasket.

Leedham is one of three former Connecticut Sun draft picks playing in the tournament.

Alba Torrens had 18 points, three rebounds and four assists as Spain defeated 79-69 while Sandrine Gruda and France will play Croatia later today.


U.S. U-16 GOES FOR GOLD
The United States will play Brazil tonight at 9 in the championship game of the FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

The U.S. team has been dominant, outscoring its first four opponents by a 2 to 1 margin.

Rebecca Greenwell leads the team in scoring, averaging 17 points per game, and also had a team-best nine 3-pointers and 15 steals. Mercedes Russell is averaging 12 points and team-high 11.3 rebounds. She is leading the tournament with 45 rebounds and 17 blocked shots. Stephanie Mavunga (12 points per game) and Jatarie White (11.3 points) also score in double figures for the U.S. while UConn recruiting target Taya Reimer is averaging 5.8 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Former UConn star Tina Charles, who followed up her WNBA Rookie of the Year season with the Connecticut Sun with an impressive showing with Nadezhda during the recently-completed Euroleague season, has been signed by Galatasay.

Charles led the Euroleague with nine double-doubles and an average of 7.7 field goals made per game while ranking in the top five points (19.0), rebounds (12.3), minutes (34.2) and blocked shots (1.2) in her first season in the Euroleague.

One of her teammates for the Istanbul, Turkey squad will be Alba Torrens, who could also be her teammate in the WNBA is the Spanish guard opts to sign with the Connecticut Sun after playing for Spain in the European Championships.

Alba Torrens, whose rights are owned by the Connecticut Sun, had 13 points as Halcon Avenida defeated four-time defending champion Spartak Moscow Region 68-59 in the EuroLeague Women championship game. Torrens was named the most valuable player of the Final Four.

Silvia Dominguez, who came into the game averaging just 5 points per game, led Halcon Avenida with 16 points while the Atlanta Dream's Sancho Lyttle had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Former UConn star Sue Bird had 16 points and former Connecticut Sun forward Taj McWilliams 17 points and 11 rebounds for Spartak.

Former Connecticut Sun guard signed with the Seattle Storm on Wednesday. Phillips was signed as an unrestricted free agent.

A year ago the Sun was close to trading Phillips' rights but the deal fell through. My understanding of Phillips' situation was that her rights would be owned by the Sun and she would be classified as a "reserve" player as long as they offered her a contract. Obviously that is no longer the case or Seattle would not have been able to sign her as an unrestricted free agent.

Before UConn's game against Oklahoma on Monday, Thibault, assistant coach Scott Hawk and general manager Chris Sienko will be sitting down with members of the media so we'll be able to find out the dynamics of Phillips' situation but the bottom line is she was not going to come back to Connecticut so good for her that she was able to sign up with the defending WNBA champions.

With the Sun getting nothing in return for Phillips and Anete Jekabsone-Zogota's decision to skip the upcoming WNBA season, it would appear as if Danielle McCray will be playing a rather crucial role for the Sun in the upcoming season.

McCray is playing well in Israel, averaging 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.8 steals per game for Hapoel Rishon Lezion. She is one of three Connecticut Sun players in Israel as Kerri Gardin is averaging 16.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals for Elizur Holon and Renee Montgomery is averaging 18.4 points, 3.9 assists and 2.1 steals for Maccabi Ashdod.

Staying on the subject of overseas basketball, the first round series in the EuroLeague are now all in the books.

Ros Casares, Cras Basket Taranto, Bourges Basket and four-time defending champion Spartak Moscow Region won the decisive third games on Wednesday. Former UConn star Sue Bird had 18 points, four rebounds and three assists in Spartak's 69-63 victory over Beretta-Famila.

The quarterfinals begin on Feb. 22 with Fenerbahce playing Spartak, UMMC Ekaterinburg (led by the Connecticut Sun's Sandrine Gruda) facing Cras Basket Taranto, Wisla Can-Pack meeting Halcon Avenida and Ros Casares playing Bourges Basket. A player to watch for Halcon Avenida is Alba Torrens, who is averaging 16.3 points per game. Her WNBA rights are owned by the Sun but there's no word about whether she plans to come over to the U.S. after playing for Spain in the EuroCup.

Anete Jekabsone-Zogota, who started 14 games and averaged 7.2 points per contest for the Connecticut Sun during the 2010 season, said in an interview that she is planning to skip the upcoming WNBA season.

I just got off the phone with Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault who said that "nothing is official yet" and that been in contact with Jekabsone-Zogota's agent but wanted to reserve further comment until the final decision has been made.

While the translation of the interview to English is a little choppy, it does seem as if the 27-year-old Jekabsone-Zogota isn't planning to return to the WNBA any time soon.

"It is a very valuable experience, there is a very good level of basketball," Jekabsone-Zogota said. "(They have) strong players, qualified coaches, a very good organization. It requires great strength (to play). It's all determined by my 'inner voice'. This time (it) is a feeling, after a year or two probably will be slightly different. Certainly not (going to) say (never).

"It is an honor to play there, no doubt," Jekabsone-Zogota said. "It is a new experience. Yes, the first year I've had times when I wanted to throw everything aside and go home."

Jekabsone-Zogota appeared in 46 games over the previous two seasons for the Sun, averaging 8.7 points per game.

The Sun just announced the signings of Tan White and Kerri Gardin and will be adding Danielle McCray, who was the second of the team's two first-round draft picks a year ago. McCray missed the entire 2010 WNBA season with a knee injury. McCray has been playing well with Hapoel Rishon Le-Zion in Israel as she has scored at least 20 points in each of her last three games. She will not be the 3-point threat that Jekabsone-Zogota was but has shown the ability to get to the free throw line during her time in Israel. Playing for Rishon Lezion, McCray is averaging 17.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.8 steals.

Thibault said it will be a wait and see approach with the other three Europeans whose rights are owned by the Sun as Sandrine Gruda, Alba Torrens and Johannah Leedham are expected to play for France, Spain and Great Britain respectively in the European Championships or EuroCup which will run from June 18-July 3 which would mean a mininum of nine Connecticut Sun games being missed if the three come over after the tournament is over. Gruda has played for the Sun in each of the last three seasons and is the most likely of the trio to come over. It would be a crushing blow if Gruda opted to stay in France after the conclusion of the EuroCup. However, the Sun have been patient in the past letting Gruda come over when her European playing commitments are complete and would be very surprised if Gruda simply skipped the entire WNBA season.

When I asked Thibault if the Sun would be more likely to pursue a free agent if the team got the sense that the other Europeans would be staying home, he said that he did not expect that to happen. Reading between the lines, I get the sense that there is a free agent the Sun is keeping on its radar but it won't be as easy to figure out who that is as it was when the team went hard after Kara Lawson a year ago. Considering that Thibault, assistant coach Scott Hawk and general manager Chris Sienko were all at the recent UConn/Duke game (scouting Jasmine Thomas I would imagine) I would think that it is more likely that the Sun would try to put together a package to move up into the first round in April's WNBA draft than it would be to add a free agent from another team.

Connecticut Sun forward Sandrine Gruda and Alba Torrens, whose WNBA rights are owned by the Sun, were named as starters for Europe in the EuroLeague All-Star game which will be played on Mar. 8 in Gydnia, Poland.

Gruda is averaging 14 points and 5.1 rebounds for UMMC Ekaterinburg while Torrens is averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists for Halcon Avenida.

Starters were selected based on fan balloting with Angel McCoughtry, Sylvia Fowles, Candice Dupree, Seimone Augustus and Monica Wright listed as the top vote-getters for the Rest of the World. I say "listed" because former UConn star Diana Taurasi was on the ballot and was the EuroLeague's leading scorer before getting released by Fenerbahce for tested positive for a banned substance. Taurasi, who has gone on the record as saying she never took the drug modafinil, is a fan favorite and it wouldn't shock me if she was the overall leader in fan ballots. Celine Dumerc, Sancho Lyttle and Amaya Valdemoro were the other starters for Europe. The rest of the rosters for the two teams will be announced later with former UConn star Tina Charles almost certain to be added to the Rest of the World squad.