I'm just going to throw a lot of information and lists out there, but here is a rundown of all the preseason Big East picks for this year:
Preseason Player of the Year:
Roy Hibbert (Georgetown senior center)
Preseason Co-Rookies of the Year:
Donte Green and Jonny Flynn (Syracuse freshmen)
Preseason All-Big East Team:
Hibbert
Jeff Adrien (UConn junior forward)
Jonathan Wallace (Georgetown senior guard)
David Padgett (Louisville senior center)
Terrence Williams (Louisville junior forward)
Dominic James (Marquette junior guard)
Jerel McNeal (Marquette junior guard)
Geoff McDermott (Providence junior forward)
Kentrell Gransbery (South Florida senior center)
Eric Devendorf (Syracuse junior guard)
Scottie Reynolds(Villanova sophomore guard; a unanimous selection)
Preseason Honorable mention:
Edgar Sosa (Louisville sophomore guard)
Levance Fields (Pittsburgh junior guard)
2007-08 Preseason Coaches' Poll:
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
1. Georgetown (8) 217
Louisville (8) 217
3. Marquette 191
4. Pittsburgh 170
5. Syracuse 153
6. UConn 149
7. Villanova 143
8. Providence 141
9. Notre Dame 122
10. West Va. 112
11. DePaul 79
12. Cincinnati 62
13. Seton Hall 56
14. St. John's 52
15. Rutgers 32
16. So. Florida 23
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Recruit Assane Sene commits to UVA
Assane Sene, the 6-foot-11 prospect out of South Kent, orally committed to Virginia Tuesday, according to connecticut.rivals.com. Sene called UVA head coach Dave Leitao in the morning to offer his commitment.
Sene had visited both Syracuse and UConn recently, and had been on hand at Gampel Pavilion for the team's First Night festivities on Friday, Oct. 12, and for first official practice on Saturday, Oct. 13.
Leitao was the associate head coach at UConn under Jim Calhoun for six seasons from 1996 to 2002.
Also, sorry to those reading for the huge gaps in time between posts. I have been covering both the men's and women's teams and the UConn football team the past two weeks with Bulletin staff writer Joe Perez on vacation. Expect several updates this week as the team heads to Madison Square Garden for Big East Media Day on Wednesday.
Sene had visited both Syracuse and UConn recently, and had been on hand at Gampel Pavilion for the team's First Night festivities on Friday, Oct. 12, and for first official practice on Saturday, Oct. 13.
Leitao was the associate head coach at UConn under Jim Calhoun for six seasons from 1996 to 2002.
Also, sorry to those reading for the huge gaps in time between posts. I have been covering both the men's and women's teams and the UConn football team the past two weeks with Bulletin staff writer Joe Perez on vacation. Expect several updates this week as the team heads to Madison Square Garden for Big East Media Day on Wednesday.
Friday, October 12, 2007
A few final tidbits from First Night
First Night winners included: On the women’s side, senior Mel Thomas and Middlefield resident and fan Mike Amaranti in the 2-ball competition, and Cassie Kerns, Maya Moore and Kalana Greene with fans Elana Garcia (Wallingford) and Kristen Kottum (Storrs). On the men’s side, Craig Austrie won the 3-point competition and Stanley Robinson, with a windmill dunk, beat out Marcus Johnson in the small dunk competition.
The men easily won the 10-minute scrimmage against a mixture of students and walk-ons. Beforehand Calhoun, joked that the Huskies were 2 1/2-points favorite.
Watching tonight included men's recruits Assane Sene (6-foot-11 center from South Kent) and John Reik (7-foot-2 center).
The men easily won the 10-minute scrimmage against a mixture of students and walk-ons. Beforehand Calhoun, joked that the Huskies were 2 1/2-points favorite.
Watching tonight included men's recruits Assane Sene (6-foot-11 center from South Kent) and John Reik (7-foot-2 center).
More First Night notes
The women kicked off their portion of First Night in the last half-hour, receiving a deafening roar from the crowd each time a player was introduced. Gampel Pavilion is loud but first look at the stands right before the start revealed more than a few open seats in the lower bowl of the arena.
Jim Calhoun touched upon what to expect from practice tomorrow (Saturday), the first official one for the team, as well as the team’s schedule for the week to come, which will include practices Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before an off-day Wednesday.
“Then at 10 o’clock tomorrow, we’ll go for about three hours,” Calhoun said. “Last year we went about 3:40, I just checked it now matter of fact. The only deviation – and it’s been a couple years that we had to do this – there will be more emphasis on offense (Saturday) than normal. This team led the country in defense last year, we have all the same players back and I know we have to be better offensively.
“That doesn’t mean we won’t work on defense, we obviously will,” he continued. “But we’re going (to drill in) the idea of trying to get easy baskets and trying to get fastbreak baskets.”
Calhoun said the team could have held a practice outside of First Night tonight, per NCAA rules. But after the long stretch of preseason workouts – described as some of the toughest the team has gone through under Calhoun – the coach opted against it.
Still, Jerome Dyson said the team knows what to expect for the first practice, especially compared to last year.
“I think it will be different (this year) because we’ll know what we’ll be doing this year,” the sophomore guard said. “We don’t really have to go through running through the plays and what not. We can’t just get into it. I think (freshman) Donnell (Beverly) will pick up running the plays quick because he’s done a few plays already.
“Everybody wasn’t sure what they could do and what they couldn’t do (last year). I think it’s very clear this year about what’s going on.”
Jim Calhoun touched upon what to expect from practice tomorrow (Saturday), the first official one for the team, as well as the team’s schedule for the week to come, which will include practices Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before an off-day Wednesday.
“Then at 10 o’clock tomorrow, we’ll go for about three hours,” Calhoun said. “Last year we went about 3:40, I just checked it now matter of fact. The only deviation – and it’s been a couple years that we had to do this – there will be more emphasis on offense (Saturday) than normal. This team led the country in defense last year, we have all the same players back and I know we have to be better offensively.
“That doesn’t mean we won’t work on defense, we obviously will,” he continued. “But we’re going (to drill in) the idea of trying to get easy baskets and trying to get fastbreak baskets.”
Calhoun said the team could have held a practice outside of First Night tonight, per NCAA rules. But after the long stretch of preseason workouts – described as some of the toughest the team has gone through under Calhoun – the coach opted against it.
Still, Jerome Dyson said the team knows what to expect for the first practice, especially compared to last year.
“I think it will be different (this year) because we’ll know what we’ll be doing this year,” the sophomore guard said. “We don’t really have to go through running through the plays and what not. We can’t just get into it. I think (freshman) Donnell (Beverly) will pick up running the plays quick because he’s done a few plays already.
“Everybody wasn’t sure what they could do and what they couldn’t do (last year). I think it’s very clear this year about what’s going on.”
Wiggins sitting out
Sophomore guard Doug Wiggins is not participating in tonight’s First Night festivities, due to a coach’s decision. UConn coach Jim Calhoun said Wiggins hasn’t lived up to his standards, and hasn’t dressed with the team in its locker room for about the last three weeks. He will practice tomorrow (Saturday) in the team’s first official practice.
Look for more on this in tomorrow's story in the Bulletin.
Look for more on this in tomorrow's story in the Bulletin.
First Night to open soon
First Night kicks off here at Gampel Pavilion in the next 30 minutes, the women and men first signing autographs before the real program starts. The women’s team gets on the court around 7:30 p.m. and the men are expected to come on around 8:30 or later.
Check back here throughout the night on updates from all the events and happenings in the official kick-off to the 2007-09 UConn basketball season.
Check back here throughout the night on updates from all the events and happenings in the official kick-off to the 2007-09 UConn basketball season.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Hall of Fame Showcase tidbits
Among the items that didn't make it into today's story from the press conference held at the International for The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase, scheduled for Dec. 1 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston:
(1) UConn coach Jim Calhoun said the team has scheduled a trip to play a tournament in the Virgin Islands next November. He added that he hopes to take his team on a trip abroad but he's not sure if NCAA rules will allow him.
(1) UConn coach Jim Calhoun said the team has scheduled a trip to play a tournament in the Virgin Islands next November. He added that he hopes to take his team on a trip abroad but he's not sure if NCAA rules will allow him.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
More notes from Calhoun's Preseason Outlook
Some notes from Wednesday’s interview with UConn coach Jim Calhoun at his annual Preseason Outlook for sponsors and contributors for the Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic:
Here’s to you, Mr. Robinson:
Calhoun called Stanley Robinson, “right now … our most improved player. But, he there’s enough guys that might fit in that category.”
Robinson showed great flashes of his potential last season, tallying 21 points and nine rebounds against Indiana, and 13 points and 12 rebounds against St. John’s. But he, like the Huskies in general, experienced several highs and lows during the season, and will be searching for much more consistency this season.
Speed – and more speed:
As illustrated in today’s story, Calhoun emphasized that the Huskies would rely on the fast-break and an up-tempo style more this season, perhaps more than they have in the last five or six years.
“We’ve had size, so now we have size too (in 7-foot-3 sophomore center Hasheem Thabeet, for example) but I think we can play another way and I clearly feel it’s a better way for us to play.”
“I think we’ll shoot better,” Calhoun later added. “But I know one thing, lay-ups are a lot better shooting than having to work for jump shots all the time.”
That’s one reason Calhoun submitted a list of preferences to the Gazelle Group, which organized 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, to ask for a team with an up-tempo style in its regional bracket. That, however, led to Holy Cross – which was originally scheduled to play in Storrs – to be moved to the Oklahoma site.
Holy Cross, concerned about conflicts with travel and the players’ classes, chose to withdraw from the tournament. Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, “I was told by the Gazelle Group we had to be moved, it wasn’t a choice, because Connecticut was adamant about not playing us.”
Calhoun said Wednesday that UConn did not refuse to play Holy Cross, but that it didn’t want to start the season with a “slow-down team.” He also said he called Willard but “I didn’t get through to him.”
“In fairness, he (Willard) was told he was going to play here (in Storrs), and we weren’t going to get a team that played slow-down. And it wasn’t just Holy Cross,” Calhoun said, adding that Denver, coached by former Princeton coach Joe Scott, was “supposed to come” to Storrs, “but we weren’t that crazy about having a slow-down team.”
Calhoun later added he understood why Willard was angry.
“But he was extended an invitation by us with an open hand.”
There is also a correction from today’s story. It was assistant coach Patrick Sellers who spent time recently with the Phoenix Suns in Arizona. Sellers has also been recruiting in that area as well, Calhoun said.
TV time:
UConn will have 14 games televised on MyTV9 this season, including nine Big East games. Here’s the rundown:
Nov. 20: vs. Grander-Webb
Nov. 26: vs. Florida A&M
Dec. 6: vs. Northeastern
Dec. 16: vs. Quinnipiac
Dec. 22: vs. Maine
Jan. 3: at Seton Hall (BE)
Jan. 8: vs. St. John’s (BE)
Jan 17: vs. Providence (BE)
Jan. 20: vs. Marquette (BE)
Jan 23: at Cincinnati (BE)
Feb 16: at South Florida (BE)
Feb. 26: at Rutgers (BE)
March 1: vs. West Virginia (BE)
March 8: vs. Cincinnati (BE)
Here’s to you, Mr. Robinson:
Calhoun called Stanley Robinson, “right now … our most improved player. But, he there’s enough guys that might fit in that category.”
Robinson showed great flashes of his potential last season, tallying 21 points and nine rebounds against Indiana, and 13 points and 12 rebounds against St. John’s. But he, like the Huskies in general, experienced several highs and lows during the season, and will be searching for much more consistency this season.
Speed – and more speed:
As illustrated in today’s story, Calhoun emphasized that the Huskies would rely on the fast-break and an up-tempo style more this season, perhaps more than they have in the last five or six years.
“We’ve had size, so now we have size too (in 7-foot-3 sophomore center Hasheem Thabeet, for example) but I think we can play another way and I clearly feel it’s a better way for us to play.”
“I think we’ll shoot better,” Calhoun later added. “But I know one thing, lay-ups are a lot better shooting than having to work for jump shots all the time.”
That’s one reason Calhoun submitted a list of preferences to the Gazelle Group, which organized 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, to ask for a team with an up-tempo style in its regional bracket. That, however, led to Holy Cross – which was originally scheduled to play in Storrs – to be moved to the Oklahoma site.
Holy Cross, concerned about conflicts with travel and the players’ classes, chose to withdraw from the tournament. Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, “I was told by the Gazelle Group we had to be moved, it wasn’t a choice, because Connecticut was adamant about not playing us.”
Calhoun said Wednesday that UConn did not refuse to play Holy Cross, but that it didn’t want to start the season with a “slow-down team.” He also said he called Willard but “I didn’t get through to him.”
“In fairness, he (Willard) was told he was going to play here (in Storrs), and we weren’t going to get a team that played slow-down. And it wasn’t just Holy Cross,” Calhoun said, adding that Denver, coached by former Princeton coach Joe Scott, was “supposed to come” to Storrs, “but we weren’t that crazy about having a slow-down team.”
Calhoun later added he understood why Willard was angry.
“But he was extended an invitation by us with an open hand.”
There is also a correction from today’s story. It was assistant coach Patrick Sellers who spent time recently with the Phoenix Suns in Arizona. Sellers has also been recruiting in that area as well, Calhoun said.
TV time:
UConn will have 14 games televised on MyTV9 this season, including nine Big East games. Here’s the rundown:
Nov. 20: vs. Grander-Webb
Nov. 26: vs. Florida A&M
Dec. 6: vs. Northeastern
Dec. 16: vs. Quinnipiac
Dec. 22: vs. Maine
Jan. 3: at Seton Hall (BE)
Jan. 8: vs. St. John’s (BE)
Jan 17: vs. Providence (BE)
Jan. 20: vs. Marquette (BE)
Jan 23: at Cincinnati (BE)
Feb 16: at South Florida (BE)
Feb. 26: at Rutgers (BE)
March 1: vs. West Virginia (BE)
March 8: vs. Cincinnati (BE)
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
All Huskies, all the time
Welcome to the Norwich Bulletin’s new UConn men’s basketball blog. Check back here starting later this week and throughout the 2007-’08 season for the latest on the Huskies as they try to rebound from last year’s 17-14 season and attempt to make their return to the top of college basketball.
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