Take a look at the national championship contenders in women's college basketball this season and there's a good chance you'll find a fabulous freshman guard leading the charge.
Connecticut, Baylor, Tennessee, and Duke all have first-year guards helping to keep them near the top of the poll.
Geno Auriemma has coached against a lot of them. His top-ranked Huskies have played against Odyssey Sims (Baylor), Chelsea Gray (Duke), and Aaryn Ellenberg (Oklahoma). Throw-in Meighan Simmons (Tennessee) and the Huskies own Bria Hartley and that makes for one very strong class.
''I remember a few years ago saying, where are all the great guards?,'' Auriemma said. ''Now you see four or five of them that have already made their teams better. If you have one of them you have a chance to be really, really good.''
That's not even mentioning Louisville star Shoni Schimmel and Penn State's Maggie Lucas.
It's a dymanic and versatile group of players, capable of handling the ball, shooting the 3 and playing pressure defense.
''I think it's an incredible class,'' Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said. ''None of it's surprising to me. I definitely think those are the guards of the future. The game is getting taller, quicker and more versatile.''
While most of the attention on the November showdown between Baylor and UConn was focused on All-Americans Brittney Griner and Maya Moore, Sims and Hartley stole the show.
Sims had 17 points, making seven of her nine shots. Hartley scored only nine points, but hit a layup to tie it late and made a huge 3-pointer to give UConn a lead the Huskies wouldn't relinquish.
That game propelled Sims and Hartley to stellar seasons. Sims is averaging 12.9 points for the second-ranked Lady Bears.
Sims wasn't expecting to start so soon for Baylor when she came to the Big 12 powerhouse.
After all, the Lady Bears had four starters from a Final Four team returning, including point guard Kelli Griffin - who had started 50 consecutive games. All that changed when she quit right before the season thrusting Sims into the spotlight and the starting role.
She has handled it with the maturity of a veteran, leading No. 3 Baylor to a 21-game winning streak before Saturday's loss at Texas Tech.
''Odyssey Sims is a remarkable player,'' Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. ''We knew when we signed her coming out of high school that she would have an impact as a freshman in our program. We didn't know that the departure of Kelli Griffin was going to insert her in the lineup as early as it did.''
Hartley has excelled since that Baylor game, too, averaging just over 13 points.
When she started slumping a few weeks ago, Auriemma tried to get her on track before the Oklahoma game. With Hartley in earshot, he mentioned all the great young guards and how she was maybe fifth or sixth best.
Hartley promptly went out that night and shutdown Ellenberg as UConn routed the Sooners.
''I know she was listening that day as that night was the best she's every played defensively,'' Auriemma said.
Gray has played a vital role in Duke's season. The 5-foot-11 guard has been a great compliment in the backcourt to Jasmine Thomas.
''Chelsea is not only a difference maker for us, she's a complete game changer. In her young career she's made games go the other way whether its steals to beat Maryland, or taking it to the rack to beat N.C. State,'' McCallie said. ''She's been a huge impact on our program and we're a whole lot better with her on the floor.''
Gray missed the Blue Devils' trip to Maryland last week, sidelined by the flu. Duke wasn't the same team, falling by 20 points to the Terrapins.
Simmons has been an energizer for the veteran Lady Vols. She is on pace to be just the fifth Tennessee player to lead the team in scoring her freshmen season.
''I think Meighan is a very, very special player. I think she has matured tremendously throughout this season,'' Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. ''When she came in here she hadn't seen a shot that she didn't love and she didn't know what defense is all about - it's not something you put up in the back yard.''
With the NCAA tournament less than a month away, the work is just beginning for the talented newbies.
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AP Sports Writers Stephen Hawkins in Waco, Texas and Beth Rucker in Knoxville, Tenn. contributed to this report
