One thing about Geno Auriemma's post-game press conferences is that you are never quite sure what topic will lead to one of his wildly entertaining tangents.

Pat Eaton-Robb of the Associated Press asked a harmless question seeking Auriemma's opinion on the practice of having the crowd at UConn football and basketball games recite the Pledge of Allegiance right before the national anthem. His answer was a classic case of Geno being Geno.

"I am old enough to know when we said it in school," Auriemma said. "I think we said it right before we hid under our wooden desks in case a nuclear attack came. I always thought that was pretty cool that if the bomb is going to drop on St. Francis of Assisi grade school that I definitely want to be under a wooden desk. I know I had to say it when I became a citizen in Hartford in 1994 but after that, I am not sure the last time I had an opportunity or occasion to say it. What did I think of it? It kind of caught me by surprise. I didn't know we were doing it and I guess it is like anything else, you are going to have people who are going to complain about it and you are going to have people who love it.

"You know what I would rather see? I would rather see nobody sing the national anthem. This idea of somebody sings the national anthem, I think that is bogus. I think the band ought to play the national anthem and everybody in the audience should sing it. When I go to Europe and play with the U.S. national team, you can't hear anything other than every single voice in the building singing their country's national anthem. They don't have somebody sing it. Maybe you do have somebody come and sing it but that would be way more meaningful to me as an American to have everybody in the building sing the national anthem at the top of their lungs like they really truly believe in what it stands for. I think the Pledge of Allegiance sometimes becomes kind of rote, yeah let me just repeat what everybody is saying but do I really understand it. Then you have wackos who say 'we shouldn't bring God into this.' You have to say 'one nation under God' so Thomas Jefferson was a (jerk) for writing that so blame him, don't blame anybody else. It actually does go pretty well, one nation under God."

REIMER, HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN WIN A BIG ONE
Although none of the UConn coaches were in attendance to watch Connecticut recruiting targets Taya Reimer and Stephanie Mavunga go head to head, it sounds like the two talented juniors put on quite a show on Wednesday night.

Reimer had 18 points and 12 rebounds as Hamilton Southeastern of Fishers, Ind. defeated Brownsburg (Ind.) 67-47 despite 26 points from Mavunga.

Highly-touted juniors Taya Reimer and Stephanie Mavunga will be the centers of attention when their teams meet today.

Reimer has led Hamilton Southeastern of Fishers, Ind. to a 5-0 start but the toughest test to date will come tonight at 7:30 p.m. when they travel to meet the Mavunga-led Brownsburg (Ind.) team.

While I was unable to locate season stats for Reimer, Mavunga is averaging 21.8 points (on 63 percent shooting), 10.2 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots.

They were teammates on the U.S. U-16 national team as Mavunga averaged 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds with Reimer contributing 4.8 and 5 rebounds as the United States squad swept through five games to win the FIBA Americas 16 title in June.

If anybody's been wondering why there has been no mention of fundraising events being held under the umbrella of Geno's Cancer Team, it's because the fundraising organization has been shut down.

The issue was that Geno's Cancer Team was at a crossroads and if it was going to continue as a fundraising force it would need to become a corporation. Geno Auriemma and his wife Kathy simply did not have the time to serve as heads of a full-fledged corporation.

"We were thinking in what direction we needed to go in and how we were going to forward with it," Geno Auriemma said after Saturday's practice. "We felt like there are other things we wanted to do, Kathy and I. We needed to be able to do those things and not be tied to one thing and have everything run through the Jimmy V Foundation so we are still going to do a lot of events but it is going to be more spread out and more diverse than it was in the past. There are still a lot of people working for that cause and that hasn't changed it is just our involvement has changed a little bit.

"We had an event (Friday) night at my house and we raised $90,000 for a doctor friend of ours who was going some work on juveline cancer so we are going to have an opportunity to do a lot of things but trying to incorporate and become a corporation became a little more difficult than we wanted it to be and it was just time and we don't have the ability to do that right now."

GENO REACTS TO HARRY PERRETTA'S 600TH VICTORY
Veteran Villanova coach Harry Perretta joined the 600-win club when the Wildcats defeated Iona 76-47 in the championship game of the Iona TipOff Classic on Saturday.
Auriemma was asked about his good friend's milestone victory.

"Six hundred wins that is pretty significant," Auriemma said. "Harry has been doing this longer than I have and he's managed to stay the same. He hasn't changed much, he hasn't changed his style of play much and I'd like to see them getting back to being one of the top teams in the league if it is possible. i know it is much more difficult now that it used to be in our league with 16 (teams) instead of eight or nine. They make playing in our league really interesting because they force you to play like nobody else plays so I am never surprised who they win regardless of who they play. They beat teams that you would say they have no business beating because of their style of play and it has been like that for 30-something years.

Of Perretta's 600 wins, none garnered more attention than a 52-48 loss to Villanova in the 2003 Big East final.

"They snapped our streak of 70 in a row," Auriemma said. "I think he knew he had a really good team and he had the right mix at the right time. I remember what a struggle that game was for us. I think we really hit the wall. We were up nine and couldn't put them away. I'll never forget (Nicole) Druckenmiller made a huge shot, they were a heck of a team then and it was probably the best thing that happened to us at that point because we went on to win a national championship. That loss kind of took the air out because those streaks, they take a lot of you. You don't realize it while you are doing it but they take a lot out of you. I am glad it was him. If it was anybody, I am glad it was him and any time you can help make somebody famous, it is a good thing so I hope he appreciates it."

Former Mercy of Middletown star Rachel Roberts had 16 points in the victory and with 31 points in wins over Michigan State and Iona, the junior guard was named the tournament MVP.

BIG WIN FOR UCONN RECRUITING TARGET
Junior Stephanie Mavunga, who was recently quoted as saying she was planning to visit UConn in the near future, had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead her Brownsburg (Ind.) to a 46-39 win over perennial Indianapolis-based power Ben Davis High on Saturday.

Figured I would pass on the info that UConn recruiting target Jannah Tucker will not be in attendance at Friday's First Night festivities.

I reached out to Kevin Lynch, who was always very helpful during UConn's recruitment of Caroline Doty and since Jannah plays for the Philadelphia Belles AAU program, I asked Kevin whether Jannah was planning to come up to Connecticut this weeekend.

He informed me that Tucker has scheduled PSATs for this weekend and will not be in attendance.

Also, there have been reports that Stephanie Mavunga, another UConn recruiting target in the Class of 2013, will be visiting Tennessee this weekend.

It's already been reported that UConn commit Morgan Tuck, 2012 recruiting target Xylina McDaniel and 2013 target Taya Reimer are planning to be on campus this weekend. If I hear of any other recruits expected to join them, I will be sure to pass it on.

The other day, I reported that UConn commit Breanna Stewart will be in Houston as she trains with the U.S. squad competing in the Pan Am Games on the day that UConn will be having its first official practice.

Now I can pass along that it doesn't look like Moriah Jefferson, also committed to UConn, will be in the house for UConn's First Night festivities on Oct. 14 or the first official practice on the 15th.

I reached out to her coach with the THESA Riders and here is what Alan Burt had to say about Moriah's plans for that weekend.

"At this point Moriah will not be attending on Oct 14/15," Burt said in an e-mail. "She is planning her visit at a later date, but at this point does not have an exact time."

I am still waiting to hear about UConn commit Morgan Tuck. When I interviewed her when she was training with the U.S. Under-19 national team, she said she planned on being at UConn that weekend. I reached out to Bolingbrook High coach Anthony Smith just to make sure that was still the case. I had previously reported that Class of 2013 recruiting target Karlie Samuelson was not expected to make the trip to Storrs for that weekend.


Xylina McDaniel, the last uncommitted player on UConn's recruiting radar from the Class of 2012, is expected to come up that weekend and it will be interesting to see which other recruits will be present.

Speaking of the Class of 2013, two of the top players being pursued by UConn are slated to square off on Nov. 30 when Taya Reimer and Hamilton Southeastern play at the Stephanie Mavunga-led Brownsburg squad. UConn will be hosting Towson that night so I wouldn't expect any UConn coaches at that game.

UConn not only has made the top four in the list of schools in contention for South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year Xylina McDaniel, but her AAU coach Roger Wiley said that Connecticut and South Carolina are the schools she mentions as her top choices in the conversations he has had with the versatile 6-foot-1 forward.

McDaniel narrowed her list to UConn, South Carolina, North Carolina and Providence although Wiley said he was not sure of the exact dates she will be visiting those schools. But there is no mistaking where her heart lies.

"She mentions South Carolina and Connecticut pretty often," said Wiley, who coaches McDaniel on the South Carolina 76ers AAU program. "They would have to be considered her favorites.

"Connecticut is a pretty impressive school while South Carolina is close to home."

Wiley said Providence, the most surprising school on her list of finalists, has been involved with McDaniel for quite some time and she has developed a bond with the coaches at that school. He also said she doesn't plan to expand her list and she has communicated to other school that those are her four finalists. DePaul, Rutgers and Oklahoma are among those schools that Wiley said had aggressively been pursuing the daughter of former NBA star Xavier McDaniel.

Wiley said the intention is for McDaniel to take all four visits before making her college choice although he admitted he has seen players fall in love with a school and commit before taking all the scheduled visits.

I would imagine that if UConn had its way, McDaniel would come up to visit in mid-October so she could be on hand for the First Night festivities as well as UConn's first official practice. Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck were among the recruits who were in attendance for those activities last year and both have committed to UConn. If UConn were to get McDaniel, it would put the capper on what is already an impressive list of commitments as Breanna Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck are considered to be among the top prospects in the Class of 2012.

When I spoke to Tuck at the U-19 training camp, she said she plans on being at Gampel Pavilion the weekend of Oct. 15-17 and Stewart said if it fits into her school, she would be there as well. Considering that Tuck, Jefferson, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Kiah Stokes and Brianna Banks were all up at UConn for First Night and the opening practice in 2010 and all committed to UConn (although Mosqueda-Lewis had already committed), obviously that is a key recruiting weekend for the Huskies. It could be even more of a big deal this year since I would imagine the UConn men's program will pay tribute to the national championship the Huskies won. Diamond DeShields, one of the top recruiting targets in the Class of 2013, was also on hand last year and it would not be a surprise to see her make the trip up from Georgia in mid-October as well nor would it be a stunner if fellow Class of 2013 recruiting targets Stephanie Mavunga, Taya Reimer, Karli Samuelson and Jannah Tucker are in the stands on Oct. 15 and 16.

Watching the final hour of Friday's UConn practice at Gampel Pavilion, I saw pretty much what I thought I would see. Bria Hartley, Tiffany Hayes and Stefanie Dolson were making plays all over the place as would be expected from three players expected to be the cornerstone players on the 2011-12 squad. Kelly Faris, while struggling to make shots, did a little bit of everything else. Highly-touted freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was hitting 3-pointer after 3-pointer while classmate Kiah Stokes showed that she will add some size and athleticism in the post. But the real revelation was the third freshman Brianna Banks.

Watching her hit 3-pointers with regularity, slashing to the basket and playing with such ease and style made me think I was watching Tiffany Hayes play as a freshman. I am not alone in that opinion. Hayes also sees the similarity between herself and Banks.

"Definitely, I saw it from the first day in pickup," Hayes said. "She is a lefty, she shoots, she drives, she is quick so I see some of the same things. I definitely want to try to help her to develop more quickly than I did. She is definitely going to have a big impact, a great impact on this team."

While UConn's freshman class looks like an impressive group and the next recruiting class already features impressive prospects Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck.

With commitments from Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck, the UConn coaching staff spent much of the recently-completed open recruiting season identifying prospects in the Class of 2013.

UConn has already been very involved in Diamond DeShields and Taya Reimer. Now some other names of possible recruiting targets are starting to emerge including Stephanie Mavunga and Jannah Tucker, who were teammates of Reimer's on the U.S. Under-16 national team.

Mavunga, a 6-foot-3 forward out of Indianapolis, Ind., averaged 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds while leading the U.S. squad with a 59.5 field-goal percentage. Perhaps the most impressive part of the numbers she put up was that she did in while averaging just 13.2 minutes per game.

As a sophomore at Brownsburg High, Mavunga had a game with 30 points, 22 rebounds and 11 blocks against Plainfield in December and she averaged 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2 steals and 4.3 blocks.

Tucker, a 6-foot guard from Randallstown, Md., averaged 26.2 points, 12 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 8 steals as a sophomore at New Town High School and had a school-record 39 points in a game against Southside Academy.

Tucker started all five games in the 2011 FIBA Americas U-16 Championship. She averaged 9.4 points, was second on the team in rebounding pulling down 7.2 a game and was second in assists and 3-pointers made, third in steals and blocked shots. Yes, those are UConn recruit type of numbers if I have ever seen them.

Reimer, a 6-foot-3 forward from Fishers, Ind. who is a versatile enough offensive player to shoot 45 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore at Hamilton Southeastern High School. Reimer, the daughter of former NBA player Ben Davis, averaged 4.8 and 5 rebounds for the U-16 squad.

Another name drawing UConn's interest is California guard Karlie Samuelson.

Samuelson, the sister of Stanford freshman and former UConn recruiting target Bonnie Samuelson, had four games with at least five 3-pointers and 10 20-point games as a sophomore at Edison High in Huntington Beach, Calif.

DeShields, the daughter of former Major League Baseball star Delino DeShields, was the youngest player on U.S. team which won the FIBA U-19 World Championships. The star at Norcross High is probably the most highly-touted high school player out of Georgia since Maya Moore.

DeShields, a 6-foot-1 forward, averaged 20.6 points and 6.2 rebounds as a sophomore at Norcross High playing for Angie Hembree, who also coached Moore for a couple of seasons at Collins Hill High School. DeShields averaged 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds for the U.S. U-19 squad.

Bear in mind that it is very early in the recruiting process for the Class of 2013 since they haven't even started their junior year of high school so other prospects could catch the eyes of the UConn staff between now and the time letters of intent can be signed. But these are some of the rising high school juniors worth keeping an eye on.

As for the seniors to be, South Carolina forward Xylina McDaniel is the top uncommitted prospect on UConn's recruiting radar.

The 6-foot-1 McDaniel, who made an unofficial visit to UConn in February, is a talented wing who is the daughter of former NBA great Xavier McDaniel. McDaniel was named the Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year after averaging 18.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.9 steals, 1.9 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while leading Spring Valley to an undefeated season and the South Carolina 4A title as a junior.