While making the rather interesting drive from Newark, Delaware to Tarrytown, N.Y. yesterday for the latest media availability for the U.S. national team, I wanted to come up with a little different story angle than yet another update on the five UConn graduates on the U.S. team.

Since I have seen plenty of caustic posts on Twitter about how the U.S. team has become little more than a chance for Geno Auriemma to get his former players on the squad (a laughable point of view when considering the qualifications of Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi), I thought it would be fun to get some people to weigh in on whether an all-UConn team could win the Olympic gold medal. I spoke with Bird, USA Basketball Women's National Team Director Carol Callan, assistant coach Doug Bruno and guard Lindsay Whalen on the topic for a story which ran in this morning's paper.

When I mentioned it to Bird, she said "who is on the team" since she wasn't sure if I meant active players or all UConn players so here is the breakdown of the 15 current UConn graduates in the WNBA.

Current  Olympians
Sue Bird: Averaging 12.5 points and league leading 6 assists per game. Is 241 assists shy of Ticha Penicheiro's WNBA career record. Tied for eighth with 573 career steals.
Tina Charles: Currently the WNBA leader in both scoring (21.4) and rebounding and one of the frontrunners with WNBA MVP. Could join Chamique Holdsclaw as only player to lead WNBA in scoring and rebounding in same season.
Maya Moore: Three-time WNBA champion is fourth in league in scoring (19.4) and sixth in assists (4.4). One of five players to be named WNBA regular-season and finale MVP.
Breanna Stewart: Winner of WNBA Rookie of Month three times, she is second in WNBA in rebounding and fifth in scoring
Diana Taurasi: Sixth-leading scorer in WNBA at 18.9 points per game. One of three WNBA players with more than 7,000 points in regular season and fifth all-time with 1,547 assists


Swin Cash: Ranks 13th in WNBA history with 5,075 regular-season points and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Key member of championship teams with Detroit and Seattle.
Stefanie Dolson: After averaging a career high 10.6 points and 5.6 rebounds for Washington last season, is contributing 8 points and 4.7 rebounds
Kelly Faris: Averaging 2.1 points and 11.9 minutes in 103 career games with Connecticut Sun
Bria Hartley: Averaging 6.5 points, 2 rebounds, 2.3 assists in 16.9 minutes with Washington Mystics. Since May 21 Mystics are 6-4 when she plays at least 15 minutes, 3-8 if she does not
Tiffany Hayes: Atlanta Dream's No. 2 scorer at 14.5 points per game. Averaging career highs in points, assists, steals and minutes played. Has seven 20-point games, Atlanta is 10-7 when she scores in double figures
Moriah Jefferson: Second on San Antonio in scoring (12.2), contributes 4 assists, 1.4 steals per game. Third among qualifying players with 45.3 3-point percentage. Averaged 17.1 points in last eight games before Olympic break
Renee Montgomery: Averaging 7.8 points per game for Minnesota, highest total since 2013 season. Hit game winner when Minnesota beat Los Angeles in showdown of undefeated teams. Minnesota is 7-2 when she scores at least 10 points
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis: Averaging 6.4 points and 16.7 minutes while shooting 47 percent from 3-point range in last seven games for Seattle
Kiah Stokes: Eighth in WNBA in rebounding (7.6), sixth in blocked shots (1.5). Second in league in rebounding per 40 minutes
Morgan Tuck: Averaging 7.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 17.2 minutes as a rookie for Connecticut Sun. Averaged 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in one three-game stretch in June.

There is already a portion of the women's basketball world tired of the "all UConn, all the time" coverage so a team of only UConn alums representing the U.S. in the Olympics might mean the end of Twitter but it was something worth pondering.

The best basketball could be in former UConn star Tiffany Hayes'
 future in the opinion of veteran WNBA guard Jasmine Thomas

When Jasmine Thomas arrived in Atlanta she wasn't quite sure what to make of teammate Tiffany Hayes, the former UConn star coming off an up and down rookie season.

However, in the two seasons that they were teammates Thomas saw Hayes transform from a youngster with tons of potential to a reliable night in and night out contributor.

Not only did Hayes average a career-high 28.4 minutes per game but also had her best numbers for field-goal percentage and assists. Perhaps the most noticeable area improvement was in ball security as her turnovers per 36 minutes played went from 2.8 during the 2013 season to 1.5 last year.

"She is just relentless," sad Thomas, acquired by the Connecticut Sun on draft day. "She had gone through some injuries and I liked the way she plays. She gets beat up a lot but she is able to stay aggressive, she attacks and keeps the right mindset. I feel like she is a player who is going to continue to get better each year."

Keeping on the UConn side of things, I still remember who impressed Geno Auriemma was with Thomas back in 2010 when she was one of 10 players in the USA Basketball Women's Select team. It gave college players including current Connecticut Sun standouts Kelsey Griffin and Allison Hightower, former UConn and Connecticut Sun guard Kalana Greene and Los Angeles Sparks and U.S. national team forward Nneka Ogwumike a chance to work out under the watch of USA Basketball. They even got to work with the national team coaching staff led by UConn's Geno Auriemma.

I asked Thomas to reflect back on how valuable that experience was for her.

"Geno is a coach I admire and being able to play for him, get instruction from him ...," Thomas said. "Coach (Chris) Dailey was also here so she is somebody I looked up to when I was younger so it was a good experience for me that while I was still in college get a taste  of what it takes to be a pro."

With Diana Taurasi's Phoenix Mercury team eliminated the Los Angeles Sparks with a 93-68 victory on Sunday night and Maya Moore's Minnesota Lynx team already in the Western Conference final, this will be the 12th season in a row at least one former UConn player will be playing in the WNBA championship series.

With the Atlanta Dream forcing a winner take all game three with a win on Sunday against Chicago, there's a chance that two former Huskies could be playing for the WNBA title since Tiffany Hayes is one of the top players for Atlanta. Here's a breakdown of the former UConn players in the WNBA finals.

2013: Minnesota (Maya Moore) def, Atlanta (Tiffany Hayes)
2012: Indiana def. Minnesota (Maya Moore)
2011: Minnesota (Maya Moore, Charde Houston) def. Atlanta
2010: Seattle (Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Svetlana Abrosimova) def. Atlanta
2009: Phoenix (Diana Taurasi, Ketia Swanier) def. Indiana (Jessica Moore)
2008: Detroit (Kelly Schumacher) def. SA
2007: Phoenix (Diana Taurasi, Kelly Schumacher) def. Detroit (Swin Cash)
2006: Detroit (Swin Cash) def. Sacramento
2005: Sacramento def. Connecticut (Nykesha Sales, Asjha Jones)
2004: Seattle (Bird) def. Connecticut (Nykesha Sales, Asjha Jones)
2003: Detroit (Swin Cash) def. LA
2000: Houston (Jen Rizzotti) def. NY
1999: Houston (Jen Rizzotti, Kara Wolters) def. New York (Rebecca Lobo-injured and did not play)
1997: Houston def. New York (Rebecca Lobo)


012: Indiana def. Minnesota (Maya Moore)
2011: Minnesota (Maya Moore, Charde Houston) def. Atlanta
2010: Seattle (Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Svetlana Abrosimova) def. Atlanta
2009: Phoenix (Diana Taurasi, Ketia Swanier) def. Indiana (Jessica Moore)
2008: Detroit (Kelly Schumacher) def. SA
2007: Phoenix (Diana Taurasi, Kelly Schumacher) def. Detroit (Swin Cash)
2006: Detroit (Swin Cash) def. Sacramento
2005: Sacramento def. Connecticut (Nykesha Sales, Asjha Jones)
2004: Seattle (Bird) def. Connecticut (Nykesha Sales, Asjha Jones)
2003: Detroit (Swin Cash) def. LA
2000: Houston (Jen Rizzotti) def. NY
1999: Houston (Jen Rizzotti, Kara Wolters) def. New York (Rebecca Lobo-injured and did not play)
1997: Houston def. New York (Rebecca Lobo)

Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley have been involved with so many glorious moments on basketball courts in the state of Connecticut so it seemed rather fitting that when it came time to help the Washington Mystics clinch a WNBA playoff spot, that special event would occur within state limits.

Hartley had 13 points, her 18th double-digit scoring game of the season, and Dolson added four points as the Mystics defeated the Connecticut Sun 71-67 on Friday night to clinch the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The win erased much of the drama from the final weekend of the regular season. If Washington lost to Connecticut, Washington could have been knocked out of the playoffs with a loss to the New York Liberty today and a New York win over Indiana on Sunday. Now the Mystics can start preparing for the postseason.

Hartley admitted after the game that it was a bit ironic that the playoff clinch took place in Connecticut.

"I used to play for UConn and Coach T (Mike Thibault) going against Connecticut and he used to coach here," Hartley said.

"I think it is really important (making the playoffs as a rookie). It is a great experience. There are some rookies who don't get this opportunity but you are playing and gaining experience that you can take with you for the next few years."

Hartley, who was in the starting lineup, and Dolson predictably got warm receptions from the Mohegan Sun Arena crowd.

"It is nice when you come back here and you have a bunch of people who want you to sign stuff or want you to take pictures," Hartley said. "I always stop and do that. Just the fans showing love, it is always nice to come back to your college and where your college is and have the fan support."

Wins by Washington and San Antonio on Friday allowed the Mystics and Stars to clinch the final two playoff spots. Half of the eight playoff teams feature former UConn stars as Diana Taurasi is the leading scorer for Western Conference regular-season champion Phoenix, Maya Moore is not only the top scorer for playoff bound Miunesota but is the league's top scorer as well. In the Eastern Conference, Tiffany Hayes is the No. 3 scorer for an Atlanta team which will be the top seed while Dolson, Hartley and Kalana Greene are all members of playoff bound Washington.

When Tiffany Hayes played at UConn there were no concerns about having to learn to play under new coaches as Hall of Fame Geno Auriemma ran things pretty much the same way for each of her four years.

However, Hayes is playing for her third head coach in the last two seasons with the WNBA's Atlanta Dream and it is taking some time for her to get accustomed to how the new coach, Michael Cooper, does things.

In the first four games of the regular season Hayes had more turnovers than field goals. Hayes bounced back in a major way after failing to score in a 27-minute stint against Indiana on May 25. In the last two games, including yesterday's loss at Connecticut, Hayes averaged 18.5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while committing just one turnover in 58 minutes.

"It is always good being able to held your team out and you are playing better than you were playing it is a big confidence booster," Hayes said.

"It is a lot (different) but it is not. Me and him (Cooper) just talked about it the other day, he still wants me to be a scorer and definitely be one of the best defenders on the team. Hopefully, if I know that is what my team needs I am going to try to bring that."

Hayes was obviously thrilled to see former teammates Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley cap their collegiate careers by winning a national title.

"They came in, they set goals for themselves, they led their team," Hayes said.

"It was great. I was able to watch all the games, I was cheering for both of them. The men came out of nowhere again just like when Kemba was here and the women,I had no doubt in my mind that they were going to win. Once a Husky always a Husky. If they win, all the alumni we win. "

It is a day that Alex Bentley will not soon forget.

First came the call from her agent delivering the stunning news that she was a part of a three-team trade resulting in Kara Lawson landing in Washington, Matee Ajavon being dealt to Atlanta and Bentley going from Atlanta to Connecticut after a promising rookie season.

The story could have stopped there except that Bentley happened to be playing for the powerhouse Recife team in Brazil where her teammates happened to include Erika de Souza and Tiffany Hayes who happened to be two of her closest friends during her rookie season with the Dream.

"I found out in Brazil. I got a call from my agent," Bentley said. "Honestly I was really surprised but Atlanta has a new coaching staff, you never know what is going to happen. You know the WNBA is a business just like any other one and it is understandable and I am very excited to be in Connecticut."

So what was the reaction of the players who were expecting to play with her in Atlanta this season?

"They were like 'no, this can't be happening' just like I was because I am going to miss Erika de Souza, Tiffany Hayes and the rest of my teammates from Atlanta but it is a business and you have to keep it moving," Bentley said.

Bentley had a bit of an up and down rookie season. She scored in double figures in her second regular-season game and had a five-game stretch when she went 10 of 10 from 3-point range. However, she did not score more than 10 points in back to back games until the final two contests of the regular season. In the playoffs she averaged 4 points in the first seven games before erupting for 18 points in the final games of the WNBA championship series. While disappointed that Atlanta's quest for the franchise's first WNBA title ended by being swept by Minnesota, the memories of that impressive final game served as motivation throughout the offseason.

Bentley had eight games with at least five assists as a rookie and did not commit a turnover until her sixth regular-season game. Just four times during the regular season and once in the playoffs did she had more turnovers than assists so she certainly has the ability to run a pro team. Sun coach Anne Donovan also said that her presence coupled with the return of Katie Douglas will make Connecticut a much improved defensive team on the perimeter. However, scoring in double figures four times in seven regular-season games in September also shows that Bentley can be more than just a pass-first point guard.

"I have a lot that I am capable of doing, I just have to be put in the right situation and I think Connecticut is right for me," Bentley said..

"Connecticut is a great organization, my teammates are really cool. I am jumping into this situation and it is all looking good."

Of course I asked Bentley for her thoughts on Hayes, the former UConn star who she played with in Atlanta and Brazil.

"Tiffany's great, she is a great teammate on and off the court," Bentley said. "She brings a lot of energy to your team when you are playing with her and she brings a lot of energy off the court. That is my girl."

Bentley and her teammates will take part in an open practice at Goodwin College in East Hartford on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

When Maya Moore and Tiffany Hayes were teammates at UConn the Huskies won a pair of national titles.

There will be only room for one of them to add to their championship haul when Moore's Minnesota Lynx and Hayes' Atlanta Dream face off in the WNBA championship series.

Both teams completed two-game sweeps on Tuesday.

Moore had 27 points and three rebounds as the Lynx defeated the Phoenix Mercury 72-65 win game two of the Western Conference finals.

Former Husky Diana Taurasi had 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists while Charde Houston finished two points for Phoenix.

In the Eastern Conference finals, Atlanta completed the sweep with a 67-53 win over defending WNBA champion Indiana as Hayes finished with seven points, six rebounds and two assists.

Former UConn stars Tiffany Hayes and Maya Moore played starring roles as the Atlanta Dream and Minnesota Lynx opened the WNBA conference finals with victories.

Hayes scored 15 of her game-high 23 points after Tamika Catchings gave Indiana a two-point lead in the third quarter of the Eastern Conference finals. Not a bad performance for a player with a reputation of not playing her best in the postseason or on the big stage when she was coming out of UConn, don't you think?

Hayes was 8 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range to go with three rebounds, three assists and one steal in Atlanta's 84-79 victory over the defending champion Indiana Fever.

Moore had 20 points (on 8 of 14 shooting), five rebounds, three assists, three steals and a blocked shot as Minnesota rolled to an 85-62 win over Phoenix in the opening game of the Western Conference finals.

Diana Taurasi led Phoenix with 15 points while Charde Houston added nine points.

The conference finals resume on Sunday with Indiana and Phoenix both needing to win at home to extend the series to a decisive third game.

Former UConn stars Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi will
be teammates at next week's WNBA All-Star game.

Former UConn stars Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi were voted by the fans to be starters for the Western Conference for the WNBA All-Star Game.

Moore was the second-leader vote-getter among Western Conference players receiving 31,635 while Taurasi, who headed into Thursday’s game against Los Angeles averaging a WNBA-best 21.5 points per game, led all Western Conference guards by receiving 26,019 votes.

Reigning WNBA MVP and former UConn star Tina Charles finished as the No. 5 vote-getter among Eastern Conference players but was not voted as a starter.

The WNBA changed its format going from having one center and two forwards being voted as starters to having the top three frontcourt players earning starting positions. Under the previous format Charles would have edged out Chicago’s Sylvia Fowles to be the starting center for the Eastern Conference. However, forwards Elena Delle Donne of Chicago (who topped all players by receiving 35,646 votes), Tamika Catchings of Indiana and Angel McCoughtry of Atlanta earned the starting nods. They will be joined in the Eastern Conference starting lineup by former Rutgers stars Cappie Pondexter and Epiphanny Prince, who play for New York and Chicago respectively.

Minnesota’s Seimone Augustus, Candace Parker of Los Angeles and Phoenix’s Brittney Griner are the other starters for the Western Conference.

Former Huskies Swin Cash of Chicago and Kalana Greene of Connecticut finished sixth and 13th respectively among Eastern Conference frontcourt players while Tiffany Hayes of Atlanta was eighth among Eastern Conference guards.

Reserves for the Eastern and Western Conference will be announced next week.
The WNBA All-Star Game will be played on July 27 at 3:30 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Former UConn stars Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury rank second and third in WNBA All-Star voting among Western Conference players and if the voting ended today they would be in line to start in the July 27 game which will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena.

One-time UConn recruit Elena Delle Donne, a rookie forward with the Chicago Sky, leads all players with 16,761 votes while Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks leads all Western Conference players with 15,623 (495 ahead of Moore). Taurasi leads all Western Conference guards with 12,625 votes.

Voting runs until July 14 but based on the first announced returns, the Eastern Conference starters would be Delle Donne, Tamika Catchings of Indiana, Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry, Epiphanny Prince of Chicago and New York's Cappie Pondexter. Parker, Taurasi and Moore would be joined in the Western Conference starting lineup by Brittney Griner of Phoenix and Seimone Augustus of Minnesota.

Reigning WNBA MVP Tina Charles of the Connecticut Sun is fourth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players with 8,066 votes, Swin Cash is sixth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players while Tiffany Hayes is eighth among Eastern Conference backcourt players.

Here are the voting totals:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Guards: Cappie Pondexter (NY) 8,670; Epiphanny Prince (Chi) 6,898; Ivory Latta (Wsh) 6,772; Kara Lawson (Con) 5,785; Katie Douglas (Ind) 5,230; Briann January (Ind) 4,098; Courtney Vandersloot 3,467; Tiffany Hayes (Atl) 2,534; Allison Hightower (CON) 1,832; Armintie Herrington (Atl) 1,749

Frontcourt: Elena Delle Donne (Chi) 16,761; Tamika Catchings (Ind) 13,399; Angel McCoughtry (Atl) 8,660; Tina Charles (Con) 8,066;Sylvia Fowles (Chi) 6,633; Swin Cash (Chi) 5,854; Shavonte Zellous (Ind) 3,139; Kara Braxton (NY) 1,883; Erlana Larkins (Ind) 1,819; Crystal Langhorne (Wsh) 1,798; Erika de Souza (Atl) 1,783

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Guards: Diana Taurasi (Phx) 12,625; Seimone Augustus (Minn) 9,095; Skylar Diggins (Tul) 7,764; Lindsay Whalen (Minn) 6,834; Kristi Toliver (LA) 3,797; Lindsey Harding (LA) 3,776; Becky Hammon (SA) 2,984;  Danielle Robinson (SA) 2,420; Candice Wiggins (Tul) 2,178; Temeka Johnson (Sea) 1,195

Frontcourt: Candace Parker (LA) 15,623; Maya Moore (Minn) 15,128; Brittney Griner (Phx) 10,620; Glory Johnson (Tul) 6,031; Nneka Ogwumike (LA) 5,556; Rebekkah Brunson (Minn) 4,862; Tina Thompson (LA) 4,713; DeWanna Bonner (Phx) 4,560; Candice Dupree (Phx) 4,308; Janel McCarville (Minn) 2,604; Alana Beard 2,563; Liz Cambage 2,017

WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES SEMIFINALS, FINALS TO BE TELEVISED
ESPN is planning to televise the women's basketball semifinals and gold-medal game at the World University Games on July 13 and 15 respectively on ESPNU and ESPN3.

The U.S. team includes UConn's Bria Hartley and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis.

I'll have to admit to being a little unsure of how former UConn star Tiffany Hayes' second season in the WNBA was going to transpire.

Hayes was thriving under the guidance of veteran head coach Marynell Meadors but when Meadors was let go and assistant coach Fred Williams took over Hayes' minutes began to dwindle. Of course some of it had to do with perennial All-Star Angel McCoughtry returning to the court. However, I wondered if Hayes would be able to carve out quality playing time under Williams.

Looks like there was no cause for concern. Hayes is averaging nearly 24 minutes in the first seven games of the season and despite some shooting woes, her scoring average is up from 8.6 points as a rookie to 10.6 this season.

"It hasn't been that hard because whatever the team needs me to do I just do it," Hayes said before Sunday's game against the Connecticut Sun. "If it is more minutes, if it is less minutes whatever it is I go out there and do my best. I think my teammates have been helping me when I go out there.

"My decision making is a little bit better. It still needs to get better but it is something I have improved on from last year to this year."

Playing for an Eastern Conference team allows Hayes to make multiple trips back to Connecticut during the WNBA season but each time back is still special for her.

"This place has some of the best fans that  I have ever witnessed and every time I come here they show love so there is always love when I come back to Connecticut," Hayes said.

Hayes and a veteran Atlanta team headed into the game with the best record in the WNBA and after threatening to win the WNBA title on multiple occasions, could this be the year they earn that elusive first title.

"We are all excited about this year and we are all saying that this year could be something special for us," Hayes said. "We just have to keep it up playing great and be consistent with what we are doing."

Speaking of winning it all, Hayes experienced the thrill of being a member of a national championship team during her UConn days. She watched from afar as the Huskies ascended to the top of the women's basketball world by winning the program's eighth national title.

"I was able to catch a couple of games and I definitely did see the championship game and I was so proud of them," Hayes said. "I knew they could do it the whole season, it was just a matter of them coming together and at the end they pulled it together and won a championship so I am definitely happy for them

"It was kind of weird watching on TV and (thinking) 'I was just there last year.' I did my four years and then I was able to watch them do a job well done and I was definitely happy for all of them."

Hayes was especially thrilled to see former teammate Kelly Faris leave UConn with another national title.

"She deserves it, she is one of the hardest-working players  I ever played with so she is one who definitely deserved it a lot," Hayes said..

Hayes said she is uncertain where she will be playing overseas during the winter. Ticha Penicheiro recently became her agent and they are still working on a deal to get her to play overseas.

Tina Charles and Swin Cash are among six former UConn stars on the
WNBA's All-Star ballot which was announced on Thursday.

The WNBA released its ballot for next month's All-Star game (being played at Mohegan Sun Arena) with two guards and three front court players from each team being on the ballot.

Six of the 60 candidates played at UConn including reigning WNBA MVP Tina Charles of the Connecticut Sun, current WNBA scoring leader Maya of the Minnesota Lynx and five-time WNBA scoring champion Diana Taurasi. They are joined by the Connecticut Sun's Kalana Greene, Tiffany Hayes of the Atlanta Dream and two-time WNBA All-Star MVP Swin Cash of the Chicago Sky.

Other Connecticut Sun players on the ballot are Kara Lawson, Allison Hightower and Kelsey Griffin.

Balloting begins on Sunday with the starters for the Eastern and Western Conferences being announced on July 18 during a nationally-televised game between Phoenix and Los Angeles. The WNBA All-Star Game will be played on July 27 at 3:30 p.m.

While the names of the teams playing in the Elite Eight game might be the same as the ones who played in the same game in Kingston in 2012, the makeup of the UConn and Kentucky are significantly different.

Two of Kentucky's five starters in the 2012 game won't play today and Tiffany Hayes, who led the Huskies with 22 points in an 80-65 win by the Huskies, is now playing professionally.

Kentucky has the services of star guard Jen O'Neill who missed the entire 2011-12 season and forward DeNesha Stallworth, who had to sit out last season after transferring from California.

On UConn's side, the biggest additions is the much ballyhooed freshman class of Moriah Jefferson, Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck who combined for 35 points in the regional semifinal win over Maryland.


"They are not the same team as they were last year," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "I think getting the big kid (Stallworth) in the middle changed them a lot, both of their guards O'Neill and (A'dia) Mathies are real tough to handle, they are just really good with the ball."

Don't think that the coaches on both sides haven't reminded their teams of the craziness over the weekend when top seeds Stanford and Baylor bowed out with stunning losses to Georgia and Louisville respectively.

Game is supposed to tip at 7:35 p.m. and will air on ESPN.

The best news for UConn is that junior center Stefanie Dolson, who has a stress fracture in her right ankle, went through drills in today's shootaround, took part in pre-game drills and is in the starting lineup.

In recent weeks there have been no lack of updates on where Kelly Faris ranks on UConn's career charts.

However, when I think of what Faris contributes to the team it does not come down to the number of points, rebounds, assists or even steals that she gets on a nightly basis but the way that everything she does is about trying to win games. Faris, who will move into a tie with Ann Strother for the number of games played, is currently 10th all-time at UConn in the number of victories she has been on the court for..

Faris could finish as high as No. 5 on this list if UConn were to win the remainder of its games.

Here is the list
1. Maya Moore 150-4
2. Kalana Greene 148-9
3. Tiffany Hayes 147-7
4. Tina Charles 146-6
5. Renee Montgomery 139-11
6. Lorin Dixon 136-4
    Diana Taurasi 136-8
   Ashley Battle 136-13
9. Asjha Jones 135-9
10. Kelly Faris 133-9 (heading into tonight).

CURTIS EKMARK HONORED
Curtis Ekmark, the head coach and father of UConn commit Courtney Ekmark, was named the WBCA National High School Coach of the Year after leading St. Mary's to a 29-1 record and Arizona Division I state title.


Ekmark has a 154-21 record in six seasons at St. Mary's
.
Ekmark will also coach the Purple team in the WBCA High School All-American Game and one of the players he will be coaching is UConn signee Saniya Chong out of Ossining (N.Y.) High School. The roster of the Purple team has some familiar names as former UConn recruiting targets Taya Reimer, Diamond DeShields (who was named the WBCA National Player of the Year), Erica McCall, Stephanie Mavunga and Karlie Samuelson are all on that squad.

The game will be played on Apr. 6 at the New Orleans Arena. Courtney Ekmark, a junior guard, is planning to join Curtis at the Final Four.

Former UConn star Swin Cash will be the honorary co-captain of the Black team while Tamika Catchings will be the honorary co-captain for the Purple squad.

According to the Atlanta Dream's "overseas update" former UConn star Tiffany Hayes will be heading over to Turkey to play for Besitkas where her Atlanta teammate Armintie Price is playing.

Hayes was playing for Hapoel Rishon Le-Zion in Israel averaging 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3,3 assists and 2.7 steals in 10 games before leaving the team due to the death of her grandmother.

This is usually the time when reports on how former UConn players are faring overseas start to pick up again  as the players head back to their teams following the holiday.

Unfortunately, one of those updates included some sad news for former Husky Tiffany Hayes.

Hayes was enjoying an outstanding season in Israel playing for Hapoel Rishon Le-Zion, averaging 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 steals a game but she abruptly left the team for what was termed "personal reasons" and the team signed fellow WNBA 2012 rookie phenom Riquna Williams to replace her.

Curious what "personal reasons" resulted in her departure, I found the answer on twitter where Hayes reported that her grandmother passed away.

In UConn's last two games there have 29 fouls called in the first half and 19 of them have gone against the Huskies.

Considering that UConn was playing against two of the most physical teams in the Big East in Notre Dame and Georgetown, that did not sit well with UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.

"I think the number of fouls that seem to be called on a regular basis is troubling me a little bit," Auriemma said. "We keep playing these teams that don't foul so at some point we have to find a team that fouls so that we can even it up a lot more. We just seem to be fouling more than everybody else. I know we need to fix that. We need to clean that up. In the second half we did a good job of not going that so we kept the rhythm of the game going."

There are a few theories on foul calls. There is nothing that says there needs to be a comparable number of fouls called against both teams. I remember when I covered high school girls' basketball on a regular basis and after one game more than one parent complained to me that their daughter's team was called for significantly more fouls than their opposition. I pointed out that their daughter's team rarely drove the ball to the basket so it would follow that they would not draw a ton of fouls. I see a little bit of that in UConn's case as well. UConn attempted 32 shots and 19 of them were 3-pointers. On the other end of the court, only six of Georgetown's 30 shots were 3-pointers.

However, I also saw UConn called for fouls that while looking at the same live seemed to be iffy at best. One that comes to mind is Breanna Stewart going up and tipping a rebound towards a teammate. It was a very athletic play but from my vantage point, it seemed as if the only thing Stewart did wrong was be more athletic than her Georgetown counterpart. The most vocal Auriemma got was when Brianna Banks was attempting to make a steal  but after significant body contact, she was unable to do so, I won't repeat everything Auriemma said but he was none too pleased as he felt that Banks was pushed out of bounds and a foul ought to be called against the Hoyas.

It should be pointed out that UConn has outscored Notre Dame and Georgetown 64-46 in the paint in these games so it is not simply a case of the Huskies living behind the 3-point line.

Auriemma said that trying to get more balance and get the ball into the paint on a more regular basis is a priority. This might be where UConn misses Tiffany Hayes the most. While I am among those who had some fun with how many times Hayes fell down, the fact is she knew how to get to the free-throw line. Bria Hartley is the perimeter player on the current UConn team best equipped to use dribble drives to get into the lane and get fouled but she is still looking to regain her confidence and form from her outstanding sophomore season.

UConn has been called for more fouls than its opponents in each of the last five games so it is something which bears watching.

Auriemma was also less than thrilled at the 14 first-half turnovers committed by the Huskies.


"It's funny you saw that, it got sloppy. You mean right after the opening tip? " Auriemma said in the post-game press conference. "Yeah. Right after the opening tip, The first five possessions were a disaster, I thought. Things that I am not accustomed to. I was dumbfounded. I had no idea  I could see some of the things I saw in the first five minutes of the first half and it kind of set the tone. What is does, things like that just frustrate you. You saw when we come down and get a great shot every time down, people feel great, the ball just moves, the right person ends up with an open shot but when the ball has trouble finding people, it is a very frustrating way of playing basketball. I would like to say that Georgetown had a lot to do with us turning the ball over and in a lot of cases they did but most of those were self inflicted, I thought."

Next up is a game at Marquette. I remember a game out at Marquette when Auriemma had his team intentionally take 30-second shot clock violations by dribbling in the backcourt because of the physicality in that game so it seems likely that Saturday will feature another rugged affair. The only prediction I will make about Saturday is I don't anticipate seeing UConn hoist up 41 3-pointers in that game.

Former UConn star Tiffany Hayes took advantage of the Olympic break to return home to Lakeland, Florida and hold a basketball camp yesterday.

 Here is a link to a story on Hayes' camp

 Hayes finished the first half of her rookie season with the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. Hayes scored in double figures in her last four games and her 13.6 points average in July trailed only Tulsa's Glory Johnson and Los Angeles' Nneka Ogwumike.

When former UConn star Tiffany Hayes was available with the 14th pick in April's WNBA draft, the Atlanta Dream's Marynell Meadors believed she got one of the gems in the draft. When I spoke to Meadors, an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team, following Sunday's practice it is clear that Meadors is loving the pick of Hayes more and more with each passing day.

With a sprained knee keeping the WNBA's leading scorer Angel McCoughtry out of action for the last four games, there was an opportunity for Hayes to have an expanded role. She certainly made a bid for more playing time when the WNBA emerges from it's month-long Olympic break.

Hayes scored in double figures in five of the last six games Hayes averaged 13.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Hayes, who had some issues shooting the ball early in her rookie season, shot 53 percent from the floor during that span.


"She is not a rookie anymore, she has elevated herself to a second-year player," Meadors said. "She is playing absolutely outstanding for us. She is working extremely hard. On our defensive assignments, she has the best offensive guard and has done an excellent job.

"She is (playing) 20 plus minutes and it is really good for rookies to get that many minutes. Her scoring and 3-point shooting has increased, it is doing better. Defensively, she is all over the court. She is a help defender, she is guarding her player, she is just doing a great job for us."

Hayes' defensive versatility has been a major bonus for Atlanta.

"We've had her guarding the 1, 2, 3 and sometimes the 4," Meadors said. "She is big enough that she can guard bigger people because of her quickness, the lateral quickness that she has she can defend just about anybody on the court. I was greatly surprised when she was there at 14. Everybody who selected before us did us a huge favor because she is big plus for us."

Former UConn guard Tiffany Hayes had a career-high 23 points (shooting 8 of 13 from the field), six rebounds, four assists and one steal as the Atlanta Dream defeated Phoenix 100-93 in overtime on Sunday. Former Husky Ketia Swanier had six points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals as Atlanta won without Olympian Angel McCoughtry. Speaking of stars missing the game, ex UConn star Diana Taurasi missed her 14th game of the season with a hip flexor for Phoenix. UConn grad Charde Houston had 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals for the Mercury.

The Connecticut Sun's impressive success on the road continued with an 86-80 win over defending WNBA champion Minnesota.

Kara Lawson's 22 points and 10 rebounds led the way for the Sun to improve to 12-4 while former Huskies Tina Charles (19 points, 15 rebounds) and Asjha Jones (16 points and 11 rebounds) also had double doubles.

The Sun led by 17 points with 6:54 before Minnesota can roaring back. UConn grad Maya Moore had nine of her team-high 19 points down the stretch as Minnesota pulled within three points. The Sun scored its last eight points from the free-throw line to hold on for the win.

The WNBA's nationally-televised game between Los Angeles and Seattle lost some of its luster when Seattle held out UConn product and Olympian Sue Bird with a hip injury. Los Angeles rolled to an 83-59 win,

After the game Bird talked about missing the game.

Every once in a while you get banged up and timing doesn't work in your favor," Bird said. "Coming into this weekend we had a back-to-back. It was recommended to get as much rest as possible, so it didn't become a long-term issue. If I wake up (Sunday) and feel good, I expect to play."