Greene will return next season, wants a shot at a title now

HARTFORD - After months of speculation, Kalana Greene put to rest doubts of her future this week: she will return for the 2009-10 season.

That announcement was made possible thanks to last year's season-ending ACL injury - her worst nightmare.

Indeed, the 2007-08 season marked the Huskies' first season going to the Final Four during her time at UConn. It was a time of excitement as the team entered the race for a national title once again.

Greene's injury, however, forced her to sit on the sidelines. A charismatic player on the floor, she watched the team win handedly against Cornell and Texas in Bridgeport. She cheered her teammates on against Old Dominion and saw them beat Rutgers for the second time that season, propelling the team to Tampa, Fla.

There, she looked on as the Huskies struggled against Stanford and lost.

This year, as one of three captains, Greene said repeatedly that she felt it was her chance to make up for lost time, to help UConn get back to where it was last season. With Caroline Doty down, her urgency grew.

Maya Moore said Greene is a threat to other teams when she is able to hit her outside shot.

"I think it just deflates the other team," she said after last week's game against No. 19 Pittsburgh.

For the Huskies, her return means another year with a versatile player who can provide the team with leadership. For Greene, she can continue to work on not only individual milestones - she is 126 points away from the 1,000 point mark - but also team ones.

And, possibly, another national championship.

Though she made her decision public recently, Renee Montgomery, who is also Greene's roommate, said that she had known since the second game that her roommate was coming back.

And there were signs that Greene had made up her mind several weeks ago at practice, answering questions about her future with a sly smile and tiptoeing around giving a definitive answer.

Still, her announcement came just in time for the No. 1 women's basketball team to face No. 24 Notre Dame and come away with a hard-fought win, 76-66.

On Sunday against the Fighting Irish, Greene started dancing in her chair to the music as the starting lineups were announced. When it came her turn, the announcer­­­­­­ placed emphasis on her class standing: "a junior from Saint Stevens, South Carolina, No. 32 Kalana Greene."

She ran through the line of teammates, slapping their hands, with a grin.

But on Sunday, her team was down by two 12 minutes into the game. In fact, the Huskies struggled not only to break away, but also to maintain a lead.

In first 20 minutes, the team trailed for 16:30.

And in her first game as an official redshirt junior, Greene scored her first points 13:05 in the game, after a foul by Ashley Barlow.

Those would be her only two of the night.

She ended the game with no rebounds and spent most of the second half on the bench. When she returned with five minutes left in the game, replacing Meghan Gardler, she was unable to put the ball in the basket.

Greene has felt the pressure before, saying that head coach Geno Auriemma stressed the importance of her ability to knock down shots from the perimeter as a way to be a "great team."

This is her third game in the last four in which her performance and ability as a player has not come through, including one against St. John's that Greene deemed disappointing.

Auriemma said during practice a few weeks ago that Greene is a good 3-point shooter, but that that hasn't translated to game-day situations yet.

"So right now it's just a matter of being confident enough that when it leaves your hand, you think it's going in," he said.

But Greene has never been one to beat herself up, according to Auriemma. In fact, she is often the laid back player on the team. And despite those three games, she has scored at least 10 points in five of the most games.

In fact, Greene recorded her first double-double of the year against Pitt. It was after that game that Auriemma said she "came out with a purpose."

Greene will graduate in May, along with Montgomery, Tahirah Williams and Cassie Kerns - the class that she said she will always be a part of even though she is staying on board while they leave UConn.

In the fall, she will begin taking graduate classes.