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.

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."

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

UConn signee Saniya Chong had 34 points to set the New York girls' basketball single-scoring record to lead her Ossining (N.Y.) team to an 86-69 win over Gates Chili to win the New York Class AA championship.

Chong now has 902 points this season, breaking the mark of 892 set by Caryn Schoff of St. Johnsville during the 1994-95 season. She also 38 points shy of becoming the fourth girls' player in New York history to score 3,000 career points with just one game remaining as Ossining receives a bye into the New York Federation Class AA tournament. Murry Bergtraum and Bishop Ford play on Friday in Albany with the winner meeting Ossining for the Federation title.

Also, UConn Class of 2014 recruiting targets Kathryn Westbeld and Jordin Canada led their teams to titles.

Westbeld had 13 points and 12 rebounds (for her 16th double-double of the season) as her Fairmont squad defeated two-time defending champion Twinsburg 52-48 in the Ohio Division I final. Twinsburg had defeated Fairmont in the 2011 and 2012 Division I title games.

Canada had 17 points and 14 assists as Windward defeated Mater Dei 81-71 to win the CIF South Section Open Division title. UConn Class of 2015 recruiting target Katie Lou Samuelson led Mater Dei with 23 points.

Windward will play North Division champion Bishop O'Dowd for the CIF title on Mar. 23

UConn incoming freshman Saniya Chong had 21 of her 27 points in the second half to lead her Ossining High squad into Saturday's New York Class AA championship game with a hard-earned 66-58 win over Sachem East on Friday night.

Chong also finished with eight rebounds, four assists and seven steals according to a game report by the Journal News.

Ossining will play Gates Chili, which defeated defending champion Cicero-North Syracuse (with last year's C-NS star Breanna Stewart in the stands supporting her alma mater) in the other semifinal, in Saturday night's Class AA title game.


“It would mean everything to me,” Chong told the Journal News. “It would be an unbelievable feeling to actually win a state championship, not just for me but for the other nine seniors.

“I think it is, personally, something that I need because nobody in this school’s ever won one. It would be amazing.”

Chong now has 2,928 career points. If Ossining beats Gates Chili, she would have another game remaining as Ossining would earn a spot in the New York Federation Class AA tournament giving her two games to get the 72 points needed for her to become the fourth girls' player in New York high school basketball history to score 3,000 career points.

Also, UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target Kathryn Westbeld had 11 points to lead Fairmont out of Kettering to a 37-31 win over Notre Dame Academy out of Toledo in Ohio's Division I semifinal.

Westbeld and Kettering will play defending champion Twinsburg on Saturday in a rematch of the 2011 and 2012 championship games (both won by Twinsburg).

While keeping tabs on how UConn signee Saniya Chong's Ossining team was faring during the postseason, a familiar name appeared in the bracket - none other than Cicero-North Syracuse.

With Breanna Stewart leading the way, the Northstars are the defending New York Class AA champions but when Stewart graduated and headed off the UConn, I'm sure there were more than a few people figuring that was the end of Cicero-North Syracuse's dominance.

Well, think again. The Northstars are in their third Class AA Final Four and will play Gates Chili in tomorrow's semifinal.

"I thought they were really good because we brought a lot back," Stewart said. "We lost some people, me and Brittany Paul and some other people, but I thought they were going to be able to make a pretty good run if they wanted to and if they figured everything out."

Obviously, things are being done a little different manner for Cicero-North Syracuse without Stewart putting up gaudy statistics.

Sarah Bowles is the Northstars leading scorer averaging 13.7 points per game which is nearly half as many as Stewart averaged during the 2011-12 season when she led the Northstars to its second consecutive Class AA state title. Abbey Timpano is the only other double-digit scorer but there are six other players who have scored between 104-140 points to lead Cicero-North Syracuse to a 19-3 record heading until tomorrow's semifinals.

So much for the prevailing notion that Cicero-North Syracuse was merely the Breanna Stewart show.

"It shows that it just wasn't just me on that team, there were other people who helped out,' Stewart said. "Coach (Eric) Smith is doing an unbelievable job running the program, going to the state semifinals for the third time in a now, what else can you ask for?"

Ossining meets Sachem East at 6:15 p.m. in tomorrow's first semifinal at Hudson Valley Community College followed by the Cicero-North Syracuse/Gates Chili game. The winners meet on Saturday at 8:45 p.m. in the Class AA championship game.

Another game this weekend that has caught my eye is the CIF Open Division Southern Section championship game as UConn Class of 2015 recruiting target Katie Lou Samuelson, who is averaging 19.6 points per game, leads Mater Dei against Class of 2014 recruiting target Jordin Canada's Windward squad on Saturday at 6 p.m. (9 p.m. here in Connecticut) at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif. with the winner advancing to play the North Champion on Mar. 23.

Also, UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target Kathryn Westbeld leads her Fairmont of Kettering squad into the Ohio Division I Final Four this weekend. Westbeld, a 6-foot-2 forward, is averaging 14.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.7 blocked shots. On Friday Fairmont plays Toledo's Notre Dame Academy. With a win Fairmont would play either Twinsburg or Olentangy out of Lewis Center in Saturday's state championship game.

BERUBE UP FOR NATIONAL AWARD
Carla Berube, a key member of UConn's first national championship squad, was named the WBCA's Division III Region 1 Coach of the Year making her one of 11 finalists for the Division III National Coach of the Year.

Berube just completed her 11th season at Tufts, leading the Jumbos to within two games of the Final Four. She has a career record of 212-75.

Tufts posted a 25-3 record with two of the losses coming to Amherst including a 47-42 defeat in the Division III

UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target Kathryn Westbeld had 16 points as her Fairmont squad out of Kettering, Ohio defeated Cincinnati's Ursuline 71-50 to win the district title.

Next up will be a tough test against a Mason High squad led  by Missouri signee Kayla McDowell on Wednesday in Ohio's Division I state tournament.

The latest name to emerge as a Class of 2014 recruiting target for UConn is a pretty familiar one.

Sadie Edwards, who grew up in Meriden, played at Mercy as a freshman and helped the Tigers reach the 2011 Class LL championship game where they lost to Career 39-37. She transferred to play for the legendary Apache Paschall at Nazareth in Brooklyn, N.Y.

"It’s a great opportunity,” Edwards said when news broke of her transfer. “It’s not something that comes around often. I’m thankful for that. I get to play with multiple Division I players. It’s an environment where I can get a lot better. It’s exciting.”

However, Edwards' time playing for Paschall was limited as he died in January of 2012. At season's end, in which she earned New York Class AA third-team All-State honors, she made the decision to leave Nazareth and landed at Blair Academy in Blairtown, N.J.

Could she be returning to play basketball in Connecticut?

It's too early to tell. I spoke her Sadie's mother Lisa before I headed up to Hartford for yesterday's UConn/Pittsburgh game and she confirmed what I have been hearing and that is that the 5-foot-10 rising senior does not have a scholarship offer yet. What my recruiting sources are telling me is that UConn likes Edwards, a player who had seven 20-point games and four contests with at least 10 assists during Blair's run to the New England Prep School "A" title but they want to see her play this spring on the AAU circuit.

"Right now she is right at the beginning, right now she has no idea," Lisa Edwards said. 

UConn visited with Sadie a week ago and then she took an unofficial visit to take in Saturday's game against Seton Hall. Lisa Edwards said it was an enjoyable trip for her daughter who got to meet the UConn coaches and players. Since I hadn't heard much about UConn being involved in the recruitment of Edwards, I asked her mom what the level of interest has been.

"Just casual stuff, a birthday card, have a good season," Lisa Edwards said. "With a visit (to UConn) and (UConn) coming in to meet her I would think the interest is there."

Lisa Edwards believes her daughter's experiences the last couple of seasons has helped her on and off the court.

"Everybody likes to say they have grown but she really has come into her own game now," Lisa Edwards said. "Her offense, when you are young offense is important but she is just as happy with 14 assists."

My recruiting sources have told me that UConn would like to sign three perimeter players and two frontcourt  ones in the next class. With Saniya Chong the only incoming freshman to sign with UConn, it's pretty obvious that this is a pivotal recruiting class for the Huskies. It is evident by the number of players the Huskies are linked with that they are going to be looking at more kids this year than they often do because they simply can't afford to just recruit four or five kids and land just one or two of them. As it is the Huskies could be playing with fire with just nine scholarship players on the roster for next season. A transfer here, an injury there and things could get a tad bit tricky.

I don't think it's earth-shattering news if I were to state the A'ja Wilson, a versatile 6-foot-5 forward at Heathwood Hall in Columbia, S.C. is at the top of UConn's recruiting wish list. The Huskies have also offered another forward, Kathryn Westbeld out of Fairmont High in Kettering, Ohio. Of course the Huskies already have a commitment from 6-foot wing Courtney Ekmark out of St. Mary's in Phoenix.

Christ the King guard Sierra Calhoun, whose brother Omar is a standout freshman on UConn's men's basketball team, is another top prospect UConn is involved with. While I previously reported that the interest in highly-touted Texas forward Brianna Turner and speedy Los Angeles guard Jordin Canada appears to have waned a bit, what I am hearing is the Huskies continue to consider them to be recruiting targets. Then there is one of most intriguing prospects in the class in Nevada guard Gabby Williams. Williams is one of the nation's top high jump prospects who finished fifth in the U.S. Olympic trials and UConn assistant coach Shea Ralph went out to Nevada to see her play in a game early this season. Unfortunately, Williams injured her knee the next next day. She had surgery to repair the torn ACL and meniscus earlier this month. Williams has gone on the record as saying that she wants to do both sports in college and her plan is to redshirt in 2016 so she can focus solely on making the Olympic team.

For those interested in such things, the list of players I mentioned feature the top three rated players and six of the top 10 in the Hoopgurlz ratings. Of course they also list Edwards (who comes in at No. 39) as playing at Nazareth so keep that in mind before viewing those ratings as gospel.

I wouldn't anticipate seeing any commitments coming soon especially considering that four of the seven uncommitted players I mentioned above have yet to visit UConn. It's also possible and even likely that more names could emerge in the coming weeks and months.

Shortly after I entered the court to catch the end of today's practice, I could hear UConn junior guard Bria Hartley coughing just a little bit so obviously she is still dealing with a bit of illness. However, Hartley said she is feeling much better and UConn coach Geno Auriemma said she looked good at today's practice.

"There is nothing yo can do about it (being sick)," Hartley said. "You just have to go out and push yourself as hard as I can. I definitely feel a lot better today than I did the last couple of days."

Hartley was expecting to go back into the game even after she was told Moriah Jefferson was starting the second half but Geno Auriemma opted not to put her back in.


"At practice on Friday she was really bad physically, she was just bad," Auriemma said. "She was all stuffed up, coughing and hacking and it was bad. We went out to dinner Friday night and it was no better, it was really bad. At shootaround Saturday it wasn't any better. I told her you are either going to try to play through this or you are not playing. She gave it a little bit of a go and I could tell by her body language that it wasn't worth it. She was really good today."


INTERESTED SPECTATORS
Gampel Pavilion was nearly empty when we came in except for UConn AD Warde Manuel, Nike rep Lauren Westendorf and some other noticeable onlookers in the form of highly-rated high school juniors Sierra Calhoun out of Christ the King and Kathryn Westbeld out of Fairmont High in Kettering, Ohio.

Also, Ossining (N.Y.) coach Dan Ricci said UConn signee Saniya Chong, talented eighth grader Andra Espinoza-Hunter will be in attendance at tomorrow's game.

Westbeld, a 6-foot-2 forward who is averaging 14.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 71.8 percent from the field will also take in the Baylor game. Her Fairmont team has only lost one game this year and it happened to be the one Auriemma went to see her play.

Fairmont is the top seed in the OHSAA Division I tournament's Harrison 3 bracket and will play the winner of tomorrow's Vandalia Butler/Piqua game on Thursday.

Also, there is a chance Calhoun could be back for the game but we'll have to see if that is the case tomorrow night.

With a brief break between games this week, UConn coach Geno Auriemma was able to hit the road to check on a couple of big kids in the high school Class of 2014.

While NCAA rules preclude Auriemma from discussing uncommitted recruits, recruiting sources have indicated that he came away extremely impressed with A'ja Wilson, a 6-foot-5 wing out of Heathwood Hall Episcopal Academy in Columbia, S.C. and Kathryn Westbeld, a 6-foot-2 forward out of Fairmont High in Kettering, Ohio.

Wilson, considered by many as the nation's top high school junior, did not disappoint with Auriemma in the stands for Tuesday's 80-22 win over Orangeburg Prep. She had 33 points (on 14 of 22 shooting), 15 rebounds, three assists, three steals and four blocked shots in 80-22 win. It was Wilson ninth straight game shooting better than 60 percent, fell one rebound shy of having a double-double in every game this season. Averaging 29.6 points, 14.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.6 steals and 5.8 blocks per game, shooting 68.4 percent from the field (not including Friday's win over Augusta Christian).

Wilson is a tremendous athlete. As an eighth grader she was a sub 13 second time in the 100 meters and she led Heathwood Hall to its first state tournament in volleyball.

Westbeld, who is a new name on UConn's recruiting radar, had 24 points in Fairmont's 54-48 loss to Centerville on Wednesday. Westbeld is said to be the kind of well-rounded, blue-collar type of player that UConn loves to recruit and every indication is that she is very much in the mix with the Huskies.

This is a key year of recruiting for the Huskies. With Saniya Chong the only player signed this year UConn only has seven scholarship players in the fold once Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley graduate in 2014. The Huskies do have a commitment from talented Arizona wing Courtney Ekmark and what I am hearing is the Huskies would like to bring in two more perimeter players and two big kids.

Wilson is clearly the top priority for UConn and it remains to be seen whether she will opt to leave South Carolina. What I've been hearing is that she is not planning to make a college decision until after the summer AAU season is completed.

Another top player on the Huskies' radar is Sierra Calhoun, a guard at Christ the King who recently scored her 1,000th career point. UConn has been out to see her play a few times with Auriemma in the stands for a memorable showdown with Chong's Ossining squad. Sources have indicated that UConn loves her game and likes her as a person and every indication is that they will offer her a scholarship. She would be a natural to land at UConn since her father said he'd prefer that both of his kids went to the same college and his son Omar Calhoun Jr. is a freshman on the UConn men's basketball team.

Perhaps the most intriguing prospect on UConn's radar is Nevada guard Gabby Williams who was averaging more than 30 points per game before suffering a knee injury. UConn assistant coach Shea Ralph was out in Sparks, Nev. to watch Williams have 23 points, six rebounds, seven assists, six steals and three blocks in an 85-61 win over Spanish Springs eight days ago. Unfortunately, the 5-11 guard tore her ACL in a game the following day.

What is interesting about Williams' recruitment is that she is one of the nation's best high jumpers. As a 15-year-old she finished fifth in the high jump at the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials. Williams has been quoted as saying she plans on competing in both sports in college and intends on redshirting in 2016 to prepare for a run at making the Olympic team. I can't recall the last two-sport scholarship player during Auriemma's tenure so it would be something unique if UConn manages to land her. While my initial reaction is that a track phenom like Williams would be more likely to stay in a warm-weather setting for training purposes, it should be noted that UConn grad Trisha-Ann Hawthorne just ran the fastest 200 meter time in the world during the current indoor season earlier this week so world-class track and field stars can thrive in a New England environment,

You may have noticed that a couple of names have yet to be mentioned (Brianna Turner and Jordin Canada). There's a pretty good reason. All indications are that UConn's interest in them is waning a bit although I am not ready to proclaim that the Huskies are no longer involved with either one. Both players  have recently released a top five list of schools which includes UConn but I'd be very surprised if either of them will land at UConn.

This is where it gets interesting. If UConn wants to land five players and miss out on a couple kids I highlighted above, things could be a little dicey. Ideally Auriemma said he prefers to have a team with 11 or 12 players on it. Next season there are nine scholarship players to go with walk on Becca Pope, a former Nonnewaug star expected to be on the team next year as well. Pope earned All- New England and All-American honors at UConn-Avery Point where she set a program record with 116 3-pointers in her two seasons. A knee injury has sidelined her this season but she can be seen on the sidelines at UConn's practices. There's a chance she could be added to the roster this season especially if she is cleared to practice in February which is a realistic possibility. 

It seems like a safe assumption that Auriemma would prefer to get to 11 scholarship players for the 2014-15 season and with the departure of  Dolson and Hartley, that would mean signing four players during that recruiting cycle. There's not a heck of a lot of margin for error considering UConn's practice of targeting a small number of recruits each year. Of course Williams and Westbeld were not known UConn recruiting targets until recently so there is always a possibility that other players could emerge in the future.