UConn in the WNBA: Tiffany Hayes Named Eastern Conference Player of the Month

Former UConn guard Tiffany Hayes has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the month of May. It is the first time she has won this award.

Hayes played at UConn from 2008-12 but was never the star as she played behind two of the greatest players in program history in Tina Charles and Maya Moore. Despite the lack of experience in college, Hayes is thriving with the Atlanta Dream.

Through the first month, she led the league with 19.8 points per game while guiding the Dream to an Eastern Conference-leading 4-1 start. She’s also averaging 5.0 rebounds to go along with 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

With Angel McCoughtry sitting the season out, Hayes has become the go-to scorer for the Dream and she’s excelled with the challenge.

“Everyone’s role is going to change,” said Hayes. “We all have to step up and do a little bit more because we’re missing one of the biggest players on our team.”

Hayes has taken on a much larger scoring load this season, averaging nearly five more points per game than last season. Even without their best player, Hayes isn’t too concerned.

“We’ve done it without her before, we can do it without her again,” she said.

Hayes’ game appears to be growing in McCoughtry’s absence. If she can continue playing at this level, the former Husky could become one of the premier scorers in the league.

The Dream and Hayes will be making their second visit of the 2017 WNBA season to Mohegan Sun on Saturday, June 10, taking on another former Husky, Morgan Tuck, and the Connecticut Sun.