One on One with Kalana Greene

Kalana Greene appears on 'SportsCenter' almost as often as an ESPN anchor. As a starting senior guard on No. 1 Connecticut's record-breaking women's basketball team, the Timberland High School graduate known as 'KG' to teammates makes history with each Huskies victory. Coach Geno Auriemma and Co. have won 72 consecutive games and are preparing for the NCAA Tournament. Greene, an Urban Studies major and the daughter of Addison and Cynthia Greene, talked about the rarefied air of UConn women's hoops, Auriemma and dessert with The Post and Courier's Gene Sapakoff:

So what is it like being part of a basketball team so dominant for so long?

"It's really crazy. Since my sophomore year we've been pretty much the top of the pinnacle. But once you start tournament time, you have to establish yourself all over again. We've spent the whole year looking down from the top, but now we're all pretty much even. Now we have to fight our way back up."

Are the UConn players aware as you go along about the records you're breaking? Are you taking in all the notoriety?

"We know we come from a place where our coach had to work hard to build up a program. We know how hard it was here, and how hard it is. We know how hard it was for us as a team to get to this point. We're aware of it, and we're very thankful. But we're never complacent or satisfied. We know there's a lot more that can be achieved."

Geno Auriemma seems like such a colorful guy, and then some. Tell me something about him that most people don't know.

"That he's not as arrogant as you might think. He's not as flashy as you probably think he is, either. I think his confidence comes across as arrogant. When I met him in recruiting I told him just that. I said, 'Hey, I thought you were arrogant and cocky.' He said, 'Why did you think that?' It's because of the way he's portrayed in the media. But he's really just very sure of himself and as I have gotten to know him. I see him as one of the most humble people I have ever met. I wish people could see that."

It seems like an obvious call now, but while playing at Timberland, why did you pick UConn, and what school was your second choice?

"My second choice was going to be Georgia. I liked Coach (Andy) Landers and his program there. The reason I picked Connecticut was the family atmosphere and the chance to be in a program where you have to work for everything you've got. Everybody thinks when you come to Connecticut you're guaranteed a national championship and that coming in as a freshman you're going to start every game. That's what every other coach tells you, but Coach Auriemma told me from the first day of my official visit, 'If you come here and work hard, you'll play. If you don't produce in practice, you're not going to play.' Him just being honest like that helped me decide to come to Connecticut."

The most memorable college basketball game you have played in?

"Probably my sophomore year at LSU. We had to hit some deep 3s. It was a very close game. I had a pretty good game (15 points) and we just had to go through a lot of things that game and got a big win on the road."

How do you see your future in basketball after this NCAA Tournament?

"Hopefully, I can play at the next level and help a team out next year. Basketball has been my life for a long time and I would really like the opportunity to play at the next level, either in the WNBA or in Europe. I want to play until the wheels fall off."

And after basketball?

"I would like to go into planning or public policy."

How much time per day do you spend on Facebook?

"Probably only about 10 minutes. I check my wall and I check my messages. I rarely check my friend requests. I spend more time on Twitter than I do on Facebook."

How many Twitter blasts per day?

"It depends. Game days, more than others. But probably five or six a day."

What's your favorite dessert?

"Oddly enough, I'm not a huge dessert fan. People ask me, 'Would you like dessert?' and I usually say no. Just not a big sweets person. The sweetest thing I usually have is sweet tea. If I did have anything it would be tiramisu, but only in small doses.

Any thoughts about one day going into a TV career as a basketball analyst?

"No. Well, I don't know. I haven't thought about it. I won't cancel anything out, I guess, but it wouldn't be my first choice. But, I don't know, maybe I would take a shot at it."

Do you have a dream vacation spot?

"Dubai. As a city planner, I have heard it's a dream place. Tallest building in the world, all their own unique construction projects. It just sounds like a very interesting place."