Spring Break
Faris looking to be next Indiana great
Jake Goldberg
Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Husky Hoopla
The headline above Indiana's Basketball Hall of Fame Web site reads: "In 49 states, It's just basketball…This is Indiana!" This is a tribute to the amazing collection of talent that has come out of the Hoosier state, including greats like Oscar Robertson and Shawn Kemp and recent players like Mike Conley Jr. or Courtney Lee, and perhaps best known of any player coming from this state is Larry Bird.
Well, 95.7 miles away from Bird's home town of French Lick sits Plainfield Ind., home to freshman Kelly Faris. Faris is the only true freshman on the team for the 2009-2010 season and UConn hopes that she can bring some Larry Bird-like qualities, perhaps even more - Bird never won a national championship. At UConn, a national championship is the only goal.
Faris hails from Heritage Christian High School where she won four straight state titles and put up a staggering 104-8 record. Faris leads the high school in all time rebounds, steals and assists and is only second in points. She was ranked No. 34 according to the ESPN U top-100 and received a scout's score of 94.
After two preseason games and weeks of practice, it is clear that the scouts weren't far off on Faris. Her combined stat line after the two games reads as follows: 53 percent from the field, 40 percent from three point land, 23 points, nine assists, five boards, three blocks and four steals. Following the first game against St. Rose, coach Geno Auriemma wasn't surprised at her production. In fact, he said that he had been telling the media this all along. He stated that she had been playing extremely well in practice for the first few weeks and hadn't had a bad practice yet.
From the two preseason games it looks as if the Faris' role will be to come off the bench and provide a spark. She can drain the three-point shot and play pressure defense to opposing guards. Faris is also not afraid to mix it up inside and grab down a rebound in traffic. Although not vocal, her game speaks for itself.
She admitted that she was a bit nervous before the first game at Gampel and that she didn't know what to expect, but that she had a lot of fun playing with the other women on the team. It certainly helps when you join a team that just went undefeated and won the National Championship, but it is clear that Auriemma brought Faris in to do more than just learn from the bench. Her impact will be felt on the court.
During both games, she came in with backcourt teammate Caroline Doty, something that UConn fans could have expected to see during the first game on Saturday. But with Lorin Dixon suffering a hamstring injury during the final preseason game, the duo might have to be broken up.
Faris has won four consecutive titles dating back to her freshman year of high school; don't think she is expecting anything less now that she is a freshman in college.
Well, 95.7 miles away from Bird's home town of French Lick sits Plainfield Ind., home to freshman Kelly Faris. Faris is the only true freshman on the team for the 2009-2010 season and UConn hopes that she can bring some Larry Bird-like qualities, perhaps even more - Bird never won a national championship. At UConn, a national championship is the only goal.
Faris hails from Heritage Christian High School where she won four straight state titles and put up a staggering 104-8 record. Faris leads the high school in all time rebounds, steals and assists and is only second in points. She was ranked No. 34 according to the ESPN U top-100 and received a scout's score of 94.
After two preseason games and weeks of practice, it is clear that the scouts weren't far off on Faris. Her combined stat line after the two games reads as follows: 53 percent from the field, 40 percent from three point land, 23 points, nine assists, five boards, three blocks and four steals. Following the first game against St. Rose, coach Geno Auriemma wasn't surprised at her production. In fact, he said that he had been telling the media this all along. He stated that she had been playing extremely well in practice for the first few weeks and hadn't had a bad practice yet.
From the two preseason games it looks as if the Faris' role will be to come off the bench and provide a spark. She can drain the three-point shot and play pressure defense to opposing guards. Faris is also not afraid to mix it up inside and grab down a rebound in traffic. Although not vocal, her game speaks for itself.
She admitted that she was a bit nervous before the first game at Gampel and that she didn't know what to expect, but that she had a lot of fun playing with the other women on the team. It certainly helps when you join a team that just went undefeated and won the National Championship, but it is clear that Auriemma brought Faris in to do more than just learn from the bench. Her impact will be felt on the court.
During both games, she came in with backcourt teammate Caroline Doty, something that UConn fans could have expected to see during the first game on Saturday. But with Lorin Dixon suffering a hamstring injury during the final preseason game, the duo might have to be broken up.
Faris has won four consecutive titles dating back to her freshman year of high school; don't think she is expecting anything less now that she is a freshman in college.
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