STORRS, Conn. (December 5, 2006) --- Ten First Team All-Americans and Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma will constitute the inaugural class of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.

The inaugural class of UConn women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" inductees will be recognized in formal postgame ceremonies on Thurs., December 21, when Connecticut hosts Colorado State at 7:30 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion.

In launching the "Huskies of Honor" program, UConn Athletics will pay visible tribute in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion to the top players and coaches in UConn men's and women's basketball history.

Included among the 10 First Team All-Americans that will help launch the UConn Women's Basketball "Huskies of Honor" program are five players who earned National Collegiate Player of the Year honors while playing at Connecticut-Diana Taurasi (2003, 2004), Sue Bird (2002), Kara Wolters (1997), Jennifer Rizzotti (1996), Rebecca Lobo (1995). The other five honorees - all of them All-Americans -- are Swin Cash, Svetlana Abrosimova, Shea Ralph, Nykesha Sales and Kerry Bascom.

Auriemma, inducted this year as a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, will join his 10 All-American stars in the "Huskies of Honor" inaugural class. In his first 21 seasons as UConn coach Coach Auriemma has led the Huskies to five NCAA National Championships (1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004), eight trips to the "Final Four", and a record-setting 27 Big East Conference titles.

Scheduled attend the ceremony are Taurasi, Bird, Wolters, Lobo, Cash, Sales, Rizzotti, Bascom and Auriemma.

Bird and Taurasi will make a long and challenging  journey to Storrs to attend the ceremony. Both of them play in the EuroLeague for Spartak Moscow Region in Russia during the winter months. Their team has a game on Wed., December 20, at 6:00 p.m. Moscow time (10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time). Following the game, they will make a flight of approximately 12 hours and 4,680 miles and land in New York City on Thursday mid-afternoon and then will proceed to Storrs.

"It is obvious how much this ceremony means to Sue and Diana based on the tremendous efforts they are taking to get here for the event," says UConn Director of Athletics Jeff Hathaway. "We always knew that a ceremony like this would mean a great deal to our basketball programs, the people that are being honored and UConn fans around the world. Sue and Diana's ambitous plans to get to Storrs are a testament to that."

Abrosimova, a St. Petersburg, Russia, native, plays on the same team as Bird and Taurasi, but will be unable to attend the UConn ceremony due to a commitment for an event in St. Petersburg, Russia, that will celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's basketball in Russia.

Also unable to attend the ceremony will be Ralph. Ralph, an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh women's basketball team, will be with the Panthers as they participate in the Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico.

"We believe this will be a very special night with eight of our ten former student-athletes and Coach Auriemma attending in person. Svet and Shea will be part of our inaugural class unveiling and we will also pay special honor to Svet and Shea when their schedules permit them to be here in person," says Hathaway.

At the ceremony on December 21, each of the honorees will be recognized with the unveiling of 11 separate four foot-by-five foot panels. The panels for each of the 10 UConn All-Americans will include the name, uniform number and years of collegiate competition for the Husky greats. The honor will not retire that jersey number, allowing for future use of the numbers.

In addition to the large individual panels honoring the inductees that will be displayed adjacent to the scoreboard on the East end of Gampel Pavilion, each honoree will also have a plaque unveiled that will be on permanent display on the lobby level of Gampel Pavilion. The 11 plaques will include an action photo of each honoree and summarize in text the top career achievements for each "Huskies of Honor" inductee. Those plaques will be on display beginning on the Jan. 9 game vs. Seton Hall.

An announcement regarding the inaugural class of inductees for the UConn men's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program, and a home date later this season in Gampel Pavilion for that ceremony, will be announced in the near future.

The Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" inaugural class honorees include:

Kerry Bascom (1987-1991): 1990-91 First Team All-American; 1991 NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player; Three-Time Big East Conference Player of the Year (1988-89, 1989-90, 1990-91; 1989 Big East Championship Most Outstanding Player; Led UConn to first appearance in the NCAA "Final Four" (1991).

 

 

Rebecca Lobo (1991-1995): 1994-95 National Collegiate Player of the Year; Two-time First Team All-American (1993-94, 1994-95); 1995 NCAA "Final Four" Most Outstanding Player; Two-time Big East Conference Player of the Year (1993-94, 1994-95); Led UConn to 1995 NCAA National Championship with perfect 35-0 record; 1996 USA Olympic Gold Medalist.

 

 

 

Jennifer Rizzotti (1992-1996): 1995-96 National Collegiate Player of the Year; Two-time First Team All-American (1994-95, 1995-96); Two-time NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player (1995, 1996); 1995-96 Big East Conference Player of the Year.

 

 

Kara Wolters (1993-1997): 1996-97 National Collegiate Player of the Year; Two-time First Team All-American (1995-96, 1996-97); Two-time Big East Championship Most Outstanding Player (1995, 1996); 1996-97 Big East Conference Player of the Year; 2000 USA Olympic Gold Medalist.

 

 

Nykesha Sales (1994-1998): Two-time First Team All-American (1996-97, 1997-98); 1997 Big East Championship Most Outstanding Player; 1997-98 Big East Conference Player of the Year; UConn Career Scoring Leader (2,178 points).

 

 

Svetlana Abrosimova (1997-2001): Three-time First Team All-American (1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01); 2000 NCAA "Final Four" All-Tournament Team; 2000 NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player; 1998-99 Big East Conference Player of the Year.

 

 

 

Shea Ralph (1996-2001): 1999-2000 First Team All-American; 2000 NCAA "Final Four" Most Outstanding Player; 1999 Big East Championship Most Outstanding Player; 1999-2000 Big East Conference Player of the Year.

 

 

 

Sue Bird (1998-2002): 2001-02 National Collegiate Player of the Year; 2001-02 First Team All-American; 2002 NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player; 2001-02 Big East Conference Player of the Year; 2004 USA Olympic Gold Medalist.

 

 

 

Swin Cash (1998-2002): 2001-02 First Team All-American; 2002 NCAA "Final Four" Most Outstanding Player; Three-time Big East Championship All-Tournament Team (1999, 2000, 2002); 2004 USA Olympic Gold Medalist.

 

 

 

Diana Taurasi (2000-2004): Two-time National Collegiate Player of the Year (2002-03, 2003-04); Three-time First Team All-American (2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04); Two-time NCAA "Final Four" Most Outstanding Player (2003, 2004); Two-time Big East Conference Player of the Year (2002-03, 2003-04); 2004 USA Olympic Gold Medalist.

 

 

Geno Auriemma: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (Class of 2006); Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (Class of 2006); Five-time National Coach of the Year (1994-95, 1996-97; 1999-00; 2001-02; 2002-03).