Here's the notebook that ran in today's edition of the Register focusing on Jess McCormack undergoing successful surgery last week.

By Jim Fuller
Register Staff
HARTFORD — This time there were no allergic reactions, no last-minute surprises and, most importantly, no more delays for UConn transfer Jess McCormack.
McCormack’s first attempt to have surgery to clean up the area around her Achilles tendon had to be rescheduled when her system did not agree with the anesthetic, forcing her to be placed into the intensive care unit.
Two and a half weeks later, McCormack’s procedure went off without a hitch as she had surgery on Wednesday.
“Surgery went really well, everything (went) completely according to plan,” McCormack said in an e-mail to the Register on Tuesday.
McCormack has a cast to protect the surgically repaired area. She is expected to have it removed on March 18.
“I will begin rehab as soon as I get the cast off,” McCormack said.
McCormack, a 6-foot-5 sophomore center, spent her freshman season at the University of Washington. A member of New Zealand’s team which competed in the 2008 Olympics and the youngest player to ever play for its senior national team, she averaged 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19 games with Washington in the 2007-08.
When she returned from the Olympics, her progress was slowed by her ailing Achilles. When attempts to treat the injury at UConn failed, McCormack opted to return home to have surgery. Unfortunately, she came down with the flu on the trip home and then had the issue with the anaesthetic.
Since McCormack opted to withdraw from the spring semester to return home, she will not be eligible to play for UConn until the fall semester ends so she can sit out the mandatory two semesters the NCAA requires for Division I transfers.
She will have three years of eligibility remaining.
SCOUTING HAVEN
There have been no lack of WNBA teams making their way to the XL Center for the Big East tournament with likely first-round picks Angel McCoughtry of Louisville, Renee Montgomery of Connecticut and Shavonte Zellous of Pittsburgh leading the list of talented seniors taking part in the 16-team event.
Outside of Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault and his peers, there may not be another person able to handicap the abilities of the leading candidates more than Louisville coach Jeff Walz. Not only has he coached McCoughtry, the likely No. 1 pick, and Candyce Bingham, who also figures to be taken in next month’s draft, for the last two seasons, but he was an assistant at Maryland during the freshman and sophomore seasons of expected first-round selections Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver. He has also coached against projected first-round picks Montgomery and Zellous.
Walz sees a few similarities between McCoughtry and Coleman, quite possibly the two most talented wing players available in the draft.
“They are both going to be great pros,” Walz said. “They both have a great frame on them. Angel will put on some weight when she really gets into the weight room and starts to eat some more food. Marissa probably already has 10 of 15 more pounds to her, so they are going to be great pro players. Angel is more of a slasher, Marissa is more of a ‘I’ll back you down, I’ll make a move.’ She is stronger and can score off of you, but they can both knock down a 3, they can both compete hard. It was a joy to coach Coleman for two years, and it’s been great to coach Angel for two years.”
Jim Fuller can be reached at jfuller@nhregister.com.