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The article is 5 months old, but I'd never seen it before. I did not know about Kaleena's difficulties at Mater Dei, or the reason (one of several, I guess) why Kaleena chose UConn. Great stuff.
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Mater Dei Coach Kevin Kiernan:
"I wasn't surprised at all that Katie Lou chose UConn," Kiernan said. "I would have been more surprised had she chosen Stanford. She had made it pretty clear this was something she was going to do for herself. Would she have loved to play where her sisters played? They are very close. It would have been an awesome thing for her. But she also made it clear she wanted to play for UConn and Coach [Geno] Auriemma. She put herself on that path."
Despite having hip and knee injuries, Katie Lou has prevailed in a way Kiernan said he's never seen before.
"She is having the finest senior season of any player I've ever coached," Kiernan said. "She has been unbelievable. And she's been pretty much banged up all season with things that are comparatively minor, nothing really serious. She just plays through everything."
"She's legitimately 6-foot-3 and she is still likely growing," Kiernan said of Samuelson. "But I wouldn't say she's as strong as Breanna Stewart, although she has gotten a lot stronger in the weight room. Let's put it this way, at this point Katie Lou is much more comfortable at the three-point line and staying there. She has big-time guard skill, stretch-the-floor ability."
Kiernan said what they both have in common are the off-the-court experiences that naturally come from being high-profile high school athletes.
"It's the highs and lows of life," Kiernan said. "There have been a lot of things such as jealousy that both have experienced because of who they are. You have to learn to rise above it because of who you are and where you are in life. People like taking shots at you and its not easy being on top all of the time.
"When Kaleena left here, I believe she was looking for a family to join. She yearned for the closeness she was missing [in high school]. Sometimes, things just weren't easy for Kaleena.
"But she got exactly what she was looking for at UConn. She happily embraced the culture. I think she needed it and I know she's enjoyed it.
"As for Katie Lou, she's not really searching for all that. She just wants to maximize her basketball ability against the best players in the country. She's a confident person who just wants to see how good she can be. She doesn't worry about what people think. She's a straightforward smart girl and she wants to see how good a player Coach Auriemma can make her."
After setting UConn's career-record for three-pointers this season, Mosqueda-Lewis joked that she planned to make as many as possible to protect the mark into perpetuity.
"Not even Katie Lou is going to be able to catch me," Mosqueda-Lewis joked.
Kiernan isn't so sure.
http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...en-insider-mater-dei-0220-20150219-story.html
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Mater Dei Coach Kevin Kiernan:
"I wasn't surprised at all that Katie Lou chose UConn," Kiernan said. "I would have been more surprised had she chosen Stanford. She had made it pretty clear this was something she was going to do for herself. Would she have loved to play where her sisters played? They are very close. It would have been an awesome thing for her. But she also made it clear she wanted to play for UConn and Coach [Geno] Auriemma. She put herself on that path."
Despite having hip and knee injuries, Katie Lou has prevailed in a way Kiernan said he's never seen before.
"She is having the finest senior season of any player I've ever coached," Kiernan said. "She has been unbelievable. And she's been pretty much banged up all season with things that are comparatively minor, nothing really serious. She just plays through everything."
"She's legitimately 6-foot-3 and she is still likely growing," Kiernan said of Samuelson. "But I wouldn't say she's as strong as Breanna Stewart, although she has gotten a lot stronger in the weight room. Let's put it this way, at this point Katie Lou is much more comfortable at the three-point line and staying there. She has big-time guard skill, stretch-the-floor ability."
Kiernan said what they both have in common are the off-the-court experiences that naturally come from being high-profile high school athletes.
"It's the highs and lows of life," Kiernan said. "There have been a lot of things such as jealousy that both have experienced because of who they are. You have to learn to rise above it because of who you are and where you are in life. People like taking shots at you and its not easy being on top all of the time.
"When Kaleena left here, I believe she was looking for a family to join. She yearned for the closeness she was missing [in high school]. Sometimes, things just weren't easy for Kaleena.
"But she got exactly what she was looking for at UConn. She happily embraced the culture. I think she needed it and I know she's enjoyed it.
"As for Katie Lou, she's not really searching for all that. She just wants to maximize her basketball ability against the best players in the country. She's a confident person who just wants to see how good she can be. She doesn't worry about what people think. She's a straightforward smart girl and she wants to see how good a player Coach Auriemma can make her."
After setting UConn's career-record for three-pointers this season, Mosqueda-Lewis joked that she planned to make as many as possible to protect the mark into perpetuity.
"Not even Katie Lou is going to be able to catch me," Mosqueda-Lewis joked.
Kiernan isn't so sure.
http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...en-insider-mater-dei-0220-20150219-story.html
