The Daily Campus

Issue date: 11/7/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Ryan Sayers Kalana Greene drives toward the basket in the Huskies' exhibition against Stonehill.

It was time to take a deep breath. She had waited for this.

While her team struggled in the Final Four game against Stanford, Kalana Greene could do nothing but sit and watch.

Seven months removed from that game, she could play.

Yet, it did not feel like her first game back. Rather, she said it was an extension of last season.

Though it was an exhibition game, it was a test. Not necessarily for the women's basketball team as a whole, but for Greene. It was her chance to step on the court and face an opponent again - three surgeries and 10 months later.

"I don't take anything for granted," Greene said prior to the team's first practice a few weeks ago. "Every day I get to play basketball, I'm happy."

So when the announcer called her name, she ran out to center court, like it was just another game.

In return, Gampel Pavilion cheered - loudly.

It was basketball season once again in Storrs. Twenty-six seconds into the game, Greene lined up for a 3-pointer and banked it.

On defense, she shut down Stonehill. In fact, she was often in the players' faces, making it impossible for them to get a clean shot off, or even a pass - all in the first five minutes.

"I felt good," she said after the game. "Once I get going, I kind of grease up the wheel; I feel pretty good."

Auriemma agreed.

"There doesn't seem to be any hesitancy on her part," he said. "She's acting like it was last year. And there doesn't seem to be anything in her body language that would make me want to think anything other than that."

When she came back into the game, with less than 11 minutes left in the half, she was part of another UConn drive.

At halftime, she came back out onto the court, ready to go.

Of course, like any other player, her night was not flawless. Auriemma promptly pulled her after she missed an open layup in the first half. She missed several shots in the second half.

Still, her playing again was something people had anticipated. She ended the night with seven points and five assists in 20 minutes.

As of right now, the team is still taking precautions with her. She spent almost 10 minutes in the first half on the exercise bike, towel around her neck.

She had to keep her legs loose.

But the entire time, her eyes were on the game.

"I try not to think about my knee at all," she said. "The more I think about it, the less aggressive I will be. You can't think about injuries."

It appeared that she was not thinking about the injury at all.

In fact, she was driving hard to the basket and taking shots.

On Thursday night, she said that she was "ready to get the season started because it has been a long postseason and preseason. I'm excited to start getting the games going."

"I try to do what I can do and try not to do too much coming back onto the court."

It was clear: No. 32 is back.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools