STORRS, Conn. -- The gangly Russian teen-ager arrived in Connecticut four years ago with her jaw-dropping basketball skills and poor grasp of the language.

	UConn's Svetlana Abrosimova is being touted as a player of the year candidate.

Fortunately for the Huskies, nothing got lost in the translation.

Svetlana Abrosimova went on to become the fifth-leading scorer in school history and a two-time All-American.

"I wanted to prove to others I could be able to adjust to a different culture and play at a higher level," Abrosimova said.

The decision to leave her family was difficult, but choosing UConn wasn't. "It was the only school that recruited me. I didn't have a choice."

No longer a stranger in a strange land, Abrosimova has found a home with talent-rich UConn.

The Huskies return every starter from last season's national championship team. Combine that with one of the nation's top freshman classes and coach Geno Auriemma appears ready for a run at a third title.

Center Kelly Schumacher had a record nine blocks in UConn's 71-52 victory against six-time champ Tennessee in the NCAA final. Shea Ralph, the team's leading scorer, shot 62.4 percent from the floor last season. She had six steals, seven assists and 15 points in the title game.

Junior forwards Tamika Williams, Asjha Jones and Swin Cash are a formidable force inside and junior point guard Sue Bird ran Auriemma's offense. The only sophomore, speedy Kennitra Johnson, had 74 steals, second to Ralph's 95.

Together, they outmuscled and outhustled the Lady Vols as few teams have done.

Diana Taurasi, the Naismith High School Player of the Year, headlines the freshman class, along with Ashley Battle, West Virginia Player of the Year, and Maria Conlan, Connecticut Player of the Year.

The veterans have returned with a sense of conviction, not complacency, Auriemma said.

"Two weeks after the season ended, these guys were in here working hard and they have been ever since," he said.

Abrosimova spent most of her summer with the Russian national team and competed in the Sydney Olympics. When she returned to Connecticut in October, her coach wanted to give her a week off.

Nothing doing.

"I'm only 20, I'm not getting tired," she said. "I'm not tired of playing."

Her speed and ball-handing have made her among the most elusive players to defend. A willowy 6-foot-2, Abrosimova led the team in rebounds last season with 6.2 a game and was second in scoring, 13.4.

She's had to do it all while struggling with a new culture.

"First of all, I couldn't even understand what my teammates were talking about. My English was really bad," she said. "School was really a challenge. I took my notes in Russian. I didn't know what to do. It was really hard for me."

Tutors for every class her first year helped, as did American television. Soon her English was almost as fluent as her game. A business major, Abrosimova was recently inducted into UConn's business school's academic hall of fame.

In St. Petersburg, Russia, Oleg and Ludmila Abrosimova have kept up with their daughter's accomplishments as best they can. Svetlana said they talk by phone at least once a week.

Her parents followed the NCAA championship game with the help of a friend who had a computer and would call every five minutes. They've been sent piles of American newspaper articles, although neither can speak nor read English.

That Svetlana, the younger of their two daughters, chose a college half a world away did not surprise them. Her mother said she talked constantly about the United States.

"She always loved geography," Ludmila said. "She was always reading about America."

It was the best decision, they agree.

"Of course, we're happy because life here has gotten worse," said Oleg, a shipyard worker. "There is plenty of food, now. Plenty to buy, but it's very expensive."

So, too, is travel, and they've never seen their daughter play in America. That's about to change.

The couple, who live in a small, sunless three-room apartment, have been saving for more than a year -- the equivalent of $3,000 -- to attend Svetlana's last home game. It will be their first trip outside of Russia.

Oleg and Ludmila will be applauded as they escort their daughter before 10,000 fans at Gampel Pavilion on senior night. It will be clear, though, that the cheers mean "thank you" in any language.