Central FLorida coach Joi Williams coached five
current UConn players on U.S. junior national teams

Few introductions will be necessary when Central Florida coach Joi Williams leads her team against UConn on Jan. 1 in Orlando and Feb. 19 in Hartford thanks to a pair of USA Basketball coaching stints.

Back in 2010 Williams was an assistant coach on the U.S. team which won the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women. UConn's Bria Hartley and Stefanie Dolson were members of that squad which won five games by an average of 55.8 points per game. The following summer she was an assistant coach on the U.S. team which won the FIBA U19 world championship. That squad also featured Dolson and Hartley along with Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck.

Williams looked back on those two summers when I spoke to her at American Athletic Conference media day.

"It was great, the first summer with the U18s we had Bria and Stefanie and the U19 year we had all of those guys plus Morgan Tuck so it was a lot of fun," Williams said. "Obviously they earned their way onto that team because they are very talented and deserving. It was a lot of fun and a lot of great stories, Stefanie especially has a great sense of humor so I had a good time with all of them.

"I did work the posts so I worked more with Tuck, Stefanie and Stewart so that was a lot of fun. Tremendous potential obviously, when Breanna had her breakout (performance) last year I am sure nothing in the country was surprised, I certainly wasn't it probably just took her a little bit of time to get acclimated but  it is like the USA Basketball experience for her, she just could take over and any time she did it just happened. Just very coachable, I think that is the big thing with those three that I worked with, very humble. Morgan brings a lot of value, she brought a lot of value when she was our team because she is kind of the quiet assassin type, she doesn't have a lot of highs and lows and she is very even temperament and really does a lot of the dirty work and was a great leader for that team."

Williams knows it will be quite the challenge when facing the Huskies and those five players are major reasons why the Huskies figure to start the season as the nation's No. 1 ranked team.

"It will be tough, they are very talented a great team and a great program but we are excited a bout the challenge," Williams said. "At UCF we are used to being underdogs, we have been there before and it is not going to be any different this year but our mindset is that we want to go in and play with a chip on our shoulder."

Dolson remembers her time working with Williams quite fondly.

"She is great, she is tough and she didn't take any BS from players," Dolson said. "If you weren't running a drill hard she kicked you out and that is something I respect as a player to see a coach who doesn't really care and is willing to push you as hard as she can. It was nice to see her."

TOUGH TIMES AT CINCINNATI
Some things are more important that wins and losses and nobody has to tell that to anybody in the athletic department at Cincinnati.

Ben Flick, who was a freshman offensive lineman on the Bearcats' football team, was killed in a car accident last month and receiver Mark Barr suffered serious injuries in the same accident.

Cincinnati women's basketball coach Jamelle Elliott, a former forward and assistant coach at UConn, reflected on what these last few weeks have been like at Cincinnati.

"When that happened, Whit Babcock our AD did a really good job of making sure there was counseling because there were a lot of people affected by it, even my players, a couple of my freshmen players went through a summer program with them and they were extremely close to them so it was a trying time for all of us," Elliott said. "There are still some lingering things going on from an emotional standpoint but I thought Tommy (Tuberville, Cincinnati's football coach) and Whut handled it about as well as you could handle it as far as making sure you put the student-athletes first, their feelings first. For a short time football wasn't the most important thing, it was about the players and making sure they got the help they needed to grieve somebody who was an impact player even though he was a freshman, he impacted a lot of lives."

TV SCHEDULE FINALIZED

UConn's schedule now has the complete television listings including 17 games being televised by SNY. Every regular-season game will be televised including seven games being on ESPN2, another one on ESPN and two more on ESPNU.

FORMER UCONN RECRUITING TARGET COMMITS TO STANFORD
Throughout the recruiting process New Jersey high school star Taylor Rooks was one of the small list of players mentioned as being on UConn's recruiting radar. However, the recruitment of Rooks ended a while back. It all turned out pretty good for the ultra competitive Rooks who committed to Stanford.

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.

UConn signee Saniya Chong continues to pile up the postseason honors.

The 5-foot-9 guard out of Ossining, N.Y. won both the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of New York and was named New York's Miss Basketball and now MSG Varsity named her as its All-Metro Player of the Year.

She was joined on the first team by Class of 2014 UConn recruiting targets Taylor Rooks and Sierra Calhoun.

The only Connecticut player to make the list is Lauralton Hall's Michelle DeSantis.

Also, I wanted to clarify the time frame of UConn recruiting target Gabby Williams' recent unofficial visit. I originally thought she was going to be here for the Idaho game on Saturday but she actually flew into Connecticut on Sunday and was in attendance for Monday's game against Vanderbilt and she left with a scholarship offer and it might not be a reach to say that other than Heathwood Hall's A'ja Wilson, there might not be another uncommitted high school junior any higher on UConn's wish list than the 5-foot-11 Williams who is also an Olympic caliber high jumper who finished fifth in that event at the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials.

While Williams, Rooks and 2014 commit Sadie Edwards were all recent visitors to UConn, don't expect to see too many recruits at the upcoming games in Bridgeport. Since Webster Bank Arena is not one of UConn's home courts, if a recruit wants to come see the Huskies pay they need to purchase whatever available seats they can get just like any other member of the general public.

Ossining coach Dan Ricci said there is a possibility Chong could make it to Bridgeport for either the regional semifinals on Saturday or Elite Eight game if the Huskies get by Maryland.

UConn Class of 2014 recruiting target Taylor Rooks was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of New Jersey earlier this month and now she was bestowed with another honor as the Newark Star-Ledger named the junior forward at Gill St. Bernard's as its girls' basketball player of the year. She was also recently named the Courier News Player of the Year.

Rooks, who has been seen in person by multiple members of the UConn coaching staff, averaged 26.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3.1 steals and 2 blocks per game and also carries a 4.17 grade-point average.

Three highly-touted high school juniors including recent commitment Sadie Edwards are expected to be in the stands when UConn plays Idaho in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday afternoon.

Edwards, a Meriden resident who now attends Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., committed earlier this week after making an unofficial visit.

Fellow New Jersey star Taylor Rooks, a 6-foot forward who was recently named New Jersey's Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 27.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 2.1 assists and 1.7 blocked shots as a junior at Gill St. Bernard in Gladstone, N.J., caught the attention of UConn recruiters when she had a huge game (34 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots) against UConn recruiting target Sierra Calhoun's Christ the King squad with UConn coach Geno Auriemma in the stands for the early February game. The Clarence, N.Y. resident also has a 4.2 grade point average and is said to be a relentless competitor on the court.

Also expected to be at the game is Gabby Williams, a 5-foot-11 guard at Reed High in Sparks, Nev.

Williams is a dynamic athletic who finished fifth in the high school at the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials but the day after UConn assistant coach Shea Ralph went to see her play, Williams tore the ACL in her right knee. She was averaging 30 points, 11 rebounds and six assists per game heading into the game she suffered the  injury.

Another player on UConn's radar is 6-foot forward Lexi Gussert out of Forest Park High School in Crystal Falls, Mich.

Gussert was selected as the Associated Press Class D Player of the Year in Michigan last week after averaging 27.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 2.1 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game as a junior.

Also, I noticed that the New York Mr. Basketball Award was presented to Christ the King's Jon Severe after the Royals' game in the Federation tournament. It would not shock me to see the same thing happen tomorrow night with New York Miss Basketball since UConn signee Saniya Chong would seem like the no brainer pick to win the award and she will lead Ossining against Bishop Ford in Saturday night's Federation Class AA title game.

Finally, the Orange County Register announced its Player of the Year and it went to UConn Class of 2015 recruiting target Katie Lou Samuelson beating out an impressive field of candidates including her older sister Karlie who is headed to Stanford in the fall.