New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Huskies hope to learn more following exhibition
On Sunday, it will be exactly 624 days since the last time the UConn women’s basketball team played in front of a home crowd at Gampel Pavilion.
More than a year and a half has passed since players last ran through the arena’s tunnel and into a loud and roaring sea of fans.
When UConn hosts Division II Fort Hays State in a preseason exhibition game, it will mark the first time 2021 national player of the year Paige Bueckers will be introduced in person to the Storrs’ crowd.
In fact, it will be the first live game with fans at Gampel for 10 out of the 14 Huskies on this year’s roster.
“Oh my god. I feel like a freshman again, honestly, because this is a whole new experience for me and for the most of us,” sophomore Nika Mühl said.
“I’m looking forward to the energy. … I’m just excited to come in and look at all the people and just feel all that adrenaline. I can’t wait,” Mühl added.
After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament in 2020 and prevented fans from attending games last season, UConn will open Gampel this year in an exhibition game Sunday at 1 p.m.
More than 8,000 tickets have been distributed, so plenty of fans will have the opportunity to see the Huskies in person in game that will not be televised and will only be streamed free on uconnhuskies.com.
“I felt so bad for our freshmen last year,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said ahead of the team’s first preseason practice. “They’re in for a treat. I’m happy for our seniors because I don’t want them to go out, senior year, and that’s the way it ends at Connecticut, you know, playing in front of nobody. So, I know the fans are going to be jacked up, because they haven’t been to a game in forever. And kids are going to be as well. I am too.”
For Auriemma, Sunday is the
first chance to see what his players will bring come game time, under the bright lights and in front of a crowd. Auriemma said he was impressed by the team’s offense and perimeter shooting in its recent closed-door preseason scrimmage against Boston College.
But unlike preseason scrimmages — which are often non-competitive — this exhibition game will be the first chance for the Huskies to face a competitive opponent. No more playing against each other or practice players, and no longer do the Huskies have the luxury of stopping mid-play to correct positioning.
If mistakes are made, they will be seen and possibly costly.
“I just want to see how we react to being in a big gym like Gampel and having 7 or 8,000 people in the building, having a different team that’s organized and running plays,” Auriemma said. “That’s why we have these exhibition games. Hopefully we come out of there with a lot more information.
“I think if the only thing we come out of there with is, ‘Hey we won,’ I don’t think that’s very productive, but if we come out of there with a lot of good info … then obviously it will be worth the time we put into it.”
It’s no secret UConn’s roster is deep and talented. UConn returns all of its starters and its top seven players. From Bueckers to the No. 1 Class of 2021 recruit Azzi Fudd to the addition Ohio State graduate transfer Dorka Juhász, the competition for minutes and for starting roles will be the highest it’s been in years.
Auriemma will look at Sunday as an audition, if you will. Which players have what it takes to earn a starting role or at least warrant playing time?
During the media’s glimpse of practice on Thursday, Auriemma tested various lineups in half
court drills: Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Christyn Williams, Evina Westbrook and Olivia Nelson-Ododa; Bueckers, Williams, Fudd, Mühl and Juhász; Bueckers, Williams, Fudd, Caroline Ducharme, Juhász and Nelson-Ododa.
While the 11-time national champion coach is sure to play around with lineups ahead of every game depending on the opponent and who’s healthy, it’s safe to assume we’ll see Bueckers and Williams in that core group. It’s also expected Fudd will jump in early into the season or perhaps from the start.
As for the remaining spots, Auriemma could go with multiple bigs and add either Juhász, Nelson-Ododa and/or Aaliyah Edwards for length. Or he could choose to go with four guards or wings with one big and use Westbrook, Mühl and/or Ducharme to aide Bueckers, Williams and Fudd.
No matter how the lineup shapes up, players know every minute on the court will be earned this season. On Sunday, Auriemma can begin tinkering with lineups.
“At the end when it’s crunch time, people that deserve it are going to get it,” Auriemma said. “Does that mean that everybody is equally deserving? No. some people are going to deserve it more than others.”
WHO IS FORT HAYS STATE?
The Tigers won the program’s fourth regular-season MIAA title last year with a 22-4 overall record, tying the league record with 20 conference wins. The team was ranked No. 4 in the preseason Division II WBCA Top 25 this year and return four All-MIAA selections, including AllAmerican senior guard Jaden Hobbs (14.4 points per game, 3.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists).
Fort Hays State last visited Connecticut on Nov. 1, 2017. UConn won 82-37 at XL Center thanks to a game-high 19 points from Kia Nurse.