Goodbye Ms. Clutch: See You

[RockyMTblue2]

on the WNBA side. Kaleena I will super miss you, but not just for the tiny sound of a ball kissing the bottom of the net. I'll miss that often wry smile and your intelligent perspective about WCBB and UConn's place in it. I'll miss your steadiness in the game. All that and more. Kaleena I will miss you and hope you come home to UConn often over the years to come.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I love K's personality and her game. She was the best shooter, passer, and screener on the team. Some lucky WNBA GM will be thinking to himself in June: "She's way better than I though she was."

 

[Hongster]

KML is my all time favorite. I wish her nothing but the best.

 

[GG]

KML will be missed. We were quite fortunate to have watched her develop over the last four years. Smoothest stroke ever, but certainly more than just a great shooter.

 

[connboy77]

KML will surely be missed, but at UCONN when one star leaves a new one takes her place. KML has the all time 3 point record, but who knows, four years from now we may all be talking about the new UCONN 3 point record holder.

 

[McHuskyFan]

Kinda lost in the sauce (I think) is that KML wound up tied with Nykesha Sales on the all-time scoring list .... and how many games did she miss with her elbow troubles?!

Agree totally with all said above ... one of my all-time faves. Man, her shot is a thing of B-E-A-U-T-Y !!!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kinda lost in the sauce (I think) is that KML wound up tied with Nykesha Sales on the all-time scoring list .... and how many games did she miss with her elbow troubles?!

Agree totally with all said above ... one of my all-time faves. Man, her shot is a thing of B-E-A-U-T-Y !!!

I think K missed 12 games last year and 1 this year. She could have had 440 threes and 2,400 points.

When K arrived, I predicted that she would finish 2nd, possibly 3rd, on the UConn career list. If not for the missed games, she would have been right there with Tina. She made the important buckets at the end of the NCAA championship game. She gave us both quality and quantity.

I think Maya's record is unbreakable. She started out fast as perhaps the best player in the nation as a frosh and finished on a team with newbies, so she had to carry a big load. Stewie projects to 2,700-2,800 points. She will pass the great Tina Charles by midseason.

Who is our next 2,000 point scorer? Could be Morgan if she says for her 5th year. I don't see Moriah or Kia that high. Gabby--maybe. Lou? I'm not betting against it. Napheesa? Never bet against that kid!

 

[alexrgct]

I wrote this long tribute piece to KML before the 2014-15 season started, and I stand by every word of it. She's been everything we hoped in 2011, and has gotten everything coming to her as a national high school #1 committing to UConn. Maybe she didn't step in and replace Maya, but she stepped in, moved UConn further along its continuum of greatness, and made herself incredibly difficult to replace in her own right.

Here's to you, Kaleena.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I wrote this long tribute piece to KML before the 2014-15 season started, and I stand by every word of it. She's been everything we hoped in 2011, and has gotten everything coming to her as a national high school #1 committing to UConn. Maybe she didn't step in and replace Maya, but she stepped in, moved UConn further along its continuum of greatness, and made herself incredibly difficult to replace in her own right.

Here's to you, Kaleena.

As Geno said, it would take 6 players to replace Maya. No one would have filled the void more than K. Kaleena did #23 proud. Very proud. She was a 2-time AA, set a major NCAA record, was widely acknowledged as the best shooter in the game, and left with 3 national championships--more than Maya, Tina, Sue, Swin, Rebecca, Shea, and Nykesha. K is also a loving older sister.

 

[UcMiami]

Kinda lost in the sauce (I think) is that KML wound up tied with Nykesha Sales on the all-time scoring list .... and how many games did she miss with her elbow troubles?!

Agree totally with all said above ... one of my all-time faves. Man, her shot is a thing of B-E-A-U-T-Y !!!

Just thought I would go to the record book - even with K missing games with the elbow and mono she ended:
Games played - 142 - Sales played in 137
Minutes played - 4128 - Sales 3511
Shooting percentages .486/.447/.874 - Sales .530/.376/.722
FTs made - 202 - Sales 340

Kaleena was clearly the better distance and free throw shooter, but Sales per minute scoring was .620 vs. Kaleena's .527 - you can understand Geno's feeling that he had robbed Sales of her chance at the record by only playing her 25.6 minutes a game. Kaleena averaged 29.1

This is not meant to take any luster off of Kaleena's career accomplishments - just to remind folks how great Sales was as well - and she missed the end of her career which was really tough! She was injured in her 29th game of what ended up a 35 game season and played 15 seconds in a 30th game to make her last basket.

 

[jimazee]

Just thought I would go to the record book - even with K missing games with the elbow and mono she ended:
Games played - 142 - Sales played in 137
Minutes played - 4128 - Sales 3511
Shooting percentages .486/.447/.874 - Sales .530/.376/.722
FTs made - 202 - Sales 340

Kaleena was clearly the better distance and free throw shooter, but Sales per minute scoring was .620 vs. Kaleena's .527 - you can understand Geno's feeling that he had robbed Sales of her chance at the record by only playing her 25.6 minutes a game. Kaleena averaged 29.1

This is not meant to take any luster off of Kaleena's career accomplishments - just to remind folks how great Sales was as well - and she missed the end of her career which was really tough! She was injured in her 29th game of what ended up a 35 game season and played 15 seconds in a 30th game to make her last basket.

It is both tough and terrific being a long time Husky fan...so many great teams, players and memories.

Maybe the best part is knowing there are probably more to come.

 

[VAMike23]

on the WNBA side. Kaleena I will super miss you, but not just for the tiny sound of a ball kissing the bottom of the net.

"Mosqueda-Lewis for 3........"

"....[thwip.]"

I'm going to miss her for all those reasons, too.... and I won't soon forget the 'thwip' sound when her perfect shot swishes and snaps those cotton cords!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

"Mosqueda-Lewis for 3..."

"....[thwip.]"

I'm going to miss her for all those reasons, too.... and I won't soon forget the 'thwip' sound when her perfect shot swishes and snaps those cotton cords!

I 'tis a pleasant sound, is it not.

 

[Fiftyish]

This is not meant to take any luster off of Kaleena's career accomplishments - just to remind folks how great Sales was as well - and she missed the end of her career which was really tough!

As time goes by, we do tend to forget about some of our all time great players that are no longer in the game. Nykesha was special but was soon eclipsed by Svet, DT, Maya, etc. It's good to be reminded of her greatness.

 

[j66kicker]

As time goes by, we do tend to forget about some of our all time great players that are no longer in the game. Nykesha was special but was soon eclipsed by Svet, DT, Maya, etc. It's good to be reminded of her greatness.

If you need any more reminders, here's Nykesha scoring 46 vs Stanford

 

[HoopsFan21]

Anyone remember the segment ESPN did on Kaleena in the pre-game of the Louisville championship game in 2013? There was a clip showing Maya, D, and Sue making big shots, and then they cut away to Geno saying "We've had some great great shooters here, and for Kaleena to be in the legendary mode of some of those other guys, she's gonna have to make a couple that decide games. Once she does that, which she will, then people will talk about her the way they talk about people that were just great great shooters." Well I think that ND game last week qualifies as deciding a game, so welcome to the legendary club Kaleena!

 

[DaddyChoc]

she was also a great recruiter for UConn


(see profile pic)

 

[MilfordHusky]

she was also a great recruiter for UConn


(see profile pic)

I think that Kaleena convinced at least "Baby Husky," a.k.a. Stewie.