Even a couple of months after the season, the UConn women's basketball program had a weekend to remember.

The highlight was former national player of the year Kara Wolters becoming the third member of UConn's first national championship team to be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Rebecca Lobo was the first former Husky honored as she was a part of the Class of 2010, three years later it was Jen Rizzotti's turn.

Kara Wolters, Louise O'Neal and rest of Hall of Fame class
(photo courtesy of Women's Basketball Hall of Fame)

Wolters gave a tremendous and emotional acceptance speech, paid homage to her late mom and was escorted at the induction by her two daughters.

Wolters wasn't the only inductee with Connecticut ties as former Southern Connecticut State coach Louise O'Neal was a member of the class as well.

O'Neal coached the Owls from 1962-76 and helped Southern Connecticut be the only school to play in the first eight National Women's College Championships (an event that predated the NCAA tournament). The Owls finished third in 1973 and 1974 (losing by a combined six points in the semifinals both years) and also advanced to the semifinals in 1975.

After taking Southern Connecticut from a club program to a national powerhouse, O'Neal continued to make an impact even after her coaching career came to an end. She was the former president of the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women and served on the NCAA Long-Range Planning Committee, Women’s Basketball Rules Committee, Sears Cup Selection Committee and NACDA Executive Board.

Getting back to UConn, 10 former Huskies had double-digit scoring games and for those wondering, second on that list over the weekend was Duke with six followed by Notre Dame's four.

Stefanie Dolson had a career-high 25 points for Chicago while rookie Saniya Chong had her first career double-digit scoring game with 10 points against Minnesota on Sunday which came two days after she netted a career-best seven points. Breanna Stewart (23 points), Sue Bird (21 points), Moriah Jefferson (18 points), Renee Montgomery (13) and Bria Hartley (10) all set or matched their season highs. Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore, who each celebrated birthdays on Sunday, had games with 27 and 17 points respectively while Tina Charles had a 21-point game.



UConn legend Diana Taurasi closing in on pair
of WNBA career soring records

Taurasi is now 28 points shy of Tina Thompson's WNBA record for most points scored in the regular season. Thompson had 7,488 points in 496 career games while Taurasi has 7,460 in 375 games. Bird recently passed Delisha Milton-Jones to moved into ninth place on that list although it's going to take a while to move up to No. 8 as she is 243 points behind Becky Hammon. If playoff points were included, Taurasi would trail record-holder Tamika Catchings by 66 points.

On Sunday some players who could land at UConn were able to lead the U.S. to the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Aliyah Boston, a forward from Worcester and a player very much on UConn's recruiting radar, was named the tournament's MVP. Boston had 15 points and six rebounds in the win over Canada in the gold medal game. She led the U.S. in scoring (11.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.6) in the tournament.

Fellow Class of 2019 UConn recruiting target Samanta Brunelle averaged 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.2 blocked shots in the five games and was the team captain. Paige Bueckers and Zia Cooke were other double-digit scorers for the U.S. in the tourney. In the title game, the top scorer was the team's youngest player Azzi Fudd from Falls Church, Va. The 14-year-old Fudd had 18 points as she was 4 of 6 from 3-point range. She also had five steals. Not bad for somebody who is several months away from the start of her freshman season of high school basketball. I would have to think her high school games will feature just a few college coaches in the stands.

The team was coached by another veteran of UConn's 1995 national championship team Carla Berube, the head coach at Tufts.

“We just kept getting stop after stop,” Berube said in the USA Basketball release on the gold-medal game. “In the first quarter, I thought we allowed them to get a lot of easy drives. They were getting to the rim on us. In the second quarter, we really shut that down and got some important defensive rebounds, and that was leading to easy offense. When you get stop after stop, it’s hard to sustain us in transition, because we have athletes and players who can make plays in transition and make plays for each other. It was awesome to watch. For a team that has not been together very long, they worked really well together.”

Finally, I've been out of the loop a little basketball wise over the last few days because of my responsibilities covering the semifinals and championship games in the CIAC softball tournament. While I was there I caught up with UConn incoming softball freshman Brianna Marcelino.

Marcelino scored from first base on a single and later drove in a run as Barlow won its first state title with a 4-2 win over Torrington in the Class L final.

There will be a story on Marcelino going up on the www.gametimect.com site later today focusing mostly on the state final and fact that Marcelino grew up in Madison (along with fellow UConn signee Hollis Wivell) before the family moved to Easton when she was in eighth grade. Heading into the state semifinals, she was batting .617 with 43 runs, 41 RBIs, 10 doubles, 12 homers, 21 stolen bases and just four errors.

If this was indeed the international swan song for former UConn teammates Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, they certainly are leaving with style.

Bird and Taurasi, who first played together during the 2000-01 college season followed up their on-court partnership at UConn by playing together in Russia and of course a remarkable run with the U.S. national team.

Taurasi finished as the leading scorer for the U.S. team and Bird set an Olympic record for assist/turnover ratio as the U.S. won their sixth straight Olympic gold medal with a 101-72 win over Spain.

Taurasi had 17 points as she averaged 15.6 points in the eight games aided by her 58 percent shooting from 3-point range as she joined Bird and Tamika Catchings as four-time Olympic gold medalists.

"It’s huge," Taurasi said. "It says a lot about the people the run USA Basketball.  It says a lot about the youth in our country that when you put this jersey on, there’s a level and it’s not necessarily just basketball, it’s a way to be a great teammate.  We showed that in this tournament "

Former Connecticut Sun guard Lindsay Whalen had 13 points and five rebounds. Former UConn star Maya Moore had 12 of her 14 points in the first half and also had five rebounds and six assists.

Bird, who missed the semifinal win over France with a knee injury, had one assist and one turnover giving her 31 assists versus four turnovers in the tournament which is easily the best mark in Olympic women's basketball history. Bahar Caglar of Turkey had 11 assists and 2 turnovers in the 2012 Olympics while in 1996 Hyun Sun Han of Korea had 16 assists and 3 turnovers.

"I’m just really happy," Bird said. "We just did something that’s pretty incredible. When you get together as a team and you know you only have a month to do something, it’s remarkable in so many ways that we were able to put this together and do it in a fashion that leaves no question marks. This put us on the map as arguable one of the best teams, and we had fun doing it.

"I don’t think I’ve ever been around a group that’s this talented and also played this hard. Again, I’m just super happy. I’m proud of my teammates. I’m proud I’m part of this group. I’m happy for Coach Auriemma and the rest of the staff, and it’s just a really fun day today."

In the second quarter alone, UConn grads Taurasi, Bird, Moore, Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart combined for 26 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a blocked shot as the U.S. outscored Spain 28-15 to take a commanding 49-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Charles finished with eight points, seven rebounds and five assists while Stewart finished with 11 points.

Charles and Moore join Bird and Taurasi as the only players to win multiple NCAA, World Championship and Olympic titles while Stewart becomes the ninth former Husky to win a gold medal in women's basketball.

"This is in a league of its own," said Stewart, who averaged 8.1 points per game while shooting 73.3 percent from the field. "This is a different kind of toughness to be able to win gold medal just because you come together with 11 other great players, best players in the world, and we had two weeks to prepare really. Then we got here and played well and acted like we been playing with each together for the entire year."

Moore joined Taurasi as the only double-digit scorer for the U.S. averaging 12 points per game, she also had a team-high 16 steals and was tied for the team lead with 45 rebounds. It should be noted that six U.S. players had at least 20 assists and four of them graduated from UConn as Moore had a team high 34 assists, Taurasi had 26 and Charles finished with 25.

It had to be extra special for Auriemma. He made it clear after returning home from the 2012 Olympics that he was done with being in the pressure cooker of coaching the U.S. national team. USA Basketball Women's National Team Director Carol Callan wouldn't take no for an answer and Auriemma decided that being able to coach his former players and especially Bird and Taurasi was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

It wasn't an easy ride. He had to answer questions daily about whether the dominance of the U.S. team was good for the game (like he never heard that question before). When two-time Olympian Candace Parker was left off the team, he faced accusations of picking players because they went to UConn. Those petty claims were on social media even today. None of that seemed to matter after the gold medal game as Auriemma became the first coach to win multiple Olympic gold medals in women's basketball even if he doesn't get a medal.

"Obviously, it was an incredible tournament for us," Auriemma said after the game. "From the very first game that we played to today, with very few exceptions I thought we played basketball at a really high level. I can’t say enough about our players. How quickly they’ve come together, how much they’ve been able to accomplish in less than a month that we’ve been together. It wasn’t as easy as sometimes it looked. These last two games especially with France and today against Spain. These are very good teams that we’re playing, and you could see that it wasn’t just a cake walk, that it was a struggle. Then finally, because of our depth and because of the experience on our team, we were able to separate ourselves. But the way we played, we respected our opponents and we respected the game itself, we earned a lot of respect from a lot of people around the world, and I’m really proud of that."

Catchings has announced that this was her Olympic swan song and we'll have to see if Bird and Taurasi opt to try to become the first five-time Olympic gold medalists in women's basketball in four years time. Also, will UConn coach Geno Auriemma be the head coach for the U.S. in 2020. If I had to guess I would say no on all accounts.

Former Connecticut Sun draft pick Alba Torrens led Spain with 18 points.

Serbia won the bronze medal with a 70-63 win over France. Former Connecticut Sun forward Danielle Page had 10 points as she was one of five players from Serbia in double figures.

UConn's all-time leading scorer Maya Moore showed that she can much more than just points on the scoreboard as the United States wrapped up pool play in the Olympics with a dominating 105-62 victory over China.

Moore, who plays professionally in China during the winter. had eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals and a blocked shot to go with her nine points.

Tina Charles, who teamed with Moore to win two national titles at UConn, had 18 points and three rebounds. The top three low post players for the U.S. dominated as Brittney Griner had 18 points and 13 rebounds while Sylvia Fowles chipped in with 13 points.

UConn legends Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird had six and five assists as the U.S. broke its own team single-game record with 40 assists.

The U.S. played without reigning WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne, who was hit in her eye during pregame warmups.

The U.S. will play Japan in the quarterfinals.  Game is slated to start at 5:45 p.m.

Spain finished second in Group B with a 73-60 win over Canada.

UConn's Kia Nurse finished with eight points, one rebound and two assists but she didn't score her first basket until 3:10 remained as the loss means Canada will meet France in the quarterfinals at 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday with a potential rematch with the U.S. looming in the semifinals. Former UCLA star Nirra Fields led Canada with 13 points while former Connecticut Sun draft pick Alba Torrens had 20 points to lead Spain which meets Turkey in the quarterfinals.

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.

Former UConn star Tina Charles shoots over former Connecticut Sun forward Elizabeth
Williams in Monday night's exhibition game in Los Angeles. (Photo courtesy of USA Basketball)

The U.S. women's Olympic team was in danger of dropping its first game when a trio of former UConn stars took control.

The U.S. Select team, a group of young WNBA players, held a two-point lead with a minute to go. Breanna Stewart hit a layup off an assist from Tina Charles to tie the game. Charles also had a pair of key rebounds while Maya Moore was 4 for 4 from a foul line in the final 39.3 seconds to lead the U.S. to an 88-84 victory.

"We were trying to accomplish a lot," said Moore, who tied for the team lead with 11 points. We were putting different lineups out there on the court, trying different schemes, trying to see what we could do…and the Select Team was very aggressive in terms of those moments when we weren’t completely on the same page. But we were able to respond and finish the game the right way. Hey, we could have easily lost this game. So I’m glad we were able to come through and build some momentum for the next game."

Moore also had three rebounds and three assists while Elena Delle Donne also had 11 points. Lindsay Whalen and Angel McCoughtry had nine points each, Stewart had six of her eight points in the fourth quarter, Charles had eight points and four rebounds. Diana Taurasi had seven points and a team-high five assists while Sue Bird finished with six points.

Natasha Howard had 18 of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter, Jewell Loyd had 20 points and Odyssey Sims added 17 to lead the Select team.

"I thought the way the Select Team played was really cool," UConn and U.S. coach Geno Auriemma said. "They played as if they play against these guys all the time, which they do. There wasn’t going to be any sense of intimidation of who they are, which is why we play these games. We need the challenges. We need to look at different combinations and figure out what works for us and what doesn’t. For us, in the two days we’ve been together, we did a lot of really good things and we’re going to get better and better every day. And for the future of USA Basketball, there were some unbelievably positive signs out there of what the next group could potentially look like. It was a good day, I think, all the way around."

The U.S. will now play three international friendlies in three different states beginning tomorrow when the U.S. faces France at 7:30 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center on the campus of the University of Delaware. That will be preceded by a 5 p.m. game between Canada (featuring UConn's Kia Nurse) and Australia at 5 p.m. On Friday at Webster Bank Arena, Australia and France will play at 4:30 p.m. followed by the Canada/U.S. game at 7. Canada and France will meet at 1:30 p.m. on July 31 followed by the U.S./Australia game at Madison Square Garden. The team will wrap up the state-side preparations with a practice in Houston on Aug. 2 before leaving for Rio.

"They’re three really big games for us against three teams that are going to be at the Olympics that we’ve played before," Taurasi said. "We know what kind of team they are, what kind of quality they have. It’s going to challenge us to go out there and play hard and play really well to win. When you put this jersey on, as coach said, there are no moral victories. At the same time, these games are there to prepare you, to get you in a position where when we get to Rio, we know what we’re going with and the things that we’re really good at. It’ll be a tough and competitive three games."

Four former UConn stars including three members of the undefeated 2002 national championship team were named to the list of the top 20 players since the inception of the WNBA.
The WNBA 20@20, which was voted on by a 15-member panel WNBA coaches and administrators as well as national media members, was unveiled on ESPN's 10 a.m. edition of SportsCenter.

Sue Bird and Swin Cash, the top two picks in the 2002 WNBA Draft, and 2004 No. 1 overall pick Diana Taurasi were selected along with 2011 No. 1 overall pick Maya Moore, the leading scorer in UConn history.

“To be included among the top 20 players in this league's history is a huge honor," said Bird in a statement. "Watching the level of competition rise over the years has been incredible and I am excited to see where the league goes in the next 20."
Tina Charles, the 2012 WNBA MVP, and Nykesha Sales were also nominated giving UConn six of the 60 nominees.

Lindsay Whalen is the only representative of the Connecticut Sun to be named to the list of top 20 players as she was the Sun's first-round pick in 2004.

The list is highlighted by the trio of Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson who teamed up to lead the Houston Comets to the first four WNBA championships. Former MVP Lisa Leslie as well as Teresa Weatherspoon are the other original WNBA players honored by the league while Yolanda Griffith, Becky Hammon, Lauren Jackson, Deanna Nolan, career assists leader Ticha Penicheiro and Katie Smith are other former WNBA stars to make the cut.

Seimone Augustus, Tamika Catchings, Candace Parker and Cappie Pondexter join Bird, Cash, Moore, Taurasi and Whalen are active WNBA players named to the top 20.
"I grew up watching the WNBA, and to be in a class of athletes of the caliber that this league has produced over the past 20 years is a huge honor,” Moore said. “It’s definitely a dream come true. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to compete at the highest levels and develop my talent to the point that I was even in consideration for this honor.”
UConn leads the way for four players honored, Southern California (Cooper, Leslie and Thompson) and Tennessee (Catchings and Parker) are the only other programs with more than one honoree.

Connecticut Sun teammates Alex Bentley and Kelsey Bone
to make their first all-star appearances on Saturday

The WNBA released its all-star reserves late last night and leading the list are former UConn stars Sue Bird and Stefanie Dolson and the Connecticut Sun duo of Alex Bentley and Kelsey Bone.

This is Bird's ninth all-star game and the Seattle Storm guard has been a starter seven times. Bird leads the Seattle Storm in scoring (10.3 points per game) and is the WNBA leader with an average of 5.5 assists per game.

With the Tulsa Shock's Skylar Diggins, one of the Western Conference starting guards, out for the year with a torn ACL, and fellow starter Seimone Augustus of Minnesota currently out with a knee injury, Bird would have to be considering among the top candidates to be named a starter. WNBA President Laurel Richie will announce the injury replacements while all-star game coaches make the changes in the starting lineups.

Dolson will be making her first all-star appearance. She is 15th in the WNBA in scoring with an average of 13.4 points per game and is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. There are now four former UConn stars on rosters for Saturday's WNBA All-Star game as Tina Charles of the New York Liberty will start for the East and Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx will be in the starting lineup for the Western Conference.

Bentley, in her third season in the WNBA and second with the Connecticut Sun, is sixth in the league in scoring (17.1 points per game) and her average of 2.64 steals per game is second in the WNBA.

Bone, also in her second season with the Sun and third in the league. She leads the Sun in rebounding (6.3 per game) and is second in scoring (15.4).

Here's reaction from Bentley and Bone courtesy of the Connecticut Sun

Alex Bentley on being named to the All-Star game“I am really honored to be a part of the All-Star game. I would not be here without the help of my teammates, and I also have to thank coach Donovan, who has put me in a great situation where I had more opportunity to succeed. It’s going to be great to play on my home court.”

Kelsey Bone on being named to the All-Star game“As a little girl, it’s something that you always dream about. It’s a testament to my teammates, and I am excited to be able to represent the Sun at home for this All Star game."​

Here are the reserves (although Lindsay Whalen's status is up in the air after being poked in the eye in Sunday's game and the Minnesota guard is considered iffy to play tonight when the Lynx host the Sun).

Eastern Conference: Bentley, Bone, Marissa Coleman (Indiana), Dolson, Emma Meesserman (Washington) and Cappie Pondexter (New York).
Western Conference: Bird, DeWanna Bonner (Phoenix), Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles), Plenette Pierson (Tulsa), Danielle Robinson (San Antonio) and Whalen.

Fans can watch Friday's all-star practices from 3-5 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena for free. The game is set for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and will air on ABC.

Tina Charles seemed rather determined to keep her dreams for the EuroLeague title alive.

The former UConn star had 19 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots in a 63-52 win against Galatasaray to lead her Fenerbahce team into the EuroLeague Final Four.

Charles, who averaged 13.3 points and 10.3 rebound in the three-game series, is the second former Husky to deliver a world-class performance to close out a quarterfinal series as Diana Taurasi also had an impressive showing as UMMC Ekaterinburg closed out Nadezhda in two games. Taurasi averaged 16 points and 4.5 assists in the quarterfinal series.

Former UConn star Maya Moore scored 16 of her game-high 18 points in the first half to lead the United States team to its second straight FIBA World Championship for Women with a 77-64 win over Spain. Moore was named the tournament's MVP after leading the U.S. in scoring with an average of 15.2 points per game. She was also 14 of 27 from the 3-point line and her 3-point field goal percentage was tied for the fourth best in tournament history by a U.S. player and best number since 2002.

Lindsay Whalen came off the bench to add 12 points while former UConn star Tina Charles finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists as the U.S. won its ninth World Championship.

Seimone Augustus also scored in double figures as she finished with 10 points and six rebounds off the bench while Brittney Griner added 11 points.

Former UConn star Sue Bird, the first U.S. player to appear in four World Championships, had three assists and three steals and Diana Taurasi, her former teammate with the Huskies, had six points, four rebounds and eight assists.

UConn All-American Breanna Stewart did not score.

It is the second straight World Championship for the U.S. under the direction of UConn coach Geno Auriemma.

Sancho Lyttle, who came into the game averaging 18.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Spain while former Connecticut Sun draft pick Alba Torrens had 10 points.

The U.S. clinched a berth in the 2016 Olympics by winning the World Championship.

Here are quotes from Auriemma, Bird, Moore and Stewart courtesy of USA Basketball

GENO AURIEMMA
On winning his second FIBA World Championship:
 It’s very difficult to win these championships. There’s a lot of great teams and they’re getting better all the time. You can tell by the games, and it’s really, really difficult. For us to be able to do that, even though everybody expects us to do it, that doesn’t make it easier. Yesterday’s Australia’s game and today’s game against Spain were perfect examples of how difficult this is to win. I’m really proud of our team. These guys make a great sacrifice, because they just finished playing in their own league, in the WNBA and a lot of them are getting ready to go play in Europe. So, it’s a tremendous sacrifice that they made for their country and I can’t be more proud of them.

What do you think of the competition and do you think that one day people will be able to close the gap with the USA?
 It goes in cycles. It’s true; we did win in 2010 at the World Championship. But in 2006, we lost. So, it’s not like we’re going to win every year no matter what. We still have to get our best players to play together. There are more good teams than there were, say 10, 12, 14 years ago, from what I remember. There’s just more good teams. The games become more popular and there’s more support for the teams overseas. So, we don’t expect to win every single year. Just the year that we’re playing (laughs).

What was the most difficult part of winning this championship?
 I think for us, it’s usually that we don’t have a lot of time together. So, we know we’re not really prepared for everything. Diana (Taurasi) and Candice (Dupree) got here at the last minute and Brittney (Griner) got here even later than that. We’re just not ready for everything that happens. So, some things we struggle with. So, the biggest thing for us to overcome is on defense most of the time, believe it or not.¬† We have a lot of great offensive players. So, we try to take advantage of that and most of the time it works.

We had a very difficult draw also. We played France in the quarterfinal game. That’s a really difficult quarterfinal game, and Australia in the semifinals, and then Spain. So, we had a very difficult road and sometimes we had to make things up as we go along and usually we find a way.

What was your focus on Spain?
 We went into the game understanding that Alba (Torrens) and Sancho (Lyttle) were going to be really, really key for everything that Spain would accomplish throughout the game. We also knew that they were a great offensive rebounding team. They’re maybe the best offensive rebounding team in the entire tournament. In the first half we did a great job of guarding those two guys, but we didn’t do a great job of keeping them off the glass. I know we scored 40-some points in the first half, I don’t even know how many, but we could have scored a lot more points if we had gotten out in transition after those missed shots. But, they worked exceptionally hard. I think we got most of the stuff accomplished today. We did a great job on the two of them. We didn’t necessarily do a great job on the rebounding, but we shot high percentage. Just like a lot of other times in basketball, when you shoot the ball really well, it covers up a whole lot of other things that maybe you did poorly.

Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
On tonight’s game:
 Obviously today was a great win for us. Obviously we had one goal the entire time this team’s been together and that was to win a gold medal. Coach Auriemma in the locker room said it best, a lot of people look at this team and see a lot of talent and think it’s going to be easy. But, it’s not. Whenever you can win a gold medal and it’s been a tough journey, it feels even better at the end. Everyone’s really happy and really excited about the medal and I’m definitely proud of this team.

On being the most decorated athlete (three gold medals, one bronze medal) in FIBA World Championship history, men or women. What does that mean to you?
 I know when I hear 2006 (when the USA returned with the bronze medal), it still makes me mad. But, I don’t really know how to feel about it right now to be honest. It’s kind of surreal. I’m sure it’s one of those things, when I get older and look back and reflect, it’ll probably hit me a little more than it is right now. But, I do know that I’ve been very lucky to play for some amazing coaches alongside some amazing teammates and I know that I’m just been one player. I happen to have been to four Worlds, but I definitely didn’t do anything by myself, that’s for sure. Looking back I’m sure it’ll hit me, but right now I’m just enjoying this one.


Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx)
On tonight’s game:
 Coming into the game we were all really excited, just knowing that so many of us have been in this position to compete for a title. We played better and better each game, coming together, especially offensively, getting a feel for each other and knowing how each other moves and where we’re going to be. It was really fun to watch that develop and today we were able to do that one last time and finish our journey together. Every team that came here played with so much heart and so much passion, so to overcome all the teams that have been working together for months was really satisfying.¬†

How much more can this team evolve for Rio in 2016?
 Well, you can every single player, ‘Could you have done something better?’ And each one of us will say, ‘Yes, absolutely.’ It’s the beauty of basketball; you’re never really done. There’s always to improve. It’s such a fluid game. There’s always things you can tweak and improve upon and be better. So, that’s the challenge and that’s why we come in practice every day. We of course come to win the game, but ultimately we want to win playing well together. As long as there’s another game, there’s another opportunity to be better.

So, every time we have a training camp, whenever we come together, that’s our goal: to play beautiful basketball together. With this group it was easy at times, just because there are so many great players. But, it’s always a grind. You’re always trying to compete and work and get better, and two years from now some of the younger players that you saw will be even better and the players who are a little bit older will be even more experienced and I’m excited to see what that looks like.

On earning MVP:
 It hasn’t really hit me. I’m just excited that we won. If one of us is talking about what MVP means, it means our team won. So, that’s what I’m most excited about. I’m just grateful to be able to contribute to this phenomenal team. Just the legacy of USA Basketball is unpatrolled. To have participated with USA Basketball since I was a teenager is really cool. Just to be healthy enough to be here, and to have the coaching staff and the people that helped make us look great and put us in positions to be ourselves is really awesome. International basketball, you can’t get any bigger. You’re competing on the world stage and there’s so many emotions wrapped up in it from different teams, from different countries. You’ve got family and friends who have come so long to come support us and you feel that extra special appreciation, because you’re playing with players that you’ll probably going to be competing against the majority of your career. To enjoy that camaraderie for the month that we’re together is pretty memorable.¬†

Breanna Stewart (University of Connecticut)
On winning alongside her UConn family:
 It is special. Obviously, when you grow and get to UConn, you realize how much your family has grown, and the fact that I’m able to celebrate this with not only my coaches, but also people who have played at UConn before me, and the road that they have paved for us.

Are you ready to go back to school?
 I’m actually looking forward to seeing my teammates and my friends again, but I could do this for a little bit. It’s been a great experience, and I’m glad to be able to be here.

Former UConn star Maya Moore is second leading scorer in FIBA
World Championships through pool play averaging 16 per game

Former UConn star Maya Moore had 16 points and three rebounds as the United States wrapped up a perfect run through pool play at the FIBA World Championship for Women with a 119-44 win over Angola as the U.S. posted its largest margin of victory in the world championships and the 119 points matched the highest total for the U.S. in the event's history.

Nneka Ogwumike led the U.S. with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Seimone Augustus and Brittney Griner had 15 points each for the U.S., which is off until Friday's quarterfinals.

UConn junior Breanna Stewart finished with 9 points (going 7 of 7 from free-throw line) and six rebounds, Tina Charles had seven points and four rebounds, Diana Taurasi had five points and five assists and Sue Bird added two points and three assists.

The U.S. had already secured a spot in Friday's quarterfinals before playing Angola and will play either France or Brazil with a potential semifinal date with rival Australia looming.

Geno Auriemma
What does it mean to have won by 75 points?
I don’t think it means anything. We have a lot more talent than Angola. We have more experienced players. I don’t think there’s anything they could have done to prevent what happened. When we take our starting five out and we put another five in that’s just as experienced, even though some of them are young. So, I think the score is not a reflection that Angola doesn’t play hard or they didn’t play well. We just have that many good players, that’s all that is. It doesn’t mean anything.

If we had won by this much and we had played really poorly, and we had won by this much, it’s because we have more talent than Angola, I’d be a little disappointed. But, I thought we played really, really well. I thought our offensive chemistry was really good. The ball moved really well. We got the ball in the lane a lot. I like the old format where we had six games before the medal round. It gave us more of an opportunity to be together and play games. This new format I don’t think helps us as much as the other format, but it is what it is. We have to get good real quick, and I think we’re going to be OK.

What were you focusing on tonight?
We want to concentrate on a few things that we think we’ve got to get better at, and we did. We were a little worried that we weren’t getting the ball in the lane enough, and tonight in that first quarter, that ball got into the lane a lot and often, and early in the possession. And the other thing was that we wanted to defensively stay out of the bonus, because that’s been hurting us a little bit, keep the ball out of the lane, because that was hurting us a little bit. And I thought we did a great job on both counts.

Thoughts on the quarterfinals, where the USA will play the winner of tomorrow’s France-Brazil game:

We know France; we just played them recently. I really haven’t seen Brazil much. Our coaches have gone out

to see them. Either way, when you get to this point, into the quarterfinals, you get to the medal rounds, it’s not

like you can afford to lose a game, you can’t afford to play poorly. You’re looking at one bad night and you go

home. So, our players understand that and whoever we play, whether it’s France or Brazil, we’ll be ready.

On everyone contributing:

We have a really good team. We have a really good group of kids. They communicate well with each other,

they play hard, they’re very respectful of each other’s abilities. We don’t have anybody out there trying to prove

that they’re better than anybody else. It’s been a great group to coach so far, and I’m looking forward to a great

weekend.

Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx)

What were you working on tonight?

Just being efficient and consistent and being the aggressor. Coach talked about coming out, being the one who

punched first. It started with the starting five. They brought great energy, and it trickled down to the second

five. We just wanted to come out and maintain what the starting five established on the floor.

Is it hard to stay focused in a game like this?

It’s not hard at all because you’re focusing on yourself. We know we have big games coming up that really

count, so you can’t lose focus on what the bigger picture is, which is trying to get the gold medal here at the

World Championship.

Do you feel the team has improved over these three games?

Yes. Now that everybody’s here, we have our 12 women, it’s kind of coming together. You can see the

cohesion of the starting five. And then the second five that comes in, the things that we do are starting to show

out on the court now.

Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)

What do you work on as a team in a game like this?

Obviously we knew there was a chance the game would be a little lopsided, but we weren’t really focused on

that. We were focused on ourselves and trying to get better. That’s always how it is with the national team,

really. We never have a lot of time to practice. We never have a chance to really develop a chemistry, so we

can’t take any night off, and that includes a game like this with a score as lopsided as it was.

What kind of things were you working on?

There actually were some things we were specifically working on: getting off to better starts and then

basketball-wise, working on a zone, working on certain plays and things like that. But, really it was all about us.

Coach talked about respecting your opponent and going out there playing well, but also playing up to our ability

as opposed to playing to another team’s level.

Have you seen the chemistry start to grow over these past three games?

Definitely. When I think back to some of the scrimmages and practices in Annapolis, the Red-White game, the

games against Canada, since then we’ve added people, but it’s just gotten better and better. I think everyone is

starting to get comfortable. And that’s huge. Comfort is a big part of basketball when you’re playing with new

teammates. So, the more steps you’re taking in that direction, the better.

Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury)

How difficult is it to play a game like this?

You have to stay as focused as possible. You have to prepare for the next three games. So, we tried to use it to

do some different stuff. Coach was trying to get us into some zone a little bit, pressuring the ball, one-on-one,

man-to-man defense. It’s not always easy, but we were able to get it done.

What did you think about Angola’s team?

They played extremely hard for 40 minutes. When you see that you have the United States in your group, it’s

not always easy because we have so much depth. But, they kept fighting for 40 minutes, and they never let

down.

How do you stay focused during a game like that?

What I’m focused on personally is working hard to make that team two years from now. So, I can’t go out there

and slack off. But, as a team, as a unit, the biggest thing is preparing defensively for what we have ahead, and

that was the big thing that coach told us before the game in order to earn our off day.

Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury)

Is it tough to stay focused with a big lead like against Angola?

No. You always want to work forward, towards teams that we might meet. You don’t want to play down.

You don’t want to play to the score. You don’t want to go on cruise control. When you have a game like

this, you start working on other things to get you ready for your next opponent, and I think we did that

today. I think we came out, we played and we never let off. No matter what the score was, we wanted to

play hard and play to the best of our ability.

We saw how excited Angola was after the game to take pictures with you guys. That’s kind of rare, isn’t it?

It was a little strange, but they were real cool, and on the court they were cool, too. Blocking shots, one

of them with the pink hair came up to me and (wags finger) and was like, ‘No more, no more.’ I was

like, ‘Sorry, I have to,’ But they were cool. We’ve taken some more photos actually.

She gave you the finger wag?

She did the finger wag. She was like, ‘No more, no more, no more.’ I was like, ‘I think I’m supposed to do

the finger wag.’

On all 12 players getting a lot of playing time:

It was really good to get O (Odyssey Sims) out there, get Stew (Breanna Stewart) out there as well. You

know, it’s just going to help with their careers, and you never know when somebody is going to have to

step up, so to get them out there, get them some minutes, more experience, it was good.

This is your first FIBA World Championship, too:

First Worlds ... First Worlds, but not my first time with Geno, you know, with Coach Auriemma, but first

Worlds. It’s been good. I’m kind of happy that we opened up with China, some familiar faces, and then

yesterday we played Serbia and then Angola today. So, I’m feeling good, feeling really good with my

performance.

Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks)

On the game:

I thought it was good. We came in focusing on ourselves. Coach has been saying, no matter who we are

playing, we have to focus on ourselves the whole time to get better, and I thought we did a good job of

maintaining that all four quarters.

We saw how excited Angola was after the game to take pictures with you guys. Can you talk about that?

Everyone here has been really friendly. We’ve had teams wish us luck, and we’ve had teams like that,

who were friendly with us before and after the game. It’s a great atmosphere, and I think we support each

other, just being basketball players. It’s a global culture, so for us to be able to experience that with them

and them experience that with us is special.

How much as playing in FIBA competitions helped you?

Drastically. Playing USA ball is a lot different than playing in college in the WNBA, and it’s a lot like

playing overseas, obviously, because we have international play. But, it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been

able to play with a lot of great players, and against the world’s best players, so to get that experience is

something that you really can’t get anywhere else, obviously, unless you play overseas.

Odyssey Sims

On the game:

We did play well, but we can always get better, every practice, every shoot around, even during the game.

Everybody is still learning, so there is a teaching point always, and we learn from our mistakes and try to

build on them.

On her playing time:

It was fun. We were winning by a lot, so I had a great experience, and I’m still learning.

Former UConn stars Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi were the top two vote-getters on the All-WNBA team which was announced earlier today.

Moore, the league MVP, was a unanimous first-team pick receiving all 38 votes as she set WNBA records with 12 30-point games and four straight games with at least 30 points for the Minnesota Lynx.

Taurasi finished with the second most votes and was named to the first team for a record ninth time during her 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. She was joined on the first team by Mercury teammate Brittney Griner, Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks and Tulsa guard Skylar Diggins, the only selection not to be a former No. 1 overall pick.

Former UConn star Tina Charles of the New York Liberty was named to the second team.


Below are the results of the 2014 All-WNBA Team voting:

2014 ALL-WNBA FIRST TEAM

Player Team Position Points
Maya Moore Minnesota Lynx Forward 180
Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks Forward 116
Brittney Griner Phoenix Mercury Center 170
Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury Guard 171
Skylar Diggins Tulsa Shock Guard 140

2014 ALL-WNBA SECOND TEAM
Player Team Position Points

Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream Forward 90
Nneka Ogwumike Los Angeles Sparks Forward 45
Tina Charles New York Liberty Center 88
Lindsay Whalen Minnesota Lynx Guard 116
Danielle Robinson San Antonio Stars Guard 27
Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx Guard 27

Four of the players at the U.S. national team camp happen to be former UConn stars who grew up in New York. With the U.S. playing an intrasquad scrimmage in Delaware tomorrow on the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the folks at USA Basketball got reaction from Sue Bird, Tina Charles and Bria Hartley about playing on that day.

SUE BIRD
What is the significance of playing on 9/11?

It has been 13 years since 9/11 but it still feels like yesterday. I could tell you exactly where I was, exactly what I was doing and I know it will be like that for the rest of my life and everybody else who was in America that day, everyone who is an American for that matter.


The one thing that I have always really enjoyed about USA Basketball, was the minute that you put the jersey on, obviously you are in a competitive environment and you are trying to win gold medals and you get focused on that but really at the end of the day you have an entire nation behind you and you are representing them and they are cheering for you. It is always good, especially on days like 9/11, on the anniversary of it to have a good feeling in those moments. So, I know tomorrow when we put our jerseys on we’ll know people are watching and thinking about that day but also hopefully watching us just enjoy ourselves out there on the court and supporting us.


Where were you on 9/11?

I was in college. I was in class, I was in college, our professor’s phone kept ringing, he’s ignoring it, he’s ignoring it, it kept ringing, it kept ringing, he’s ignoring it, he’s ignoring it. And actually, Swin, who was a little late to class, she’s my roommate though; she came in and was like guys, I think something happened at the World Trade Center today and we were like ok, but she didn’t actually see the news.  It kept ringing, it kept ringing, So we go to the next class and the teacher was like everyone go home and call your loved ones, what just happened might be worse than Pearl Harbor. So we were like ‘what the hell is going on?’ I finally got back to my dorm room and turned the news on. I will never forget that story.

TINA CHARLES

What do you remember most about 9/11? Where were you?

I usually get very emotional when it comes to 9/11, just being born and raised in New York and being in the eighth grade when it happened. My mom works in the Empire State Building, so she got caught up in everything down there. I just remember being in eighth grade, my mom was covered in debris when she came to get me so it was very, very emotional. Tomorrow will be very emotional for me. But just to the families, prayers and thoughts are with them.  I was able to check out the 9/11 museum that opened this May and that was awesome, just to take it from what it was and what they were able to do with everything was very emotional.

On the significance of playing for your country on 9/11:

That is even more humbling. It makes you appreciate what you do – playing basketball and how basketball breaks many barriers and can take you away, help you put things aside and put your focus on this and let you enjoy something instead of remembering everything that happened.

BRIA HARTLEY

Is there more of an impact for this team, playing tomorrow on the anniversary of 9/11 after being around the military the past three days?

I think so, especially me being from New York that was definitely a moment that really stands out from when I was younger and just the fact that all the military was there and that we’re playing and representing the country that definitely means a lot and shows a lot of pride for the US.

Where were you on 9/11?

I will always remember, my mom used to work across the street from the Twin Towers and actually that morning for some reason she decided to drive into work and she was late because I dropped her keys between the seats. So I was really fortunate that she wasn’t there. She was actually on the bridge when the planes hit. And I just remember that I was with my aunt getting ready to go to school. I’m sitting in the van and she went inside for a quick second and I was wondering what was taking so long so I went inside and I saw it on the TV. It was really disturbing but it was something that I will always remember even though I was only in the fourth grade at the time but that is a memory that really stands out.

Also, here are some quotes from current UConn star Breanna Stewart looking ahead to tomorrow's scrimmage.

Today was the first day that you went 5-on- 5, how did that feel?

I felt like the first game we played was a little rough. I think we were a little all too excited, I mean, that was the first time we have really scrimmaged this whole time. Once we settle in and especially the second game, we cut it a lot closer we had the lead for the majority of the game. So that makes us feel better going into the game tomorrow. Just to be able to get some kind of chemistry with your team obviously that makes you feel more comfortable and confident when you go out there tomorrow.

What did you do well and did you feel you need to work on?

What I feel like I did well, I feel like I was trying to keep moving on offense. That is the one thing that has been instilled in me at UConn - keep moving – because it makes it harder for the defense. And I think that Sue is a vet and she did a great job leading the team today. Whenever we seemed to be struggling she brought us all in together, talked to us and kind of calmed us down. I think that to finish the way we did, that is a good start for us for tomorrow

What can fans expect from tomorrow’s scrimmage?

I think fans should be looking for a good game. Obviously the committee split the teams up for a reason and to create some good matchups and that hopefully the White Team can pull out the win.

As luck would have it UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma was walking through the halls at Gampel Pavilion as I was working on some football stories and blogs and I was able to sit down with him for about 15 minutes. I got caught up with a lot of news including updates of how the rehabilitation process is going for veteran forward Morgan Tuck and freshman guard Gabby Williams, who both underwent season-ending knee surgeries last year.

First up, here is what he had to say about Tuck.

"She is just starting to do that (basketball-related activities) now," Auriemma said. "She is going to do some individuals this week and try to add to it next week and by the third week of September, she could be cleared to go. Usually these guys, they don't look forward to preseason conditioning in September, all the workouts and all the individual stuff that they are doing but I talked to her today and she said I have never been so anxious and so excited to start individual (workouts) and preseason conditioning. I think she will be pretty happy when they get started."

Tuck will bring so many dimensions to the 2014-15 UConn team with her ability to play inside and outside. She is an outstanding defense, underrated passer and can score in so many different ways.

"We didn't see it last year except for a couple of times," Auriemma said. "I went back and watched the Stanford game and the Cal game at the Garden and you really get to see Morgan playing and you say 'it is a miracle that we were able to get through the season and win the whole thing while not having her.' Losing Stefanie, you lost a couple of players so bringing Morgan back into the mix is like adding a couple of players. The other players are kind of anxious too because they know how many areas she can help us in. She is not just a one-dimensional kid."

Here is what he had to say about Williams, who suffered serious knee injuries in each of her final two high school seasons. So how is she progressing?

"Good, same thing (as with Tuck). We are starting (individual workouts) a week from Tuesday, give them a week to acclimated to everything. they went home towards the last part of August so she is going to get with Rosemary (Ragle, UConn's athletic trainer) and I would expect that by the time practice starts that she is going to be ready to do (everything)."

He was also in favor of Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis not being invited to the U.S. national team training camp next month so she can focus all her energies on getting ready for her senior season.

"I think more from way her injuries and the way her season went last year, I think that in my opinion, it was better for her to be here and get herself ready for us and for herself this season," Auriemma said. "That's a position where they are loaded with pros so I think it is best that she stays here and works out with our players."

With incoming freshman Kia Nurse spending the summer training with the Canadian national team and with Nurse set to play in the FIBA World Championships, I wanted Auriemma's take on how much this summer will benefit her.

"I think the maturity that Kia has is really what separates her from most incoming freshmen," Auriemma said. "Most incoming freshmen are used to playing high school basketball and it is a huge adjustment. I think Kia, by virtue of being on the Canadian national team, has made herself almost a sophomore coming in instead of a freshman and the style of play that Canada has is very similar to what we do in more ways than one so she is somebody that because she is not here right now that few people talk about but she is probably the one who is going to be the most intriguing of all the freshmen, I am looking forward to seeing her both in Bridgeport, in Istanbul and when we get back here in October."

I also asked Auriemma for his reaction to former UConn guard Brianna Banks landing at Penn State and whether that was a good landing spot for her.

"We will see," Auriemma . I think UConn was a good spot but unfortunately there are some things you have to do (to remain at UConn). I think having a year off, getting a chance to kind of gain some perspective by being away from it, hitting the books a little bit. It is a big place and they have a really good program. I am sure having a year to practice with the team is going to help a lot. I saw her this summer. I am rooting for her, let's hope she makes it."

Dating back to their days as UConn teammates, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi have known nothing but success when they take the court together.

Whether it was helping UConn win the 2002 national title, the Olympic and World Championship titles as well as EuroLeague titles, Bird and Taurasi have enjoyed an absurd amount of team success.

Well, they are at it again as they were key members of the UMMC Ekaterinburg team which won the Russian league title.

Bird had 10 points and three assists and Taurasi had four points, four rebounds and four assists as Ekaterinburg defeated Nadezhda Orenburg 63-58 on Tuesday  to complete a sweep of the best of five game series.

Bird averaged 9 points and 3 assists in the championship series while Taurasi averaged 3.7 points and 3.7 assists in the three games

Former Connecticut Sun forward Sandrine Gruda led Ekaterinburg with 24 points in the clincher and Candace Parker had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The third-place series also ended with a sweep as Dynamo Kursk defeated Dynamo Moscow 84-69 despite 13 points and five rebounds from former UConn star Tina Charles who averaged 14 points and 13.7 rebounds in the three games.

SEASON TICKET DEPOSITS BEING TAKEN
UConn announced that deposits for season tickets for the men's and women's basketball teams are now being taken.

There are times when I wonder if it would make sense for somebody to be hired just to track Breanna Stewart's accomplishments this season.

Since that doesn't appear to be happening, I will try to pick up the slack in that department.

When UConn plays Prairie View A&M in the first round of the NCAA tournament at 8 p.m. tonight, she has a chance to move up a couple of UConn single-season lists.

With 121 free throws made, she is three behind Tina Charles for the No. 10 spot and four from Kerry Bascom. Her 669 points is currently ninth on the Huskies' single-season chart. Next up is teammate Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, who scored 670 points last season and she needs just 31 points to join Maya Moore and Tina Charles as the only UConn players to score 700 points in a season.

But I haven't even gotten to the best part.

Stewart needs six blocked shots to join Rebecca Lobo and Kara Wolters as the only Huskies with 100 blocks in a season. Already with 107 assists, she will join Lobo as the only UConn players to hit triple figures in assists and blocked shots in the same season.

How rare is that accomplishment? Well, I went back through the statistical archives on the NCAA site and the stats are available dating back to the 2000-01 season and if Stewart reaches that plateau, that would bring the grand total of players who have more than 100 assists and blocks in the same season to one.. The closest player I saw was Western Illinois' Zane Teilane, who had 125 blocks and 95 assists during the 2005-06 season.

Here's what Stewart had to say about potentially hitting the 100 mark in both categories.

"I think they both mean a lot," Stewart said. "Assists show that you are looking for your teammates and trying to be unselfish. With blocks, you are trying to be a force in the paint or when people try to shoot."

Stewart has improved in so many areas from her outstanding freshman season but no numbers jump out at me more than in the assist to turnover department.

As a freshman she had 35 assists and 54 turnovers which is pretty typical for a post player. This season she has 107 assists and 60 turnovers which is just shows the tremendous growth she has made in a short amount of time.

Here teammates and coaches are not surprised by these gaudy numbers.

"She has always been a good passer but she understands the offense now and she can find the other guy and deliver the ball," UConn senor center Stefanie Dolson said. "She has a really high basketball IQ so I am not surprised that her numbers have gone up."

Here's what assistant coach Marisa Moseley, who works with the post players, thinks about Stewart's improvement as a passer and on-court decision maker.

"I actually told her about three weeks ago that any awards and accolades she is recognized for, one thing I am most proud of her is her mental development in her game. She understands where people are supposed to be, what  they are supposed to be doing out there. That helps you when you become a better passer because you know the timing of where it needs to be delivered, where it needs to go, what pass needs to be thrown. It is not not a surprise that she has improved that much because I think she is actually thinking the game more, she has really developed that part of the game.

"She is kind of a rare breed with everything she can do on the court. You can't find a lot of people who can do that and that is what makes her so unique and so special for us because her versatility whether it is passing or on the defensive end, she can be such a force and such a rim protector so for her to able to step out there and do that is awesome."

Speaking of Dolson, she currently ranks third in the Senior CLASS Award fan voting which ends tomorrow. Nebraska'a Jordan Hooper has received 34.3 percent of the vote, Iowa State's Hallie Christofferson is next with 16.5 percent followed by Dolson at 15.5 percent.

LIVE BLOG RUNNING TONIGHT
There will be a live blog running during tonight's UConn/Prairie View game.

The same is set to tip at 8:03 p.m. and that is the earliest the game will begin even if the first game between Saint Joseph's and Georgia ends quickly.

Tina Charles has developed a reputation for being a consistent player but she took things to a different level in the EuroCup semifinals.

In the two-game series, which is determined by total points scored in the series, Charles' stat line were eerily similar.

She was 9 of 13 from the field and 3 of 5 from the free-throw line as she had 21 points, two assists and a blocked shot in each game. Only Charles' rebounding numbers changed as she went from pulling down eight rebounds in the first game to having 13 in the second one.

Charles, who helped Dynamo Moscow to the 2013 EuroCup title, gets a chance to do it again as Dynamo Moscow defeated Villenueve D'Ascq 86-66 in game two after falling 89-83 in the opener.

Former Connecticut Sun guard Lindsay Whalen averaged 14 points and 5.5 assists in the semifinal series.

Dynamo Kursk also advanced to the finals despite splitting games in the semifinals. With a roster featuring WNBA stars Seimone Augustus, Epiphanny Prince and Candice Dupree, Dynamo Kursk won the first game 86-72 over Istanbul Universitiesi.

Game one in the championship series is March 20 and the second game is set for March 27.

UConn stars Breanna Stewart and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis among
six college players named to U.S. senior national team player pool. 

Even with two 2012 Olympians missing, UConn is very well represented in the U.S. senior women's national team player pool which was announced today.

Current UConn stars Stefanie Dolson, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Breanna Stewart were among six active college players and the inclusion of Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi means that seven of the 33 players are former or current UConn stars.

Notre Dame's Kayla McBride, Odyssey Sims of Baylor and Maryland's Alyssa Thomas were the other current collegiate stars named to the player pool.

Swin Cash and Asjha Jones, members of UConn's 2000 and 2002 naitonal championship teams, were not included in the player pool, Connecticut Sun guard Kara Lawson, a member of the 2008 Olympic squad, was among the 33 players named to the player pool.

"I think the game has changed tremendously and we are fortunate that the pool is probably greater than it’s ever been,” said UConn and U.S. senior national team head coach Geno Auriemma in a statement “The gap between those that have won gold medals and those that are still playing for the USA Basketball National Team and those that want to be part of it who are younger and have made a name for themselves is narrowing every year.  I’m excited that we have so many great players to choose from.

“It’s always difficult when you’re trying to put together a team. It doesn’t always come down to picking the 12 best players, putting them on the team and let’s go. I think there are other factors that go into it, and hopefully the committee and the coaches can come up with a team that is capable of winning gold medals and represents the U.S. in the best possible manner. At the same time, part of the goal needs to include preparing for life after some of these great Olympians who have won multiple gold medals. I wish it was as simple as picking the leading scorers and leading rebounders or just picking the most famous players in the WNBA and let’s go get ‘em!  But it’s a lot more complicated than that so it will be very difficult.”

Players can be added to the national team pool at any point but this is the core of players the U.S. will take to Turkey for the FIBA World Championship for Women from Sept. 27-Oct. 5

Here is a list of national team pool players 

NAME POS HGT WGT DOB TEAM COLLEGE HOMETOWN

Jayne Appel C 6-4 210 05/14/88 San Antonio Silver Stars Stanford Pleasant Hill, CA

Seimone Augustus G/F 6-0 166 04/30/84 Minnesota Lynx Louisiana State Baton Rouge, LA

Sue Bird G 5-9 150 10/16/80 Seattle Storm Connecticut Syosset, NY

DeWanna Bonner G/F 6-4 137 08/21/87 Phoenix Mercury Auburn Fairfield, AL

Tamika Catchings F 6-1 167 07/21/79 Indiana Fever Tennessee Duncanville, TX

Tina Charles C 6-4 198 12/05/88 Connecticut Sun Connecticut Jamaica, NY

Elena Delle Donne G/F 6-5 188 09/05/89 Chicago Sky Delaware Wilmington, DE

Skylar Diggins G 5-9 145 08/02/90 Tulsa Shock Notre Dame South Bend, IN

Stefanie Dolson C 6-5 210 01/08/92 n/a Connecticut Port Jervis, NY

Candice Dupree F 6-2 175 08/16/84 Phoenix Mercury Temple Tampa, FL

Sylvia Fowles C 6-6 200 10/06/85 Chicago Sky Louisiana State Miami, FL

Brittney Griner C 6-8 199 10/18/90 Phoenix Mercury Baylor Houston, TX

Lindsey Harding G 5-8 135 06/12/84 Los Angeles Sparks Duke Houston, TX

Briann January G 5-8 144 01/11/87 Indiana Fever Arizona State Spokane, WA

Glory Johnson F 6-3 170 07/27/90 Tulsa Shock Tennessee Knoxville, TN

Jantel Lavender C 6-4 185 11/12/88 Los Angeles Sparks Ohio State Cleveland, OH

Kara Lawson G 5-9 150 02/14/81 Connecticut Sun Tennessee Alexandria, VA

Kayla McBride G 5-11 166 06/25/92 n/a Notre Dame Erie, PA

Angel McCoughtry G/F 6-1 160 09/10/86 Atlanta Dream Louisville Baltimore, MD

Maya Moore F 6-0 176 06/11/89 Minnesota Lynx Connecticut Lawrenceville, GA

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis F 6-0 185 11/03/93 n/a Connecticut Anaheim Hills, CA

Nnemkadi Ogwumike F 6-2 188 07/02/90 Los Angeles Sparks Stanford Cypress, TX

Candace Parker F/C 6-4 175 04/19/86 Los Angeles Sparks Tennessee Naperville, IL

Cappie Pondexter G 5-9 160 01/07/83 New York Liberty Rutgers Chicago, IL

Danielle Robinson G 5-9 125 05/10/89 San Antonio Silver Stars Oklahoma San Jose, CA

Odyssey Sims G 5-8 155 07/13/92 n/a Baylor Irving, TX

Breanna Stewart F/C 6-4 175 08/27/94 n/a Connecticut North Syracuse, NY

Diana Taurasi G 6-0 163 06/11/82 Phoenix Mercury Connecticut Chino, CA

Alyssa Thomas F 6-2 170 04/12/92 n/a Maryland Harrisburg, PA

Courtney Vandersloot G 5-8 145 02/08/89 Chicago Sky Gonzaga Kent, WA

Lindsay Whalen G 5-9 169 05/09/82 Minnesota Lynx Minnesota Hutchinson, MN

Monica Wright G/F 5-10 170 07/15/88 Minnesota Lynx Virginia Woodbridge, VA

Sophia Young F 6-1 165 12/15/83 San Antonio Silver Stars Baylor St. Vincent, West Indies

Here are quotes from Bird, Charles, Dolson, Moore and Mosqueda-Lewis, courtesy of USA Basketball, reacting to the news.

Sue Bird

You started with the USA National Team in 2002 just out of college. What did you see from the collegiate players in the mix that made you think they're ready to be in the 2014-16 USA National Team pool? 

All of them were extremely talented but also eager to learn. You could sense they really wanted to seize the opportunity of playing with the national team. The other thing I noticed was how poised they all were. It can be intimating at first, but none of them showed that.

How difficult is it for the committee to have to pare the list to 12 for the 2014 World Championship? 

I don't envy the committee at all. The best and worst part about USA Basketball is the amount of talent out there. Just like previous years, I think it'll be extremely difficult for the committee to choose the final 12. Luckily, though, they seem to have it figured out. How many gold medals in a row has it been? 

Tina Charles

There is a lot of talent coming up through the USA Basketball pipeline, especially the six collegiate athletes who were in Las Vegas, all of whom were named to the pool. As someone who is just four years removed from being named to the USA National Team as a college athlete, what did you see from them in Vegas that would make the committee feel they're ready to be in the USA National Team pool?

Those collegiate athletes showed a lot of heart. They were very attentive to detail as to what coach Auriemma and the rest of the staff expected from them. During play, they competed every possession and were eager to learn. For USA Basketball your role changes and you have to find that one thing that separates you from the rest. They all competed to do just that. 

How difficult of a decision will it be for the committee to pare the list down to 12 for the eventual 2014 USA World Championship Team?

It will be extremely difficult. As athletes, it’s our job to make it difficult. Every year a player adds something to their game to make themselves better. It is noticeable every training camp.  But the committee always does a great job finding the right pieces to bring home a victory.

Stefanie Dolson

What does it mean for you to be among the nation's best players, not just players in your age group, named to the 2014-16 USA National Team?

It means the world to me. For me to be selected out of everyone in the country is something I did not expect a few years back. It’s proved to myself that all the hard work has paid off, and being selected for the next step is just unexplainable. It’s an awesome feeling, and I’m completely honored to be selected among these women.

Do you feel that this has made all the hours you put in with USA Basketball on the court worth it? 

Yeah it makes it worth it. All the extra hours all of us put in and traveling with USA Basketball for so many years makes it all worth it. It’s always a cool experience to be a part of USA Basketball, so I’m happy to take this next step.

This is the first step to being named to a USA World Championship or U.S. Olympic team. Is that something you've always wanted to do, or did you just recently start thinking that's a possibility for your future?

This is something that I have always wanted to do. I don’t know that I always thought it would really happen, but after putting in all the hard work here at UConn and doing the same with USA Basketball, I’ve grown and improved so much. It’s really just awesome to be a part of this.

Maya Moore, Minnestoa Lynx

How difficult of a decision will it be for the committee to pare the list down to 12 for the eventual 2014 USA World Championship Team?

The decision is a tough one for the committee, as a generation of younger players are starting to show some great talent and potential.  If I know USA Basketball, the players that make the 12-person roster will demonstrate the best character, competitiveness, talent, unselfishness, and understanding of the game.  I'm excited and honored to be in the pool once again.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis

What does it mean for you to be among the nation's best players, not just players in your age group, named to the 2014-16 USA National Team?

It means a lot. It’s an honor to be among the greats of women’s basketball. To be put in a pool to possibly make that team is quite an opportunity. 

Do you feel that this has made all the hours you put in with USA Basketball on the court worth it? 

Definitely! All the time and effort that all of us have put in over the years with USA Basketball puts you in the best position to be among the names that are chosen for this opportunity.

This is the first step to being named to a USA World Championship or U.S. Olympic team. Is that something you've always wanted to do, or did you just recently start thinking that's a possibility for your future?

Ever since I started playing USA Basketball and getting a feel for the organization and seeing what it’s all about, it’s been a hope of mine to make the National Team. So, now being in the pool and getting closer to that goal is really cool.   

Breanna Stewart

What does it mean for you to be among the nation's best players, not just players in your age group, named to the 2014-16 USA National Team?

This is obviously a great honor, and I think continuing to have the opportunity to learn from the veteran players will be an unbelievable experience. I’m very excited to see where everything goes.

Do you feel that this has made all the hours you put in with USA Basketball on the court worth it? 

I think that anytime you have an opportunity to represent your country playing the sport you love is something that I always want to do. To have played multiple times before leading up to this, this is something I’m really excited about.

This is the first step to being named to a USA World Championship or U.S. Olympic team. Is that something you've always wanted to do, or did you just recently start thinking that's a possibility for your future?

Ever since I watched the Olympics, that’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I think that representing your country through basketball at the highest level is something that I have always wanted to do and is one of my biggest goals.