Author Archives: ianbethune

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 3/9

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women's Basketball links

Video: UConn Women Crush Cincinnati, 72-42 [sox & dawgs]

Unbeaten Huskies a step ahead of Cincinnati [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Notebook: Will Stewart go home again? [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Mohegan Sun Wants To Be AAC’s Longtime Home (As Long As UConn Stays) [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Notes From UConn’s Quarterfinal Win [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Stewart Again Found Success At The Line Vs. Cincinnati [rich elliott – ct post]

Geno Escapes Trouble, Dolson Reacts In A Hurry [rich elliott – ct post]

Drummond Pays A Visit To Huskies At Mohegan Sun [rich elliott – ct post]

Stokes Tapping Into Her Potential, Named To All-AAC Second Team [rich elliott – ct post]

Dolson provides the laughs in UConn's laugher [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn's Stewart making way to free-throw line [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn has easy win over Cincinnati in AAC tournament [ct post]

Huskies Complete First Step In AAC Tournament, Face Rutgers On Sunday [hartford courant]

Notebook: Arena Hopes This Isn't A One-And-Done [hartford courant]

Geno's Son-In-Law Is – Surprise! – A Basketball Coach [hartford courant]

UConn women cruise past Cincinnati into AAC semifinals [new haven register]

Auriemma: Slaughter's return at Louisville an inspiration to entire league [new haven register]

Hartley's all the way back [the day]

Huskies make the effort regardless of the score [the hour]

Watch: Geno on AAC [snyuconn.com]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Video: Louisville Embarrasses UConn Men, 81-48 [sox & dawgs]

Wrapping Things Up at YUM! Center [dom amore – hartford courant]

Kevin Ollie: "We Play Like This, We've Got Two Games and Everybody Can Go on Spring Break" [david borges – new haven register]

UConn notebook: Cardinals’ stop the 3-ball; Smith plays like All-American [william paxton – ct post]

UConn report card: Huskies flunk final regular-season exam [william paxton – ct post]

Men’s hoops: American tourney set [john silver – snyuconn.com]

Rock Bottom [uconn huskies basketball]

UConn men fall to Louisville, 81-48 [ct post]

Huskies look to regroup after embarrassing loss [ct post]

Closer look at AAC men [ct post]

Calhoun In Charge From Day One, Then Got First Win In 1986 [hartford courant]

Louisville Gives UConn No Shot In 81-48 Rout [hartford courant]

Coin Toss Gives Bearcats Top Rung In AAC Tournament [hartford courant]

Louisville devours UConn once again [new haven register]

UConn Football links

UConn Football Spring Practice Starts Monday [sox & dawgs]

As UConn Football Training Ramps Up, 'Everybody Has Value,' Coach Says [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Lacrosse. Huskies To Host James Madison on Sunday [uconnhuskies.com]

Baseball. UConn Topped In Extras For Second Straight Day At Florida, 2-1 [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Track. Men's Track & Field Completes Day One at IC4A Championships [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Track. McLaren Wins High Jump to Pace Huskies At ECAC Championships [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

UConn Football Spring Practice Starts Monday

Other than a little bit of video, new UConn Huskies football coach Bob Diaco hasn't seen any of his new charges on the field in person with the exception of the conditioning drills.

UConn HuskiesNow on Monday, Diaco will get to see that as UConn opens up spring practice, the first of 15 including the Blue/White game on April 12. And he'll do so with most of the 2013 team, not all though.

We already knew that OT Xavier Hemingway, DE/TE E.J. Norris and RB Joe Williams, who never suited up, had left the program before the spring semester. And when you persuse the 2014 UConn spring roster that was released, you'll notice a few players are no longer listed.

Safety Ty-Meer Brown is no longer listed on the roster as it appears the neck injury he suffered during the 2013 season has ended his career. QB/WR Scott McCummings, who blew his Achilles tendon in the preseason, is also no longer on the roster.

You'll also notice there are two true freshman on the roster in LB Chris Britton and CB Jamar Summers. Both were early enrollees.

The only position change that I could notice was that Andreas Knappe has been moved from the defensive line to the offensive line.

It's going to be interesting to see what transpires during spring practice.

You have a battle at the quarterback position, you have to replace most of your offensive line although it appears Gus Cruz has gotten through his cardiac issue as he is back listed on the roster.

Most importantly, both sides of the ball will have to learn a new system.

So what does Diaco hope to accomplish over the next month?

"If we can walk out of the spring after 15 practices and the team understands how we expect the games to be played, not necessarily what the plays are, but how we expect the games to be played with the proper energy, effort and detail and mental toughness necessary to execute over periods of time, if we can end spring football with that implanted into the DNA, it will be a positive thing.”

We'll get more about the career-ending injury for Brown as well as how the first practice of the spring went on Monday.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Miller Leads Wolf Pack Past Devils, 4-3

Hartford, CT, March 8, 2014 – J.T. Miller had a goal and three assists Saturday night at the XL Center, and Ryan Bourque scored the game-winning goal and added two assists, as the Hartford Wolf Pack defeated the Albany Devils, 4-3.

Hartford Wolf PackIt was a see-saw battle, with the Wolf Pack giving up the first goal of the game, then scoring the next three, before giving up two quick third-period goals.  After Albany had tied the score at three, Bourque’s 17th goal of the year at 12:25 of the third held up as the game-winner.

Jesper Fast and Bretton Stamler also scored for the Wolf Pack, who won for the sixth time in their last seven games, and Conor Allen had two assists.  Dov Grumet-Morris made 33 saves.  Brandon Burlon, Mike Sislo and Joe Whitney scored for the Devils, and Kelly Zajac had two assists.

“The first period was pretty frustrating, they came out hot and pretty much all over us,” Bourque said. “We know any time we play Albany it’s going to be a stingy kind of game, but once we got our feet moving and started to put pucks deep and play the game we play, we started to have an advantage.”

After a scoreless first period in which Albany outshot the Wolf Pack 13-5, the Devils finally solved Grumet-Morris with a power-play goal at 9:04 of the second period.

It was Burlon ending the scoreless deadlock, with Kyle Jean in the penalty box for goaltender interference.  Zajac moved the puck to Burlon on the left side of the slot, and Burlon snapped a shot past Grumet-Morris’ stick side.

The goal was Burlon’s fourth of the season, and three of them have come against the Wolf Pack.

The Wolf Pack would respond with the next two goals, though, with Fast and Stamler scoring only 2:34 apart.

Fast buried the rebound of a Bourque shot at 14:31 to get the Wolf Pack on the scoreboard.  Miller found Bourque in front of the net with a pass, and after Albany goaltender Scott Wedgewood (17 saves) stopped Bourque’s close-in try, the rebound came right to Fast along the goal line on the left-wing side, and Fast slammed it in.

Stamler then gave the Wolf Pack their first lead at 17:05, with his second career AHL goal.  Miller handed the puck to Stamler in center ice, and Stamler broke into the Albany zone.  As he charged up the slot, Stamler had a shot blocked, but the puck caromed right back to him and he was able to make a quick move and beat Wedgewood.

The Wolf Pack scored again early in the third period, as Miller tallied at 2:02 to make it a 3-1 game.  Allen threw the puck down low from the left point and Miller, stationed to Wedgewood’s right, deflected between him and the post.

The Devils countered shortly thereafter, though, as Sislo and Whitney both scored in a span of only 28 seconds, starting at 6:29.

Sislo’s goal came after Harri Pesonen’s shot from a sharp angle on left wing squeezed through Grumet-Morris’ pads.  Sislo reached in behind the Wolf Pack goaltender and poked it into the net, despite the best efforts of Hartford defenseman Danny Syvret.

Then, at 6:57, Whitney scored his 20th of the season to bring the Devils into a tie.  Whitney worked the puck away from Stamler in the slot and snapped a shot past Grumet-Morris on the stick side.

Grumet-Morris steadied himself after that, though, and Bourque and Miller combined to put home the decisive goal at 12:25.  Miller played the puck to Bourque in center ice to create a two-on-one into the Albany zone.  Carrying down right wing, Bourque used Miller as a decoy and ripped a shot through Wedgewood’s legs, to put the Wolf Pack ahead to stay.

The Wolf Pack finish a three-game weekend on Sunday afternoon, visiting the league-leading Manchester Monarchs for a 3:00 PM game.  All of the action of that battle can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio 1410, and on-line at www.foxsportsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio.  Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.

The Wolf Pack’s next home game is this Friday, March 14, a 7:00 PM contest against the Adirondack Phantoms.  All Wolf Pack Friday-night home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period, presented by Marc’s Appliance Warehouse, located at 75 Prospect Ave., Hartford, CT.

Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2013-14 home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger.  To speak with a representative about season or group tickets, call (855) 762-6451.

Albany Devils 3 at Hartford Wolf Pack 4
Saturday, March 8, 2014 – XL Center

Albany 0 1 2 – 3
Hartford 0 2 2 – 4

1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Burlon Alb (cross-checking), 1:29; Pesonen Alb (goaltender interference), 8:24; Pelley Alb (tripping), 10:21; Jean Hfd (goaltender interference), 14:17.

2nd Period-1, Albany, Burlon 4 (Zajac), 9:04 (PP). 2, Hartford, Fast 12 (Bourque, Miller), 14:31. 3, Hartford, Stamler 2 (Miller, Allen), 17:05. Penalties-Jean Hfd (goaltender interference), 7:16.

3rd Period-4, Hartford, Miller 12 (Allen, Bourque), 2:02. 5, Albany, Sislo 19 (Pesonen, Sestito), 6:29. 6, Albany, Whitney 20 (Zajac), 6:57. 7, Hartford, Bourque 17 (Miller), 12:25. Penalties-Allen Hfd (slashing), 17:51.

Shots on Goal-Albany 13-10-13-36. Hartford 5-10-6-21.
Power Play Opportunities-Albany 1 / 3; Hartford 0 / 3.
Goalies-Albany, Wedgewood 9-12-3 (21 shots-17 saves). Hartford, Grumet-Morris 13-11-5 (36 shots-33 saves).
A-5,973
Referees-Chris Brown (86).
Linesmen-Derek Wahl (46), Paul Simeon (66).

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Video: Louisville Embarrasses UConn Men, 81-48

You always want to head to your conference tournament at the top of your game. After Saturday's stinker, the UConn Huskies men's basketball team has a lot of work to do before the tournament starts on Thursday night.

UConn coach Kevin Ollie looks distraught during the second half of his team's 81-48 loss to Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center Saturday afternoon. After the UConn women ruined the senior day of the Louisville Cardinals on Monday, the Louisville men made sure theirs wasn't ruined with an 81-48 pasting of UConn in front of a sold-out crowd at the KFC Yum! Center on Saturday afternoon.

The UConn men finish up the regular season at 24-7 (12-6 American). Louisville finishes up at 26-5 (15-3) and picked up a share of the American Athletic Conference regular season title.

DeAndre Daniels led the Huskies with 17 points and had eight rebounds. Shabazz Napier added nine points and nine rebounds.

Montrezl Harrell led the Cardinals with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Luke Hancock added 16 points while Wayne Blackshear had 11 and Chris Jones had 10.

Senior Russ Smith had just three points for Louisville but had 13 assists. Stephan Van Treese pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Cardinals started out the game on a 17-5 run as UConn couldn't buy a basket early on. The Huskies scored the next six points to cut the lead in half but still ended up trailing by 12 at the half at 30-18.

UConn would cut the lead to seven but they never got back into the game as Louisville put together two big runs to set up the rout.

Just when you thought their game a few weeks ago was the worst offensive performance, this one took the cake and then some. All things considered though, it was just the second loss in the last nine games for the Huskies.

Unfortunately though, they haven't played all that great in those seven wins either.

UConn will have until Thursday to get their act together as they'll take on the fifth seeded Memphis Tigers in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Tip is scheduled for approximately 9:20 p.m. at Fed Ex Forum in Memphis.

UConn Huskies @ Louisville Cardinals 3/8/14 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from Louisville head coach Rick Pitino and UConn head coach Kevin Ollie.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: brad horrigan – hartford courant

Video: UConn Women Crush Cincinnati, 72-42

After winning the American Athletic Conference regular season title, the next goal for the UConn Huskies women's basketball team is to win the AAC Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.

They got that started on Saturday afternoon when they faced former player and coach Jamelle Elliott and her Cincinnati Bearcats squad.

UConn forward Breanna Stewart draws the foul from Cincinnati guard Jasmine Whitfield as she drives to the basket. AAC Player of the Year Breanna Stewart helped lead UConn past Cincinnati 72-42 in front of 7,332 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Huskies improve to 32-0 while the Bearcats finish their season at 13-18.

Stewart led four UConn players in double figures with 22 points and had five rebounds. Bria Hartley added 17 points and five assists while Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had 12 points.

Stefanie Dolson came close to a double-double with 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

Jeanise Randolph paced the Bearcats with 14 points and seven rebounds. Kayla Cook added nine points.

Playing their second game in as many days, Cincinnati stayed close with UConn over the first 10 minutes trailing 17-13. But as they always do, the Huskies went on one of those unrecoverable runs, this one of the 20-4 variety, to enjoy a 37-17 lead at the break.

The Huskies opened up the second half on a 13-3 run and never looked back from there.

UConn will take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the semifinals. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.

UConn Huskies vs Cincinnati Bearcats 2014 AAC Tournament Quarterfinals 3/8/14 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and Cincinnati head coach Jamelle Elliott.

Here are UConn's postgame notes.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: cloe poisson – hartford courant

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 3/8

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women's Basketball links

Auriemma, Stewart Pick Up Top AAC Honors [sox & dawgs]

UConn’s Stewart takes AAC award in stride [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Now Comes The Fun For The Huskies [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Stokes Tapping Into Her Potential, Named To All-AAC Second Team [rich elliott – ct post]

UConn, Cincinnati To Meet For Third Time This Season [rich elliott – ct post]

AAC Coaches Made Dolson A Double Winner [rich elliott – ct post]

Stewart, Auriemma Talk AAC Awards [rich elliott – ct post]

Former UConn star eyeing a second straight EuroCup title [jim fuller – new haven register]

Quite the haul of awards for UConn [jim fuller – new haven register]

Top-Ranked UConn Women's Hoops Set for Inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn Women's Basketball Takes Home Conference Awards [uconn huskies youtube]

Powerful UConn Women Poised For Long Postseason Run [hartford courant]

The Geno Auriemma Show: A special letter [snyuconn.com]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Rick Pitino: ‘We’ll Miss UConn.’ [dom amore – hartford courant]

Huskies Heading Into Most Hostile Of Environments [dom amore – hartford courant]

Rick Pitino Talks UConn, Jim Calhoun [david borges – new haven register]

No. 19 UConn Prepares For Saturday Tilt With No. 11 Louisville [uconnhuskies.com]

Louisville's Russ Smith Got His Seasoning In Northwest Connecticut [hartford courant]

Louisville has had UConn's number recently [new haven register]

Huskies' goal: Keep momentum for the postseason [the day]

UConn Football links

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco on CPTV Sports "Beyond The Beat" [sox & dawgs]

UConn coach gets rave reviews from one of his former stars [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn football: Brown’s career over; roster set for spring [john silver – snyuconn.com]

UConn Sets Roster; Will Begin Football Practice Monday [hartford courant]

Former ND star Carlo Calabrese says Bob Diaco will bring winning to UConn [new haven register]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. Max McDowell Named To 2014 Johnny Bench Award Watch List [uconnhuskies.com]

Baseball. UConn Falls In Extras At Florida, 1-0 [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Ice Hockey. A Look Back at UConn's Atlantic Hockey Regular Season [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Ice. Hockey. Don't Look Ahead: UConn's Hockey Future Starts Right Now [hartford courant]

Softball. Rain Cancels Friday Softball Contests in South Carolina [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Elaine Chuli Named WHEA Honorable Mention All Star [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Tennis. Huskies Fall at Brown, 5-2 [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Miller, Fast Guide Wolf Pack Past Falcons, 6-2

Hartford, CT, March 7, 2014 – J.T. Miller and Jesper Fast had a goal and two assists each for the Hartford Wolf Pack Friday night at the XL Center, as the Wolf Pack defeated the Northeast Division-leading Springfield Falcons, 6-2.

Hartford Wolf PackIt was the most decisive margin of victory of the season for the Wolf Pack, who broke open a tight, 3-2 game with three third-period goals.  The win was the fourth straight for Hartford in the the season series with the Falcons, who won the first six games between the two clubs.

The Wolf Pack also got a goal and an assist from T.J. Hensick, and Danny Kristo, Arron Asham and Tommy Hughes also scored.  Marek Hrivik had two assists.  Ryan Craig scored both Springfield goals.

“We had a great third period, we put emphasis on getting pucks to the net,” Wolf Pack head coach Ken Gernander said. “We got some fortuitous bounces, and good things happen when you put pucks on the net.”

The Wolf Pack grabbed the lead twice in the first period, but both times the Falcons came back to tie on goals by Craig, their captain.

Kristo, in his first game back after missing eight with an injury, opened the scoring for Hartford only 1:45 into the game.  Kristo forechecked Austin Madaisky off the puck in the right-wing corner and fed the puck toward the front of the Falcon net.  The pass hit the toe of Craig’s skate and deflected behind Springfield goaltender Jeremy Smith (24 saves).

Craig tied the score at one at 10:55, on a rebound of a Dana Tyrell shot.  Wolf Pack goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris (31 saves) stopped Tyrell’s drive from the top of the right circle, but Craig was able to pounce on the rebound and lift it over a prone Grumet-Morris.

The Wolf Pack were awarded a long five-on-three power play at 12:24, when Darryl Boyce received a double-minor for high-sticking Kyle Beach, and Madaisky was also hit with an elbowing penalty.

Hartford took advantage at 14:17, on Miller’s 11th goal of the season.  Miller slapped a shot from the top of the right circle that re-directed off of Craig’s stick and went through Smith’s legs.

Craig rebounded again, though, with only 54.5 seconds remaining in the period.  Craig was able to work the puck away from Aaron Johnson in the right-wing corner and head toward the front of the net.  Grumet-Morris seemed to have the play shut off, but Craig kept knifing away at the puck and finally managed to poke it behind the Wolf Pack goaltender for a 2-2 tie.

Fast scored the only goal of the second period, off a fine feed from Miller, at 7:35.  Kyle Beach, who was at the end of his shift, played the puck down the left-wing side in the Springfield zone to Miller, who found Fast in the slot.  Fast unloaded a quick shot that beat Smith over the catching glove.

It remained a one-goal game until nearly the halfway point of the third period, before the Wolf Pack reeled off three quick scores in a span of 4:37.

Asham gave the Wolf Pack a two-goal cushion at 9:59, after Hensick and Hrivik combined to strip Springfield’s Carter Camper of the puck in the slot.  Asham jumped on the loose puck and ripped a shot past Smith on the glove side.

Hensick then made it a 5-2 lead at 13:12, on a bad-angle shot.  Bretton Stamler worked the puck down the right-wing side to Hensick, who dropped below the goal line and got Smith to come off the post to his left.  Hensick’s shot appeared to clip the back of Smith’s mask before finding its way into the net.

Hughes completed the scoring with the second goal of his rookie season at 14:36.  Miller banked a pass off the right-wing boards, and Hughes leaned into a shot from the point, powering it over Smith’s catching glove and into the corner of the net.

With the victory, their fifth in the last six games, the Wolf Pack improved to 24-27-0-6 for 54 points, and moved to within three points of third-place Bridgeport in the Northeast Division.  Hartford also leapfrogged Syracuse and moved into an 11th-place tie with Worcester in the Eastern Conference, 14 points out of a playoff spot.

The Wolf Pack are right back at the XL Center, Saturday night, hosting the Albany Devils in a 7:00 PM game.  Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2013-14 home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger.  To speak with a representative about season or group tickets, call (855) 762-6451.

Springfield Falcons 2 at Hartford Wolf Pack 6
Friday, March 7, 2014 – XL Center

Springfield 2 0 0 – 2
Hartford 2 1 3 – 6

1st Period-1, Hartford, Kristo 18 (Powe, McIlrath), 1:45. 2, Springfield, Craig 10 (Tyrell, Chaput), 10:55. 3, Hartford, Miller 11 (Johnson, Fast), 14:17 (PP). 4, Springfield, Craig 11 (Madaisky, Chaput), 19:05. Penalties-Boyce Spr (double minor – high-sticking), 12:24; Madaisky Spr (elbowing), 12:24; Bourque Hfd (interference), 15:06.

2nd Period-5, Hartford, Fast 11 (Miller, Beach), 7:35. Penalties-Hughes Hfd (holding), 16:24.

3rd Period-6, Hartford, Asham 3 (Hrivik, Hensick), 9:59. 7, Hartford, Hensick 7 (Stamler, Hrivik), 13:12. 8, Hartford, Hughes 2 (Miller, Fast), 14:36. Penalties-Larkin Spr (interference), 17:05; McIlrath Hfd (high-sticking), 18:24.

Shots on Goal-Springfield 15-5-13-33. Hartford 12-7-11-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Springfield 0 / 3; Hartford 1 / 4.
Goalies-Springfield, Smith 18-12-3 (30 shots-24 saves). Hartford, Grumet-Morris 12-11-5 (33 shots-31 saves).
A-4,339
Referees-Trevor Hanson (47), Jarrod Ragusin (54).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Kevin Redding (16).

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Auriemma, Stewart Pick Up Top AAC Honors

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Eight-time national champion and Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma has been named the 2014 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, the league announced in a press conference at Mohegan Sun Arena this afternoon. Sophomore standout Breanna Stewart (Syracuse, N.Y.), who was chosen as The American Preseason Player of the Year, was also recognized as the Player of the Year after earning a spot on the All-Conference First Team yesterday.

UConn HuskiesIn his 29th season at the helm, Geno Auriemma adds American Conference Coach of the Year to a lengthy list of accomplishments. Over the course of 28 seasons at Connecticut, Auriemma was named Coach of the Year in the former Big East conference a total of ten times and garnered National Coach of the Year honors seven times. Coach Auriemma has guided the Huskies to eight national championships, which ties the University of Tennessee program for the most titles, and owns the record for consecutive Final Four appearances with six. In total, he has overseen 14 UConn trips to the Final Four. The team’s 31-0 record this season marked UConn’s 19th 30-win campaign, including its seventh perfect regular season result. Overall, five Connecticut teams have finished with undefeated overall records under Auriemma’s watch. Under Geno Auriemma, five Huskies have been selected as the Naismith National Player of the Year a total of seven times and 16 players have been earned First Team All-American laurels.

Entering this weekend’s American Championship, Geno Auriemma boasts one of the highest win percentages among active Division I coaches with a record of 870-133 (.867). He has been inducted into both the Naimsith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, Mass.) and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (Knoxville, Tenn.) and has signed on to continue coaching the U.S. National Team through 2016.

This season, Auriemma guided a frequently shorthanded UConn bench to an unblemished 31-0 record that included wins over 10 ranked opponents and resulted in sole possession of the inaugural American Athletic Conference regular season crown. On Feb. 22, Auriemma and associate head coach Chris Dailey coached their 1,000th game since arriving at Connecticut together in 1985. The Huskies celebrated with a resounding 92-41 victory over Houston to mark the occasion. Seven Huskies were honored by the American Athletic Conference in regular season awards including four First Team All-Conference selections, which marks the most UConn players on the first team since the 2001-02 season.

Breanna Stewart becomes the 12th UConn player to earn conference Player of the Year honors and the first since Maya Moore was named Big East Player of the Year for the third time in 2011. The league’s preseason Player of the Year and an AP Preseason All-American, Stewart averages 19.5 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per contest this season for the Huskies. She has hit double-digits in 28 games including a stretch of 22 consecutive games scoring double-figures dating back to Dec. 1. Moreover, no player has been more consistently dominant than Breanna Stewart. The sophomore has netted 20 points or more in 16 games this season and hit double-figures in all but two of UConn’s 31 games. In UConn’s last seven games the 6-4 forward has averaged 20.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. The sophomore standout is a four-time player of the week choice by the American Athletic Conference and received a National Player of the Week nod from the USBWA on Dec. 23. Against UCF on Feb. 19, Stewart became just the fifth Husky sophomore and second-fastest UConn player to reach surpass 1,000 career points.

Breanna Stewart and fellow New York natives Stefanie Dolson (Port Jervis, N.Y.) and Bria Hartley (North Babylon, N.Y.) were named among 22 national semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy, awarded annually to the top player in women’s college basketball. The trio has also been selected as finalists on the Wooden Award ballot. In January, Stewart was named 2013 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year for the second time in three years.

Stewart’s accomplishment marks the 18th conference player of the year nod for a Husky in the last 26 years. She is the fifth UConn player to earn the distinction as a sophomore, in company with Kerry Bascom, Kara Wolters, Svetlana Abrosimova and Maya Moore.

No. 1 Connecticut embarks on its quest to win the first-ever American Championship on Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Huskies, who earned top seeding after posting an unblemished 18-0 conference record, will face the winner of a Friday first round matchup between UCF and Cincinnati. Tip time for Saturday’s quarterfinal contest is set for 2:00pm on March 8 in Uncasville, Conn.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Red Sox Sign 19 To 2014 Contracts

The Boston Red Sox signed the rest of their players on the 40-man roster on Friday that were non arbitration-eligible.

Alex Speier of WEEI.com has the financial details.

FORT MYERS, FL – The Boston Red Sox today agreed to terms with 19 players on the major league roster on one-year contracts for the 2014 season. Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington made the announcement.

Boston Red SoxAgreeing to terms were pitchers Drake Britton, Rubby De La Rosa, Felix Doubront, Anthony Ranaudo, Allen Webster, Alex Wilson, Brandon Workman, and Steven Wright; catchers Dan Butler, Ryan Lavarnway, and Christian Vazquez; infielders Xander Bogaerts, Garin Cecchini, Brock Holt, and Will Middlebrooks; and outfielders Jackie Bradley Jr., Bryce Brentz, Alex Hassan, and Daniel Nava.

With these agreements, all players on the Red Sox major league roster are under contract for the 2014 season.