(Guru's note: Updating with information for Delle Donne' AAU coach. Previously, the Guru note begins: This is the version being turned to the sports desk for print editions and may be trimmed for space in print due to the Olympics and other events. Further reporting will appear late Saturday night after the Guru finishes working the desk as he was orginally assigned on this week's schedule).
By Mel Greenberg
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
PHILADELPHIA _ Wilmington’s Elena Delle Donne, the nation’s top women’s basketball prospect out of Ursuline Academy, has decided not to attend the Connecticut, the university announced in a statement late Saturday afternoon.
“I have been recently informed that Elena Delle Donne has decided not to play college basketball and will not enroll at the University of Connecticut,” coach Geno Auriemma said. “Everyone at UConn would like to wish Elena the best of luck.”
The statement also added that to respect the privary of Delle Donne and her family, there would be no further comment on the matter.
Delle Donne plans to make a statement Monday, acording to Veronica Algeo, her longtime coach at Fencor AAU, who was requested by Delle Donne not to comment further.
Algeo said early Saturday night she did not yet know how the statement would be made or whether a press conference would be held.
Even without Delle Donne, Connecticut will still be considered the overwhelming NCAA favorite this winter off a veteran lineup that includes Maya Moore, last season’s top collegiate freshman.
The Huskies also have talent-rich freshmen class, including Germantown Academy’s Carolyn Doty. She and Delle Donne were teammates on Fencor AAU in the area.
Delle Donne’s decision ends a summer of speculation as to intentions after she withdraw from UConn’s summer school two days after her arrival in early June.
“I have a lot of personal issues to fix,” Delle Donne told ESPN.com shortly after she returned home.
In recent weeks, there have been rumors that Delle Donne was going to attend Delaware and play volleyball, her other high school athletic pursuit, with last season’s Colonial Athletic Association champions.
But Blue Hens coach Bonnie Kenney denied the report early last week to the Hartford Courant.
The comment came after Wikipedia, an internet research site, had stated the volleyball intentions at the bottom of the Delle Donne’s biography.
The sentence was subsequently removed.
A 6-foot-5 guard, Delle Donne became the state of Delaware’s all-time leading scorer last season.
Delle Donne has been labelled a “must-have” recruit by college coaches dating all the way back to the seventh grade, if not earlier.
WNBA coaches have said she was one of the few female youngsters capable of bypassing college straight for the pro league, although the move is not currently possible under WNBA eligibility rules.
Early last September, Delle Done announced her decision to attend UConn over Tennessee, Villanova, and Middle Tennessee from among her final collegiate choices.
The announcement came after she abruptly took a break from the sport in early summer, deciding not to try out for USA Basketball’s Under-19 national team, which ultimately won a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship.
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