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.

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UConn Women's Basketball links

Revenge For 2010? No, Says UConn [john altavilla – hartford courant]

UConn Hardly Ever Looks Up At An Opponent [john altavilla – hartford courant]

VanDerveer Offers Kind Words – And A Challenge To Her Team [john altavilla – hartford courant]

No Sign Of Illness As Mosqueda-Lewis Paces Huskies [rich elliott – ct post]

Auriemma Gets Slapped With A Second-Half Technical [rich elliott – ct post]

Funds for Newtown scholarship rolling in [jim fuller – new haven register]

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis delivers against Stanford, again [jim fuller – new haven register]

Stef Dolson comes up big in win over Stanford [jim fuller – new haven register]

No. 2 UConn women roll past No. 1 Stanford [ct post]

Game in a nutshell: UConn's defense rules day vs. Stanford [ct post]

Dolson's hard work pays off in win over Stanford [ct post]

New No. 1: UConn Women Smother Stanford Scorers For 61-35 Victory [hartford courant]

Dolson Sets The Tone For Powerful Win [hartford courant]

UConn Says Its 2010 Loss To Cardinal Wasn't A Factor Saturday [hartford courant]

Huskies dominate top-ranked Stanford [new haven register]

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis delivers in home state [new haven register]

Blowout can teach plenty of lessons [michelle smith – espnW]

UConn Men's Basketball links

For UConn Men and Kevin Ollie, Some Much-Needed Stability [dom amore – hartford courant]

Wrapping Things Up From XL [dom amore – hartford courant]

Kevin Ollie: 'I Just Never Thought it Could Happen for a Guy out of South Central L.A. [david borges – new haven register]

What They’re Saying: Kevin Ollie’s contract extension [kevin duffy – ct post]

Notes/Quotes from Washington [kevin duffy – ct post]

Some reaction about Ollie's new 5-year contract [gavin keefe – the day]

UConn takes down UW [neill ostrout – journal inquirer]

Ollie: Recruit like we are going to be here 20-25 years [john silver – sny.com]

Unrealistic thinker [john silver – sny.com]

Dog Eat Dog [uconn huskies basketball]

UConn men pull away from Washington [ct post]

Ollie clearly right man for UConn job [ct post]

UConn Clamps Down On Washington For 61-53 Win [hartford courant]

Players Happy For Their Long-Term Head Coach [hartford courant]

UConn, Coach Kevin Ollie Agree On Multiyear Contract Extension [hartford courant]

Huskies top Washington to wrap up non-conference play [new haven register]

UConn men beat Washington in non-conference finale [the day]

What a day for UConn coach Kevin Ollie [andy katz – espn.com]

UConn Football links

Robert 'Reggie' McClain Making His Mark With The Falcons [hartford courant]

Other UConn related links

M. Ice Hockey. Men's Hockey Routs AIC, 7-2, Advances To UConn Hockey Classic Championship vs. Minnesota State [uconnhuskies.com]

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It was a great Saturday for UConn Huskies men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie.

Earlier in the day, he received a five-year contract extension giving the program some stability going forward. Then later, his team went out and rewarded his extension with a win.

While it definitely wasn't a pretty win, it was a win as UConn beat the Washington Huskies 61-53 in front of an announced crowd of 12,720 at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on a snowy Saturday night.

The east coast Huskies improve to 10-2 while the west coast Huskies fall 8-5 in the final non-conference game for both teams.

Omar Calhoun led the way for UConn with 14 points. Shabazz Napier had 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. However, he did commit seven turnovers. Ryan Boatright added 13 points.

DeAndre Daniels had nine points before leaving late in the game with a cut lip. Enosch Wolf paced the Huskies with nine rebounds to go along with two points. And with the help of Wolf's nine rebounds along with Napier's eight, the east coasters actually outrebounded the west coasters 40-36.

Scott Suggs was the only member of Washington to hit double figures with 15 points. Andrew Andrews and Shawn Kemp, Jr. both had nine points. Desmond Simmons pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds and had six points.

As usual, the Huskies played with a lot of energy. They fall behind early as they looked rusty due to the lengthy layoff for Christmas break. But they took control of the game with an 11-0 run and then clamped down on the defensive end.

It was nice to see the local Huskies work hard for rebounds. This is something they're going to need to continue going forward as they kickoff Big East play for the rest of the season.

That first Big East game will come in 2013 when they travel to Milwaukee, WI for a matchup with the Marquette Golden Eagles on New Year's Day. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Washington Huskies @ UConn Huskies 12.29.12 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Kevin Ollie.

Here are UConn's postgame notes.

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photo credit: david butler ii – special to hartford courant (no. 11 in gallery)

The last time the UConn Huskies women's basketball team played on the Maples Pavilion court, they saw their 90-game winning streak stopped by the Stanford Cardinal.

This time around, it was the Cardinal who were carrying an 82-game home winning streak. And when all was said and done, the Stanford home winning streak was stopped at 82 games.

Behind a staunch defense, the No. 2 Huskies beat the No. 1 Cardinal 61-35 in front of 7,326 at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA.

UConn improves to 11-0 and should be the No. 1 team when the rankings come out on Monday (AP) and Tuesday (USA Today Coaches). The Cardinal suffer their first loss of the season as they fall to 11-1.

The Huskies were led by Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis who had 19 points and pulled down six boards. Stefanie Dolson was outstanding on both ends of the floor, especially on the defensive end against Chiney Ogwumike. Dolson finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Bria Hartley and Kelly Faris both had 10 points while Breanna Stewart had nine points off the bench.

Ogwumike led the Cardinal with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Bonnie Samuelson added eight points and Toni Kokenis had six points.

UConn's defensive pressure kept Stanford from getting into any sort of offense as most of the time they had about 10-15 seconds to run their offense. The defensive pressure also forced the Cardinals into some poor shots as Ogwumike and the rest of her team struggled from the floor.

As a late December game, this was a good measuring point as to where Geno Auriemma's team stands. He's still got a tough road ahead of him with matchups against Notre Dame and Baylor looming in the distance.

But for now, without seeing Baylor play mind you, the UConn women are definitely the best team in the country. And not a bad performance by the team after going home for a few days for Christmas break.

The Huskies are back in action on New Year's Eve afternoon when they'll take on the Oregon Ducks at in Eugene, OR at 3 p.m.

UConn Huskies at Stanford Cardinal 12.29.12 box score

Postgame quotes will be added here once they become available.

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photo credit: brad horrigan – hartford courant (no. 12 in gallery)

As we learned earlier on Saturday afternoon, UConn Huskies head men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie has received a five-year extension of his contract from the school.

According to the acceptance letter Ollie signed, he will receive almost $7 million over the life of the deal.

Here's the full release from UConn:

HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Connecticut and head men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie, a 1995 UConn graduate,  have come to a new agreement that will run from January 1, 2013 through April 15, 2018. The agreement covers the remainder of this season and the next five seasons. Ollie, who in his first season as the head coach at Connecticut, was previously working on a contract that runs through April 4, 2013. This new agreement replaces the old contract.

Ollie became the 18th head coach in UConn men's basketball history on Sept. 13, 2012, when he replaced retired Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun. He has led UConn to a 9-2 record this season entering Saturday night's game vs. Washington, including a win over Michigan State on Nov. 9, ranked 14^th in the country at the time of the game.

"Kevin moved gracefully and seamlessly into this position of immense responsibility over the course of the fall," said University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst. "He demonstrated to all of us that he is a genuine leader of extraordinary talents.   The first time I met Kevin, I could tell that he was a special person, with proper perspective on life and on basketball.  He will win and he will represent us well, everywhere he goes.  As a university president, I think he has what matters most — a commitment to our students-athletes as evolving young men and a dedication to academic progress. In these vital areas, Kevin will be a beacon of excellence."

"I am very pleased to announce that Kevin Ollie will be our head men's basketball coach here at UConn for the long-term future," said UConn Director of Athletics Warde Manuel. "I spent a tremendous amount of time with Kevin since I came to UConn last year and even more time with him since he became our head coach. I am incredibly impressed with the way Kevin has led our program and his interaction with the administration, his coaching staff, the student-athletes and our donors and fans. His team has performed incredible on the floor and in the classroom. All these factors contributed to my thinking that the time was right to come to this agreement with Kevin."

"I am happy to be the head coach at Connecticut for an extended period of time," said Ollie. "As I said in my first press conference, I want to be here for a lifetime and this is a step, hopefully a great step, in the program moving forward. I am very excited and thankful for this opportunity."

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Ollie will receive a base salary of $400,000 per calendar year and for 2013 he will receive $800,000 for institutional speaking engagements and media related appearances for a total of $1,200,000. The payment for institutional speaking engagements will increase by $50,000 each year. Ollie's total compensation for each year of the agreement will be: 2013-$1,200,000; 2014-$1,250,000; 2015-$1,300,000; 2016-$1,325,000; 2017-$1,340,000; 2018-$502,500 (annualized from Jan. 1-April 15).

Ollie will receive the following payments for postseason performance: one month of annual base salary ($33,333) for winning a conference regular season championship; one month for winning a conference postseason tournament; one month for participating in the NCAA tournament; one month for reaching the Regional Semifinals of the NCAA tournament; one month for advancing to the NCAA Final Four; and two months for winning the national championship. Ollie will also receive a half month salary bonus ($16,666) for being named a national or conference coach of the year.

Ollie will receive a payment of $10,000 for an annual NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 930 or above in a single year. A four-year APR score of 930 or above will result in a one-time payment of $50,000.

In the event that the UConn men's basketball APR score is below the 930 standard for an academic year, there will be no postseason payments and a financial sanction could be imposed in the form of withholding payment of the equivalent amount of two weeks compensation of base salary. Two consecutive years of an annual APR score of below 930 could result in a suspension without pay or termination of employment with just cause. Once the four year APR score for the men's basketball team reaches 930, the APR language in the contract will revert to the standard APR language in all UConn head coaches' contract.

In the event that Ollie accepts a position during the term of this agreement as the head coach or assistant coach at any other NCAA Division I team or professional team, he will owe the following to UConn: $3,000,000 in 2013; $2,000,000 in 2014; $1,000,000 in 2015; $800,000 in 2016 and 2017. The same will be owed to Ollie by UConn if the agreement is terminated for any reason other than just cause.

Ollie's UConn history — which began in the fall of 1991 when he reported to school as a freshman from Los Angeles, continued through four successful seasons including two as a Husky team captain, and resumed when he returned to join Calhoun's coaching staff following a 13-year NBA career — has come full circle.

Ollie took over one of the top college programs in the country this fall after just two seasons as an assistant on Calhoun's staff, but possessing a wealth of basketball knowledge after learning from some of the finest teachers to ever coach the game. Ollie first came to UConn more than 20 years ago, coming out of Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. Playing on some of Calhoun's finest teams during the mid-1990s, Ollie was a four-year starting point guard and a two-time captain.

He played in 124 games for the Huskies, averaging 6.7 points and 5.0 assists. A third team All-BIG EAST pick, his 619 assist total still ranks third on UConn's all-time list. During his four-year UConn career, the Huskies had a record of 92-33, 51-21 in the BIG EAST Conference and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. During Ollie's last two seasons, when he served as a team captain, UConn's record was 57-10 overall and a dazzling 32-4 in the BIG EAST, capturing two BIG EAST regular-season championships, and reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively.

During a 13-year NBA career, Ollie played for 11 different franchises in 12 cities and learned from 15 different NBA coaches. It was apparent that Ollie would eventually become a coach.

Ollie couldn't have had a more successful debut season to his coaching career, as he helped guard Kemba Walker produce one of the most spectacular individual seasons in UConn history in leading the Huskies to the program's third national championship. Last year culminated in another NCAA appearance and another UConn guard, Jeremy Lamb, drafted as an NBA lottery selection.

Born in Dallas on Dec. 27, 1972, and raised in Los Angeles, Ollie resides in Glastonbury with wife Stephanie, who is also a UConn grad (`97), and their two children, son Jalen, 16, and daughter Cheyenne, 11.

Quotes from Kevin Ollie/Warde Manuel Press Conference

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photo credit:  michael mcandrews – hartford courant

Well it's about frickin time UConn Huskies AD Warde Manuel got off his butt and gave UConn men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie a long-term deal.

According to Andy Katz of ESPN.com, Ollie will be given a 5-year deal before Saturday night's game against the Washington Huskies. Katz reports that a press conference will be held at 5 p.m. to announce the deal.

This is huge for the future of the UConn men's program.

Not only does it give what former head coach Jim Calhoun wanted, it gives the UConn men some stability going forward off and on the court.

Ollie has done a tremendous job this season with what he has.

Despite not having a inside game, his Huskies team is 9-2. Like their coach who gives it his all, the team has been playing with that same mentality.

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photo credit: david butler ii – us presswire

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.

It's game day for the UConn Huskies men's and women's basketball teams on what appears will be a snowy Saturday in New England.

First up, the UConn women will take on the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, CA at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU and can also be seen online at WatchESPN. You can also listen on the IMG/UConn Radio Network.

The UConn men will host the Washington Huskies at the XL Center at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and can also be seen online at WatchESPN. You can also listen on the IMG/UConn Radio Network.

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

UConn Women's Basketball links

Huskies look to pull rank on Stanford [carl adamec – sny.com]

Can UConn, Stanford make their points? [carl adamec – sny.com]

UConn To Play In Its 17th No. 1 vs. No. 2 Matchup Saturday [rich elliott – ct post]

UConn Has The Chance To Get Settled Heading Into Showdown [rich elliott – ct post]

UConn Could Be Streak Busters This Time Vs. Stanford [rich elliott – ct post]

Breaking Stanford's streak not high on priority list [jim fuller – new haven register]

Stanford's Joslyn Tinkle saving her best for last [jim fuller – new haven register]

SNY Announces January Schedule for Geno Auriemma Show [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn-Stanford women to write another chapter in growing rivalry [ct post]

Stanford Clearly Has Replaced Tennessee As UConn's Archrival [hartford courant]

UConn Women Have Bad Memories Of Last Visit To Stanford [hartford courant]

Stanford vs. UConn Gets Short Shrift From ESPN Networks [hartford courant]

No. 2 UConn meets No. 1 Stanford [new haven register]

Huskies will see where they stand [the day]

Coaches want to keep it clean [espnW]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Ollie: Huskies Visit To Newtown Was ‘Something Special’ … Notes and Quotes From Practice [dom amore – hartford courant]

UConn on Newtown Visit, Areas of Improvement, Tyler Olander, Team Chemistry [david borges – new haven register]

Notes/Quotes from Dec. 28: “This is why God created us.” [kevin duffy – ct post]

UConn shows support by visiting Newtown [gavin keefe – the day]

Newtown, new starters and new Huskies [neill ostrout – journal inquirer]

Huskies look to remain hot [john silver – sny.com]

UConn's easy, breezy times about to end [ct post]

UConn Men Know West Coast Huskies Will Not Be Pushovers [hartford courant]

Huskies face tough test in Washington [new haven register]

Ollie wants to see continued improvement [the day]

UConn Football links

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Other UConn related links

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