North Babylon's Hartley could have major impact for UConn
Imagine getting the keys to your dream car as you enter college. That's what it feels like at the moment for Bria Hartley.
The keys aren't in her hands just yet, but they're dangling in front of the North Babylon graduate with an opportunity to seize it. Hartley, 18, a freshman at the University of Connecticut, has a chance to play a critical role for the two-time defending national champions.
All-American Maya Moore and Tiffany Hayes return, but five freshmen make up half the roster. With Caroline Doty having suffered a torn ACL and the Huskies in need of a third scorer, Big East preseason rookie of the year Hartley is expected to play major minutes at point guard.
"I know I have to make a big impact with Caroline out," Hartley said. "It's going to be a very quick transition. I'm picking up a lot from the older players. You feel pressure, but you always deal with pressure. You just work through it. Anyone who is competitive wants to start. It would be a great accomplishment, but either way, you just want to help the team win."
One trait that stood out for Hartley in high school was her ability to be calm under pressure, and with a 78-game winning streak and lofty expectations entering this season, she will need that quality. It's something that UConn coach Geno Auriemma noticed when he watched a recent practice.
"When the shot clock was winding down and at the end of every quarter, she scored," he said. "It seemed that every time a shot had to be made, she made it. You don't teach that. She's confident with the ball in her hand. As a freshman, you might not be too sure of yourself playing with a bunch of players that haven't lost. She acts like it's her team."
The 5-7 Hartley made her debut in an exhibition game against Division II Franklin Pierce on Thursday and had 14 points and six assists in a 112-41 win. Senior Lorin Dixon started at point guard and Hartley came off the bench. Auriemma said he's not sure if Hartley will start, but he doesn't see a guard playing many more minutes than she will.
"Coming in, I knew she would be able to help us right away and will have to help us right away," Auriemma said. "Everything she has done so far has proved me right. She's fit in great and picked up things quickly. I'd like her role to be the same as it was in high school, where she has the ball in her hands a lot, pushes it up the floor, finds people and makes plays for herself. She has a scorer's mentality and she distributes the ball."
That's exactly the way Hartley played last season for North Babylon. In the Suffolk Class AA championship game against Sachem East, Hartley tried to get her teammates involved in the first quarter and scored only seven points. But she realized she needed to take over for her extremely young team to have a chance to win - and wound up scoring a Long Island playoff-record 51 points in a 72-69 loss.
Hartley averaged 28.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 5.7 steals as a senior. She was Newsday's Player of the Year last season, was named the state Gatorade Player of the year twice and spent the summer playing for USA's U-18 national team, coached by Hartford coach Jennifer Rizzotti, UConn's first All-American point guard.
Hartley scored 1,987 career points and North Babylon went 102-14 in her five seasons.
Fourteen losses might not pass at UConn.
"A bunch of us have to pick up the slack," Hartley said. "We definitely relish that opportunity. UConn is always at the top and we don't want to ruin that. We want to make our impact on the program."
Auriemma is sure Hartley has the qualities to succeed. Now she needs to show it.
"You need a lot of confidence to play here," Auriemma said. "It's like the Yankees. You're expected to win here no matter what you have. Not everyone can play here. There's no doubt she can be successful here. She fits in perfectly. She has a chance to be great."
