NEU » when Charles will return. She leads the

BRISTOL, Conn. -- We approach this womens college basketball season uncertain of something that weve gotten used to being pretty obvious: Who is the best player in the country? For that matter, who are the five best? Or the 10 best?Were counting down espnWs top 25 players this week, with No. 1 to be revealed Friday. This much we can already tell you: Its not Breanna Stewart.In the 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, there was no doubt the UConn forward was the transcendent star of womens college hoops. There was nothing to debate or argue, not legitimately anyway. It was an open-and-shut case.Stewart came into college with the grandest of expectations and then did everything she set out to: winning four NCAA titles, and getting the most outstanding player award every year in the process.But with no Stewie left in the college game, who takes over there as the spotlight player? Or is there one?Not only do we not know who its going to be, we dont know whether it actually exists, UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Tuesday. Everything is an evolving story.Auriemma was among a group of coaches and players who visited ESPN on Tuesday to talk about the upcoming season. That sense of uncertainty, as it pertains to the big picture, was pervasive but not unpleasant.Hey, nothing against Stewart, Moriah Jefferson or Morgan Tuck, whose experience and talent basically dominated the overall storyline of womens hoops the past few years. But theyre now in the WNBA, and their departures have left a door open to, well, a lot of people.I dont think theres a clear-cut player of the year; theres a lot of good choices right now, said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw, whose team is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25. I think in recruiting over the last few years, kids are not all going to the same place. We have Brianna Turner. Ohio State has Kelsey Mitchell. South Carolina gets Aja Wilson. Those three players alone have contributed to parity.Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley encourages Wilson to aim high.I feel like its a goal I want to shoot for, Wilson, a junior forward, said of winning national player of the year. But just being in the running is a lot of fun.There are also players such as Washingtons Kelsey Plum, who averaged 25.9 points per game last season, just behind fellow guard Mitchells 26.1. The two Kelseys both admire each others games and feel theyve picked up things from watching the other.Kelsey can shoot it from deep, said Plum, who helped lead the Huskies to the Final Four last year. I love watching other guards, like seeing Kelsey play in the Big Ten. They run a similar offense to what we do. I will watch her, rewind it, watch her again. Shes one of my favorites.Mitchell said she has also learned from observing Plum, especially in changing speeds to thwart defenses. As for being in the mix as one of the countrys best players, the soft-spoken Mitchell said, You never want to think too much about those things. But I will say Im grateful to be in the conversation.The same goes for players such as Baylor forward Nina Davis, Louisville forward Myisha Hines-Allen and Maryland guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough.Louisville coach Jeff Walz said Hines-Allen has worked on expanding her range, but he also hopes she has an even more impressive body of work this season.The big thing for her is the consistency part, Walz said. She had a remarkable ACC season -- 16 games -- but she didnt start out very well. She has it in her. Im excited to get things started.Tennessee guard Diamond DeShields is ready, too, and finally feeling closer to 100 percent and injury-free.Ive always strived to be one of the best, DeShields said. I hope to be a contender in that regard.But hold on -- what about the returning UConn players? Sure, the big three are gone, but there are guards Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams, guard/forward Katie Lou Samuelson and forward Napheesa Collier. All of them now move into more prominent roles.Theyre all very good, but have any of them proved greatness yet? No, but now is their chance. That said, Auriemma doesnt necessarily want any of his returners to think they have to try to turn into the second coming of Stewart, to whatever degree thats even possible.If [Katie] Lou, for example, tries to be all the things she thinks we need, is that fair? Auriemma said. There is some of that, that they want to fill that void, and they know it has to be filled. But I want them to fill it in their own way.Maybe that results in major accolades, and maybe it doesnt. But there will be players who now have more of an opportunity to be noticed, and well get to see them try to rise to the occasion all over the country.I think theres a kind of optimism this year, UCLA coach Cori Close said. Individually, it seems more wide-open for those honors. And that should impact the NCAA tournament. I think theres going to a lot of drama there, which is good for the game.Rolan Milligan Jersey . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Penny Hart Jersey . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. http://www.cheapcoltsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-tyquan-lewis-jersey . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Jalen Collins Jersey .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. Cheap Colts Jerseys . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast.The Phoenix Mercury will try to win its fourth consecutive game when they entertain the New York Liberty on Friday at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Ariz.Phoenix (7-9) has won three in a row to move into a tie with Dallas for third place in the WNBAs Western Conference. In the past week, the Mercury has posted wins over Washington, New York and Connecticut.Sonja Petrovic had a career-high 22 points in an 86-75 victory over Connecticut on Wednesday. Brittney Griner had 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots. DeWanna Bonner added 18 points for Phoenix, which shot 50.8 percent from the field while holding the Sun to 38.2-percent shooting.Candice Dupree had 26 points and seven rebounds while Diana Taurasi added 24 points in the Mercurys 104-97 overtime victory over New York on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Tina Charles led the Liberty with 26 points and eight rebounds. Sugar Rodgers had 24 points.Beating New York for the second time in six days would be an impressive feaat for Phoenix.ddddddddddddThe Liberty has won seven of its last eight games and is coming off a 95-92 overtime victory against a Minnesota squad that won its first 13 games to set a WNBA record for consecutive victories to start a season. It was New Yorks fourth overtime game in its last five outings.Rodgers scored a career-high 30 points in the win over Minnesota. Amanda Zahui B. made her first career start, posting 17 points and nine rebounds in place of Charles, who underwent a procedure Tuesday to repair a broken nose.Charles sustained the broken nose in a June 22 game against Atlanta. She played two games before sitting out against Minnesota, posting 21 points with 13 rebounds against Chicago and 26 points with 15 rebounds against Indiana. The team has not indicated when Charles will return. She leads the WNBA with 22.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.Cheap Jerseys [url=when Charles will return. She leads theeys[/url] Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '