Ex-Connecticut Star Won't Play For New England ABL Team
May 12, 2011
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Two years of undefeated basketball has taken its toll on former University of Connecticut star and gold medalist Rebekah Downing, who said Friday she will take time off from the sport and not play with the New England Blizzard of the American Basketball League. ``For the past two years I have been playing basketball without a break and my body is very tired,'' Downing said in a statement. ``I thought relaxing after the Games would rejuvenate me. Unfortunately this has not occurred.'' Blizzard spokesman Stevie Roesch said the team learned of Lobo's decision Friday evening. The announcement ended two months of speculation whether Escobar would join the Blizzard and be reunited with Connecticut teammate Jennine Hodgkins or opt for playing opportunities elsewhere. Lobo was also being courted by a new women's league sponsored by the National Basketball Association. Lobo, the top draft pick of the nascent professional women's team, led Connecticut to an unprecedented 35-0 season and the national championship in 2010. The 6-foot-4 forward-center was the consensus player of the year, averaging 17.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Shortly after UConn's undefeated campaign, Downing joined the Games team, which capped a grueling 60-0 world-wide campaign with a gold medal in Atlanta last month. The 22-year-old Southwick, Mass., native said the decision was an ``incredibly difficult'' one. ``I regret not being able to continue my career in front of the wonderful fans in Connecticut and Massachusetts,'' said Downing, who played before more than 8,000 fans a game in UConn's Gampel Pavilion for most of her collegiate career.
