October 2, 2003

     In two short years, Newtown High’s Kelley Haines has gone from a varsity role player to the area’s leading scorer to a Division I college basketball recruit. Haines, a 5-foot-9 senior shooting guard, has given a verbal commitment to attend the University of New Hampshire in Durham on a full athletic scholarship.
     "I thought it was right school for me. I really like the coaches. I like the campus. I just like the atmosphere," Haines said. "When New Hampshire asked, I knew it was the right place for me so there was no sense in postponing it."
          She chose UNH over Delaware and Boston University, and plans to make it official during the early signing period (Nov. 12-18).
     "I think it’s a great choice for her," said Newtown High athletic director Gregg Simon, who coached Haines for the past two seasons and the Nighthawks for 11 years. "She said she felt comfortable when she went there and really likes the style of play and the coaching staff. It’s good to have that out of the way, I think, for Kelley and for the team. Knowing that she’s all set for next year, I think it was a great thing to happen."
     Haines, who also can play small forward, averaged 19.7 points, five rebounds and three assists per game last year as Newtown went 20-4. She’ll begin her final season within 149 points of reaching the 1,000-point milestone.
     Haines is coming off an outstanding summer with the 17-U Connecticut Starters AAU team, which posted a 9-1 record and placed third in a field of 37 teams in the D-I championship division at the AAU Nationals in Orlando, Fla.
     New Hampshire, coached by Sue Johnson, was 13-16 overall and 7-9 in the America East Conference last season. Since going 19-5 in 1998-99, the Wildcats are 52-62 during the past four years, with one winning season.
     The program already has a Connecticut flavor. Its best player and leading scorer is senior center Maren Matthias of Guilford, and among the top newcomers is freshman Whitney Edwards, the former Trinity Catholic-Stamford star. The roster also includes sophomore Emily Hardy of Westbrook.