Sounds like another great kid. We are truly blessed by the kids Geno brings into the UConn program thanks to the great work of the staff sorting out all the possibilities.
KML looks just right in UConn colors. Of course she will have some off-games, but mostly she will make shots at an amazingly high rate. She does not have Maya's athleticism, but she shares a trait with the great ones--she makes hard things look easy.
Rich's article is in his blog, with some additional quotes. Here are some additional comments from Geno on how hard she's worked and the physical change that many have noticed (after just a few months on campus): "She’s worked really, really hard this last month. She’s really gotten after it. She’s lost a lot of weight. She’s in the best shape she’s ever been in in her life. The kid wants to be great. She has that in common with Maya. She wants to be great and she shoots it as well if not better than Maya. But to expect her to be all those other things I think that’s asking too much.’’
What creeps me out is that she's still 17. When did I get to be five years older than some of the players?
Few mortals, do but KML's sniper eye may well surpass any shooting we saw from Maya. KML is,also, more athletic than many may expect.
As strong as Maya was, Kaleena seems to seek contact more. She does not have Maya's reach or elevation, but she is strong and has fabulous hands. I suspect her body will look even trimmer in 4 years. Kaleena has great tools and innate desire; at UConn, she has put herself in a position to be with great players and coaches.
Have to remind ourselves how lucky we are to have such great kids play for us and keep the tradition going year after year.
I remember during an interview after she committed to UConn, a reporter asked her what she needed to improve to play college bball. Her answers was ..... it's UConn - I need to improve everything.
