gifted land and a house by the government for winning

STORRS, Conn. -- Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma didnt expect his young Huskies to be undefeated six games into the season and says he has no idea what to expect this month when they face four ranked teams.The No. 2 Huskies (6-0), who returned just two starters from the team that won the programs fourth straight national title last spring, have extended the second-longest winning streak in program and womens basketball history to 81 games. And in the process, theyve already beaten three Top 25 opponents this season, including then-No. 2-ranked Baylor.UConn faces four more ranked teams before January 1, including No. 14 Texas on Sunday and No. 1 Notre Dame on Wednesday in South Bend. The Huskies also play No. 9 Ohio State and No. 5 Maryland before January.We dont have that kind of talent that just blows you away like weve had in the past, Auriemma said this week. That means that every single minute of every day, every practice at every game, theyve got to be tough, hard-nosed and really tough.UConn proved that on Thursday, dismantling No. 15 DePaul 91-46 after taking a 22-1 lead in what was supposed to be a serious test against a high-scoring offense. The Huskies defense held DePaul to 25 percent shooting.Forward Kia Nurse said she and her teammates were aware pundits thought theyd be more vulnerable this season after the graduation of stars Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson. She said Auriemma has challenged this group to maintain the programs tradition of excellence.For him to hold us to that standard and remind us that this is how UConn basketball is played, it lights a fire under us, she said. So when we get out in the next practices, the next games, shoot-arounds, we understand that is the expectation here and that is where we need to be.Sophomore Katie Lou Samuelson said the team is still learning chemistry on the court and once the players figure it out, theyll only get better.Last year we understood the three of them (Stewart, Tuck and Jefferson) would go and do what they do every game, she said. Now we have to figure out, OK, who is going to step up and take shots tonight? Who is going step up and make those passes? Its going to be different every night. So thats always difficult, but its also a great thing for our versatility.Auriemma said he doesnt know if the team will keep playing the way it did against Baylor and DePaul, and hes still not quite sure about the caliber of this group. But, he said thats normal for this time of year.And he expects to know a lot more after the run against ranked teams in December.Theres no guarantee like the past couple years that, yeah we got this, Auriemma said. Its a wait and see. Its a process. I just dont want to take any steps back. I dont know how many steps forward were going to take. I just dont want to take any steps back. Derek Fisher Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. Magic Johnson Lakers Jersey . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/Kurt-Rambis-Jersey/ . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. 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In case those watching were feeling left out, Cheka cheekily promised to invite them to the party he would throw after beating Vijender.When the two boxers posed in a faceoff, the man with scars crisscrossing his eye line and a caved-in nose - evidence of half a life spent fighting - stuck his left palm with fingers stretched out in Vijenders face.Pick a number. Thats how many rounds Im going to knock you out in, he growled. He then proceeded to shove him, kicking off a minor scuffle. It might have been scripted, but it made for good video. With 5000 tickets to sell for Saturdays main event, all the animosity, feigned or otherwise, needed to be generated.It was assumed that Cheka was continuing in the same vein later in the day when he asked for a bottle of packaged water , drank it and then crushed the plastic container. Surely this was a metaphor for what he wanted to do to the Indian?As it turns out, Cheka was simply explaining his side job. While boxing is Chekas claim to fame, he also runs a plastic recycling business back home in Morogoro.Before he earned paychecks throwing punches, Cheka lived a hardscrabble existence picking up and selling plastic bottles.My father and mother separated when I was very young. I lived with my father but there wasnt a lot of money. So I would pick up plastic bottles on the road and then sell them to the plastic recyclers, he says through translator and manager Jay Msangi.Cheka got his break in life when as a seventeen-year-old, he decided to try boxing. I was just trying to do something to keep my mind occupied, he says. Despite not having a lot of technique, Cheka developed a reputation as someone who could get into slug-fests in the ring.He has fought 43 times, including once in Russia against Fedor Chudinov - who held the WBA super middleweight title.dddddddddddd Cheka has had his share of success too with 17 of his 32 wins coming by way of knockout. He currently holds the WBF super middleweight belt and according to his manager, is a household name in Tanzania.Francis Cheka is Tanzanian boxing. After he won the WBF title, he was invited to parliament and was asked to speak to the members there, Msangi says.Despite the adulation in his home, Cheka knows how fickle the sport can be. Which is why with his winnings over the years, he set up a plastic recycling unit in Morogoro.When I was a kid I would sell the plastic bottles to dealers. Even after I started boxing I would do this because there wasnt any money when I started out. But when I started making money, I started investing it in machinery because I understand this business, he says. His purse from the fight with Vijender will go into the business as well.Msangi says Cheka has done well for himself. He was gifted land and a house by the government for winning the WBF title, but Francis has built three homes for himself from the recycling business, he says.Indeed, while Cheka says he will support his four young children - Astoria, 10, Addis 7, Boniface,5, and Azenka 2 - if they want to box, he says they will first have to join him on the shop floor.Through the plastic business, Cheka had an Indian connection even though he had never been to India before this week. I know a lot of Indian businessmen in Tanzania. They buy the recycled plastic from me and then export it to India, he says. The plastic from this bottle probably came from my plant, he jokes while picking up one of the water bottles.Cheka says his clients knew he was a boxer but were surprised to know he would be coming to India. When I told them that I was going to go to India and fight the pride of their country they got a huge surprise.And if Vijender does find himself in trouble on Saturday, Cheka explains those Indian businessmen will have to share the blame. They have beaten me up a lot of times doing business. So I guess its time for me to return the favour to their hero. ' ' '