For Stokes, March Madness extends into April

The UConn Huskies advanced, and the nets survived.

"We didn't cut them down," Kiah Stokes said. "We don't cut them down unless we win the whole thing."

Connecticut moved to its fifth straight Final Four on Tuesday, defeating Kentucky 80-65 at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I.

A seven-time national champion, UConn (33-4) faces Notre Dame (34-3) at 5:30 p.m. (Iowa time) Sunday at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.

Stanford (35-1) meets top-ranked Baylor (38-0) in the other semifinal. The winners play for the title Tuesday.

This is old stuff for UConn. But it's brand new for Stokes, a 6-foot-3 freshman post who led Linn-Mar to a 94-7 four-year mark and the 2010 Class 4A state championship.

She was Miss Iowa Basketball 2011 and the '11 Gazette Female Athlete of the Year.

"This is why I came here," she said. "To go to Final Fours, to win championships, to get as good as I can be."

It doesn't always mean the road will be smooth. Stokes found her way into Coach Geno Auriemma's doghouse earlier this season.

"He didn't like my work ethic at the beginning of the season," Stokes said.

That's part of the story, according to Kiah's father, Greg Stokes.

"Initially, it was an effort thing," he said. "Coach Auriemma said that a lot of it was mental -- she'd get winded and say, 'I'm tired, I can't run any more.' She just wasn't holding up her end of the bargain."

Eventually, though, Stokes came around. And her freshman season has to be classified as a success.

"I think she finally acknowledged she had more in her tank than she thought," Greg said.

Kiah averages 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game. She is second on the team in blocks (48) and shoots 60 percent from the field. Most importantly, her season extends into April.

But she's not alone.

Stokes is one of three Iowa natives that have advanced to Denver. All are freshmen.

Markisha Wright, who led Des Moines East to the 4A championship in 2011, is a backup post for Notre Dame. She has played in 35 games, averaging 10 minutes and 3.3 points per game.

Stokes and Linn-Mar edged Wright and East for the crown in 2010.

Taylor Greenfield, who led Ballard to four state-tournament appearances (including the 2010 Class 3A title), has started 13 times for Stanford. The 6-foot-3 forward is averaging 3.6 points in 17.5 minutes per game.

In 1983, Greg Stokes led the Iowa men to the Sweet 16. But the road ended there -- a 55-54 loss to Villanova in the regional semifinals.

His daughter hasn't let him forget.

"Yeah, I talk a little trash to him about that," Kiah said.

It was supposed to be a rebuilding year at UConn, which lost in the national semifinals to Notre Dame last year, then graduated Maya Moore.

The Huskies lost twice more to Notre Dame in the regular season, then defeated the Irish in the Big East Conference tournament.

If they even the score Sunday, they'll play for the title Tuesday.

Both of Stokes' parents will be there. Greg has been to about 10 UConn games this season. Her mother, Julie Saddler, has attended about 20. Her brother Darrius, a walk-on on the men's team at Iowa, will make the trip to Denver, as well.

"It's very, very exciting," Saddler said. "This was supposed to be a down year, but they've overachieved.

"They've got a couple tough road blocks in front of them."

All of the remaining teams were No. 1 seeds in the their regions. Win twice in Denver, and Auriemma will hoist his eighth championship trophy.

Win twice in Denver, and Stokes will get own little snip of a championship net.