A chance to find some answers
STORRS — The last couple seasons offered fewer mysteries for UConn women’s head coach Geno Auriemma. For the most part, he knew the type of performances he’d be getting from a good portion of his team.
This year, however, will begin with a bit more intrigue.
“We had a pretty good sense of which kid could do this and which kid could do that and what can our team do,” said Auriemma, whose team tips off its exhibition schedule Sunday at Gampel Pavilion. “This year I am looking forward to the exhibition game because there’s a lot of things that I don’t particularly know yet that I want to find out.”
What Auriemma does know is the configuration of his starting lineup for the 1 p.m. start against NAIA powerhouse Vanguard. Freshman guard Christyn Williams and sophomore forward Megan Walker will open alongside returning starters Napheesa Collier, Crystal Dangerfield and Katie Lou Samuelson.
How Auriemma will utilize the rest of his roster remains to be seen. There’s no question he’ll be looking to get more production from his bench — an unproven group that includes Mikayla Coombs and Lexi Gordon.
Coombs, a sophomore who is in competition for the backup point guard spot, missed the final six games of last season because of a blood clot in her leg. Gordon, a combo guard, averaged less than a point a game as a freshman.
“Whether it’s Mikayla, Lexi or anybody else, Molly (Bent) — and I wonder if it’s going to be like this in games — is you look at them since we started practice, there’s not a predictable trajectory that the graph is on. There’s five days in a week, and it’ll look like any combination of up, down, middle.
“So, you’re not quite sure, again, is that how it’s going to look in games? We’ll see.”
The same can be said about former Kentucky transfer Batouly Camara, who was slowed by a knee injury during her first season in Storrs. Camara said she’s changed her workout routine, hoping it’ll enable her to have a healthier, more productive year.
“To be honest, it’s been a little up and down,” Camara said Friday of her offseason. “But I do feel much better.”
BIG NAME ON CAMPUS
Saturday represented an important recruiting day for UConn with Archbishop Mitty High School (Calif.) guard Haley Jones making her official visit to Storrs. Jones, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2019, is also considering Notre Dame, Oregon, South Carolina and Stanford. So far, Aubrey Griffin, a guard from Ossining (N.Y.) High School, is the Huskies’ lone commit for 2019.
KLS READY TO GO
According to Auriemma, Samuelson is “moving a lot better” on her surgically repaired left ankle. “For sure,” he said.