INDIANAPOLIS – The confetti had barely fallen to the floor at Bankers Life Fieldhouse when UConn’s returning players began fielding questions about how they could possibly compete for a fifth consecutive national championship next season without All-Americans Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and likely Morgan Tuck.
Freshman Katie Lou Samuelson said the team has heard the critics say the gap will close between UConn, which beat teams by nearly 40 points a game, and programs such as Baylor, Notre Dame and South Carolina.
She said they’ll use that as motivation.
“We kind of want to prove to everyone that we can still do it, and I think all us are going to be ready when that time comes,” she said.
Kia Nurse said UConn has a system for training the next generation of team leaders. The junior, who starred on the Canadian Pan American team that beat Stewart, Jefferson and the U.S. last summer, noted that she has been studying “The Big Three” for three seasons.
While the seniors pulled out a sword to knight each other on stage after Tuesday night’s victory, they have no official baton to pass.