The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Ex-Husky Espinoza-Hunter finds a home at Seton Hall
Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella has a direct line to Geno Auriemma and his coaching staff.
They’ve always been willing to help, whether it’s simple words of advice or instruction on the court.
Out of respect, Bozzella reached out to the Huskies earlier this season when he wanted to recruit one of their former players — Andra Espinoza-Hunter.
“When I found out she wanted to transfer, the first text I made was to Chris Dailey,” Bozzella said on a recent Hearst Connecticut Media podcast. “I said, ‘Chris, Andra’s available, we’d like to recruit her, but if you’re uncomfortable with it or if there’s something you’re not OK with, I won’t recruit her out of respect to you.’ ”
Dailey, UConn’s longtime associate head coach, didn’t take long to answer.
“Andra, it just didn’t work out here, but she’s a great kid. I think it would be
a blessing if you could get her back in the Big East,” she told Bozzella.
Espinoza-Hunter was rated by ESPN as a five-star prospect coming out of high school in 2017. She came to UConn as part of a celebrated recruiting class that included No. 1 prospect Megan Walker, Mikayla Coombs and Lexi Gordon.
Despite all that promise, Espinoza-Hunter didn’t even last a full season in Storrs. After playing just seven games, she transferred to Mississippi State, where she averaged 6.7 points and make 20 starts over two years.
Espinoza-Hunter originally planned to sit out this season because of COVID concerns, but announced in November that she was transferring once more, this time to Seton Hall. A few weeks later, the 5-foot-11 guard was granted a legislative relief waiver by the NCAA, allowing her immediate eligibility.
Suffice to say, it’s worked out pretty well. She’s led the Pirates in scoring in three of the five games she’s played, and is averaging 18.6 points and 4.2 rebounds overall. She had 24 points and eight rebounds in Sunday’s win over Butler and on Monday was named Big East player of the week.
“As good as she is, I asked for her blessing. They could’ve been like, ‘No, screw you, Tony. We don’t want her in the league.’ Not that they’re afraid of anyone, but just out of principle.”
The Huskies are scheduled to host Seton Hall on Feb. 10.
NEW NO. 1
There was change at the top of the AP Top 25 poll following Stanford’s overtime loss to Colorado on Sunday. Louisville (12-0) jumped to No. 1 for the first time in program history, followed by NC State and UConn. South Carolina moved up a spot to No. 4, while Stanford dropped from No. 1 to No. 5.
Also of note, Tennessee remained in the poll at No. 25 ahead of Thursday’s meeting with UConn. The Huskies have played just one ranked team to date — No. 18 DePaul.
2022 TOP RECRUIT CHOOSES STANFORD OVER UCONN, OTHERS
Lauren Betts, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2022, announced her commitment to Stanford last week. The 6-7 forward from Grandview High School in Colorado chose the Cardinal over a host of perennial powerhouse programs, including UConn.
The Huskies had landed the top-ranked player in five of the previous seven recruiting cycles, excluding Haley Jones (Stanford) in 2019 and Lauren Cox (Baylor) in 2016.