Doty Discusses Verbal

Caroline Doty of Doylestown, Pa., discusses her reasons behind becoming the third member of the HoopGurlz National Hot 25 for 2008 - and second-highest ranked - to make a college choice.

PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

The 2008 class’s No. 12 prospect has made an early verbal commitment this fall. Caroline Doty of Germantown Academy announced today that she has verbally committed to Connecticut and will join in an impressive list of elite recruits that coach Geno Auriemma has reeled recently. Doty chose UConn over Maryland, Notre Dame, Penn State and Tennessee.

"I just had this gut feeling," Doty said. "It just came and wouldn’t go away and it’s just time for me to let everyone know."

Doty became the third player in the HoopGurlz National Hot 25 for 2008 to commit. Brittany Rayburn of Attica, Ind., became the first 2008 prospect to commit, pledging to Purdue last spring. Shay Selby of Cleveland, Ohio, the No. 11 overall prospect, according to HoopGurlz, committed to Duke last month.

Doty visited all the schools and actually started making visits following her freshman year, which contributed to her feeling comfortable about committing early. During her first visit to Storrs, Conn., she took in a sold out matchup against Tennessee, and that’s when the gut feeling emerged.

Caroline Doty

This summer she got an even better feeling of what the future held when she got to participate in some college camps and then the Nike Girls Skills Academy where she got to meet her future teammate Maya Moore, a 2007 UConn commit. The Academy was the highlight in what Doty said was her most fun summer ever. "It helped me to see how good these girls were and showed me that I have to continue working to keep up," she said.

Everyone assumes her commitment puts Connecticut in the driver’s seat for Doty’s club teammate and HoopGurlz.com’s No.1 ranked player in the 2008 class, Elena DelleDonne. "I don’t think my commitment is going to affect Elena’s," Doty said. "She’s going to make the decision that is best for her and where ever she goes she’s going to do amazing things."

The two talk about the process and even went on a couple of campus visits togethe, to Maryland and Duke. "We are close," Doty said, "We talk to each other about stuff and I know I can trust her with things." Doty said she wouldn’t try to influence her friend and summer teammate but would be there to support her as the two always have.

As for Doty, she has high expectations for herself not only now but when she gets to Connecticut. She wants to make an impact and help the team add more championship banners. "I’m going to work hard and try to start as a freshman," Doty said. "It will be a great challenge since they have so much talent."

At 5-foot-10, Doty can play either guard position and employs an airborne and explosive style, using her lift to great advantage on her jump shot as well as defensively. As she was called upon to score more, she became more adept at attacking the rim off the dribble, often finishing with her trademark scoop shot. Doty also became more assertive with her perimeter game, both off the dribble and on the catch, and easily has range to the three-point arc.

Like all young prospects, Doty spends months at a time on the road playing ball, but has a great perspective on what the future holds. "I’m going to focus this year on keeping basketball fun," she said.

Caroline Doty

Doty emerged this summer as a leader and versatile guard who belonged in anyone’s discussion as far as elite high school players are concerned.

"The most important thing is getting stronger and my self confidence," Doty said, continuing to note the little things she needs to improve on, especially in her ball handling to be able to accomplish her goals. She did so in such a manner that you can tell she’s a student of the game and while the big decision is out of the way she’s focused on getting better. "I learned this summer that there’s always something to learn and something to get better at," Doty said.

So Doty will be headed to Storrs despite the appeals of the other finalists. Here’s what Doty had to say about the other four contenders for her verbal commitment:

Maryland – "I got to know Marissa Coleman and she was the nicest person," Doty said. "I liked the fans support and they are only three hours from my house so it would have been easy for my family to see some games."

Notre Dame – "I love their fan support and the tradition and campus," Doty said. "The girls made me feel so welcome there."

Penn State – "(The visit) was great," Doty said. "The coaching staff is unbelievable. I remember seeing them at all of my AAU games and it just felt like a great environment."

Tennessee – "I went to their camp two years and loved it," Doty said. "Their fan support is amazing. They sell out road games because of their fans. My relationship with them was really strong. I really like and respect Coach Summitt, Nikki (Caldwell) and Holly (Warlick)."

So Doty is giving Husky fans something else to be excited about besides the beginning of a new season with high expectation and the signing of the nation’s top recruit two years in a row – Tina Charles in 06, Moore in 07. Like the other two highly touted recruits, Doty is a very respectful young lady who should add a lot of character and moxie to the locker room at UConn.

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Chris Hansen is the National Director of Scouting for Women's Basketball at HoopGurlz.com and Scout.com. Chris leads the panel that evaluates and ranks girl's basketball prospects nationally for HoopGurlz and Scout.com. Chris has been involved in the women’s basketball community since 1998 as a coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He can be reached at [e-mail].