John A.: Stronger Dolson and Hartley bode well

[pap49cba]

LINK

 

[EricLA]

good stuff from John. thought this quote was interesting...

"There are very few freshmen in my years that come in and play at the college level from an intensity level right away," Auriemma said. "I don't see anyone in this class that has that ultra-super intense competitiveness now. They have the ability to get it, but they aren't in the Maya Moore of Jen Rizzotti category. Maybe they will surprise me, who knows?"

 

[UConnCat]

I liked CD's quotes about Stefanie:

"Chris Dailey, UConn associate head coach, said the bigger change with players at this age is in the mental approach.
"The players have already been through summer workouts and know what to expect," Dailey said. "Our expectation is that they already know what to do, what the proper approach is. There is a big difference in Stefanie now in comparison to last year when we worked her in individual workouts.
"We always said that if you are staying the same you are getting worse because someone else is getting better. That's not happening with her."

And this quote from Geno:

"When they throw the ball up in March to start the NCAA Tournament, we'll have as good a chance as anyone to win it," Geno Auriemma said.

 

[MilfordHusky]

And Geno is telling me to cool it?

Recently, he said that Baylor, ND, or Tennessee should win it, but we'll be there if they stumble. Now he has us fully in the mix.

I think the intensity comment may be due to Kaleena coming from So. Cal. Or it's Geno's challenge to her.

 

[semper]

Wow, Bria almost looks taller than 5'7" ---- how can that be?

 

[VAMike23]

Here are some photos (including the one below) from today's pickup game, courtesy of the Courant:

Photo spread

 

[Dawson]

Wow! She just looks fantastic!

 

[UConnCat]

Bria looks fantastic too! I think she's taller than 5'7"

 

[UConnCat]

What's going through Sue's mind as she watches practice with a smile on her face?

 

[VAMike23]

I also liked the photo showing Sue sitting on the sideline, with a wry smile beginning to cross her face.......

But that BBanks shot...... whoa. I just see explosive , intoxicating speed when she decides to go to the rim!

 

[Biff]

Wow, Bria almost looks taller than 5'7" ---- how can that be?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Wow! She just looks fantastic!

KML and CD both look great.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Geno is all dressed up and looking very intense for a practice.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I also liked the photo showing Sue sitting on the sideline, with a wry smile beginning to cross her face.......

But that BBanks shot...... whoa. I just see explosive , intoxicating speed when she decides to go to the rim!

Sue may be thinking back 13 years to when she was a newbie. And the target of some Geno barbs.

Brianna looked fast in the team photo! Note: as a lefty, she is attacking with the right hand. She could be very dangerous taking the ball into the paint. Meanwhile, Kaleena Most-Everything-Goes-In-Lewis is settjng up at the 3-point line.

 

[Wonkster]

.

Geno ought to make up his mind. Speaking of KML 6 months ago, he said that she was the most polished high school player he had ever seen - in other words, college-ready.

.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Wow! She just looks fantastic!

CD is reminding Kaleena that Maya was a consensus All-American her first year and that no one practiced harder than Maya.

 

[alexrgct]

Sue may be thinking back 13 years to when she was a newbie. And the target of some Geno barbs.

That was exactly what I was thinking. She looks like she's thinking about what it was like for her in October 1998...and hopefully all of the subsequent triumphs she had, too.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Bria looks fantastic too! I think she's taller than 5'7"

is that John Travolta guarding Bria?

 

[JS]

is that John Travolta guarding Bria?

No, it's Sean Penn.

The good news is he's shorter than Travolta and doesn't have as many moves.

 

[pap49cba]

What's going through Sue's mind as she watches practice with a smile on her face?

Who is the girl sitting to Sue's left? Is she one of the visiting recruits?

 

[JS]

What's going through Sue's mind . . . ?

"Damn, hope I get a ray of sunshine one of these years. After all this time hangin' out
in Russia and WNBA gyms, I must look like Caspar the Friendly Ghost by now."

 

[UConnCat]

Maybe Sue is imagining herself as a coach someday. Towards the end the WNBA season, the league sent a questionnaire to a player on each team that asked questions like who is the funniest? who is the best dressed? Another question was: who on your team is most likely to be a coach? Sue Bird answered the questions for the Seattle Storm and her answer to the question about who was most likely to be a coach was: "Me." This was the first time I heard or read about Sue and a future career in coaching.

 

[Blakeon18]

Pap: good question! She looks 'guard-sized'.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Who is the girl sitting to Sue's left? Is she one of the visiting recruits?

I wondered the same. It is not Morgan or Taya. I don't think it is Xylina, but maybe ...

 

[DEK1234]

I wondered the same. It is not Morgan or Taya. I don't think it is Xylina, but maybe ...

That definitely doesn't look like Xylina. I'm going to guess that's just a student because I'm pretty sure I've seen her around campus. But I'm not 100% positive, so you never know!