Mater Dei's Mosqueda-Lewis headed to UConn

By Ben Glicksman, SI.com

Dating back to 2008, the UConn women's basketball team can count their losses on one finger. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and her Mater Dei teammates require three.

It's only fitting, then, that Mosqueda-Lewis, the class of 2011's top-ranked recruit and a newly-minted McDonald's All-American, will look to continue her winning ways at UConn next year. She's the crown jewel of Geno Auriemma's newest batch of blue-chippers, a do-it-all forward averaging 21.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Entering Wednesday's playoff matchup with Etiwanda, she has Mater Dei primed to defend last year's California Division II title. Her track record is astounding: The Monarchs are 115-7 since her freshman season.

"We take our games from day to day," she said. "We're really competing against ourselves most of the time because I feel like we're the only people that can beat [us.]"

The Huskies seemingly couldn't engineer a better prospect, as Mosqueda-Lewis is a fearless rebounder, polished defender and savvy ballhandler. She can score from anywhere on the court, shooting 53 percent from the field, 44 percent from three and 88 percent from the free throw stripe. Perhaps most importantly, she's completely bought into UConn's championship mentality.

"All the great players that have come out of UConn really made me wanna go," she said. "I just want to contribute any way that I can."

Though modest, expectations are sky-high for the Anaheim, Calif., native. She created a stir in Storrs after Auriemma proclaimed "she's got some of Diana Taurasi's swashbuckler" in January, and Huskies' fans are anticipating a Harrison Barnes-type impact. She'll be relied on immediately to replace Maya Moore, the team's graduating Naismith winner and Mosqueda-Lewis' basketball hero.

Following in her legendary footsteps will be difficult, but Mosqueda-Lewis seems ready for the challenge. In addition to her sparkling Mater Dei career, she helped lead the United States U17 national team to gold in last summer's FIBA World Championships and was named The Los Angeles Times girl's basketball player of the year in 2010.

Despite her accomplishments, she's still unsatisfied with her game. She's training with her father, Khairi, to sharpen her skill set and complete P90X workouts before arriving to campus. When asked what her feature of her game she's trying to improve most, she said, "Everything. I mean it's UConn."

Above all, she's eager to develop under the guidance of a Hall of Fame coach. The Huskies have produced five first-team All-Americas in the past three years. Mosqueda-Lewis has her sights set on joining that elite group.

"I've got a lot to learn, but I know that the next couple years Coach Auriemma is gonna make me the best player that I can be."