Geno Auriemma tends to live in the moment and is known to deflect any questions about the pro prospects of his players while they are still suiting up for the Huskies. That is why my ears perked up when Auriemma, on his weekly call-in segment on WTIC, volunteered that WNBA people have told him that they don't expect Hayes to last past the middle of the first round in April's draft.

I followed up on the subject with Auriemma today since so much of the talk centered around the growth of Hayes over the last four years as she prepares to play her final game at Gampel Pavilion.

"They say that and they could all be lying," Auriemma said. "If you are smart in that league, obviously talent is the No. 1 thing. You could be smart, you could be a great teammate and win but if you don't have the talent, then they are crazy to draft you. Somebody like that who has been consistent through her four years here, her scoring average has gone up every year that she has been here, the things that she has done have gone up, for the most part, every year that she has been here and she won't be the go-to guy whichever team drafts her so she will be kind of back in her comfort zone for a little while. I would say that if she plays her cards right, four years she is going to be really good."