In the "news that should surprise no one" department, a pair of UConn players were honored nationally this week. In football, senior tight end Ryan Griffin was named to the Mackey Award Watch List as one of the best players at his position. He was one of just two Big East tight ends to make the list along with Pittsburgh's Hubie Graham.
More details via the UConn press release:
Griffin was named a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection in 2011. He was Connecticut’s third leading receiver with 33 receptions, three for touchdowns, and 499 yards. Griffin was one of 25 tight ends named to the John Mackey award midseason watch list in 2011. Over his three year career, Griffin has 87 catches in 36 games for 1,016 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Breanna Stewart, the prized incoming freshman in a top-notch recruiting class, has been named the 2012 Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year. She becomes the third UConn player to win the award joining Tina Charles and Maya Moore.
Finally, Stewart's new teammate, junior Bria Hartley, has been selected to the 2012 USA Basketball World Championship 3x3 Team. Yes, you read that right: three players per team. She'll join Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins, Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike and Maryland's Alyssa Thomas in the inaugural FIBA event next month in Greece.
“The selected women’s team also went undefeated throughout the 2012 USA Basketball 3×3 National Team Tournament and brought to the tournament the level of intensity they are used to playing at, while also coming together as a team,” said USA Basketball 3×3 Program Director Travis Johnson according to the Hartford Courant. “The competitive edge they showed at the tournament is the starting point of how we expect them to perform at the FIBA 3×3 World Championship.”
