From the Iowa state basketball tournament one year to the NCAA Final Four the next.

Not many college freshmen get to make that journey, and former Linn-Mar All-American Kiah Stokes struggled to find words to describe the experience.

It was “amazing” and “exciting” to be part of the University of Connecticut Huskies squad that reached the summit of women’s basketball in Denver last weekend, joining the tournament’s three other top seeds at the Final Four. It was “heartbreaking” to come within minutes of reaching the final game, only to lose the semifinal contest to Notre Dame in overtime.

At the post-game press conference, UConn Coach Geno Auriemma said his biggest mistake was taking Stokes – one of his top reserve players – out of the game in the final minutes. One more rebound would have made all the difference, he lamented.

Even though the occasion was an unhappy one for Stokes and her coach, it hinted at the valuable role the former Miss Iowa Basketball played in her first year as a Husky.

“My coaches said I did what I needed to do with rebounds and blocks,” Stokes says. “But either way we lost, and it just hurt.”

Stokes describes her first season as a Husky as being much longer and more challenging than anything she experienced in high school, adding to her sense of disappointment at the outcome.

“You put so much into it, and then to not come out on top, it kind of breaks your heart. Afterwards there were a lot of tears and silence in the locker room. We comforted Tiffany (Hayes), our only senior, but mostly we just had some moments to ourselves because everyone had to deal with it in their own way.”

Bitter ending aside, the Huskies’ Final Four appearance was reason to celebrate for a rebuilding UConn team that surpassed expectations and rode its defensive chops all the way to a remarkable 33-5 record.

For an NCAA rookie, it was pretty thrilling stuff, Stokes admits.

“When we beat Kentucky to go to the Final Four, it didn’t really set in at first,” she says. “But when we got to Denver it hit me that there were only four teams left.”

To emphasize the point, the four squads were treated like royalty at a special Mile High Salute Dinner at Buell Theatre in the Denver Convention Center on Friday night before the semifinals were played on Sunday. Trading uniforms for evening wear, the players were introduced individually as they processed into the room on a red carpet. The evening
featured videos of each team and musical entertainment by the Silhouettes of America’s Got Talent fame.

Stokes got to spend a few hours over the weekend with the 11 family members who came to watch her play, but the focus was clearly on Sunday’s semifinal contest against the Fighting Irish.

“I was nervous, but I was excited,” she says of being at the center of the women’s college basketball universe. “At the pregame meal I was really nervous, but when you get in the game you just play basketball.”

Stokes was called on early and often, logging a total of 16 minutes, four rebounds, two blocks and four points in the game.

Her court time – and Auriemma’s post-game comment – were a reflection of her coaches’ growing confidence in the 6-foot-3 post, who provided quality minutes off the bench throughout the season, averaging 13.3 minutes, 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.  Her 48 blocked shots were second on the team.

Perhaps most important, she says, her game matured as she adapted to the rigorous practice regimen and relentless playing style that define UConn basketball.

“I learned that you just always have to compete and always go hard,” she says. “Sometimes before I tried to save my energy, and you can’t do that. You can’t ever stop. You have to listen to the coaches and not take anything personally because they want the best out of you.”

Stokes, who spent the past week catching up on missed schoolwork before starting post-season workouts next week, plans to visit family in Cedar Rapids at the end of the semester, then return to UConn for summer school and summer workouts.

In the meantime, she and her teammates are already contemplating next year’s campaign. Their objective is clear, Stokes says, and she has set her own goals to improve in ways that will help her team secure the top prize.

“I want to be more of a presence offensively,” she says. “Our team will be harder to guard if we have more offensive threats. Plus I’ll keep working on my blocks and rebounds.”

Her taste of the Final Four provides plenty of motivation.

“Denver was a beautiful place,” she says. “It was all a great experience, and I can’t wait to go back. It was fun, but we need to finish it.”