Nashville, Tenn. - Tierney Lawlor arrived at UConn just looking to get education. And now she's part of a potential national championship basketball team.

Lawlor, a freshman, figured her basketball days were over after graduating from Ansonia High School last spring. Instead, she's a walk-on guard for the Huskies and has a chance to be part of history.

"I could've never told you that I'd be here last year," Lawlor said.

A friend of Lawlor's saw a tweet from Breanna Stewart that UConn was looking for walk-ons and practice players.

The two-time All Naugatuck Valley League Brass selection decided to go for it.

"I'd grown up watching UConn forever," Tierney said. "I said, 'why not give it a shot?' Here I am.'"

And how did she react when she found out she was officially a UConn Husky? "I probably got red," Tierney smiled.

"My phone blew up. Wow, it was crazy. I'm kind of quiet. I'll see people and just say, 'hi', and go on my way. But people were calling and emailing and texting from all over. It was pretty crazy."

Lawlor has played limited minutes in 29 games and been part of something special. Not just any Ansonia hoop player can say they played for a collegiate basketball force.

"She showed a lot of courage to want to be a walk-on," UConn assistant coach Chris Dailey said. "Not everybody is willing to do the work that you have to do in the preseason; the training that you have to do as part of the team.

"She's found her niche within the group and, again, that's not easy. We've got some kids with some big personalities and she's not an outgoing, loud talker. She's sneaky funny, I guess. … She's brought enthusiasm and a hard-work ethic. And she's the only farmer we've ever had. We've never had a kid that wants to be a farmer. It's actually kind of neat."

Dolson, Hartley and the draft

The next big women's basketball event is April 14 when Mohegan Sun plays host to the WNBA Draft. UConn's Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley are locks to be drafted in the first round.

ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said Dolson is UConn's "catalyst" because she sets screens for teammates and gets the ball to teammates when they're in the right spots.

"If she goes somewhere where there's a system where they play to her strengths, she'll be a very good pro," Lobo said. "She's big, she's strong, she fights through fatigue, and she's really, really smart.

"Kara (Lawson) and I were just talking about this because (San Antonio) just re-signed Jayne Appel, and if there's a player who's similar to Stefanie Dolson (in the WNBA), it's Jayne Appel. Would she do great in Seattle? Yeah. Would she do pretty great in Minnesota? Yes."

Hartley has greatly improved her prospects after having struggling through injuries her junior year. She's made 37.3 percent of her 3-pointers this season.

"Hartley, she's got elite speed, at least end-to-end speed," Lawson said. "She's very skilled as well. She has great range. I think she can play at both guard spots, which is an advantage for her."

News and notes

UConn sophomore Breanna Stewart was named the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association on Sunday. The honor comes a day after she was selected the National Player of the Year by the Associated Press. It's the seventh time that a Husky has earned the USBWA award.