From UConn:

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.- In the midst of her finest season in a UConn uniform, senior center Kiah Stokes (Marion, Iowa) was selected as one of 10 finalists for the 2014-15 Senior CLASS Award in women’s basketball, as announced on Thursday.

To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be classified as NCAA Division I seniors and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Three former Husky greats, Sue Bird in 2002 and Maya Moore in 2011, and Stefanie Dolson in 2014, have been honored as the Senior CLASS Award winner.

A 2013-14 American Athletic Conference Second Team member, Stokes has enjoyed a stellar senior campaign, ranking third in the nation in blocks per game (4.5). On the offensive end of the court, she is one of seven Huskies shooting over 50.0 percent from the field (53.2) and averages a team-best 7.5 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game. On Jan. 28, Stokes recorded UConn’s fourth-ever triple-double, notching 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks in the Huskies’ 87-32 victory over East Carolina.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their athletic platforms to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

The finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 men’s candidates and 30 women’s candidates announced in October. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to submit votes online at the Senior CLASS Award website through March 23. Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winners. The Senior CLASS Award recipients will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Men’s Final Four^® and NCAA Women’s Final Four^®.

For more information on each of the finalists, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.

Women’s Basketball Finalists

photo credit:  ©2015 Ian Bethune

UConn Huskies captains #73 Alex Mateas, #85 Geremy Davis, #46 Marquise Vann and #16 Byron Jones make their way onto the field for the coin toss at Rentschler Field on September 13, 2014.

From UConn:

INDIANAPOLIS – Geremy Davis (Lawrenceville, Ga.) and Byron Jones (New Britain, Conn.), who both served as senior captains for the 2014 season, will be among the NFL prospects working out for scouts, coaches and executives from Feb. 17-23 at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

The former Huskies will seek to improve their draft stock with interviews, individual workouts and position drills during their time in Indianapolis.

Davis concluded his career in 2014 as the most prolific receiver of UConn’s FBS era. In 46 games from 2011-14, the 6-3 wideout recorded 165 receptions and 2,292 receiving yards, both the most for any player at Connecticut since the Huskies moved to the FBS in 2002. Davis also posted at least one reception in the final 36 games of his career, tying a program record.

Overall in UConn history, he is in the top-six in receiving yards and receptions. In the 2013 season, Davis became the first player in UConn’s FBS era to post a 1,000-yard season, hauling in 71 passes for 1,085 yards. No performance was more impressive than a 15-catch, 207-yard day on Dec. 7. 2013 against Memphis, a contest that saw Davis set the UConn single-game record for receptions and record the fifth-highest single-game receiving yardage performance. He was named a captain prior to the 2014 season and finished his career with seven touchdown receptions and six 100-yard receiving games.

Also a team captain in 2014, Jones concluded his career in ’14 after starting 37 games in 43 career games in the secondary over the last four seasons. Playing at safety and cornerback during his time in Storrs, Jones finished with 223 tackles, 18 passes defended and eight interceptions in four years. He posted a career-high 88 tackles while playing at safety during the 2012 season, then set new career-bests with eight pass breakups and three interceptions in 2013 after converting to cornerback.

Despite an injury limiting his 2014 season to seven games, the 6-1 defensive back made history on Oct. 12, 2014 at USF. Jones returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown in the contest, becoming the third player in program history with a fumble return and interception return for a score in his career. The fumble recovery for a score also came against South Florida, on Oct. 15, 2011.

Stay tuned to UConnHuskies.com and follow @UConnFootball on twitter and Instagram to stay up to date on Davis and Jones during their time at the combine, as well as leading up to and including the 2015 NFL Draft.

UConn Huskies football coach Bob Diaco has filled out his coaching staff for what he hopes is a promising 2015 with Frank Verducci who spent the 2014 season FCS Northern Iowa.

Here’s the release from UConn:

STORRS, Conn. – Frank Verducci, a 31-year veteran of the coaching profession with experience in both college football and the NFL, has been named the offensive coordinator at the University of Connecticut and will have position responsibility with the running backs.

During the 2011 season, Verducci was the run game coordinator and offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Florida and helped lead the Gators to a 24-17 win over Ohio State in the Gator Bowl.

Verducci was the offensive line and run game coordinator at Notre Dame during the 2009 season as the Irish ranked eighth in the country in total offense at 451.75 yards per game. He coached six offensive linemen that were later selected in the NFL Draft.

From 1999-2008, he spent ten years coaching in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals (1999-2001), Dallas Cowboys (2002), Buffalo Bills (2004-05) and the Cleveland Browns (2007-08).

“Frank brings 31 years of coaching experience on the offensive side of the ball to our UConn football program with a laundry list of personal and team accolades that are very special,” said UConn head coach Bob Diaco. “Another aspect of Frank that separated him from others is his experience on coaching the offensive front. I now have great balance on my offensive staff with three experts in the passing game and two experts in how to attack a defensive front. I thought it was important to have that balance rather than adding someone who specifically knows wide receivers or quarterbacks.

“Frank and I have a long-standing relationship because of the type of person he is. We come from the same coaching tree and we have the same philosophies on the development of young men.”

While with the Cowboys, Verducci’s offensive line helped pave the way for Emmitt Smith to break the all-time NFL career rushing record and he was also on the Bengals’ staff when Corey Dillon set the NFL’s single-game rushing record with 278 yards against the Denver Broncos in 2000.

In `07 with the Browns, Verducci helped the team to its best season in years as the Browns amassed 10 wins, the most since 1994, and finished eighth in the league in total offense – the team’s best since 1981. Verducci assisted with an offense that sent four players to the Pro Bowl, including tackle Joe Thomas, who became the first Browns offensive lineman ever named to the Pro Bowl.

Before his tenure in the NFL, Verducci was an assistant coach at Iowa from 1989-98, working with the offensive line and serving as run game coordinator from 1995-98. Iowa’s career, single-season and single-game rushing records were all broken under Verducci’s watch, along with the Hawkeye record for fewest sacks allowed (10 in 1994). He coached in eight bowl games, including two Rose Bowls during his time at Iowa.

During the 1997 season, Iowa led the Big Ten in scoring at 36.7 points per game (ninth nationally) and rushing offense at 235.0 yard per game, which was also eighth nationally.

Most recently, Verducci was the tight ends and offensive tackles coach for Northern Iowa in 2014. Northern Iowa led the FCS in red zone offense last year with a 98.0 scoring percentage.

Verducci, a 1980 graduate of Seton Hall University, was with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League in 2013. He served as the offensive line coach for the Alouettes, helping the team to the Eastern Division Semi-Finals and a No. 1 ranking in pass protection in the CFL.

He returned to the NFL in 2010 as a personnel/advance scout for the St. Louis Rams, working directly with the general manager to evaluate NFL personnel and scout upcoming opponents.

His first job out of college was at Northern Illinois University where he was named the running backs coach and oversaw the strength and conditioning program.

Verducci and his wife, Noel, have two children, Jack, who just completed a successful collegiate football career at Princeton this past fall, and Cammy, a standout high school basketball player

UConn F Gabby Williams (15) goes strong to the basket as she’s defended by Cincinnati F Marley Hill (35) in the first half at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

From UConn:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For the third time this season, University of Connecticut freshman Gabby Williams (Sparks, Nev.) has been named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week, as announced by the league on Monday.

Williams averaged 17.0 points and 13.5 rebounds off the bench in a 2-0 week for the Huskies. She opened the week with a career-high 18 points to go along with 14 rebounds in the Huskies’ 96-36 victory over Cincinnati on Feb. 3 before dropping 16 points and pulling down 13 boards against Memphis on Feb. 7. Her performances marked the first time a Husky freshmen has recorded back-to-back double-doubles since Maya Moore in 2007-08.

Over her last six games, she is averaging 12.8 points on 68.0 percent shooting and 8.0 rebounds. Williams, who is one of seven Huskies shooting over 50.0 percent from the floor, boasts the squad’s top shooting percentage at .624.

Williams received her first Freshman of the Week accolade on Dec. 22 and followed up with a second on Jan. 12. In total, UConn has received  five Freshman of the Week and four Player of the Week nods in the 2014-15 campaign.

Williams and the Huskies return to action on Monday, Feb. 9 when they host the nation’s top-ranked team South Carolina at Gampel Pavilion at 8 p.m.