After coming off the bench against St. John's because the coaching staff wanted senior Lorin Dixon to get to start her final collegiate game in her native New York, freshman Bria Hartley is back in the starting lineup against Louisville.

Maya Moore, Tiffany Hayes, Kelly Faris and Stefanie Dolson will also start for UConn while Becky Burke, Shoni Schimmel, Tia Gibbs, Monique Reid and Keshia Hines will start for Louisville.

The Mater Dei High School team, led by UConn commit Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and UConn recruiting target Jordan Adams, just arrived and are sitting behind the bench. The duo had 17 points each as Mater Dei crushed Murry Bergtraum last night at the HoopHall Classic in Springfield. Here's the story I wrote after catching up with Mosqueda-Lewis and Adams after the game.

Outside the two feet of snow and frigid conditions, UConn commit Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was thrilled to be back in New England as her Mater Dei High School team was playing in the HoopHall Classic for the second time in the last three years.

Mosqueda-Lewis had 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the Santa Ana, Calif. team's 85-45 win over New York's Murry Bergtraum.

"I feel different about being here now that I am going to UConn and going to be there next year," Mosqueda-Lewis said. "I am certainly excited to be able to come
out and play here."

Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6-foot wing, will join guard Brianna Banks and post player Kiah Stokes in the Huskies' incoming freshman class, the first set of Huskies to suit up in the post-Maya Moore era.

"I know it is going to be a big leap for me. I know Coach Auriemma is going to get me ready. I am going to be there for summer school doing workouts and hopefully they are going to get me as ready as possible for my freshman year. Hopefully I tansition well, hopefully I am ready for that."

Auriemma, who was in attendance at the game, was asked about Mosqueda-Lewis after UConn's Friday afternoon practice.

"I like the fact that No. 1, the kid wanted to come here and that to me is huge," Auriemma said. "That says something about her right there. That was the No. 1 thing right there. She is an incredible kid, just her personality, her approach and the way she interacts with other people, it is unusual for kids that age.

"I think in her career, she has proven more than anything else that she is a winner. Her high school team wins all the time, the USA Basketball teams wins, she scores at every level. It doesn't matter what level she plays at, high school, AAU, USA Basketball, that kid just puts points on the board so given all those things, I haven't seen her play yet this year, this will be the first of a couple times I am going to see her. Knowing that Maya is leaving, it probably couldn't come at a
better time, somebody capable of putting that many points on the board. It is uncanny."

Mosqueda-Lewis not only shares Moore's ability to drain 3-pointers (she had three more to give her 53 this season) but also the same uniform number. Mosqueda-Lewis has already asked Moore for permission to wear No. 23 at UConn next season.

"I actually asked Maya for No. 23 and I am still holding on her answer because as of right now, she wants it to be able to rest for a little bit when she leaves," Mosqueda-Lewis said with a laugh. "Hopefully she will let me have it."

Whether she wears No. 23 or not, Mosqueda-Lewis plans on continuing to work on her game before she enrolls at UConn in the summer.

"I have really been working on trying to get to the basket because the last couple of years my shot has been my money maker," Mosqueda-Lewis said. "I have been trying to get quicker, get to the basket, be able to jump higher and working on everything."

Auriemma wasn't the only person to heap praise on Mosqueda-Lewis on Friday,.

Mater Dei coack Kevin Kiernan, who coached the Monarchs to the No. 1 national ranking last season and has four Division I signees on this year's team, said "she is the best player I ever coached, I think she is the best player in the country. Just having her on the floor opens things up for everybody else."

UConn recruiting target Jordan Adams, the highly-touted junior guard who had 17 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals against Murry Bergtraum, first saw Mosqueda-Lewis play when Adams was in fourth grade.

So what is her best attribute?

"Definitely her 3-point shot, she can create her shot no matter where she is on the floor," Adams said. "You pressure her at the 3 (point line) and she will drive past you. If you get her the ball, she is a scoring machine. It's been an honor to play with her."

Unlike Mosqueda-Lewis, who committed in October of her junior season, Adams is going to be a little more patient.

"Kaleena, she knew where she wanted to go," said Adams, who confirmed that UConn is still among the schools she is considering. "I am not sure where I want to go yet, I feel like when I am ready I will commit. I can't even tell you that there's a list. I am looking everywhere right now and seeing where my best fit is."

Mosqueda-Lewis, Adams and the rest of the Mater Dei team is planning to go to Saturday's UConn/Louisville game at the XL Center.

"Who doesn't want to go see UConn play?" Adams said. "Coach Geno is a great coach and they are a really good team. Just to see Maya Moore, it is going to be fun. I just like the way they play together as a team. They have Maya Moore who is clearly an all-star but everybody else gets their points."

The last time I checked in with Greg Stokes, the father of UConn recruiting target, he said that his daughter's focus was on attempting to lead her Linn-Mar High volleyball team to the Iowa state tournament.

Kiah moved Linn-Mar within a game of the state tournament as she had 30 kills in a 25-14, 23-25, 27-29, 25-21, 15-11 victory over Clinton in the Class 4A Region 7 semifinal on Thursday. On Tuesday, Stokes and Linn-Mar can punch a ticket to the states with a win over Bettendorf.

I'm not sure if a win tomorrow will extend Stokes' time frame for making her decision but the sense I'm getting it that UConn is very much in the mix for the 6-foot-3 forward/center from Marion, Iowa. If the decision don't come by this weekend, I'd expect it to come at some point during the early signing period which runs from Nov. 10-17.

Staying on the topic of recruiting, here's some info on the schedules of the two players committed to UConn.

On Nov. 16, Brianna Banks will lead Northgate High of Newnan, Ga. against city rival Newnan. Here's the Northgate schedule

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis' senior season at defending national champion Mater Dei will kick off on Dec. 1 when the Santa Ana, Calif. school plays at JSerra. Here is the 2010-11 Mater Dei schedule

UConn fans who want to see Mosqueda-Lewis in action can make the drive to Springfield, Mass. on Jan. 14 when Mater Dei faces New York powerhouse Murry Bergtraum at 6 p.m. It will be the third of five games at Springfield College on the 14th. The first two games are showdowns between Massachusetts girls' teams while four Massachusetts boys' squads will meet in the final two games of the day.

Jordan Adams, one of the top prospects in the high school Class of 2012, is also a star for Mater Dei as is senior forward and USC commit Alexys Vaioletama while Murry Bertraum will be led by senior guard Monae Abrams and junior guard Shequana Harris

The final three days of the four-day event features 20 boys' games featuring some of the nation's top programs including Oak Hill, Hargrave, Dematha, St. Anthony's. Connecticut will be well represented as East Hartford plays West Springfield (Mass.) on Saturday at 11 a.m. followed by a Hillhouse/New London game at 12:30. On Sunday at 12:30 St. Thomas More squares off with Hargrave. Here's the complete game schedule

Taking a quick look at the top players on ESPN's boys'/men's basketball recruiting database, the players expected to play in Springfield are with college commitments in parenthesis:
No. 2 Michael Gilchrist 6-7 F St. Patrick HS, N.J. (Kentucky)
No. 3 Anthony Davis 6-10 F Perspectives Charter School, Ill. (Kentucky)
No. 4 Quincy Miller 6-9 F Westchester County Day School, N.C. (Baylor)
No. 8 Myck Kabongo 6-2 G Findlay Prep, Nev. (undecided)
No. 10 LeBryan Nash 6-7 F Lincoln, Tex. (Oklahoma State)
No. 14 P.J. Hairston 6-6 G Hargrave, Va. (North Carolina)
No. 17 Ben McLemore 6-5 F Oak Hill, Va. (undecided)
No. 18 Michael Carter-Williams 6-5 G St. Andrews, R.I. (Syracuse)
No. 19 Rakeem Christmas 6-9 C Academy of New Church, Pa. (Syracuse)
No. 21 Nick Johnson 6-3 G Findlay Prep, Nev. (Arizona)

Here's some ticket info

Following up on my previous blog entry, I reached out to Corey Hegwood of the DFW Elite AAU program UConn recruiting target Moriah Jefferson plays for and he said the highly-touted junior point guard from Glenn Heights, Tex. is on her way to UConn for a visit.

What's interesting about Jefferson's visit is that she was just in Connecticut when the U.S. national team scrimmaged Australia at the XL Center on Sept. 10. I tend to deal with the black and white in terms of recruiting. I do not say so and so is leaning towards UConn or that this comment means this or she will go to this school simply because my mind reading skills aren't exactly top of the line especially when it comes to what 16 and 17 year old girls are thinking. However, I'd have to say that Jefferson is pretty serious about UConn. Two trips in just over a month is understandable if she was from New York or Pennsylvania but to make the trip from Texas twice in five weeks, that's a highly unusual move.

What I can tell you about Jefferson is what Hegwood said about her style of play and talent.

"She could become the quickest guard to play in the (women's) game," Hegwood said. "She plays with a lot of energy on offense and defense, she has a great handle and is a lockdown defender. I've had boys AAU coaches say that she could start for a boys AAU team."

Jefferson is part of a sensational group of recruits checking out Friday's First Night festivities. I've confirmed six recruits already and blogger Kenny Kallina reported that Bolingbrook (Ill.) High forward Morgan Tuck is also planning to visit UConn this weekend. I don't doubt the validity of that information but I placed a call to Bolingbrook just to see if I could confirm that info. This is my ninth season covering UConn and Huskies might be outdoing themselves with the quantity and quality of recruits coming to campus this weekend.


Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who has already committed to UConn, is considered by many as the best player in the current high school class. The 6-foot wing is an explosive offensive presence.

Jefferson is vying with fellow UConn recruiting target Breanna Stewart for the honors of being the top prospect among the junior class

Diamond DeShields is being touted as the top high school sophomore in the country

Brianna Banks, who has also committed to UConn, caught the eye of the UConn coaches and like Jefferson, is a cat quick guard who is a defensive dynamo who happens to be soaring up the recruiting rankings similar to the way Tiffany Hayes, who played for the same Essence AAU program as Banks, did shortly after she committed to UConn.

Kiah Stokes is one of the top uncommitted seniors and fills a need for another post player. It also can't hurt that her grandfather lives in New Haven or that there is playing time available in the post if she chooses to come to Connecticut.

Bria Holmes is a two-time All-Stater who led Hillhouse to state titles in both of her years with the Academics is an athletic and versatile 6-foot-1 wing who is considered to be a top 20 recruit nationally

Morgan Tuck was a teammate of Mosqueda-Lewis on the U.S. Under-17 national team and has been a much talked about talent since she was a high school freshman. I spoke to her following a U-17 practice in Oakton, Va. Although I previously posted this quote, I thought I would throw it out there. So here's what she said when I asked her about UConn: "UConn is a great program, they are undefeated two years (in a row) so I don't know who wouldn't want to go there. They are the best team in the country right now."

I reached out to Mosqueda-Lewis' high school coach because UConn has expressed an interest in Mater Dei junior guard Jordan Adams as well. Kevin Kiernan said "As far as I know, both will be playing for Mater Dei in a tournament this weekend here in California." However, Mosqueda-Lewis has been putting entries on her twitter account stating she is en route to Connecticut. She makes no mention of Adams and that combined with what Kiernan said makes me deduce that Adams will not be making the trip.

The one thing I would say to those who were hyperventilating when players on UConn's recruiting radar started passing on UConn is that I view recruiting in two-year cycles. A small class one year merely opens the door to have an impressive haul the following season. Whether or not the Huskies land Stokes, it's pretty clear that they have invested a lot of time to getting in tight with some of the top players in the junior class. While recruiting is an inexact science and a lot of things can happen between now and November of 2011 when these top prospects can sign their national letters of intent, it seems pretty clear that the Huskies have put themselves in position to land a pretty special class next year.

The other thing is that UConn tried and failed to get in late with some kids who opted to go elsewhere and it's pretty evident to me that is simply not going to be the case in the next recruiting cycle since UConn is already in with top juniors like Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck.

UConn recruiting targets Morgan Tuck (11 points), Jewell Loyd (11 points, five rebounds) and Breanna Stewart (10 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks) all scored in double figures as the U.S. defeated Turkey 84-55 on Tuesday to improve to 4-0 in Group A in the FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women.

The U.S. used a balanced offense as six players scored between 8-11 points as it clinched the top seed out of Group A for the quarterfinals.

The eight players on UConn's recruiting radar on the U.S. team combined for 63 points, 28 rebounds, 8 steals and 6 blocks against Turkey.

Here's a breakdown of how the players being recruited by UConn fared today and are doing in the tournament.

Jordan Adams 5 points vs. Turkey; averaging 1.8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Betnijah Laney 9 points against Turkey; averaging 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 18 steals
Jewell Loyd 11 points, five rebounds, two steals against Turkey; averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis 5 points, 6 rebounds vs. Turkey; averaging 9.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 steals
Imani Stafford 4 points, 3 rebounds against Turkey; averaging 3.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1 steal
Breanna Stewart 10 points, five rebounds, two steals, two blocks on Tuesday; averaging 10.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.3 blocks
Morgan Tuck 11 points, three rebounds on Tuesday; averaging 8 points, 4.5 rebounds
Elizabeth Williams 8 points, 4 rebounds vs. Turkey; averaging 13 points and 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks

The U.S. wraps up preliminary round play on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. against Japan. The quarterfinals begin on Friday. The opponent will be determined in large part by Wednesday's Spain/China game. If Spain loses, it would get the No. 4 seed out of Group B and draw the U.S. If Spain wins there will be a three-way tie for second with Spain, China and the loser of the Australia/Belgium each finishing 3-2 and a tiebreaker would be needed to decide the order of finish.

UConn commit Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had 21 points, five 3-pointers and four steals to lead five players in double figures as the United States improved to 3-0 in Group A by beating Canada 114-57 Sunday at the FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women.

UConn recruiting targets Jewell Loyd (19 points), Morgan Tuck (12 points, seven rebounds, two assists) and Elizabeth Williams (12 points) also scored in double figures as did Bria Smith. Others on UConn's recruiting radar who contributed to the win were Breanna Stewart (eight points, nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks), Betnijah Laney (eight points), Imani Stafford (four points, 12 rebounds, three steals) and Jordan Adams (two points, four assists).

The U.S. will wrap up play in the preliminary round with games against Turkey Tuesday and Japan on Wednesday with both games set to tip at 11:30 a.m.

The last of the three stories I wrote off the U.S. U-17 national team practices I attended ran in the Register today. It focuses on the five team members from the Class of 2012 on UConn's recruiting radar. There is also video featuring interviews from Breanna Stewart and Jordan Adams and some action including a sweet connection from Morgan Tuck to Stewart. It also includes the glowing quote about UConn from Morgan Tuck which I included in my quotes of the week blog entry.

Also, videos that ran with my story on Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis have been posted. There is one of an interview I did with her and another with her in action during the first two days of practice at the Flint Hill School.

UConn recruiting target Breanna Stewart had 14 points, eight rebounds and six blocks as the U.S. defeated Spain 61-50 to finish 2-1 in its three exhibition games in Spain. Using tiebreakers, the U.S. was declared the winner in the round robin event and UConn recruiting target Elizabeth Williams, who had 10 points and seven rebounds, was named the tournament's MVP. UConn commit Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis also had 10 points as did former UConn recruiting target Ariel Massengale.

The U.S. now heads to France for the FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women as it opens with host France on Friday.

While we are talking about UConn's recruiting targets, UConn coach Geno Auriemma will leave for Chicago after taking part in tomorrow's press conference announcing a national team training camp in Hartford. He will be in attendance for the final day of the Nike Summer Showcase in Elgin, Ill. before heading to Murfreesboro, Tenn. for the Battle in the Boro.

With most of the players on UConn's recruiting radar (Mosqueda-Lewis, Williams and Betnijah Laney in the Class of 2011 and 2012ers Stewart, Morgan Tuck, Jordan Adams, Imani Stafford and Jewell Loyd in France for the U-17 championships) it will give Auriemma to check out some different players. A recruiting source told me that the Huskies won't be going after post players in the Class of 2011 just for the sake of bringing in a post player. UConn is very much in the mix with Williams and Kiah Stokes and as is their custom, they focus on a select few players with the belief that they will land the type of classes which keeps them a dominant force in collefe womens basketball. Unless somebody else jumps out at them, they would focus on the available post players in the Class of 2012 as the players among the group of rising high school seniors UConn is looking at is led by committed players Mosqueda-Lewis and Brianna Banks and includes Laney, Williams and Stokes.

,UConn incoming freshmen Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley were among 16 finalists selected for the U.S. Under-18 national team after three days of trials at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. UConn freshman to be Samarie Walker did not make the cut which could aid Walker in the long run as she can return to UConn to continue getting treatment on her knee.

UConn recruiting targets Ally Malott, Malina Howard and Diamond DeShields also made the cut.

The 16 finalists will remain in Colorado for training and four players will be cut by June 14 with that 12-member squad representing the U.S. at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women being held from June 23-27 in Colorado Springs.

UConn commit Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis along with UConn recruiting targets Betnijah Laney, Elizabeth Williams, Breanna Stewart, Jordan Adams, Imani Stafford and Morgan Tuck were selected to the U-17 national team. The squad will play in the U17 World Championship July 16-25 in Rodez and Toulouse, France.

Kiah Stokes, on a short list of post players UConn is looking at in the current crop of rising high school seniors, was selected to represent the U.S. in the World Youth Olympic Games, a 3 on 3 tournament. The team will make a stop in Springfield, Mass. from Aug. 6-9 for training before leaving for the event in Singapore.