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Shouldn't come as a shock to hear that ESPN2 will be televising the Dec. 30 game between UConn and Stanford. The game, which starts at 9 p.m. Eastern time could be for No. 89 in a row if UConn manages to navigate its way through a challenging early portion of their schedule. The entire Pac-10 television was announced today which should bode well for the other conferences, including the Big East's coming out shortly.

Just saw this sad news item originally passed along last week by Jim Fuller of the New Haven Register to his readers about the sudden death of former Cincinnati women's coach, J. Kelley Hall.

Click on the link Jim provided..

Hall, of course, was dismissed by Cincinnati prior to last season, which gave former UConn assisitant and player Jamelle Elliott her chance to coach.

As Jim mentioned, Hall was always very gracious to us when we needed something, particularly on the night I asked him after a game in Cincinnati to claify his stance about not picking UConn to win the Big East regular-season title before the 2008-09 undefeated season.

Our condolences to his family and friends

Here is the story filed by USA Basketball about Saturday's first day of workouts for the senior women's basketball team in Virginia.....

 

There was one recent internet report listing Kiah Stokes as being down to UConn, Tennessee and Georgia. I expressed surprise at the time because I believed Maryland was a major player in the 6-foot-3 forward/center from Marion, Iowa.

The latter proved to be true according to a report by Eastern Iowa High School Sports which lists her upcoming visits

Here are the list of visits (although they are not all officials as the story indicates)

Sept. 10-12: Tennesee
Sept. 24-26: Maryland
Oct. 8-10: Georgia
Oct. 15-17: UConn

       The intersecting world of women's basketball will never be more apparent to Connecticut fans than it will be this week.
        The available players and coaches on USA Basketball's women's national team began practicing today in Virginia, the start of its final preparation for the World Championship in the Czech Republic at the end of the month.
      But as Geno Auriemma as know all along, many of this top players are not with him, nor will they be later this week when the team reports to Hartford to play defending world champion Australia Friday (7:30 p.m.) and fifth-ranked Spain Sunday at 1 in exhibitions at the XL Center.
     That's because the WNBA semifinals are underway involving Atlanta vs. New York in the Eastern Conference and Seattle vs. Phoenix in the Western Conference.
    That means Cappie Pondexter and Kia Vaughn of the Liberty, Angel McCoughtry and assistant Marynell Meadors of the Dream, Sue Bird and Swin Cash of Seattle and Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree of the Mercury will not be with Geno, at least in the early part of the week.
   In addition, Rebekkah Brunson will not be in Hartford. And it's unknown whether Sylvia Fowles will be there or not. She had her knee scoped and will join training when she's able.
   The 11 players currently with USA Basketball are Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery, Maya Moore, the only college player on the roster, Jayne Appel, Seimone Augustus, Tamika Catchings, Lindsey Harding, Ebony Hoffman, Asjha Jones, Kara Lawson and Lindsay Whalen.
   According to USA Basketball, those who do not advance to the WNBA Finals are expected to report to the team by Friday, which means they could conceivably play against Australia later that night.
  If Seattle defeats Phoenix in Game 2 of their series today in Phoenix, the Mercury will be eliminated, meaning Taurasi and Dupree could be in Washington by Monday night. If Phoenix wins, Game 3 won't be played until Wednesday in Seattle.
  The New York-Atlanta series will not end any earlier than Tuesday, and if it goes three games, it will last until Thursday night.
   Of course, if the Storm advances to the finals it will mean that center Lauren Jackson, the WNBA's MVP, will not be in the lineup for Australia.

J. Kelley Hall, who coached at Cincinnati in the 2007-08 and 2008-09, died on Thursday. The cause of death was a heart attack according to a release on the Louisiana Lafayette website. He was just 51 years old.

Hall had a 26-33 record in his two seasons with the Bearcats before being fired. Former UConn player and assistant coach Jamelle Elliott was hired to replace Hall.

Here is the info on Hall's background on the official release Cincinnati put out when announcing his firing on April 10, 2009

Hall's record as the two-year UC head coach was 26-33 and his career coaching mark stands at 316-151 in 15 seasons. He became just the seventh head coach of the University of Cincinnati women's basketball program when he was introduced as the Bearcats' new mentor on April 4, 2007. Hall's previous coaching stops were at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, as head coach (2002-07), at Louisville, as associate head coach/recruiting coordinator (2000-02), and assistant coach/recruiting coordinator positions at Auburn (1996-2000), Cal State Fullerton (1994-96), Mississippi State (1992-94), the University of Alabama (1983-84) and Troy (1982-83).

My dealings with Hall were rather limited. He did make some news on Big East media day in 2008 when he confirmed that he was the lone Big East coach not to pick UConn to win the 2008-09 Big East title.

Hall graciously answered questions about his decision both at media day in New York when he said “No disrespect to Geno whatsoever. I think Louisville, just looking at the (Big East) run last year, they were coming off of 26 wins with four starters back. I think with Angel McCoughtry and Maya Moore, you are weighing it, honestly, I kind of wish I could split it half and half.”

In the two seasons he was at Cincinnati, I found him to be an likeable guy to deal with who exuded that Southern gentleman charm and I was very saddened to hear about his passing.

UConn fans, this is for you. Today The Courant and courant.com unveil our UConn football message board. Everyone knows the passion of Huskies fans, so here's the place to come. Join in a current discussion or start a new one. Headed to Michigan? Talk about it. Like the looks of the offense? Start a topic. Have a concern? Start a topic. In the coming weeks we'll be adding additional forums for UConn men's and women's basketball. But for now, it's all football so get to www.courant.com/uconnfbforum and join in the discussion. It takes less than 30 seconds to register.

I spoke to UConn sophomore Heather Buck on Wednesday. She had an OK summer, by the way. Thanks for asking. There were days when it seemed to speed by, days when it dragged along.

Yep, sounds like summer to me.

But I know what most of you are interested in....Is Buck ready for the challenge facing her this season, along with freshmen Stefanie Dolson, Michala Johnson and Samarie Walker?

 Can some combination of those four, with some help from Miss Maya, help fill the gap left by Tina Charles, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year?

 Very legitimate questions, but I would have expected no less from my constituency. 

The Stanford women's basketball schedule is out, so now we know the UConn game on Dec. 30 will begin at 9 p.m. EST time.

The Huskies will play at Pacific in Stockton, Calif., on Dec. 28 at 10 p.m.

Stanford opens its season at home against Rutgers on Nov. 14. They will host Texas on Nov. 28

The Cardinal will play Xavier in Palo Alto on Dec. 28, a rematch of their exciting Elite Eight game in last season's tournament.

Like UConn, the Cardinal is looking for its fourth straight trip to the Final Four.

The date of the national-championship game rematch has been announced. UConn will play at Stanford at 9 p.m. on Dec. 30. It will be the second game of the Huskies'
California road trip at UConn plays at Pacific at 10 p.m. on Dec. 28. For those interested in projecting such things, if UConn emerges unscathed from some challenging early games, the game at Pacific would be No. 88 in a row, matching the Division I men's basketball record winning streak set by John Wooden's UCLA teams in the early 1970s and Stanford would be No. 89.

UConn's schedule should be coming out later this month but other than the date of North Carolina game and the exhibition game against Franklin Pierce, here's the breakdown of the non-conference games.


Franklin Pierce (date, site TBA)
Nov. 10 Indiana (Pa.)
Regular season
Nov. 14 Holy Cross
Nov. 16 Baylor (XL Center), 6 p.m.
Nov. 21 at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m.
Nov. 26-28 World Vision Classic vs. Howard, Lehigh and LSU (dates of exact matchups have not been announced)
Dec. 5 Sacred Heart
Dec. 19 Ohio State (at Madison Square Garden), 2:30 p.m.
Dec. 21 Florida State
Dec. 28 at Pacific, 10 p.m.
Dec. 30 at Stanford, 9 p.m.
Jan. 31 Duke
Feb. 14 Oklahoma


EISENMANN HEADED TO FORDHAM
I guess I should have figured something was up when Jack Eisenmann, UConn's director of basketball operations for the last nine seasons, did not accompany UConn coach Geno Auriemma to the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament last month as he normally would have done. Now I know why as Eisenmann left to become an assistant coach at Fordham

After nine seasons as Director of Basketball Operations to Geno Auriemma, Jack Eisenmann has resigned to become an assistant coach at Fordham.

Here is the press release from the Fordham sports information office.

Geno Auriemma explained the loss of his long-time friend this way:

"He feft so he can coach." Auriemma said. "I have no one in mind for the position right now. I will decide that after the season."

UConn coach Geno Auriemma has lost a member of his staff for the third straight year. Jack Eisenmann, who served as the Huskies’ director of basketball operations for the last nine seasons, has been named an assistant coach at Fordham. Eisenmann joins former UConn assistant coaches Tonya Cardoza and Jamelle Elliott as those who have recently [...]

This was Caroline Doty's third surgery day on her left knee all went well - again.

No player in recent UConn history has suffered so much with her health than she has. Let's hope it holds this time so she can continue her career without any further complications.

According to Rich Elliott's blog in the Connecticut Post today, the patella tendon was taken from her right knee and inserted into the left knee to serve as the ACL.

 

UConn junior guard Caroline Doty can only hope the third time is the charm when it comes to her oft-injured left knee.

Doty had successful surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn meniscus on Tuesday at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. The three-hour procedure, performed by Dr. Robert Arciero, was conducted with no further complications.

She will begin the process of rehabilitating the knee on Thursday with the UConn training staff but having already been ruled out for the upcoming season, it will be a much more conservative schedule for recovery than when she tore her ACL as a senior at Germantown Academy and again midway through her freshman season at UConn.

Doty, who had now had her torn ACL in her left knee surgically repaired three times since October of 2007, will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Doty appeared in all 39 games and started 38 as a sophomore, averaging 6.8 points and finishing second on the 39-0 Huskies in assists and 3-pointers as UConn won its second straight national title and extended its winning streak to a Division I women's basketball record 78 straight games.

Junior guard Caroline Doty underwent successful surgery today to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a small posterior meniscus tear in her left knee at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. The procedure, which took approximately three hours to complete, was performed by team doctor Robert Arciero. It was the third time that Doty has [...]

 You could tell the WNBA season was over at the Mohegan Sun Arena Tuesday because only coffee and cookies were available to the throng [six of seven] of media who came to the Cabaret Theatre to cover the Tina Charles Rookie of the Year press conference.

  Not complaining. I'm trying to lose more weight before the UConn season starts and I spiral completely out of control until I am seen floating over Herald Square on Thanksgiving morning with Al Roker cracking jokes about me.

  It hasn't been easy this summer with the Sun. You walk in the press room most nights and think you are looking at the midnight buffet on a Caribbean Cruise.

  So thank you, Sun-shines, for showing some restraint.

  Congratulations to Tina Charles for winning the WNBA's Rookie of the Year award. She was rookie of the month in May, June, July and August, so it only made sense. Even a sportswriter could decode this big secret. She has successfully transitioned from a college star to a professional icon and now the world will expect her to pick up the check.

  Very happy for Sun rookie Kelsey Griffin and UConn's Kalana Greene of the NY Liberty for also being named to the All-Rookie team. Tina is going to Game 3 of the Indiana-Liberty playoff series Wednesday night on Kalana's tickets.

 

 

In one of the worst kept secrets in WNBA history, the Connecticut Sun's Tina Charles was named the WNBA's Rookie of the Year.

Charles received each of the 39 votes from a media panel to win the award.

Here's the official release from the WNBA

NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2010 – Connecticut Sun forward Tina Charles earned the 2010 Rookie of the Year award, the WNBA announced today. A national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters unanimously awarded Charles the honor.

Charles, the No.1 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft topped all rookies in points (15.5 ppg) and rebounds (11.7 rpg) – leading the league in the latter category – and ranked second in the league in blocks (1.68 bpg). In the process, she set a pair of WNBA single-season records: Charles’ 398 total rebounds surpassed the mark of 363 set by Detroit’s Cheryl Ford in 2006, while her 22 double-doubles bettered the mark of 19 set by Utah’s Natalie Williams in 2000.

A product of the University of Connecticut and Christ the King High School in Queens, NY, Charles finished the season winning all four WNBA Rookie of the Month honors.

The 6-4 center posted her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds in a season- opening 74-61 win over the Chicago Sky on May 15. One of her best games came on July 7 in a 108-103 loss to the Atlanta Dream, when Charles posted a career-high 27 points, collected 20 rebounds, and contributed four blocks. In another notable performance on June 25, Charles posted a career-high and rookie-record 23 rebounds (tied for second most in league history) and added 19 points and two steals in a win over the Phoenix Mercury. She recorded 10 or more rebounds 23 times and scored in double-digits in all but four games this season as the Sun finished the season 17-17, a one-game improvement from last year’s 16-18 record.

In addition to setting significant WNBA records for a single season, Charles finished her rookie season by etching her name into the record books in numerous other areas as well. She established new single-season franchise marks for offensive (129) and defensive (269) rebounds; established the second-highest defensive rebound total in league history, behind Lisa Leslie’s 276 in 2004; and collected six straight double-doubles, one short of Lauren Jackson’s WNBA record of seven.

Charles averaged a double-double in every month but May (16.6 ppg and 9.6 rpg). In June, she averaged 15.5 points and 14.0 rebounds. Charles finished her rookie season averaging 16.2 points and 11.5 rebounds in August.

Charles, the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at the University of Connecticut, excelled on the court throughout her college career. As a senior, she earned All-America honors while leading the Huskies to their second consecutive NCAA championship and a record 78 straight wins. She was also the Big East Player of the Year as a senior and a three-time All-Big East First Team member.

In honor of being named the 2010 Rookie of the Year, Charles will receive $5,000 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.

Below are the complete results of the 2010 Rookie of the Year voting, followed by a list of previous winners:


2010 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RESULTS

39 Tina Charles Connecticut Sun

A national panel of 39 sportswriters and broadcasters unanimously awarded Charles the honor.


ROOKIE OF THE YEAR WINNERS

2010 Tina Charles Connecticut Sun
2009 Angel McCoughtry Atlanta Dream
2008 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
2007 Armintie Price Chicago Sky
2006 Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
2005 Temeka Johnson Washington Mystics
2004 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
2003 Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
2002 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
2001 Jackie Stiles Portland Fire
2000 Betty Lennox Minnesota Lynx
1999 Chamique Holdsclaw Washington Mystics
1998 Tracy Reid Charlotte Sting


Charles was joined on the all-rookie team by her Sun teammate Kelsey Griffin, former UConn teammate Kalana Greene of the New York Liberty, as well as Minnesota's Monica Wright and Epiphanny Prince of the Chicago Sky.

    UNCASVILLE - Tina Charles of the Connecticut Sun has been named the WNBA's Rookie of the Year.

    Charles, who led UConn to consecutive back-to-back undefeated national championships and graduated as the program's top career scorer and rebounder, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 Draft.

    Although the Sun did not qualify for the playoffs, Charles set league records for double-doubles (22) and single-season rebounds as a rookie (398). In other news, Kelsey Griffin of the Sun and former UConn star Kalana Greeneof the Liberty were named to the all-rookie team.

So there's not much to report regarding the UConn women's basketball program.

Let's see, starting point guard Caroline Doty will have her third surgery to repair the torn ACL in her left knee and Tina Charles, the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, will be officially named the WNBA's Rookie of the Year at a noon press conference.

As for other items, I did some snooping around yesterday regarding recruiting. Regarding the report on Peach State Hoops which lists highly-touted post player Elizabeth Williams' as considering Duke, Virginia and Tennessee with the possibility of taking visits to North Carolina and Penn State, I did reach out to her high school coach to confirm that she did indeed drop UConn from consideration. An e-mail was waiting for me when I got up this morning from Princess Anne HS coach Darnell Dozier stating "UConn is not on her short list."

While it is a little surprising that UConn would not have made her top five, considering the geography was very important to her it seemed like a reach to expect her to come to UConn. Whoever lands her will be getting one heck of a talent and from my brief dealings with her at the U-17 practice sessions, a very nice kid.

I spoke with Debra Walker, the godmother of UConn recruiting target Betnijah Laney yesterday, and she said that Laney's official visits will be finalized after she is finished with her home visits which run from Sept. 16-25. Walker said she will have home visits from Connecticut, Duke, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers, Virginia and West Virginia.

I'm waiting to her back from Greg Stokes, the father of UConn recruiting target Kiah Stokes, but I have no reason to question the accuracy of an internet report that the 6-foot-3 forward/center from Marion, Iowa is down to UConn, Georgia and Tennessee. I guess the biggest surprise is that Maryland is no longer in the running because some of the early scuttlebutt regarding Stokes is that Maryland was going to be a major player. The info I have is that Stokes is planning to take an official visit the weekend of Oct. 15-17 and will be on hand for the First Night fan fest on Oct. 15 and the first practice the following morning.

Things haven't been very easy for Louisville coach Jeff Walz since his run to the national championship game in 2009.,

Now this....

From a UL press release:

Louisville point guard Deseree' Byrd will not return to the University of Louisville for the 2010-11 season due to personal reasons.