In his eyes, that’d be Walker, the Huskies’ lone junior. Auriemma expects it, too.But, at the same time, there’s a hope that Griffin — with her jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism, which she flashed during the dunk contest at First Night — can provide something the Huskies didn’t have last season — production off the bench.“She can score in bunches” Dangerfield said, “but defensively she can get us the ball back. Fans got their first chance to check out freshman Anna Makurat, who came in second in the three-point shooting contest, and to see 6-foot-5 sophomore Olivia Nelson-Ododa dunk, sending her team and Gampel into a frenzy.
You can put her anywhere on the floor, guard any position just about, and she’s got that long reach.”Soon, everyone outside the program will be able to see it for themselves.“When she does something, you’re like, ‘What?’ We made a joke in the summer, she plays like Kawhi,” Dangerfield said, referring to the reigning NBA Finals MVP, who signed this offseason with the Los Angeles Clippers. She really knows how to play.” Makurat will be looked to to immediately contribute in her first year in Storrs. Last week, she was named to the conference’s preseason second team.The finalists for the award will be announced in March.Anya Kopchinsky rescues pit bulls from dog-fighting rings.
Another shooter,” Auriemma said. “Aubrey and I, we were just like, ‘You know what, we’ll try it.’ ”Williams averaged 11.7 points and 3.2 rebounds last season and was named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. Point guard Crystal Dangerfield, UConn’s lone returning senior starter, sees the same things Auriemma sees when she watches Griffin motor around the court.“It’s evident like the second she picks up the ball,” Dangerfield said Tuesday before practice. And it’s not just Auriemma who feels that way, either. “She’s bigger and stronger than I thought. But she expects to experience some growing pains this season, which as a freshman would be par for the course. She just has to start believing in herself.”Griffin, the daughter of former NBA forward and current Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, is soft-spoken and even-keeled. Photo by Brad Horrigan | bhorrigan@courant.com Storrs, CT - 10/18/19 - UConn freshman guard Anna Makurat makes her entrance at First Night practice event at Gampel Pavilion Friday night. She finds them chained, caged, dirty and fearful and then rehabilitates them, until they can be adopted by loving families.Hearst Connecticut Media editorial says impulsive decision to play fall high school sports is tone deaf to needs of children.‘It’s losing a brother’: Ludlowe football mourns teammateFootball coach Mitch Ross said the Ludlowe community is pulling together to deal with the loss of a friend, teammate and family member. As a senior, she poured in a record 146 points in the Class AA tournament, breaking the mark formerly held by ex-Husky Soniya Chong. 2 of 2 UConn’s Aubrey Griffin, left, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, right, watch the men’s team shoot before UConn’s men’s and women’s basketball teams’ annual First Night celebration in Storrs, Conn, Oct. 18 in Storrs. Even freshman Aubrey Griffin (6-1) attempted some dunks herself. “Anna gives us something we don’t have. STORRS — On a chilly Friday night in the middle of October, Connecticut sports fans showed yet again why the state is considered the college basketball capital of the country. STORRS — Geno Auriemma doesn’t toss out praise loosely, especially when the conversation revolves around freshmen.Ask him about Aubrey Griffin, though, and his stance changes.“I would say, of all the best athletes I’ve ever had here, I don’t think there’s ever been a better athlete, let’s put it that way,” the UConn women’s coach said last week before First Night.
“The change in the way she looks and the way she practices, how she’s preparing, how she’s thinking through the game and how she’s impacting the game. By Doug Bonjour
“I’m not going to say she’s the best athlete we’ve ever had, but I don’t think there’s a lot, or any, that are way more athletic than her, to the point where she surprises herself sometimes, which is kind of scary.”That’s an enormous compliment from any coach, let alone one who has produced a who’s who of All-Americans, national champions and Olympians. "He makes sure we do everything perfect. “That needs to come back!," Auriemma said.
Makurat beat out Dangerfield in the first round before falling to Molly Bent on a buzzer-beater in the finals. And that’s not surprising.