Elena Delle Donne faxed in her letter-of-intent to attend the University of Connecticut finishing off one of the better recruiting efforts in women’s basketball. And now that the class is complete, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma can finally make comments about his prized recruits.
When he was asked about his incoming class, this is what Geno offered up:
“What I do know is the players we’ve signed are going to be able to come in next year and have a tremendous impact for a couple of reasons. We’re losing four players [the seniors] who have played a lot of minutes and been very productive and we’re bringing in four who, when we look back at it in for years, I feel will have been very productive and made a huge impact.”
About Delle Donne:
“I think Elena is the best basketball player in America– skill wise. I don’t think there is anyone in the country that can do what she does at her size. I don’t neccessarily think she’s the quickest, fastest, meanest kid on the block. So now, you wait to see how she’ll handle the challenge when she confronts opponents who are.”
About Caroline Doty:
“Caroline can shoot and pass and is a true leader on the floor. We’ve been recruiting her since she was in eighth grade. She’s similar to Jen Rizzotti in the sense that no one really anticipated Jen could be a national player of the year. If they did, more programs would have recruited her. Caroline has the same mindset Jen did. Mentally, she is fearless, which is what separated Jen from everyone else. They also grew up in the same environment with older brothers who beat up on them every day in the backyard. She’s one tough kid who expects to win at everything she does.”
About Tiffany Hayes:
“I think Tiffany is the best 2-guard in the country and maybe she’s even more than that; maybe she’s a 2-guard, point guard, small forward (combo). She’s just as good a player as I’ve seen at that position in a long time. Rarely do you get kids you handle, shoot and defend who are also smart and competitive and have an awareness level of a college sophomore or junior.”
About Heather Buck:
“I remember Jamelle Elliott coming back from one tournament when Heather was a freshman and saying she was the best center in the country in her class. She said he hadn’t seen anyone better. So we always felt it was a kid we wanted in the program and when she came up on one of her unofficial visits and played some pickup, the guys [players] said the same thing. She kind of fits right in.”
All the rumors are that Delle Donne is better than current UConn freshman sensation Maya Moore. This will only make the Huskies stronger for the coming years.
To see all of Geno’s comments about the recruiting class, click here.
