Top-Ranked Jones Snubs Geno…
The Story: The top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2019, guard Haley Jones, will stay close to home and play for Stanford, becoming the latest target to snub UConn during this recruiting cycle. Jones, a 6-foot-1 guard from Santa Cruz, California, also considered Oregon, South Carolina and Notre Dame.
NO JONES, ALL GROANS: The Huskies have only one player as part of their incoming recruiting class — guard Aubrey Griffin, who signed her letter of intent on Tuesday. Geno Auriemma whiffed on each of his other targets, including Jones and Aliyah Boston, who decided last week to play at South Carolina.
It’s the first time since 2016, and only the fourth time in the last decade, that UConn failed to sign the player ranked No. 1 by HoopGurlz. And, with Griffin ranked No. 33 by ESPN, it’s the first time since 2014 the Huskies failed to sign a player ranked by the service as being among the 10 best in her class.
TAKE A DEEP BREATH: Even though the national championships continue to pour in, recruiting has gotten more difficult for Auriemma in the past decade, with a number of programs challenging UConn for the nation’s top high school players. (This year alone, Maryland, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, South Carolina, Stanford and Tennessee signed top-10 players; the Gamecocks pulled in three of them.)
It’s not the end of the world, however. In 2013, the Huskies secured just one commitment — Saniya Chong, ranked No. 75 in her class — despite having lost three seniors, and they won their second of four consecutive NCAA titles that season.
EYE ON THE FUTURE: The Huskies will lose two seniors in April in Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier, and while their absences will be felt, it’s not a massive exodus. Freshman Olivia Nelson-Ododa figures to move into the starting rotation, and either Mikayla Coombs or, potentially, even Griffin herself could stake a claim to the fifth spot.
Adding a transfer, graduate or otherwise, is something UConn may have to do for next season, though Auriemma has not been eager to do so in recent years even though it’s a common tactic.
…Who Answer With A Blowout
The Story: Although the No. 2-ranked Huskies may have taken a significant loss on the recruiting trail, they remained unbeaten on the court on Wednesday with a 99-63 victory over No. 16 DePaul at the XL Center.
Napheesa Collier scored a team-high 24 points and had 10 rebounds and seven assists and Kaite Lou Samuelson had 23 points as UConn tuned up for its big game at No. 1 Notre Dame on Sunday.
WHEN IT WAS OVER: UConn was up by a point midway through the first quarter and then went on a 24-0 run. The Huskies’ defense was good, the rebounding and fastbreak lethal. DePaul was its own worst enemy, however, firing up missed 3-pointer after missed 3-pointer. The Blue Demons were 5-of-27 from 3-point range in the first half. DePaul took its best shot at UConn and missed badly on Tuesday.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: The Blue Demons love to push the tempo and hoist plenty of 3-pointers, but it was silly last night. DePaul shot 44 3-pointers, hitting 12, and that led to the Huskies getting in a groove. The Huskies shot 60.6 percent as a team and were 10-of-19 from 3-point range. We’ve seen some bad shooting games over the years, but DePaul’s ability to continue to hoist and miss long 3s was staggering.
THE IRON 5: The Huskies don’t have great depth, and all five starters scored in double figures. Of the 99 points, only eight came off the bench. We knew the Huskies are a top-heavy team with three All-American candidates in Collier, Samuelson, and Crystal Dangerfield, but we would like to see a little more production from the bench.
GET READY FOR NO. 1: UConn plays at Notre Dame on Sunday, and it’s perhaps the first game in years in which the Huskies are not an overwhelming favorite. UConn’s last regular-season loss was in the 2014 season to Stanford in December. The Huskies then won 111 straight games and have only lost in the Final Four — to Mississippi State in overtime in 2017 and then to Notre Dame in double overtime last year.
It is one of the more incredible runs in North American sports history. The only thing that compares is Trinity’s squash team, which didn’t lose in more than a decade and won 252 straight games and 13 national titles.
Morning Read
KEMBA’S STAR TURN: Kemba Walker might be as important to the Charlotte Hornets as Stephen Curry is to the Golden State Warriors. (ESPN)
BASEBALL NAMES CAPTAINS: The baseball team concluded fall workouts by visiting the grave of Charles and Augustus Storrs (yes, you read that right), where they named tri-captains in P Mason Feole, OF John Toppa and 1B Chris Winkel. Toppa started 60 games last year and hit .283 with 30 RBIs with a .363 OBP. Feole, a junior, was a third-team All-American and led the Huskies with nine wins, a 2.50 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 100 innings. Winkel had 11 doubles, 4 HRs and 33 RBIs last season. (UConnHuskies.com).
A DUBIOUS DISTINCTION: The Huskies were named the worst FBS football team this season, edging Louisville, because of their record-setting defense. (CBS Sports)
HUSKIES SHUT OUT: We all understand UConn didn’t have a great season, but that’s no excuse for The American to leave QB David Pindell or RB Kevin Mensah out of its all-conference teams. There were 64 players honored; even ECU had three players recognized. (The American)
CORMIER DIES AT 46: Covington “Cupp” Cormier, who played one year for the Huskies in the 1992-93 season, died on Tuesday. His former teammate and current CCSU coach Donyell Marshall paid tribute on Instagram to Cormier, whose athleticism, explosive play, and propensity for turnovers turned him into a player of cult-like status among UConn fans. Covington went to Utah State to finish his college career and then played professionally in Europe.
TOP UCONN WOMEN-ND MOMENT: Good stuff from ESPNW on the best moments in UConn-Notre Dame history. This has eclipsed UConn-Tennessee as the marquee game in women’s college basketball. And, with all due respect to the folks in Bristol, Bird at the buzzer remains No. 1. It was one of the most important women’s basketball games of all time. (ESPNW)
