The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Former teammates Harris, Dangerfield meet again
ALBANY, N.Y. — No introductions were necessary when the point guards squared off in the Elite Eight game between UConn and South Carolina.
Not only have UConn’s Crystal Dangerfield and Tyasha Harris of South Carolina gone head-to-head in two regular-season games, but they were teammates and briefly roommates for the U.S. team which competed in the FIBA U19 World Cup in July.
Harris and Dangerfield finished first and second on the U.S. squad in assists and steals as the U.S. advanced to the gold medal game.
“I had to play a different role because we had a lot of great guards,” Harris said. “I had to grow into a different role because Coach Suzie (McConnell-Serio) put Crystal at the 1 and I was the 2 or the 3. In the beginning I came off the bench and then I had to work my way into the starting lineup, just being there it was amazing. For two-a-day practices and I competed against the top girls in the nation, playing overseas I think helped me because they play a different kind of ball, it is more physical. It is nice to see different coaches and how they play. I think I got used to playing the 2, playing the wing and doing anything other than the point guard which really helped here.”
Both Harris and Dangerfield have key if a little understated roles with their collegiate teams.
Dangerfield was the only member of the UConn starting lineup not to receive votes in the balloting for the Associated Press All-American team that saw Katie Lou Samuelson earn firstteam recognition for the second season in a row. Gabby Williams (second team), Napheesa Collier (third team) and Kia Nurse (honorable mention) were also among those receiving votes as was former UConn forward/center Natalie Butler, now at George Mason University.
Dangerfield went into the regional final averaging 9.2 points per game while ranking second on the team with 132 assists, third with 55 3-pointers and 56 steals.
Harris leads South Carolina with 218 assists and 77 steals and is third in scoring at 10.7 points per game.
“She does a good job of picking her poison of when she needs to go and when she needs to give the ball to other people so I think she has done a great job,” Dangerfield said.
Harris was a reluctant shooter as a freshman, but she has been asked to look for own shot more frequently in her second season.
“I think I matured a lot in that area,” Harris said. “Last year I did a lot of passing because I had three or four other All-Americans on the floor so they were good at scoring, I was fine with taking a back seat and being a facilitator because there is not really that many true point guards out there playing. Now that we lost the other top scorers on the team, I had to adjust, know when to take my shot and be more assertive.”
Harris played for the same Heritage Christian program that former UConn standout Kelly Faris played for so she found herself watching UConn games long before any Division I programs started to recruit her.
“I workout with Kelly sometimes because we have the same trainer,” Harris said. “We haven’t talked much about collegiate basketball, but I just watch her as she works out and how hard she goes and what it takes. She does the little things really well. I kind of watched her when she was at UConn and in the WNBA, I watch her to see what she does so I can see how I can expand my game.”
UCONN TARGETS STRIKE GOLD
A team made up of UConn recruiting targets won the USA Basketball Women’s 3x3 U18 National Championship in Colorado Springs.
Hailey Van Lith from Wenatchee, Wash., was named the tournament MVP to help Team Quest to a 7-0 record. She was joined by fellow 2020 prospect Paige Bueckers of Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minn., and class of 2019 recruits Aliyah Boston, who plays at Worcester Academy and Samantha Brunelle, out of Monroe High School in Fredericksburg, Va.