Spring Break
This year, Huskies must leave no doubts
Kevin Meacham
Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: Husky Hoopla
It seems like every November, I sit down to write this piece and the point remains the same.
The UConn women's basketball team is good. Very good. Bordering on great. Only the very tippy-top teams in the country are even capable of competing with Geno Auriemma's club.
This is the year when the Huskies could finally grab that elusive sixth national title.
Yadda yadda yadda. You've heard it all before, and I've written it all before.
You don't need me to tell you that Maya Moore is probably the best player in the country right now, and certainly one of the top three or four.
You don't need me to tell you that Kalana Greene and Renee Montgomery are hungry, desperate for that national title after three years of disappointing finishes.
And you don't need me to tell you that Auriemma has been working overtime to erase that nasty little parity that developed among the top seven-to-10 teams in the country.
These things should be evident to anyone who watched the team last year.
What I can do, however, is provide you with three reasons, among many, that the Huskies can - and will - finally get over the hump.
Candace Parker, the bane of every UConn fan's existence? She's gone, off plying her trade as the pro game's biggest superstar.
Candice Wiggins, the Stanford stud who so dominated the Huskies in the St. Pete Times Forum last April? She's gone, too.
And how about LSU's Sylvia Fowles, arguably the most dominant post player in the game? She is now paid for her basketball ability, playing for the Chicago Sky.
Who does that leave?
Moore, Montgomery, and Tina Charles. The talented troika were named to the Preseason All-America First Team and will carry the team as they did much of last year.
And there's plenty of talent for Auriemma to work with, from a returning Greene to skilled post player Kaili McLaren, from fab frosh Tiffany Hayes to sparkplug Lorin Dixon.
Last year, the Huskies had more talent than anyone at the start of the year, too. Other teams may have had great individual players - like the three mentioned above - but no one should have been able to compete with a team bringing an All-American, Moore, off the bench.
Injuries mounted, taking a toll on UConn's depth, to the point where they had as much talent as any of the elite teams in the country. And therein lies the rub.
That left the Huskies in a 50-50 proposition with any of the other elite teams. That finally caught up with Auriemma's group in the Final Four.
In 2008, the rest of the country was clobbered by graduation. Rutgers lost its two best defenders; Tennessee lost its starting lineup; LSU lost its eight most-used players.
The Huskies have been considered national title favorites roughly since Moore sent in her letter of intent. But here's the difference: this year, they're a step above every other so-called contender.
If there was ever a year when a national championship could be considered picking low-hanging fruit, this is it.
The UConn women's basketball team is good. Very good. Bordering on great. Only the very tippy-top teams in the country are even capable of competing with Geno Auriemma's club.
This is the year when the Huskies could finally grab that elusive sixth national title.
Yadda yadda yadda. You've heard it all before, and I've written it all before.
You don't need me to tell you that Maya Moore is probably the best player in the country right now, and certainly one of the top three or four.
You don't need me to tell you that Kalana Greene and Renee Montgomery are hungry, desperate for that national title after three years of disappointing finishes.
And you don't need me to tell you that Auriemma has been working overtime to erase that nasty little parity that developed among the top seven-to-10 teams in the country.
These things should be evident to anyone who watched the team last year.
What I can do, however, is provide you with three reasons, among many, that the Huskies can - and will - finally get over the hump.
Candace Parker, the bane of every UConn fan's existence? She's gone, off plying her trade as the pro game's biggest superstar.
Candice Wiggins, the Stanford stud who so dominated the Huskies in the St. Pete Times Forum last April? She's gone, too.
And how about LSU's Sylvia Fowles, arguably the most dominant post player in the game? She is now paid for her basketball ability, playing for the Chicago Sky.
Who does that leave?
Moore, Montgomery, and Tina Charles. The talented troika were named to the Preseason All-America First Team and will carry the team as they did much of last year.
And there's plenty of talent for Auriemma to work with, from a returning Greene to skilled post player Kaili McLaren, from fab frosh Tiffany Hayes to sparkplug Lorin Dixon.
Last year, the Huskies had more talent than anyone at the start of the year, too. Other teams may have had great individual players - like the three mentioned above - but no one should have been able to compete with a team bringing an All-American, Moore, off the bench.
Injuries mounted, taking a toll on UConn's depth, to the point where they had as much talent as any of the elite teams in the country. And therein lies the rub.
That left the Huskies in a 50-50 proposition with any of the other elite teams. That finally caught up with Auriemma's group in the Final Four.
In 2008, the rest of the country was clobbered by graduation. Rutgers lost its two best defenders; Tennessee lost its starting lineup; LSU lost its eight most-used players.
The Huskies have been considered national title favorites roughly since Moore sent in her letter of intent. But here's the difference: this year, they're a step above every other so-called contender.
If there was ever a year when a national championship could be considered picking low-hanging fruit, this is it.
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