Tina Charles was named Big East Player of the Year, and Mechelle writes: Belief system bolsters Charles' game - Coach's confidence helps Charles grow into star he saw all along

"The kids I love to recruit are the ones that are so confident that they can play here, bordering on cocky but never crossing that line. Because once they cross that line, you know that they're faking it. They can't be any good."

That sounds very much like Charles' mindset when she came to Storrs. And while the mental focus is typically the thing that separates the really good from the terrific players, even someone as good a coach and motivator as Auriemma hasn't necessarily been able to coax every player into reaching her maximum potential. In that regard, Charles might be his finest work.