The UConn Fast Break - 4/19/21

All the UConn sports news you need to know. Not affiliated with the University of Connecticut.

We hope you enjoy this week’s edition of The UConn Fast Break!

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Weekly Rewind

The latest UConn athletics news

• Unfinished business lures Tyler Polley back to UConn:

Storrs Central @StorrsCentral

#UConn announces Tyler Polley is returning for a 5th season

• Double-double machine Dorka Juhász grad transfers to UConn after successful stint with Ohio State women’s basketball

• COVID-19 protocols force UConn baseball to miss out on midweek game against Bryant before lingering issues cancel weekend series with Creighton

• UConn football finding success at filling future schedule

• Goaltender Tomas Vomacka signs with Nashville Predators, ending UConn men’s hockey career

• UConn women’s soccer loses heartbreaker in Big East Championship semis after team’s top players win array of conference awards:

Daniel Connolly @DanielVConnolly

UConn WSOC well-represented in the Big East honors: Randi Palacios won Co-Goalkeeper of the Year. Melina Couzis, Jessica Mazo and Palacios made the All-Big East First Team, Yamilee Eveillard made the second team and Lucy Cappadona and Jada Konte made the All-Freshman team.

• Anna Makurat announces plan to play professional basketball in Europe

• UConn field hockey enters upcoming Big East Championship as top seed

• Best walk-up songs for UConn baseball batters ranked

• Expectations sky-high for UConn women’s basketball in 2021-22 thanks to strong showing from talented backcourt and formidable frontcourt this season

• James Bouknight looks primed to be next UConn men’s basketball star picked in first round of NBA Draft:

The Association on FOX @TheAssociation

👀 @jasonrmcintyre has released his latest Mock Draft! Do you agree with his picks?

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U Gotta See This

Video highlights

• UConn men’s basketball getting a winner in 2022 commit Corey Floyd Jr:

CUE THE MUSIC @Cue_the_Music

Corey Floyd Jr & Team Final 2-0 today 🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥 @CoreyFloydJr @TeamFinalEYBL

• Jordan Hawkins earns MaxPrep All-American Team honorable mention along with future UConn men’s basketball teammate Rahsool Diggins whose high school career was nothing short of spectacular:

BallerTV @BallerTV

UConn is getting a bucket in point guard Rahsool Diggins 💯 @RahsoolDiggins3 In his senior season he averaged 18.6 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.2 RPG, and 3.5 SPG and finished as @WoodBoysBball's all-time leading scorer with 1,513 career points.

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Coach’s Corner

Find out what UConn coaches are up to on and off the court

• Coach Rodriguez leading UConn women’s soccer to new heights with trip to Big East Championship serving as strong foundation for future success:

Margaret Tietjen Rodriguez @MagsRodriguez12

I’m beyond proud of my team. We fought to the end and that shows pride and heart within our culture. We walk off with our heads high because we know this is just the beginning for us. We are just getting started. We will be back hungrier than ever now.

• UConn women’s basketball in need of new assistant coach after Shea Ralph leaves to take reigns at Vanderbilt

• Kevin Freeman moves from assistant coach with men’s basketball program to National C Club leadership role at UConn

• Geno’s coaching tree keeps growing and producing good apples

• UConn women’s hockey loses assistant coach Katelyn Parker to Seattle Kraken youth training and development program

• Dan Hurley discusses current state of college basketball in light of unprecedented transfer activity as 2021-22 roster construction nears completion:

tcf15 @tcf_15

🚨GRID UPDATE🚨 Huge news as Tyler Polley announced he will return to UConn for the 2021-2022 season. Both Isaiah Whaley and Tyler Polley do not count against the scholarship count, so UConn currently has three spots remaining on next year's team (unlikely all will be filled).

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Big League Buzz

Catch up on former UConn players working across the sports world

• Kevin Ollie joins Overtime Elite as coach and director of player development

• Breanna Stewart adds Euroleague Final Four MVP to ridiculous resume after leading UMMC Ekaterinburg to third-straight championship:

Seattle Storm @seattlestorm

🏆 3x Consensus College National Player of the Year 🏆 4x NCAA Tournament MVP 🏆 2018 FIBA World Cup MVP 🏆 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year 🏆 2018 WNBA MVP 🏆 2x WNBA Finals MVP 🏆 2019 EuroLeague MVP 🏆 2021 Euroleague Final Four MVP (We might have missed a few.)

• Sue Bird appreciates Geno’s positive impact on her game, opportunities to represent Team USA in Olympics as Tokyo games near

• Andre “Big Penguin” Drummond dishes on nickname’s origin:

Dime @DimeUPROXX

Andre Drummond has no idea why people have started calling him Big Penguin 🤣 (via @Lakers)

• Giants’ Matt Peart putting in work entering second NFL season

• Gabby Williams dominates EuroLeague Women Awards by winning Defensive Player of the Year and joining Katie Lou Samuelson on All-EuroLeague Women First Team:

EuroLeague Women @EuroLeagueWomen

The best in the business. Meet the 2021 All-#EuroLeagueWomen First Team! ⭐ Courtney Vandersloot (@Sloot22) ⭐ Alina Iagupova ⭐ Gabby Williams (@gabbywilliams15) ⭐ Katie Lou Samuelson (@33katielou) ⭐ Emma Meesseman (@EmmaMeesseman)

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Memory Lane

Revisit special moments in UConn sports history

• Nobody broke Blue Devils’ hearts like Coach Calhoun and the Huskies:

tcf15 @tcf_15

https://t.co/BzVRYdiSGC

Jimmy Traina @JimmyTraina

Give me your all-time favorite sports quote.

• UConn remains the undisputed top source for WNBA stars:

UConn Women’s Basketball @UConnWBB

We won’t have any Huskies drafted today but we’ll still take a sec to make this about us 😏 #WNBADraft

• UConn football’s apparel deal with Aeropostale in the early 2000s was one of the most peculiar partnerships in recent college sports history:

Ryan McGee @ESPNMcGee

Old school UConn players and fans looking up the road at the Boston College/New Balance announcement like, "Whatevs."

• When determining whether recruits were UConn women’s basketball material, body language told Geno everything he needed to know:

Matt Lisle @CoachLisle

In 2016, Geno Auriemma was asked how every single player on his team is so enthusiastic. He gave an answer that every young athlete should hear 👏

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Final Play

A parting sentiment from The UConn Fast Break team

From a facilities standpoint, there’s no better time than now to be a Husky:

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