Since I've been covering UConn (and my first season on the beat was 1999-2000) it's been pretty easy to see how Geno Auriemma's assistant coaches are utilized.

Chris Dailey would work with the post players as would another assistant (first it was Jamelle Elliott and more recently Marisa Moseley). The other assistant (first it was Tonya Cardoza and now Shea Ralph) worked with the guards.

Ever since seeing that Jasmine Lister will work with the guards after she was hired as an assistant coach, I was wondering if it would force a shift in Ralph's duties. I finally got around to asking Auriemma about how Lister replacing Moseley on the staff would impact the coaching responsibilities tonight at the first of the UConn Road Show events.

"There is no offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator in our program," Auriemma said. "Shea's not going to move from where she is, she has such a great connection with these kids and as far as what CD is going to be doing, we've got some ideas moving forward about how we want to move our players around. We looked at our roster and it doesn't seem to me like we have a center so maybe we just say, 'OK, you guys down that end, you guys down this end' and not care much about who is where.

"There are just not that many big kids who want to play in the lane, the game has moved away from it in a certain sense. I still believe in it but I don't even know anymore what I see."

The players are back on campus meaning that the coaches get to see them (in small doses) playing pickup and going through conditioning drills so I got some updates.

First, the news is good on Mikayla Coombs return to the court. Her freshman season ended abruptly due to a blood clot issue forcing her to miss the NCAA tournament. That's a little different than a player coming off an ankle, knee or shoulder injury but Auriemma said things are progressing nicely.

"She's doing some individuals, haven't seen her play but a lot of the individual stuff she can go full (court) so we'll see where that takes her," Auriemma said. "If it is not completely gone, it will be. They have given her a clean bill of health going forward."

All-American Katie Lou Samuelson is no longer wearing a walking boot after undergoing surgery on the left ankle that she hurt early in the season but Auriemma said she is not yet cleared for basketball activities.

The best bit of UConn women's basketball related news I heard (actually I saw) was that Megan Walker headed to Missouri to go through workouts with Napheesa Collier. The sessions are run by Alex Bazzell who calls himself  a "NBA/WNBA Skills Trainer" on his Twitter account. One of the workouts was posted on Twitter and it showed Collier and Walker hitting jumping after jumper and going through a grueling workout. Bazzell's work with Collier played a key role in her development at UConn and I couldn't imagine a better role model for Walker than Collier. The competition didn't stop there. Samuelson can't take part in pickup games yet but she does make the call on which players are on which teams. Auriemma is delighted to hear that Samuelson makes certain that Collier and Walker are not only on opposing teams but have to guard each other.

"They had a little go at each today which I thought was good," Auriemma said. "I think the more of that, the better. (Lou) makes sure Pheesa and Megan are on opposite teams guarding each other so I think that will play out pretty well. I think it will help Megan a lot, Pheesa might be the best player she guards all year so not a bad way to start training."

It might already be out there but with UConn announcing that it will face Vanderbilt on Nov. 17 at Mohegan Sun Arena in the Hall of Fame Women's Showcase, it got me wondering if that was going to be the season opener. Fortunately, among tonight's attendees was UConn's Senior Associate Director of Athletics/External Relations Neal Eskine, who is the point man for the women's basketball schedule and he said that the home game against Ohio State will be the season opener.

A Hall of Fame player and the head coach of the reigning national championship team, Dawn Staley certainly has received her share of mail over the years. However, one letter than landed on her desk not long after Staley's first training camp at the U.S. Senior Women's National Team head coach really touched her heart.

UConn junior forward Napheesa Collier was one of five current college players who accepted invitations to take part in the national team camp. Staley had coached Collier with the U-18 national team in 2014 and on the FIBA U19 World Championship squad in 2015 so knew what kind of player and person that Collier was. Or so she thought.

"Napheesa I've had a number of opportunities to coach her on USA Basketball teams and a solid citizen," Staley said on Thursday at NCAA women's basketball media day at ESPN. "I've never received a thank you card from any player that I've coached but did that and that shows the true character of a person when they can do something like that. I love coaching Napheesa, just having all of them there I thought was a great thing."

Among those in attendance at media day was fellow national team training camp attendees Asia Durr of Louisville and A'ja Wilson of South Carolina.

Durr's summer also included a stint as the leading scorer for the U.S. team at U23 Four National Tournament when the U.S. posted wins over Australia, Canada and Japan. Collier was one of four UConn players who took part in the U23 training camp but with UConn embarking on a trip to Italy, they Huskies weren't available to play in the tournament. Still, Durr's roommate at the U.S. Olympic Training Center was none other than Collier.

Durr admits that through her previous USA Basketball experiences, she knew Katie Lou Samuelson better than Collier before her time at the U23 camp.

"Napheesa I met her in high school in the Jordan Brand game but didn't talk that much," Durr said. "We roomed together in Colorado so we got a chance to bond. She is a great person as well."

As enjoyable as it was winning another gold medal with USA Basketball with the U23 squad, Durr admitted to heading out to California for the national team camp was an entirely different experience.

"As a person and as a player I got the chance to be around a lot of really great players, it prepared me well especially going out to Santa Barbara and dealing with people who have been playing for 10-12 years," Durr said. "I think that was a great experience and I am trying to take that back to school.

"Sue Bird was somebody, the starting point guard for the national team. I got the chance to speak with her and have my coach (Jeff Walz) out there was really cool as well."

Speaking of having her coach out at the national team camp, that is something Wilson enjoyed as well. She joked that Staley wasn't raising her voice in her direction as much as she does during the college season. There was also a rather comical aspect of the camp when it came time to break into groups for positional skill work.

"I always laugh because when we went into post/perimeter (position groups) I was the only player who didn't go to UConn," Wilson said with a laugh. "I was like, 'sorry guys.' Everybody was looking around and saying A'ja is the only one because there's Kiah Stokes, Stefanie Dolson, Stewie and all of them down there so I am like, 'hey guys.'

"It was a fun experience being out there with the pros. You see how fast paced the game is and how everyone there, you see that their basketball IQ is through the roof. That is something I took and hopefully bring back to South Carolina is knowing that even on water breaks they run, tight huddles and just little things that can make such a huge difference. That is something I am going to bring back to South Carolina, we are going to have tight huddles, we are going to make sure we get through every drill and not slack off."

Wilson is no stranger to Collier and Samuelson through her previous USA Basketball experiences and of course the annual non-conference matchups between South Carolina and UConn.

"They are great players, great to be around," Wilson said. "Katie Lou, we always laugh, I don't even know why but we just kind of this relationship where we just laugh. It is always great seeing them at national camps or at USA teams, they are great people and great players so well so I always like playing with them."

Staley believes it was beneficial not only incorporating college players but younger professionals into the national camp experience.

"It was a great experience for them and me," Staley said. "As you can see the current roster on our national team, they are getting up in age so we have to come in and get some younger players ready to compete at that level."

Katie Lou Samuelson had 23 points, all in the first three quarters, five assists and two steals to lead the UConn women's basketball team to a 88-66 win over the Netherlands National Team on Tuesday in Rome in the second of four exhibtion games on its tour of Italy.

Kia Nurse, who joined the team after leading Canada to the FIBA AmeriCup title in Argentina, added 18 points and four rebounds. Napheesa Collier had her second consecutive double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals while Azura Stevens contributed 10 points (going 4 for 4 from the floor), six rebounds and two steals.

Gabby Williams had seven points, six assists and five assists as UConn led 82-42 after three quarters en route to sweeping two games against the Dutch National Team. Megan Walker added six points and four rebounds, Crystal Dangerfield had four points and six assists and Molly Bent had four points.

UConn will play the Italian All-Stars on Friday in Vicenza and will wrap up play on Sunday againat Celje in Trieste.

Samuelson is averaging 17 points in the first two games. Collier is contributing 14 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3 assists. Williams (11 PPG), Stevens (10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds) are also averaing more than 10 points per game. Walker has a pair of six-point games and a total of 10 rebounds in the two games while Dangerfield has nine assists.

Jon Samuelson, the patriarch of the sweet-shooting Samuelson family, is certainly racking up the frequent flyer miles these days.

Samuelson was in Lexington, Kentucky on Friday to watch Karlie score 15 points in Stanford's victory over Texas to advance to the Elite Eight. The plan was for him to board a flight to so he could be in the stands when his youngest daughter Katie Lou leads her UConn team against UCLA later on today.

Samuelson's wife is staying behind "with Bonnie and my dogs," Katie Lou said on Friday. "Dad just got to Lexington. He is going to stay for that game and he will probably get here right before our game."

There are many remarkable aspects about the success of the Samuelson sisters. When Katie Lou makes eight more 3-pointers, it will mean all three sisters have hit the 200 mark.

Bonnie, who graduated in 2015, had 237 in 141 games at Stanford. Karlie is at 244 in 132 games with the Cardinal while Katie Lou stands at 192 in 71 games. I checked in with the NCAA earlier this season to see if I could get a list of all the players with at least 200 3-pointers in NCAA Division I women's basketball history but they don't have that information so I am not sure if another sister combination both surpassed the 200 3-pointer mark never mind having three siblings accomplish the feat.

That is far from the only impressive aspect of the Samuelson sisters. Bonnie appeared in the regionals in all four of her seasons at Stanford as has Karlie while Katie Lou is 2 for 2 in that regard.

"Our parents are proud of all of us and gives them a chance to watch all of us play," Katie Lou Samuelson said. "A lot of people don't get that opportunity to watch their daughters for that long so just being able to get that far is an opportunity for our parents and grandparents to see each of us play."

There was much more on the youngest of the Samuelsons in today's paper. My advance was on how sophomores Napheesa Collier and Samuelson have taken on larger roles aided by the lessons they learned last season from Morgan Tuck and Breanna Stewart. Also, UCLA happens to have Samuelson's former high school teammate Ally Rosenblum on its roster so I checked in with her to get some insight from a player who has been a teammate of Samuelson's for more than a decade.

UConn's Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson and Gabby Williams are among 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy.

Four finalists will be announced on March 17 with the winner being named on April 4.

Collier finished the regular season leading the Huskies in rebounding at 9 per game, blocks (56) and field-goal percentage (.686) while ranking second in scoring (20.4).

Samuelson is the leading scorer (20.7) and her 93 3-pointers is tied for the fifth most in program history.

Williams is averaging 13 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and posted team-leading marks with 152 assists and 79 steals.

Here's the list
Napheesa Collier, UConn SO F
Brionna Jones Maryland SR F/C
Kelsey Mitchell Ohio State JR G
Kelsey Plum Washington SR G
Katie Lou Samuelson UConn SO G/F
Brianna Turner, Notre Dame JR F/C
Victoria Vivians Mississippi State JR G
Sydney Wiese Oregon State SR G
Gabby Williams UConn JR F
A'ja Wilson South Carolina JR F

When your name is mentioned in the same breath as Kerry Bascom in discussions about UConn women's basketball, you are certainly doing something right.

Well, before this season Bascom is the only UConn women's player to see her scoring average jump by more than 10 points in one season - until now.

Bascom went from averaging 8.4 points per game as a freshman to putting up 22.6 per contest during her sophomore season.

Currently Napheesa Collier's scoring average is up 12.3 points from her freshman season and fellow sophomore Katie Lou Samuelson has made a jump of 10.7 points per game.

I've spent the last few days doing a little more research on this subject and among Division I women's players, Collier is eighth and Samuelson 12th in biggest scoring average improvement with Samuelson being the only player on the list who was a double-digit scorer a season ago. As a matter of fact, Samuelson and Collier have the two highest 2015-16 scoring averages of the players on the list.

Player, School                                    16-17 15-16  Tot  
Allison Arens, South Dakota                19.0  1.5   17.443
Madison Hovren, Army                        19.7  4.2   15.540
Cassie Broadhead, BYU                       18.7  3.9   15.301
Danni Williams, Texas A&M               17.5  3.1   14.361  Sunday vs. Auburn
Celia Garcia Paunero, Incarnate Word 17.5  4.2   13.373 
Candice White, Fresno State                14.5  1.2    13.318
Taylor Will, Brown                               14.4  1.7   12.754
Napheesa Collier, UConn                   19.1  6.8   12.306 Sunday vs. Tulsa
Sasha Dailey, Eastern Michigan           17.3  5.8   11.521
Destinee Walker, Radford                     14.4  3.3   11.065
Yasmine Robinson-Bacote, Pepperdine 15.3  4.5   10.827
Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn             21.7 11.0  10.667 Sunday vs. Tulsa
Jaycee Bradley, South Dakota                13.7  3.5   10.155
Micah Robinson, E. Michigan               10.6  0.4    10.208
Taylor Gordon, Utah Valley                  15.0  4.9   10.062

One of the few luxuries this UConn does not have is depth. In the toughest games, the Huskies have relied on a seven-player rotation with Crystal Dangerfield and Natalie Butler seeing quality minutes off the bench.

Well, the number of options has been cut with the news that Dangerfield will miss the next couple of weeks to rest her foot. Dangerfield has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in her left foot. She will not practice or play in the next two weeks and will be reevaluated at that time.

Dangerfield leads all reserves with 322 minutes played and 86 points scored. UConn is not in danger of losing as the Huskies continue play in the American Athletic Conference but these next couple of weeks could have been valuable for Dangerfield as she continues to adapt to the college game and expectations placed on her by the UConn coaching staff.

I spoke to Dangerfield after Monday's practice mostly because she was squaring off against her former high school teammate Jazz Bond in last night's game but she also addressed what she was hoping to get accomplished moving forward.

"Right now it is not the physical part, it is about being able to come into practice and pay attention to the scout then going into the games and executing," Dangerfield said.

Time will tell if the time away sets Dangerfield back when she gets back on the court. At Monday's practice fellow freshman Molly Bent was seeing more time with the starters than at any practice I have attended. Now she's going to have a larger role moving forward.

Bent competes really hard but UConn coach Geno Auriemma said her issue comes when she tries to play too fast.
"(Bent) makes just enough shots to make you think she can help you and just enough plays and then she is 100 miles an hour and completely self destructs when she is out there," Auriemma said after Monday's practice. "Somewhere we have to find that middle ground where she can make a little bit of an impact and not get into that self destruct mode where and she is struggling to get anything done. If we can get her to slow down, that would help us a lot."

Bent has played in 13 of the 15 games and in a limited amount of work (9.8 minutes per game) she leads the team by making 60 percent of her 3-pointers and has a positive assist/turnover ratio.

Beginning on Saturday when UConn plays at SMU with a chance to set a new NCAA all-division basketball record with its 91st win in a row, Bent's minutes figure to increase.

"Things like this can happen at any time in the season so it is good that we are preparing for it," UConn junior forward Gabby Williams said.

The thing I noticed at Monday's practice is that Bent was reluctant to look at the basket. She is hardly the first freshman to have this issue but it is something she is going to have to work through because if she is out there with the starters, she will definitely be left open from the perimeter.

"Molly, she can do a lot," UConn senior guard Saniya Chong said. "She can put the ball in the basket, her shot is pretty good. She is very hesitant. Hey, I've been there and still go through that sometimes but she is learning. She has us and the coaches to help her out."

LIGHTING IT UP
Just as I did as UConn prepared to play its 10th game, I looked at how the offensive starts of Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier stack up heading into last night's game, the 15th of the season.

I have a binder that former UConn sports information director Randy Press put together that has every box score beginning in the 1997-98 season and going to the 2007-08 campaign. The game by game stats since 2008 are easy to locate on UConn's official site but occasionally you will see stats referring to the last 20 seasons and this is why. I hope that I have time to go through the box scores during the Kerry Bascom and Rebecca Lobo eras at UConn to provide more comprehensive updates as UConn plays its 20th game but in the meantime, here's some interesting stuff about Collier and Samuelson.

Dating back to the aforementioned 1997-98 season, here's a list of the most points scored by a UConn player through the first 15 games of a season.

359 Maya Moore 2010-11
304 Nykesha Sales 1997-98
301 Katie Lou Samuelson 2016-17
289 Napheesa Collier 2016-17 288 Diana Taurasi 2003-04
285 Maya Moore 2009-10
275 Maya Moore 2008-09
271 Breanna Stewart 2013-14
Here are the highest scoring tandems. Note: A duo would need to combine for 33 points per game to make this list and the only ones who did that from Auriemma's first season in 1985-86 to the 1996-97 campaign are Kerry Bascom/Wendy Davis in '88-89, Bascom/Davis in '90-91, Kara Wolters/Nykesha Sales in '95-96 and Wolters/Sales in '96-97

593 Maya Moore (359)/Tiffany Hayes (234) 2010-11
590 Katie Lou Samuelson (301)/Napheesa Collier (289) 2016-17
562 Maya Moore (359)/Bria Hartley (203)
549 Maya Moore (285)/Tina Charles (264) 2009-10
532 Maya Moore (275)/Tina Charles (257) 2008-09
512 Svetlana Abrosimova (269)/Shea Ralph (243) 1998-99
508 Nykesha Sales (304)/Svetlana Abrosimova (204) 1997-98
505 Katie Lou Samuelson (301)/Kia Nurse (204) 2016-17

Finally, the most 3-pointers during that span
50 Katie Lou Samuelson 2016-1745 Diana Taurasi 2001-02
43 Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis 2014-15
42 Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis 2012-13
42 Diana Taurasi 2003-04
41 Ann Strother 2005-06
40 Ann Strother 2004-05
39 Mel Thomas 2005-06
38 Renee Montgomery 2008-09
37 Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis 2011-12
36 Mel Thomas 2006-07
32 Bria Hartley 32 2010-11
32 Mel Thomas 32 2007-08
32 Kia Nurse 2016-17

3 HUSKIES ON WOODEN AWARD WATCH LIST
UConn's Collier, Samuelson and Kia Nurse were among 25 players named to Wooden Award midseason watch list.

It's a pretty strong list of players but still, not seeing Gabby Williams listed among the top 25 players is definitely questionable. For the sake of full disclosure, I'm on Wooden Award panel that came up with the top 25 players and I did put four UConn players on my ballot including Williams.

Watching sophomores Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson get off to rip roaring offensive starts got me to wondering the last time the Huskies had two players putting up as many points as UConn's current dynamic duo.

Normally when I get to "wondering" it means it is time for research and this time it is no different.

If they have a typical game, they would post the second most points for UConn teammates through 10 games trailing only Maya Moore and Tiffany Hayes during the 2010-11 season.

They could also finish among the top 10 player through 10 games since Geno Auriemma's arrival in 1985


TOP SCORING DUOS THROUGH 10 GAMES
410 Maya Moore/Tiffany Hayes 2010-11
377 Maya Moore/Bria Hartley 2010-11
365 Tina Charles/Maya Moore 2009-10
364 Tina Charles/Maya Moore 2008-09
361 Breanna Stewart/Morgan Tuck 2015-16
358 Renee Montgomery/Maya Moore 2008-09
353 Napheesa Collier/Katie Lou Samuelson 2016-17

TOP SCORERS THROUGH 10 GAMES
Maya Moore (10-11) 10-240
Kerry Bascom (88-89) 10-212
Breanna Stewart (15-16) 10-206
Diana Taurasi (03-04) 10-203
Maya Moore (09-10) 10-200
Nykesha Sales (97-98) 10-199
Maya Moore (08-09) 10-192
Kerry Bascom (90-91) 10-190
Nykesha Sales (97-98) 10-187
Kara Wolters (93-94) 10-186
Kara Wolters (95-96) 184
Breanna Stewart (13-14) 10-178
Katie Lou Samuelson (16-17) 9-178
Svet Abrosimova (98-99) 10-178
Renee Najarian (87-88) 177
Napheesa Collier (16-17) 9-175
Diana Taurasi (02-03) 9-175

Nationally they hold up pretty well as well.

Only Washington's Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor and Syracuse's Alexis Peterson and Brittney Sykes combine to average more points than the 39.2 Collier and Samuelson are contributing.

Washington Kelsey Plum 12-364 Chantel Osahor 11-151       12-515-42.9
Syracuse     Alexis Peterson 11-237 Brittney Sykes 11-195     11-432-39.3
UConn Katie Lou Samuelson 9-178 Napheesa Collier 9-175    9-353-39.2
South Florida Kitija Laksa    8-166 Arladna Pujol 8-144          8-310-38.8
Old Dominion Jennie Simms 8-213 Destinee Young 8-93        8-306-38.3
Northern Illinois Courtney Woods 9-173 Ally Lehman 9-168 9-341-37.9
Duke Rebecca Greenwell     11-228 Lexie Brown 11-187       11-415-37.7
California Kristine Anigwe 9-212  Courtney Range 9-113       9-335-37.2
North Carolina Stephanie Watts 10-200 Paris Kea 10-172     10-362-36.2
UCLA Jordin Canada 10-182 Monique Billings 10-172          10-354-35.4
James Madison Precious Hall 8-201 Kamiah Smalls  8-89      8-290-36.3

Last night's UConn/Notre Dame game drew some impressive ratings.

I heard back from ESPN earlier this evening and was told that the ESPN2 broadcast had live viewing audience (counting TV viewers and those who checked out ESPN3's live stream) of 739,000.

The highest market was Hartford/New Haven with an 8.9 rating, which is the highest rating for a women's basketball game in this market so far this season according to ESPN. It should be noted that ESPN only had four of the first eight UConn games and it is unlikely that a non-UConn game would outdraw one involving the Huskies in the state but it is still a noteworthy number.

I also did a little checking and going back to the 2002-03 season, the only players with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in a game are Maya Moore (16 points, 14, rebounds, seven assists, five steals vs. Syracuse on Mar. 7, 2010), Kelly Faris (13 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, five steals against Georgetown on Jan. 5, 2013), Stefanie Dolson (12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five steals against Memphis on Jan. 22, 2014) and Gabby Williams (19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five steals against Notre Dame).

I spent a few extra minutes with Williams after the game and got some stuff from her about being more than just a dynamic player and athlete. I'm going to turn it into my advance for Sunday's game at Kansas State so stay tuned.

A couple of other notes that I never got around to posting.

First, since I spent plenty of time researching how many games and shots it took Katie Lou Samuelson to reach 100 3-points and where it ranks in program history, I did get her reaction to needing fewer shots than anybody not named Sue Bird to reach triple digits in made 3-pointers.

"It is really exciting, my teammates pass me the ball so it is on them so hopefully I will continue to shoot more 3s," Samuelson said.

Finally, as I was watching the 5-foot-11 Williams and 6-foot-1 Collier combine for 39 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals and 2 blocked shots in the win over Notre Dame, I couldn't help but wonder how things will look next season with 6-foot-5 Azura' Stevens and 6-2 Batouly Camara eligible after sitting out this season per NCAA transfer regulations as well as the Huskies adding highly-touted 6-1 signee Megan Walker.

I spoke to Camara last month after the National Letters of Intent were signed by Walker, Mikayla Coombs, Andra Espinoza-Hunter and Lexi Gordon since Camara was a former teammate of Espinoza-Hunter's at Blair Academy. I also asked her about what it is like not being able to play this season.

"It was more and everything that I expected," Camara said. "It is as challenging as I thought it would be but that was exactly what I wanted, I am excited about the season.

"Going through preseason and you started in practice, you see the competition that we have so we want to do our best for our teammates so we try every day to make practice as hard as we can. We go to war with them every day in, you can watch the games and support them."

There's plenty of basketball yet to be played and with five of UConn's next seven games against ranked opponents, we should learn plenty of this year's team sooner rather than later.

This much is already known, sophomores Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson are just fine taking on larger offensive roles.

I did some checking and going back to last 20 seasons, Samuelson and Collier have combined for 197 points the third highest total for UConn teammates through five games. Also, Samuelson's 106 points is also third on the list during that time. The only UConn classmates to top Samuelson's and Collier's point total at this point of the season since the start of the 1997-98 season were Svetlana Abrosimova and Shea Ralph during their sophomore seasons.

Through the first five games of their freshman season Samuelson had 36 points and Collier had scored 35.

There's plenty of reasons for these numbers starting with impressive play from the two sophomores but also starting guards Kia Nurse and Saniya Chong are combining for just 12.2 shots per game. I would expect that number to rise especially on Nurse's end once she rediscovers her offensive mojo. Gabby Williams had her minutes cut due to foul troubles in the first three games of the season so she certainly figures to average more than the 8.8 field-goal attempts she has had in the first five games. Other than Crystal Dangerfield the Huskies don't have the offensive threats coming off the bench like they have in the past so that is resulting in more shot opportunities for Samuelson and Collier. Collier is shooting 65 percent from the field while Samuelson is shooting 48.6 percent from 3-point range which would rank her fourth on UConn's career single-season list if that's the number she finishes with. It currently is No. 37 in Division I but second among the Samuelson sisters as older sister Karlie is 20th in Division I at 51.4 percent.

POINTS THROUGH 5 GAMES
130 Maya Moore 2010-11
117 Breanna Stewart 2015-16
106 Katie Lou Samuelson 2016-17
103 Diana Taurasi 2003-04
102 Svetlana Abrosimova 1998-99
 98 Maya Moore 2008-09
 97 Shea Ralph 1998-99
 94 Nykesha Sales 1997-98
 93 Maya Moore 2007-08
 93 Maya Moore 2009-10
 92 Shea Ralph 1999-2000
 91 Napheesa Collier 2016-17
 91 Renee Montgomery 2008-09
 91 Breanna Stewart 2013-14

COMBINED POINTS THROUGH FIVE GAMES
208 Maya Moore (130), Tiffany Hayes (78) 2010-11
199 Svetlana Abrosimova (102), Shea Ralph (97) 1998-99
197 Katie Lou Samuelson (106), Napheesa Collier (91) 2016-17
189 Maya Moore (98), Renee Montgomery (91) 2008-09
183 Breanna Stewart (117), Moriah Jefferson (66) 2015-16
182 Maya Moore (93), Tina Charles (89) 2009-10

The first sign that Katie Lou Samuelson wasn't your typical catch and shoot basketball prodigy can be found in the Mater Dei High School record book.

A total of 26 Mater Dei players have made the jump to collegiate basketball. Other than Samuelson and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis thriving at UConn, Mater Dei players have found success at Stanford, UCLA, USC and many other major-college programs. Yet, when you glance at the single-season record book and look under the free throws made and attempted categories, there is Samuelson's name.

Just out of curiosity I wonder how many high school programs there are where the same player set the single-season marks for free throws and 3-pointers made as Samuelson did during her spectacular senior season.

During Samuelson's freshman season, however, she didn't always display the many facets to her offensive game. Her 78 3-pointers are the second most for the UConn freshman trailing only Mosqueda-Lewis but she only attempted more than two free throws in three games a season ago. Taking it a step further, in games when she attempted more than one shot she did not have more shots from inside the 3-point line than she did outside of it until accomplishing that feat three times in five NCAA tournament games.

Already in practice and in the two exhibition games Samuelson has been aggressive driving to the basket and finishing around the rim. She knows that the days of standing at the 3-point line and waiting for Moriah Jefferson to feed her the ball while opposing teams were more concerned about dealing with the post tandem of Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck are over. She will certainly be asked to fire away early and often from 3-point range this season but the expectations are also there to be a more complete offensive player. That is just fine for Samuelson.

"It was one of the reasons I came here," Samuelson said. "I knew he (UConn coach Geno Auriemma) would get everything out of me, I knew Coach would be able to get the best of me in everything that I did and I wanted to be pushed. It was definitely a main reason why I wanted to come here, I didn't just want to be put in the corner and told 'you are our shooter on this team.' I want to be known as somebody who can play and do a lot of different things. I think I have expanded my game so much  from last year and every throughout last season being here really helped push me farther. I am trying to learn every single day because I know I have a lot of things to improve on and there is so much outside that I can keep working on so I am really excited to keep working on it."

UConn has plenty of players in the 6-foot range on this year's team but other than reserve center Natalie Butler and freshman forward Kyla Irwin, the Huskies don't have the height of teams past. that is where the 6-foot-3 Samuelson can also help out.

"I think it will be really helpful if I can do more things that just stand on the 3-point line this year," Samuelson said. :We lost a really good post presence last year, Napheesa (Collier) and Gabby (Williams) have been doing a great job and have that versatility to play outside. If I can go inside, it is going to be tough how to guard us so I think adding that to my game is going to be helpful to this team."

Auriemma has seen Samuelson doing just that during the preseason.

"If you came to our practices and watch Lou at practice, you would not come away from there going 'wow, that kid is am amazing shooter and that is it,'" Auriemma said. "She has put herself on spots on the floor she has never been in our offense. She loves it: she is having fun with it."

Samuelson scored at least 20 points five times in her freshman season with two of them coming in the NCAA tournament but she suffered a foot injury in the national semifinal which forced her to sit and watch the game she most wanted to play in. I was curious how she dealt with the elation of watching her team win another national title but being unable to play.

"When we won I was thrilled because it is everything we worked for all season but clearly I would have liked to have been in the game, have a different ending personally for myself," Samuelson said. "Knowing that, when I went into my rehab, I tried to heal up. I think once I finally got out of the boot and felt better to go getting back to where I was. It just motivated me to go as hard as I can and change my perspective of how I went about things.

"I think I am just more confident in everything I do, mentally I grew a lot because of that, I couldn't feel sorry for myself, I had to forget about the fact that I didn't play in it. I had to learn really quickly that whatever is coming up ahead of me is what is important so that it what I really focused on."

UConn rising sophomore Katie Lou Samuelson has earned her share of honors in her playing career but today had to be extra special as she had her No. 33 retired at California powerhouse Mater Dei High School.

Photos from today's ceremony courtesy of Mater Dei High School

Samuelson set Mater Dei single-season records with a 29.2 scoring average, field-goal percentage of 62.0, an 89.4 free-throw percentage, 117 3-pointers made, 178 free throws made and 211 foul shots attempted. Her 42 points, 10 3-pointers made and 16 foul shots made are single-game program records (the latter being tied with her sister Karlie). Although she only played her final three seasons at Mater Dei after playing at Edison High as a freshman, Samuelson ranks second behind former UConn star Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis in Mater Dei High with 2,244 points, 760 rebounds and 297 3-pointers.

As a freshman at UConn Samuelson scored 408 points, the ninth most for a freshman in program history. Samuelson had a team-leading 78 3-pointers despite missing the national title game and second half of the national semifinals with a broken foot. Mosqueda-Lewis is the only UConn player with more 3-pointers as a freshman.

Thanks to the Twitter account of her high school team, the photo of UConn freshman Katie Lou Samuelson having a conversation with another sweet-shooting California native has made quite the splash on social media.

The photo was taken after Diana Taurasi wrapped up the second day of the three-day training camp with the U.S. national team and shortly before Samuelson and the Huskies had a Monday afternoon. The timing couldn't have been much better as Samuelson is coming off a Taurasi-like offensive performance in the first quarter of Saturday's win at East Carolina. Samuelson finished with 15 points, which would have marked the second best scoring effort of her freshman season even if she did not play in the final three quarters.

"She is giving me advice on freshman year and to keep my head up," Samuelson said. "Things are starting to go a little bit (easier) so it is really cool to have somebody that I look up to so much and she just feels connected to this program and connected to all of us. I haven't known her before so it was nice to have that connection."

Samuelson and her teammates were able to check out the three days of practices with the 16 players in the national team pool including teammate Breanna Stewart.

"It was amazing," Samuelson said. "It was cool to see the different intensity level they had, every single one them, the confidence, the skills they all possess. It was really a treat for all of us and I think we all learned a lot."

Samuelson was 4 of 5 from the field including 3 of 4 from 3-point range en route to scoring 15 of her 19 points in the first quarter. She now has 47 3-pointers this season and with three in Wednesday's game against SMU, she will join Taurasi, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Bria Hartley, Maya Moore, Jen Rizzotti, Ann Strother and teammate Kia Nurse as the only UConn freshmen with 50 3-pointers as a freshman.

"I'll take that any day but if my shots aren't going in, I am going to have to find other ways to contribute," Samuelson said. "I would like to make all of my shots, I am sure my teammates would to but I am going to take it game by game and not limit myself if my shots aren't going in.

"I definitely feel comfortable, during practices I can see a difference, a little more confidence to do more on the team, feeling more responsibility. I am still probably going to make mistakes but I know that each game that I play, I will feel more comfortable

"They don't want me to just sit in the corner, hide and try to take that on and say I am just a freshman. They want me to help out and take on some of the weight off of their shoulders."

INSIDE INFORMATION?
The entire UConn team, when they didn't have classes to attend, were regular observers at the training camp

As a result, the leading scorer on the Canadian national team that earned an Olympic berth by winning the FIBA Americas Championship for Women got to see the defending Olympic champions in action.

"I texted my teammates and said 'I am sitting in enemy territory,'" UConn sophomore guard Kia Nurse said. "They said 'get as much (information) as you can.' All right, I am not going to get anything but all right.

"You get to see some of the best players in the world, their practicing tendencies and just the confidence that they have in having to pick things up so quickly."

SELECT COMPANY
I did some checking and there are three Division I women's players shooting at least 55 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the foul line.

One of those players is Maryland junior Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who is shooting 55.6 percent overall, a stunning 56.7 percent on 3-pointers and 80.2 percent from the free-throw line. The other two players in that category are UConn seniors Moriah Jefferson (58.5 percent on field goals, 41.9 percent on 3-pointers and 88.6 on foul shots) and Breanna Stewart (.589/.417/.817).

In UConn's history, there are two players who hit all three shooting percentage landmarks. Shea Ralph did it as a redshirt sophomore and Jefferson accomplished the feat last season.

DANGERFIELD A NAISMITH FINALIST
UConn signee Crystal Dangerfield is one of five finalists for the Naismith Girls' High School Player of the Year.

Dangerfield, a senior guard at Blackman High in Murfreesboro, Tenn., is averaging 24.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Dangerfield has eight 30-point games this season in leading Blackman to a 26-3 record and the Tennessee District 7-AAA championship.

Erin Boley, Lauren Cox, Joyner Holmes and Jackie Young are the other finalists. The winner will be announced on Mar. 10.

There have been players who have come into the UConn program and put on an offensive show game after game.

Seven of the top eight freshman scorers at UConn through the first 20 games are a part of the Huskies of Honor while Breanna Stewart will make it 8 for 8 when she is inducted later on this month.

Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson have combined to score at least 10 points a total of 20 times this season including five games when they both reached double digits, the biggest contributions they have made had come in other areas.

I went back to researched the top performances for UConn freshmen in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots and 3-pointers through 20 games since Geno Auriemma has been the head coach. I should mention that getting all the box scores from Auriemma's first couple of seasons has been a bit of a challenge but I will still proceed.

Samuelson ranks third in 3-pointers made and just missed the top 10 in assists while Collier is tied for fourth in blocked shots, tie for fifth in steals and in the top 10 in rebounding. Also, Collier and Samuelson are currently the ninth and 10th UConn freshman to shoot better than 80 percent from the foul line while averaging at least one free-throw attempt per game played. Collier's FT percentage of 92.9 tops the list while Samuelson checks in at 87.5 which trails only Collier and Diana Taurasi (.878 in 2000-01). Neither Collier nor Samuelson have the minimum of 2.5 free throws made her game to qualify for the NCAA leader board but if they had, Collier would rank No. 1 and Samuelson No. 3 among freshmen.

Here are the freshman numbers through 20 games

REBOUNDS
Charles (2006-07) 162
Elliott (1992-93    148
Lobo (1991-92)    144
Moore (2007-08)  135
Stewart (2012-13) 126
COLLIER            123
Abrosimova (1997-98) 116
Houston (2004-05) 114
Bascom (1987-88) 111
Williams (2014-15) 106
(Kris Lamb had 137 rebounds heading into her 23rd game but don't have stats from games No. 21 and 22)                   

ASSISTS
Montgomery (2005-06) 74
Webber (1991-92)         72
Moore (2007-08)           71
Rizzotti (1992-93)         71
Hartley (2010-11)          61
Lishness (1987-88)        60
Nurse (2014-15)            56
Berube (1993-94)          54
Taurasi (2000-01)         54
Abrosimova (1997-98)  51
Strother (2002-03)         51
SAMUELSON             49

STEALS
Baer (1988-89)                53 (missing BC game)
Abrosimova (1997-98)    51
Rizzotti (1992-93)           46
Montgomery (2005-06)   36
Nurse  (2014-15)             35
Williams (1998-99)         35
COLLIER                      35
K. Johnson (2000-01)      33
Moore (2007-08)             33
Mosqueda-Lewis (11-12) 31

BLOCKS
Charles (2006-07)        42
Wolters (1993-94)       41
Stewart (2012-13)        32
Moore (2007-08)          31
COLLIER                   31
Houston (2004-05)      29
Lobo (1991-92)           28
Schumacher (1997-98) 23
Stokes (2011-12)         23
Dolson (2010-11)       19

3-POINTERS 
Mosqueda-Lewis (11-12) 52
Hartley (2010-11)             42
SAMUELSON                 36
Taurasi (2000-01)             34
Rizzotti (1992-93)            33
Moore (2007-08)              32
Abrosimova (1997-98)     31
Doty (2008-09)                 30
Nurse  (2014-15)              29

NURSE UP FOR PRESTIGIOUS HONOR
UConn sophomore guard Kia Nurse is one of eight candidates for the Syl Apps Award presented annually to the Ontario Athlete of the Year thanks to her remarkable summer leading the Canadian national team to the Pan Am Games gold medal as well as helping Canada earn a spot in the Olympics by winning the FIBA Americas Championship for Women.

NBA star Andrew Wiggins, Cincinnati Reds slugger Joey Votto are among the other candidates for the award.

Coming to UConn as the reigning national high school player of the year is not as easy as it may seem.

Breanna Stewart learned that the hard way during her freshman season and when she saw the pressure starting to get to current freshman Katie Lou Samuelson, she decided it was time to act.

"When somebody is kind of getting in a little rut, you can tell," Stewart said. "They are not talking as much, being alone more than they were with the group. I was in that situation my freshman year. When I noticed that happening, I texted Lou and we talked about it and went out for dinner. I made
her feel better, made her feel like she is not the only one to go through this."

While Samuelson's impressive perimeter shooting was on display in the 104-49 win over Temple as she was 5 of 8 from 3-point range, it is her willingness to be a more physical and versatile player that is paying dividends as she not only set a career best with 21 points but also with six assists.

"She is 6-3 and she should be playing as much on the perimeter as she is inside," Stewart said. "She is starting to embrace the physicality because at this level it is obviously physical more than it was in high school. It is a change and she is getting used to that. A lot of the pressures that she is having, I had. We came out of high school and we were in similar situations and I think I am the only one who is able to relate to that."

Samuelson came to UConn with a reputation of being an incredible skilled offensive player but with the Huskies returning four starters from a national championship team, she was quick to defer to her older teammates. In the last couple of weeks she has been starting to look for her own shots at the proper time while contributing in other ways.

"Stewie's been a great help for me and I really appreciate how much she has helped me out," said Samuelson, who made her second start of the season but first when all of UConn's regular starters were available to play. "It keeps my confidence that she doesn't let me get down.

"I watch Stewie a lot and try to learn from her. She is a great player and has come out of her way to help me so I am going to do whatever I can to learn from her and appreciate this year I have for her because people can't get that opportunity. Seeing in practice, seeing how versatile she is, I am definitely going to try to be able to score in different ways and score in different ways."

If I've learned nothing else in the years I have covered the UConn women's basketball team, it is Geno Auriemma driving home the point that there's a huge difference between shooting well and playing well.

Katie Lou Samuelson, like fellow former Mater Dei High School and UConn star Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, has what Auriemma has referred to as a "get out of jail free" card with their ability to hit 3-pointers.

As Auriemma did with Mosqueda-Lewis, who would graduate as the NCAA's all-time leader in 3-pointers made, he has been pushing Samuelson to bring more to the table than just the ability to hit shots from the perimeter. Making a couple of shots is not going to be enough to satisfy a demanding coach like Auriemma and it's hard to watch Samuelson play, especially in last night's win, and not think she has gotten the message.

While she still has some growing to do on the court, I thought Samuelson's effort against Memphis was the best of her young collegiate career.

Against South Florida Samuelson attempted five shots before she had any other statistic whether it was a rebound, assist, steal or blocked shot. Wen she failed to close out on a 3-point shooter when USF came roaring back, she got an earful from Auriemma who instructed all the players on the court at the time not to give up uncontested 3-pointers. When she got into the game against Memphis Samuelson quickly grabbed a defensive rebound and on the ensuing possession, battled hard for an offensive rebound. The shots would come later as Samuelson finished with a pair of 3-pointers en route to scoring 11 points but when it came to her compete level, I thought this was a really good showing for her.

"Just going in and getting that rebound kind of gave me a bounce in my step and made me ready for the rest of the game," Samuelson said. "Instead of having a slow start where I did nothing, I got in there, got an offensive rebound. Whenever I come off the bench, that is what I need to do. I need to do something that is going to get my game going and I am not just relying on that first 3 that I am going to hit. I have noticed different ways that I have been able to get points, mostly if I focus on getting other people shots too the other ones come easier."

Auriemma said it is not a coincidence that Samuelson's shots have started to fall with more regularity as she contributes to UConn's success in other ways.

"She has been getting more aggressive every day," Auriemma said. "Her practices are getting better, she is doing more things and it is not unusual that the more things that you start doing that the more your shot starts dropping. She is doing so many different things right now that her confidence level is way higher than it was a month ago."

Auriemma certainly drove the point home to Samuelson during a Dec. 30 game at Cincinnati when he did not summon the reigning national high school player of the year off the bench until there was 1:48 to play in the third quarter. He wanted Samuelson to compete harder in practices and not just for stretches in practice.

Samuelson had a pretty good idea that messages like that would be coming when she decided to commit to UConn.
"I kind of expected it to be one of the hardest things I've done but just the consistency that I need to put myself into and my hard work, it definitely has been harder than anything I've done. I am kind of getting better at doing what they ask me to do. Recently with how hard I have been trying to push myself, it has made things easier not only during games but in practice."

Auriemma mentioned after the Memphis game that he was encouraged that the three road games in three different states did not become merely a showcase for Breanna Stewart but other players and in particular younger players stepped up in different ways.

"It has helped us a lot," Samuelson said. "We have gotten different kinds of games and a lot of playing time in each of them. I think the variety we have been through has really helped us as players and prepared us for what is going to come later.

"I think we have definitely grown, having these three games that close, everybody's going to be tired, everybody wants to go home and we knew coming into this game that we had to take care of business. Just being able to rely on each other knowing that everyone is going through the same thing that you are, you really want to do that and go as hard as you can for your teammates."

DANGERFIELD ON NAISMITH TROPHY WATCH LIST
UConn incoming freshman Crystal Dangerfield is one of 25 girls' basketball players named to the midseason watch list for the Naismith Trophy.

Dangerfield, a senior guard at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn., is averaging 23.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a senior.

The national semifinalists will be announced on Feb. 10, the finalists on Feb. 24 while the winner will be announced on Mar. 10.

Another honor could be coming Dangerfield's way on Sunday as that is the day the 24 boys and girls players taking part in the McDonald's All-American Game will be announced. The squads will be revealed on the selection show airing on ESPNU from 10:30-11 p.m. It would be stunning turn of events for Dangerfield not be one of the 24 girls players selected to play in the Mar. 30 game at the United Center in Chicago.

Playing alongside a talent like Breanna Stewart makes it easy to get overshadowed but there is absolutely no way that Morgan Tuck can be overlooked with the way she is playing.

Tuck finished last season not only with 10 straight double-digit scoring games but making more shots than she missed nine times during that stretch with seven games with more assists than turnovers.

It is a safe to say she has picked up right where she has left off. Had she scored one more point against Nebraska, Tuck would be the only Husky to score in double figures in every game this season.

In the last six games Tuck has 102 points while shooting 67 percent from the field (75 percent from inside the 3-point line) with 20 assists and 10 turnovers. When I pointed out the irony to Geno Auriemma that Tuck, who dealt with so many injuries earlier in her career, is the only member of her recruiting class to play in every game this season as both Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson missed a game with a minor injury, he marveled at what she brings to the team.

"It is crazy," Auriemma said. "She is tough. Some of it is you have to be tough, you have to have some good luck, some good fortune which is always good but Tuck, she is the energizer bunny. She is always there at the end."

Tuck had 12 points in the first quarter, making all four of her field goals and going 4 for 4 from the foul line in last night's win over Tulsa. She had 16 points at halftime and with the game a complete mismatch, only played six minutes in the second half. She still finished with 18 points. As is her custom, she was quick to credit the guards for feeding her the ball when asked about her impressive first quarter.
"I knew that we needed to have a good start with the stretch of games that we are about to have. I just try to make sure when I get the ball inside that I finish every layup so I just try to make sure I do that every game," Tuck said.

PUTTING UP A FIGHT
Kia Nurse just shook her head when the topic recently turned to her brother's first NHL fight.

Darnell Nurse is a tough customer so it is not surprising that he would drop the gloves to stick up for an Edmonton Oilers teammate but to initiate his first NHL fight against the rugged Milan Lucic of the Los Angeles Kings who came into the regular season with 61 career NHL fights between the preseason, regular season and postseason was certainly a challenging way to engage in his first scrap with the Oilers.

"He doesn't back down from anybody so it was good to show off his tough side for a minute," Kia Nurse said. "He could of (picked an easier first fighting opponent) but Nurses don't pick anything easy, that is the way we are."

REUNION TIME
When Katie Lou Samuelson made it back to California during the Christmas break, she was struck by how much things have changed. Usually she was the one at home waiting for her sisters to return home from college.

"It was fun, we (Katie Lou and her sister Karlie) were both home for a couple of days and it was cool," Samuelson said. "It was funny because usually I am the one who is home and it was Bonnie (a 2015 Stanford graduate) this time who was stuck at home."
LOFTY PRAISE FOR IRWIN
There are few things that Auriemma values in players more than a passion for the game of basketball. When he was asked about incoming freshman Kyla Irwin recently becoming the all-time leading scorer in State College (Pa.) High School girls' basketball history, he couldn't help but rave about how hard Irwin competes.

"When kids get to be seniors they start playing their best basketball all the time so she has gotten a lot better," Auriemma said. "She's a kid who is going to be good no matter what. Is she going to be great? I don't know but she is going to be good no matter what because her enthusiasm for the game, her effort during the game, her energy level during the game there a very few kids like that. When you are like that, there is a very good chance that you are going to be a very good player."

There was part of Geno Auriemma who strongly considered letting Katie Lou Samuelson watch the entire second half from the bench after an uneventful showing in limited first-half action.

However, with some of his assistant coaches suggesting he give the reigning national high school player of the year another chance to show what she could do, Auriemma summoned Samuelson off the bench.
What followed might have been the most important eight-minute stretch of Samuelson's brief tenure with the Huskies.
Yes, Samuelson did drain a pair of 3-pointers including a crucial one just 25 seconds after a hard-charging DePaul team pulled within five points. But more importantly to Auriemma and the other coaches, Samuelson did more than display her outside shooting touch. She helped the Huskies break DePaul's press, played solid defense and also had a rebound and steal as the Huskies finished strong for an 86-70 victory on Wednesday night.

"It is cool to know he had that trust in me. He told me after the game that 'I wanted to put you in there and see how you responded.' He said when I play hard like that then that is exactly what will happen. It is really good knowing that he has that trust. I am going to keep playing hard and hopefully he will continue to have that trust in me.

"It is important for me to try to contribute and help the team in any way that I can whether it is trying to break the press like that, passing the ball, getting rebounds, getting the ball to the right person but overall in that game it was doing whatever the team needed to get that win."

In the first three quarters Samuelson played four minutes, missed her only shot and had one assist. Then she scored all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter.

"That burst in the third quarter gave us some room," Auriemma said. "I turned around at one point and said 'what am I going to do with Lou.' The consensus was 'let's give her another shot, let's see what she does.' This might have been her best game since she has been at Connecticut. She is a tough kid and she has been down a little bit because her shot doesn't go in as much as she is used to seeing it go in but that is not why we are upset with her. We are upset with her because she doesn't do all the other things she is capable of doing. You are not in California anymore, you are allowed to get in a
stance in this part of the country.

"You won't get arrested if you get into a defensive stance, you can put your hand up too, nobody will say a bad thing about you and you are allowed to go after rebounds. You will actually get rewarded, even if you don't get the rebound, try. There are so many things that she does well but when you are a good shooter and you don't see the ball go in as much, you start to pout and feel sorry for yourself and you forget all the other things you are really good at. That is kind of where she has been so hopefully these last couple of games have helped her along."
STEWART GOES THE DISTANCE
Part of the deal of playing at UConn is that resident superstars like Breanna Stewart often times spend long stretches of games sitting on the bench. It has nothing to do with the quality of her play or maybe it does as her brilliance has resulted in a string of lopsided games.

So when last night's game came to an end and I was given a final box score, one of the first numbers to jump out at me was the 40 minutes Stewart played. Before the DePaul game she had played the entire game just once in a regular season game and that came against Notre Dame when she was a freshman.

"I just couldn't see myself taking her out," Auriemma said. "There was just too much chaos going on out there, we needed somebody who could help us everywhere on the floor. She inbounded the ball, dribbled the ball up the floor, scored down low, hit a 3, made a good pass to somebody. When you have Stewie in the game, it is like having three players on the floor because she can do so many things. By taking her out I was scared that we would lose a little bit of that cohesiveness that she gives us."

Stewart finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds. She also had a pair of assist giving her 296 in her career. If she hands out four assists in Saturday's game, she will become the first Division I women's basketball player with 300 blocked shots and assists.

"Before the game we were talking about these kinds of games are the reasons why we came to Connecticut, especially the big moments and somebody has to make a big play late in the game," Stewart said. "We are all players who can do that and with the crowd cheering for us and against us, it made it really exciting."

The date of the actual first meeting with California AAU icon Russ Davis escapes UConn freshman Katie Lou Samuelson. But there is denying how excited she is that Davis' Vanguard University team in the final preseason game.

Samuelson watched some of the Cal Swish games when Davis  coached her older sisters.

 "I was really young, I wasn't even playing Swish but my sisters were so probably before 10 years old," Samuelson said. "He has really taught me a lot about basketball and I am excited to get out there and be able to play against him.

"He has been there for me and helped me get through some things by being very hard on me and pushing me so I don't  think I could be in the position I am today without having him and a lot of other people in my life."

Freshmen Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson have been receiving plenty of hype leading into the season. Their names were even mentioned by UConn coach Geno Auriemma along with Saniya Chong and Gabby Williams as a potential fifth starter. However. the third member of the freshman class can play a little bit too.

It hasn't been an easy last year for De'Janae Boykin. Most of her senior season at Flowers High School was spent on the sidelines after she injured her wrist. Then she was dealing with an Achilles' issue when she was at UConn.

Boykin recently returned to practice and wasn't little time making an impression on her coaches and teammates.

"The last three of four days she has been back and she looks good," Auriemma said at Monday's American Athletic Conference media day. "She had the Achilles thing so she is having a hard time going full speed but when she gets the ball around the basket, she knows what she is doing. She's going to be OK, she just needs time."

Senior guard Moriah Jefferson has also been impressed by the work being done by Boykin.

"She's impressive," Jefferson said. "I didn't get to see her play a lot in high school so I didn't get to see what she had and how much she had to battle with injuries but she does a lot of dirty work, she gets in there and finishes around the rim."

GENO ON TONIGHT'S CENTERSTAGE
The CenterStage broadcast featuring an hour of Michael Kay's interview with Auriemma will debut tonight at 10:30 on YES after the Bulls/Nets NBA game and postgame show.

I was in attendance at the taping of the show and Kay certainly did his homework.

Auriemma accepting the job at a local Dunkin' Donuts, his hiring of Chris Dailey as an assistant coach, his meeting with the legendary John Wooden are among the topics to look for. Even people who have seen Auriemma interviewed hundreds of times will enjoy this broadcast.

MILESTONE MOMENT FOR DARNELL NURSE
Ironically one of the topics I brought up with Kia Nurse at AAC media day was how her brother Darnell was handling being sent down to the AHL by the Edmonton Oilers. Little did I know that just two days later he would be called up with the Oilers dealing with some injuries on defense and he scored his first NHL goal last night.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Darnell Nurse this season. He is considered to be one of the top prospects out there and I really thought he would be in the NHL all season.

SAMUELSON'S FORMER COACH PASSES AWAY
Edison High School girls' basketball coach Dan Wiley died on Monday at the age of 61.

People who followed the career of Samuelson, the highly-touted UConn freshman, might remember that name because he coached Katie Lou when she was a freshman at Edison High School before she transferred to Mater Dei.