Just 'cuz- one more thread about Kelly Faris

[alexrgct]

KELLY FARIS (clap, clap clapclapclap)
KELLY FARIS (clap, clap clapclapclap)

This was the cheer coming from the student section at Gampel on January 21, 2013. UConn is wiping the floor with Duke in the second half, thanks in no small part to the senior's 18 points, 12 boards, 6 assists, two steals, and hardened stare of wild, raw intensity as the game drew towards a close. Yes, even the students loved Kelly Faris every bit as much as the grandparent-ly part of the fanbase. The same KELLY FARIS (clap, clap, clapclapclap) chant would be a big part of Senior Night as well. NO worrying about a repeat of Senior Night 2012, as UConn easily demolished Seton Hall. But that was no real challenge.

The KELLY FARIS (clap, clap clapclapclap) cheer is stuck in my head. I think it through last season quite a bit. I remember everything about her. I think of her crashing onto the floor after layups and/or fouls, dropping and rolling with effortless somersaults. Her clean, to the point of "thing of beauty" backdoor cuts. The casual jumping around a would-be screener to maintain the perimeter defense. Oh yes, the perimeter defense. That was good stuff. Skylar Diggins and Kayla McBride still have nightmares about it. And that national semis game and the championship game both featured Kelly stealing a ball just past halfcourt and scoring another breakaway layup. Finally, you could see one of the biggest smiles after her last game at UConn. She had a nice smile or two for an interview, but you usually would see only stoicism, and yes, the aforementioned glare during the Duke game. But she NEVER smiled like that except after going out on top.

KELLY FARIS (clap, clap, clapclapclap).

If there's one thing you remember about Kelly it's that she belonged. I remember the telecast of UConn-Texas on November 17, 2009. It was only Kelly's second game, but the color commentator pointed out as she took the floor that Geno was "beaming" about her. You could immediately see why; she was trying her damnedest and playing the most fundamentally sound basketball you'd expect of her. She moved to the right part of the floor, and she always had her hands up on defense. Always. Even on a team with a long bench, Kelly was who played significant minutes as the season wound down to a close. Kelly has two championships. You can't take that away from her- not one bit.

Geno would go on to compliment her as much as anyone who's ever played for UConn. An all-timer like Maya Moore would get the praise she deserved, and Geno certainly supported that. But Geno wanted to make sure Kelly got the press. He loved that kid for one, and for another, he couldn't resist patting himself on the back for recruiting her. Of course he should be recognized for that. He's Geno freaking Auriemma. Would you ever fully question any recruiting decision after Kelly...if you ever would beforehand, that is?

I don't need to rehash disappointing conclusions to the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. But I remember plenty of the good stuff. How about January 8, 2011, in which Kelly dropped 20 on Notre Dame? Or November 21, 2011 against Stanford, in which the sub-6'0" Kelly would routinely use her muscular legs to force the 6'4" Sarah Boothe out of the post? Or maybe the national semis loss in 2012, a game UCOnn almost stole based on Kelly's late game heroics/intensity? I knew if she could carry that forward in 2012-13, UConn would be improved. It took some time, but when it came to pass, no opponents stood a chance.

Kelly's in the WNBA now, of course, Her effort, if it was even necessary to come from any peer, certainly came in part from Maya. Kelly, in turn, passed a bit of herself on to KML. Now, I adore KML and think she's as great thus far as I've hoped she would be. Geno himself acknowledges that KML works her butt off.

Having said that, at some point next season, KML is going to take games over on offense and defense. She's already shown pieces of it, but I expect her to do so at a championship level. When she does, when she contributes exactly and everything UCOnn needed, when she flashes a look of fire in her eyes on both end of the court, there will be three cheers from me. Two will be for KML herself. However, I won't be able to keep one final cheer from running over and over in my head.

KELLY FARIS (clap,clap, clapclapclap)

KELLY FARIS (clap,clap, clapclapclap)

 

[sarals24]

My all-time favorite Husky!

 

[Samanthabrown3]

Glad you started this thread! I was thinking of Kelly this morning and remembering that in the last Kelly Faris thread we didn't post Omnu. "I'm Kelly. I'm new."

I wonder how hard it was for her to leave Indiana and the possibility of being a star at Notre Dame to come to Connecticut.

Who will be the next Kelly Faris?--making key plays on offense and defense, being consistently in the right place at the right time, the Swiss Army knife of the Huskies. I came up with KML, too, but she's always gotten more of the spotlight. Well deserved, but already on the radar.

 

[Icebear]

She is now living the dream.

 

[winlots]

ARTY - terrific stuff, as usual. Good for you....and for Faris. How about Chong as a possible under-the-radar multi-tasker (though she won't be able to bring the strength that Kelly had)?

 

[Icebear]

I expect that we will discover that Saniya is amazingly strong. In the photos of her she is amazingly fit and cut.

 

[winlots]

ICE : agree with you that she does look fit (not so sure about the" amazingly" strong), but seems diminutive at same time vs. a more rugged appearing Faris who held her own with the biggest and roughest in my estimation. Either way, I see her as possibly being the under-the-radar Faris type that ARTY was asking for.

 

[Joobie]

Thanks for posting that. Kelly & Caroline are 2 of my favorite people on the planet...their tenacity & toughness are legendary.

 

[Icebear]

ICE : agree with you that she does look fit (not so sure about the" amazingly" strong), but seems diminutive at same time vs. a more rugged appearing Faris who held her own with the biggest and roughest in my estimation. Either way, I see her as possibly being the under-the-radar Faris type that ARTY was asking for.

Diminutive? That is one of the last words I would use to describe Saniya. She looks fit like a wrestler or boxer making weight. A beast pound or pound.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Good post...I could not agree more. As I posted earlier, while I, like my fellow posters, cannot wait for a new season, there's a part of me that can't quite get over the loss of KF to the college game.

I loved Kelly's approach to the game for all the reasons I love WCBB. I had really hoped she'd pass altogether on the WNBA, to which I am generally indifferent, and continue her education. The discipline and dedication that she brought to WCBB would make her into an inevitable standout in any career of her choosing, while continuing to pursue basketball on the pro level is, in my view, kind of a meaningless waste of her time. I know that my thought is not generally shared, but Kelly could and, in my lonely opinion, should be doing much more important things. I know she's young, and has a limited window of time to do this....but....

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kelly's game against Duke was one for the ages. She took over the game as only Maya Moore could. Wherever the ball was, Kelly was there, turning it into an advantage for UConn,

I believe that she took over two NCAA tourney games her junior year. I think in one of the middle rounds, against Kansas or Kentucky, she single-handedly put the game into our control. And in the closing minutes against Notre Dame, she took a game that was all but lost and got us an improbable lead in regulation. Her heroics were amazing. She played as if crazed, but was totally under control and unbelievably effective.

Kelly Faris was one of a kind. And we were fortunate to have her for 4 years.

 

[winlots]

ARTY - terrific stuff, as usual. Good for you....and for Faris. How about Chong as a possible under-the-radar multi-tasker (though she won't be able to bring the strength that Kelly had)?

Ummmmm........Make that "ALEX" - I'm an old person....and I like ARTY, too

 

[winlots]

ICE : agree with you that she does look fit (not so sure about the" amazingly" strong), but seems diminutive at same time vs. a more rugged appearing Faris who held her own with the biggest and roughest in my estimation. Either way, I see her as possibly being the under-the-radar Faris type that ARTY was asking for.

Ummm....at the risk of repeating myself, make that "ALEX" also, third from the end. And I still like ARTY, too.

 

[Forty_four]

Alexrgct: you could be Kelleys' agent!