For those of you who checked out the Sunday College Hoops Page today, which featured a centerpiece story breaking down the top teams in the Big East for the upcoming league portion of the season, please excuse me if it already seems a little dated. All my stories have to be in by Saturday morning, and since then, several things have happened:
(1) Pittsburgh not only lost to Dayton -- and badly in an 80-55 setback -- they also lost starting point guard Levance Fields to a broken foot, an injury that will keep him sidelined for an expected 8-12 weeks. Combine that with the loss of Mike Cook for the season and suddenly a Pitt team that looked so good has a lot of questions surrounding it. I put in my capsule on the team that it is an early favorite to win the league crown. A day and a half later, I'm not so sure. That distinction may have to go to Georgetown, though the Big East has always proven to be filled with parity and surprises.
(2) As predicted in last week's College Hoops page, the Oklahoma-West Virginia game would prove to be one of, if not the, week's best contest. Two overtimes later, it certainly looks that way. With its 88-82 victory in Morgantown, Oklahoma has now fully established itself as a team to watch in its own conference, the Big 12. The Sooners beat then-No. 20 Gonzaga nine days prior, and two of their losses came to Memphis (in my opinion, the best team in the country) on a neutral court and at USC.
(3) I had Miami in my top 20 but it lost to Winthrop late Saturday. The Hurricanes are out.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
UCF reaction
I'll admit this right now: I was stuck in the office Friday night, where we don't have CSTV, so I couldn't catch the game. But after pouring over the stats and seeing several highlights, here's what I'm taking from the Huskies' 85-82 win over Central Florida:
(1) The score wasn't nearly as close as it seemed. The Huskies never trailed or allowed the Knights to tie the game in the second half, and were up by as many as 11 points with 1:26 to play. It also would have been a five-point win if UCF's Tony Davis didn't hit a meaningless fall-away lay-up as time expired. I'll admit, first seeing the score before anything else, my thought was: 'Wow, it's a win, but I'm sure somebody down there is ticked off.' Sure, it wasn't a great win, but seeing the players' and Jim Calhoun's reactions, it seems they took it more as a positive than a negative, which at this point, they should. As they pointed out, last year the Huskies probably would have found a way to lose against the hot-shooting Knights. Friday they didn't.
(2) Jerome Dyson led the Huskies with a season-high tying 23 points, but reading stories and seeing reaction, I got the impression he did it quietly. That's the sophomore's M.O. this year. He scores 27 in an exhibition against Bryant and you're surprised when you see the box score. He scores 20 and grabs 10 against Northeastern and you never saw it coming. When he netted 23 in the win over Florida A&M, you knew he had a good number, but 23? Where did that come from?
My only explanation for this is two-fold: One, many of UConn's games have been games they're supposed to win or they're blow-outs so when guys get their points, it doesn't really stand out (unless of course you score 24 in a half like Stanley Robinson). Two, Dyson is the Huskies' most consistent threat and its purest scorer so you expect him to put up a healthy amount of baskets. I'm sure he'll have a high-scoring game when the Huskies need it in Big East play, and when he does, you'll hear about it.
(3) The Huskies were outrebounded against UCF, 36-34. It was just the second time this season that happened (Memphis beat UConn on the boards by 12 earlier this year). The Huskies are among the nation's leaders in rebounding, but those numbers are somewhat inflated because (1) they scheduled inferior opponents who like to run and rely mostly on their guards, meaning UConn was able to get up-and-down and rule the boards, (2) after a slow start, Jeff Adrien has rebounded like he's expected to while Hasheem Thabeet has put up better numbers than a year ago.
Against bigger, more physical Big East teams, a lot of the onus will fall on those two, meaning Robinson is also going to have to continue to be both the slasher and the rebounder (he was in foul trouble most of the time Friday, finishing with six points, five rebounds and four fouls). Last year, rebounding was a problem in several games. Their ability to, as Calhoun put it, "out-tough" people in the Big East will play a major role.
(4) Craig Austrie made his presence felt in his return, scoring seven points in 17 minutes, including a key 3-pointer with just under 6 minutes to play. He had been sidelined by pneumonia the previous two games, and proved he's not ready to give his minutes away to freshman Donnell Beverly, who in general played well with Austrie out.
The Huskies plan to stay in Florida today through Sunday before starting to prepare for their Big East opener against Seton Hall on Thursday. Pick up a copy of Sunday's paper as our college basketball page will run-down all 16 Big East teams, where they stand and what to expect as all-important league play kicks off.
(1) The score wasn't nearly as close as it seemed. The Huskies never trailed or allowed the Knights to tie the game in the second half, and were up by as many as 11 points with 1:26 to play. It also would have been a five-point win if UCF's Tony Davis didn't hit a meaningless fall-away lay-up as time expired. I'll admit, first seeing the score before anything else, my thought was: 'Wow, it's a win, but I'm sure somebody down there is ticked off.' Sure, it wasn't a great win, but seeing the players' and Jim Calhoun's reactions, it seems they took it more as a positive than a negative, which at this point, they should. As they pointed out, last year the Huskies probably would have found a way to lose against the hot-shooting Knights. Friday they didn't.
(2) Jerome Dyson led the Huskies with a season-high tying 23 points, but reading stories and seeing reaction, I got the impression he did it quietly. That's the sophomore's M.O. this year. He scores 27 in an exhibition against Bryant and you're surprised when you see the box score. He scores 20 and grabs 10 against Northeastern and you never saw it coming. When he netted 23 in the win over Florida A&M, you knew he had a good number, but 23? Where did that come from?
My only explanation for this is two-fold: One, many of UConn's games have been games they're supposed to win or they're blow-outs so when guys get their points, it doesn't really stand out (unless of course you score 24 in a half like Stanley Robinson). Two, Dyson is the Huskies' most consistent threat and its purest scorer so you expect him to put up a healthy amount of baskets. I'm sure he'll have a high-scoring game when the Huskies need it in Big East play, and when he does, you'll hear about it.
(3) The Huskies were outrebounded against UCF, 36-34. It was just the second time this season that happened (Memphis beat UConn on the boards by 12 earlier this year). The Huskies are among the nation's leaders in rebounding, but those numbers are somewhat inflated because (1) they scheduled inferior opponents who like to run and rely mostly on their guards, meaning UConn was able to get up-and-down and rule the boards, (2) after a slow start, Jeff Adrien has rebounded like he's expected to while Hasheem Thabeet has put up better numbers than a year ago.
Against bigger, more physical Big East teams, a lot of the onus will fall on those two, meaning Robinson is also going to have to continue to be both the slasher and the rebounder (he was in foul trouble most of the time Friday, finishing with six points, five rebounds and four fouls). Last year, rebounding was a problem in several games. Their ability to, as Calhoun put it, "out-tough" people in the Big East will play a major role.
(4) Craig Austrie made his presence felt in his return, scoring seven points in 17 minutes, including a key 3-pointer with just under 6 minutes to play. He had been sidelined by pneumonia the previous two games, and proved he's not ready to give his minutes away to freshman Donnell Beverly, who in general played well with Austrie out.
The Huskies plan to stay in Florida today through Sunday before starting to prepare for their Big East opener against Seton Hall on Thursday. Pick up a copy of Sunday's paper as our college basketball page will run-down all 16 Big East teams, where they stand and what to expect as all-important league play kicks off.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
The Night After Christmas
Greetings to everyone. I hope your holidays were as happy as you hoped. Obviously it's been a few days since a new post, and for that, I apologize. But between writing during my supposed "vacation", running around to see family and the like, the blog is usually the first thing to suffer. So obviously there's a lot go over:
(1) The Huskies have no doubt played much better over their last two games, but still remained out of the national polls for a second straight week. They received no votes in either the AP poll or Coaches ESPN/USA Today poll. Meanwhile, Rhode Island -- the focus of this past Sunday's College Basketball Page -- debuted at No. 25 in each set of rankings. Obviously, I'm not saying I called this. After the Rams beat Providence and Syracuse in the same week, whoever didn't see that coming isn't paying to college basketball. Or maybe you're a Friars fans and just chose to ignore it.
(2) The best way I can describe Stanley Robinson's 32-point performance against Maine last Saturday is by comparing it to Teen Wolf. The scene was nothing short of some cheesy 80s music and Robinson riding out of the XL Center doing a handstand on the back of a box truck of matching Michael J. Fox's domination. Robinson rebounded, he dunked, he shot 3-pointers, he ran the floor, he blocked shots. And he ate the whole wheel of cheese AND pooped in the refrigerator. It was the most impressive performance by a Husky in the last two years -- and he did the majority of it in the first half.
(3) Thanks to those who voted in last week's poll. The question was: (As of last week) the Huskies have two more games before Big East play starts. What do they need to work on the most? Three different answers were chosen: Zone offense, 3-point shooting and "something else," which the voter designated as "intangibles." In my mind, the first two were definite concerns, but also two the Huskies addressed in their 105-60 win over Maine. They'll obviously see more aggressive zones with more athletic players as the season goes along, but against a good-sized Maine lineup, they moved the ball well against the 2-3 set-up and shot well from long-range (42.1 percent). It's also just one game, but they'll most likely see more of the same this Friday at UCF so stay tuned.
(Also, in case you were wondering, I'm not heading to Orlando for the game. It would have been the most expensive trip of the year, and considering the timing and other factors, I'll have to wait until UConn's game at Seton Hall on Jan. 3 for my next road trip.)
As for the intangibles question, user "toast" added in his/her post "I'm not sure you can actually, you know, work on those." That's true, for sure. But I wouldn't write the Huskies off totally. A.J. Price is showing the type of things you want out of a floor leader and Sticks certainly has the type of physical skills no one can teach. And Doug Wiggins, despite his shooting struggles this season (35.5 percent from the field), plays with a level of energy that sometimes makes you forget those shots he misses. There may be no Caron Butler or Emeka Okafor or Ray Allen on this team, mainly because those are special players you can't replace. This team still has potential to be good. As good as some of the teams those guys were on may be a different story.
(4) A few Big East notes: It seems Louisville forward David Padgett is healing quicker than expected. The fifth-year senior was cleared to work out after fracturing his knee cap on Nov. 18. He was expected to miss as many as 10 weeks, but now may return next month. Here's the link to the story on ESPN.com. West Virginia coach Bog Huggins also collected his 600th win over the weekend.
I'll be blogging before and after Friday's game against UCF with reaction, even if it's from thousands of miles away.
(1) The Huskies have no doubt played much better over their last two games, but still remained out of the national polls for a second straight week. They received no votes in either the AP poll or Coaches ESPN/USA Today poll. Meanwhile, Rhode Island -- the focus of this past Sunday's College Basketball Page -- debuted at No. 25 in each set of rankings. Obviously, I'm not saying I called this. After the Rams beat Providence and Syracuse in the same week, whoever didn't see that coming isn't paying to college basketball. Or maybe you're a Friars fans and just chose to ignore it.
(2) The best way I can describe Stanley Robinson's 32-point performance against Maine last Saturday is by comparing it to Teen Wolf. The scene was nothing short of some cheesy 80s music and Robinson riding out of the XL Center doing a handstand on the back of a box truck of matching Michael J. Fox's domination. Robinson rebounded, he dunked, he shot 3-pointers, he ran the floor, he blocked shots. And he ate the whole wheel of cheese AND pooped in the refrigerator. It was the most impressive performance by a Husky in the last two years -- and he did the majority of it in the first half.
(3) Thanks to those who voted in last week's poll. The question was: (As of last week) the Huskies have two more games before Big East play starts. What do they need to work on the most? Three different answers were chosen: Zone offense, 3-point shooting and "something else," which the voter designated as "intangibles." In my mind, the first two were definite concerns, but also two the Huskies addressed in their 105-60 win over Maine. They'll obviously see more aggressive zones with more athletic players as the season goes along, but against a good-sized Maine lineup, they moved the ball well against the 2-3 set-up and shot well from long-range (42.1 percent). It's also just one game, but they'll most likely see more of the same this Friday at UCF so stay tuned.
(Also, in case you were wondering, I'm not heading to Orlando for the game. It would have been the most expensive trip of the year, and considering the timing and other factors, I'll have to wait until UConn's game at Seton Hall on Jan. 3 for my next road trip.)
As for the intangibles question, user "toast" added in his/her post "I'm not sure you can actually, you know, work on those." That's true, for sure. But I wouldn't write the Huskies off totally. A.J. Price is showing the type of things you want out of a floor leader and Sticks certainly has the type of physical skills no one can teach. And Doug Wiggins, despite his shooting struggles this season (35.5 percent from the field), plays with a level of energy that sometimes makes you forget those shots he misses. There may be no Caron Butler or Emeka Okafor or Ray Allen on this team, mainly because those are special players you can't replace. This team still has potential to be good. As good as some of the teams those guys were on may be a different story.
(4) A few Big East notes: It seems Louisville forward David Padgett is healing quicker than expected. The fifth-year senior was cleared to work out after fracturing his knee cap on Nov. 18. He was expected to miss as many as 10 weeks, but now may return next month. Here's the link to the story on ESPN.com. West Virginia coach Bog Huggins also collected his 600th win over the weekend.
I'll be blogging before and after Friday's game against UCF with reaction, even if it's from thousands of miles away.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
UPDATE: Huskies cruise, 105-60
Stanley Robinson finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds as UConn improved to 8-2 with a 105-60 win over Maine. Jeff Adrien added 19 points and 13 boards and A.J. Price had 17. Hasheem Thabeet also had a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds).
UPDATE: Robinson sparks Huskies
Stanley Robinson set a new career-high by halftime, notching 24 points to lead UConn to a 53-28 lead over Maine at intermission. Robinson shot 10-for-13 from the floor, several coming on highlight reel dunks, and added seven rebounds. The outburst came after he was called for a technical foul early in the half and didn't stop even after he left for a period of time after hitting his head on the floor on a failed alley-oop attempt.
Hasheem Thabeet also has 11 points and six rebounds while A.J. Price has notched nine points and five assists.
Hasheem Thabeet also has 11 points and six rebounds while A.J. Price has notched nine points and five assists.
XL Edition
That's "XL" as in, uh, XL Insurance (sigh). Excuse me if it takes a few weeks to work the "Hartford Civic Center" out of my system, but, as illustrated in today's story, the Hartford Civic Center was renamed the XL Center this week after its right were bought by (you guessed it) XL Insurance. Seems kind of sudden to me -- but when is a name-change isn't -- though it will make for some easy jokes these first few games here. Neil Ostrout from the Connecticut Post already broke the ice: "I see you all followed the signs to the XL Center today, you know, instead of the Hartford Civic Center," he said to the few of us already in the press room. "It can be confusing."
As for today's game with Maine, it's much like the Huskies' past few games. It's not if they'll win but how well they'll do it. Last game they probably earned an A-. If they can't be even better against a lower-tier America East team, that's a problem, though I don't think it will be.
Jim Calhoun told an interesting anecdote at practice Friday, though it takes a little while to explain. Apparently, when Maine coach Ted Woodward was an assistant at UConn during Calhoun's first three years in Storrs, he would call recruits pretending to be a reporter from an out-of-town paper to gauge their interest in UConn and competing schools.
"See, you couldn’t have a Connecticut reporter call a recruit because he’s always gonna say, ‘Oh I really like Connecticut,'"' Calhoun explained. "And then of course, he’d pick the phone up and (to) a Philly reporter (a recruit would say), oh he really like Villanova. So (Woodward) would become (reporters from) other places, even neutral, far from the school we thought were the biggest competition.
"Unlike Tom (Moore), he didn’t have a journalistic background but he was able to impersonate writers, which some of you do, too," he continued, getting a chuckle out of the eight or so reporters around him. "I still remember to this day, (he would say), ‘Oh this is so-and-so – and he’d make up some place – and I understand it’s down to Villanova, UConn.’ Howie (Dickenman) would push him like crazy and have things to say and he’d be putting things in front of his face while he was talking to kids."
Some quick notes: Craig Austrie is sitting out again today as he still recovers from pneumonia. Jerome Dyson has a leg injury -- Calhoun said the tissue under his kneecap was giving his problems -- but is expected to play. "I don’t remember many guys haven’t as many nicks (as Dyson)," Calhoun said. The sophomore guard's style of play lends itself to injuries. Dyson drives the lane hard, tries to draw contact and often times does. A few times last game he came out of a play either holding his hip or limping or something. Then again, he's tough to play through it -- Dyson hasn't missed in his time at UConn.
Sorry for the abbreviated post, but I also have a lot to work on for tomorrow's Sunday College Hoops page. Check back here around 2 p.m. for a halftime update and later this afternoon for reaction from the game.
As for today's game with Maine, it's much like the Huskies' past few games. It's not if they'll win but how well they'll do it. Last game they probably earned an A-. If they can't be even better against a lower-tier America East team, that's a problem, though I don't think it will be.
Jim Calhoun told an interesting anecdote at practice Friday, though it takes a little while to explain. Apparently, when Maine coach Ted Woodward was an assistant at UConn during Calhoun's first three years in Storrs, he would call recruits pretending to be a reporter from an out-of-town paper to gauge their interest in UConn and competing schools.
"See, you couldn’t have a Connecticut reporter call a recruit because he’s always gonna say, ‘Oh I really like Connecticut,'"' Calhoun explained. "And then of course, he’d pick the phone up and (to) a Philly reporter (a recruit would say), oh he really like Villanova. So (Woodward) would become (reporters from) other places, even neutral, far from the school we thought were the biggest competition.
"Unlike Tom (Moore), he didn’t have a journalistic background but he was able to impersonate writers, which some of you do, too," he continued, getting a chuckle out of the eight or so reporters around him. "I still remember to this day, (he would say), ‘Oh this is so-and-so – and he’d make up some place – and I understand it’s down to Villanova, UConn.’ Howie (Dickenman) would push him like crazy and have things to say and he’d be putting things in front of his face while he was talking to kids."
Some quick notes: Craig Austrie is sitting out again today as he still recovers from pneumonia. Jerome Dyson has a leg injury -- Calhoun said the tissue under his kneecap was giving his problems -- but is expected to play. "I don’t remember many guys haven’t as many nicks (as Dyson)," Calhoun said. The sophomore guard's style of play lends itself to injuries. Dyson drives the lane hard, tries to draw contact and often times does. A few times last game he came out of a play either holding his hip or limping or something. Then again, he's tough to play through it -- Dyson hasn't missed in his time at UConn.
Sorry for the abbreviated post, but I also have a lot to work on for tomorrow's Sunday College Hoops page. Check back here around 2 p.m. for a halftime update and later this afternoon for reaction from the game.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
SportsCenter moment
Just an observation: Caught most of SportsCenter this morning and was struck by a funny thing. First, they showed highlights of Rudy Gay scoring 23 points and hitting the game-winning 3-pointer over Tim Duncan to lift Memphis over San Antonio. Then, moments later, there's Caron Butler dropping 23-11-10 in a Washington loss.
It's not rare that former UConn guys are popping up on SportsCenter, but those two names have come up a lot around Storrs lately, whether Jim Calhoun is speaking about past leaders (Butler being a big one) or former associate head coach Tom Moore referring to players that could have mentored these current Huskies (like Gay).
For good measure, as I'm writing this, here's the clip of Ray Allen hitting the game-tying 3-pointer in the Celtics' eventual loss to Detroit. Just a lot of UConn this morning.
Also, after Gay hit the game-winner, SportsCenter anchor John Anderson said, "Somewhere Jim Calhoun weeps." I can't really see that happening. Gay was ready to come out after his sophomore year. Calhoun knew that.
It's not rare that former UConn guys are popping up on SportsCenter, but those two names have come up a lot around Storrs lately, whether Jim Calhoun is speaking about past leaders (Butler being a big one) or former associate head coach Tom Moore referring to players that could have mentored these current Huskies (like Gay).
For good measure, as I'm writing this, here's the clip of Ray Allen hitting the game-tying 3-pointer in the Celtics' eventual loss to Detroit. Just a lot of UConn this morning.
Also, after Gay hit the game-winner, SportsCenter anchor John Anderson said, "Somewhere Jim Calhoun weeps." I can't really see that happening. Gay was ready to come out after his sophomore year. Calhoun knew that.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Polls Update
It's official: UConn has dropped off the national radar -- for now. Despite a solid performance in their 82-49 win over Quinnipiac Sunday, the Huskies remained out of the "receiving votes" section in the AP poll and also fell out of the votes section in the Coaches' poll Monday.
Here is the link to the complete polls, via ncaasports.com.
As for my poll, thanks to the five of you who voted; that's a new season high (break up the UConn blog). The question was: "The Huskies are 6-2 entering (last) Sunday and coach Jim Calhoun seems especially frustrated with this group? Is he being too hard on them?"
The results showed three in favor of "Not anymore than usual", two for "No", zero for "Yes", and zero for "I'm not sure". I realized this question became dated as the week went along after Calhoun emphasized he was willing to meet the Huskies "halfway" and he told his players they would get a longer leash when it came to subbing them in and out.
When I first posted the question, I was leaning toward "not anymore than usual", when taken in the context of his time at UConn as a whole. He certainly was far more lenient or, as he put it, "docile" a year ago, and through the early going this year, Calhoun took a harder approach. I wouldn't say he's taken a softened approach as of late, but Calhoun is a keen motivator -- he's simply trying to do something different to get through to his players. Judging by Sunday's results and the discussion with players and Calhoun afterward, it seems to have worked.
Food drive
Calhoun and the Huskies are holding their annual food drive Tuesday. Calhoun and the team will be at St. James Episcopal Church, 75 Zion Street in Hartford, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and at the Horace Bushnell Food Pantry, 23 Vine St. in Hartford, from 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
According to the press release, the drive will distribute 1,300 turkeys and holiday meals to needy families. This year’s event is Calhoun’s ninth and largest ever annual holiday food drive.
In addition to the holiday meals provided at this event, Calhoun has teamed up with Big Y supermarkets for the Food for All program, a nearly two-month-long fund-raising drive conducted in all Big Y supermarkets to benefit FoodShare and the Connecticut Food Bank. Since 1999, the annual food drives have raised more than $750,000 for Connecticut families.
Here is the link to the complete polls, via ncaasports.com.
As for my poll, thanks to the five of you who voted; that's a new season high (break up the UConn blog). The question was: "The Huskies are 6-2 entering (last) Sunday and coach Jim Calhoun seems especially frustrated with this group? Is he being too hard on them?"
The results showed three in favor of "Not anymore than usual", two for "No", zero for "Yes", and zero for "I'm not sure". I realized this question became dated as the week went along after Calhoun emphasized he was willing to meet the Huskies "halfway" and he told his players they would get a longer leash when it came to subbing them in and out.
When I first posted the question, I was leaning toward "not anymore than usual", when taken in the context of his time at UConn as a whole. He certainly was far more lenient or, as he put it, "docile" a year ago, and through the early going this year, Calhoun took a harder approach. I wouldn't say he's taken a softened approach as of late, but Calhoun is a keen motivator -- he's simply trying to do something different to get through to his players. Judging by Sunday's results and the discussion with players and Calhoun afterward, it seems to have worked.
Food drive
Calhoun and the Huskies are holding their annual food drive Tuesday. Calhoun and the team will be at St. James Episcopal Church, 75 Zion Street in Hartford, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and at the Horace Bushnell Food Pantry, 23 Vine St. in Hartford, from 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
According to the press release, the drive will distribute 1,300 turkeys and holiday meals to needy families. This year’s event is Calhoun’s ninth and largest ever annual holiday food drive.
In addition to the holiday meals provided at this event, Calhoun has teamed up with Big Y supermarkets for the Food for All program, a nearly two-month-long fund-raising drive conducted in all Big Y supermarkets to benefit FoodShare and the Connecticut Food Bank. Since 1999, the annual food drives have raised more than $750,000 for Connecticut families.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
A step forward
Sure, the Huskies were supposed to do this to Quinnipiac: Win by 33 points, dominate in the paint (38-16), and have the game in hand before the second quarter was more than five minutes old.
But after flipping a switch in practice over the last week -- and in turn, playing harder and with more energy -- it carried over Sunday in the Huskies' 82-49 and that's the biggest thing. Throughout this season, and so I'm told last year as well, players and coaches have continually said how good they've looked in practice but how it didn't translate when it counted.
For them to actually do it and be in total control Sunday without any let-up, it represents a big step forward for this team, and that may be the most important thing to come out of the game. Former associate coach Tom Moore and his return deservingly dominated the headlines over the past week and probably will again in Monday's papers across the state, but even he could appreciate what the Huskies did to his Bobcats. And as he put it, outside the Huskies and their families, "no one else in the state is pulling for these guys harder than I am."
"Now I know how some of the guys felt over the years sitting on the other bench," Moore said. "They're really long, they're incredibly big at the rim ... they shot the ball, I thought from mid-range, pretty well today. They moved the ball, they were very unselfish.
"I was a little spooked with their team size by the rim and it sort of affected the way we play," he later added. "I hope for UConn's sake that they can take something positive from this and this is a nice stepping off point for them."
One major point both Moore and the rest of the Huskies made was UConn's ability to communicate as a team. A.J. Price was the biggest part in that and is developing into a true leader for this team. There will be much more on that in Tuesday's edition of the Bulletin.
Some oddities and observations from Sunday that didn't make it into Monday's stories.
(1) One of the funniest comments I've heard from an official in my time covering sports: With the game still scoreless and less than a minute old, Jim Calhoun called a timeout after the Huskies worked the ball around against the Quinnipiac zone without any results. Judging by the crowd's reaction, it took many people by surprise, and that goes for official Reggie Greenwood, too.
"I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on," he said as he turned to some of us sitting on press row. "I thought maybe it was (a blocking foul)."
His tone -- and honestly -- were priceless, to say the least.
(2) Moore, who's known to get long-winded much like Calhoun, stepped up the podium following the game and opened his press conference by saying, "How would you like to do this? Opening statement and then you fire away?"
Four minutes and 18 seconds of monologue later, he took his first question. "How's that for a short, brief opening statement?" he joked.
But you'll never hear a reporter complain about a talkative coach, especially when it comes to Moore or Calhoun. Both are great to the media.
(3) Despite his 23-point performance, not much was asked of Jerome Dyson following the win. Perhaps because he did it so quietly -- the performance felt eerily similar to his 27-point effort in an exhibition in over Bryant this past preseason. But keep an eye on the sophomore. After dealing with some foul trouble and injuries earlier this year, Sunday marked his fourth straight solid performance.
Here's how the past few weeks have played out for him:
* 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting with nine assists against Florida A&M
* 19 points, including five 3-pointers, against Gonzaga
* 16 points and 10 rebounds in 40 full minutes for his first career double-double against Northeastern
* 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting Sunday against Quinnipiac
(4) Craig Austrie, as expected, didn't play after being hospitalized Thursday with a mild case of pneumonia. He was wearing UConn sweats at the end of the Huskies' bench. No word on when he'll practice again or if he'll play Saturday against Maine.
With Austrie sidelined, Donnell Beverly saw a season-high 11 minutes, totaling two points, three rebounds and two assists. Beverly has looked pretty comfortable on the floor for two games in a row now.
But after flipping a switch in practice over the last week -- and in turn, playing harder and with more energy -- it carried over Sunday in the Huskies' 82-49 and that's the biggest thing. Throughout this season, and so I'm told last year as well, players and coaches have continually said how good they've looked in practice but how it didn't translate when it counted.
For them to actually do it and be in total control Sunday without any let-up, it represents a big step forward for this team, and that may be the most important thing to come out of the game. Former associate coach Tom Moore and his return deservingly dominated the headlines over the past week and probably will again in Monday's papers across the state, but even he could appreciate what the Huskies did to his Bobcats. And as he put it, outside the Huskies and their families, "no one else in the state is pulling for these guys harder than I am."
"Now I know how some of the guys felt over the years sitting on the other bench," Moore said. "They're really long, they're incredibly big at the rim ... they shot the ball, I thought from mid-range, pretty well today. They moved the ball, they were very unselfish.
"I was a little spooked with their team size by the rim and it sort of affected the way we play," he later added. "I hope for UConn's sake that they can take something positive from this and this is a nice stepping off point for them."
One major point both Moore and the rest of the Huskies made was UConn's ability to communicate as a team. A.J. Price was the biggest part in that and is developing into a true leader for this team. There will be much more on that in Tuesday's edition of the Bulletin.
Some oddities and observations from Sunday that didn't make it into Monday's stories.
(1) One of the funniest comments I've heard from an official in my time covering sports: With the game still scoreless and less than a minute old, Jim Calhoun called a timeout after the Huskies worked the ball around against the Quinnipiac zone without any results. Judging by the crowd's reaction, it took many people by surprise, and that goes for official Reggie Greenwood, too.
"I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on," he said as he turned to some of us sitting on press row. "I thought maybe it was (a blocking foul)."
His tone -- and honestly -- were priceless, to say the least.
(2) Moore, who's known to get long-winded much like Calhoun, stepped up the podium following the game and opened his press conference by saying, "How would you like to do this? Opening statement and then you fire away?"
Four minutes and 18 seconds of monologue later, he took his first question. "How's that for a short, brief opening statement?" he joked.
But you'll never hear a reporter complain about a talkative coach, especially when it comes to Moore or Calhoun. Both are great to the media.
(3) Despite his 23-point performance, not much was asked of Jerome Dyson following the win. Perhaps because he did it so quietly -- the performance felt eerily similar to his 27-point effort in an exhibition in over Bryant this past preseason. But keep an eye on the sophomore. After dealing with some foul trouble and injuries earlier this year, Sunday marked his fourth straight solid performance.
Here's how the past few weeks have played out for him:
* 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting with nine assists against Florida A&M
* 19 points, including five 3-pointers, against Gonzaga
* 16 points and 10 rebounds in 40 full minutes for his first career double-double against Northeastern
* 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting Sunday against Quinnipiac
(4) Craig Austrie, as expected, didn't play after being hospitalized Thursday with a mild case of pneumonia. He was wearing UConn sweats at the end of the Huskies' bench. No word on when he'll practice again or if he'll play Saturday against Maine.
With Austrie sidelined, Donnell Beverly saw a season-high 11 minutes, totaling two points, three rebounds and two assists. Beverly has looked pretty comfortable on the floor for two games in a row now.
UPDATE: Huskies finish off Bobcats, 82-49
Jerome Dyson scored 23 points, Jeff Adrien had 12 points and 14 rebounds and the Huskies pounded Quinnipiac, 82-49, at the Hartford Civic Center.
Check back later for quotes and reaction.
Check back later for quotes and reaction.
UPDATE: UConn rolling at half over QU
UConn used separate runs of 13 and 12 unanswered points to take a 46-24 lead over Quinnipiac at the half here at the Hartford Civic Center. The Huskies were simply dominant in stretches, including the final seven minutes, which featured three straight fast-break dunks from Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien and Jerome Dyson.
Adrien already has 11 rebounds and seven points, while Stanley Robinson has nine points. Quinnipiac's Casey Cosgrove leads all scorers with 12 points, all coming on 3-pointers.
Adrien already has 11 rebounds and seven points, while Stanley Robinson has nine points. Quinnipiac's Casey Cosgrove leads all scorers with 12 points, all coming on 3-pointers.
Bob-ing for a win
Greetings from the Hartford Civic Center. Quite the adventure coming here. I was driving in from Boston, where the snow is 10 times worse -- even though it might not look like it at Foxboro for the Pats-Jets game -- and the movement on the highway was slow at best. The biggest problem once I hit I-84 were the plows, not that they weren't doing their job but they would form a line of them across all lanes, making it impossible to pass. It wouldn't be that much of a problem if they weren't going 25 MPH.
Anyway, the Huskies and Bobcats are about 45 minutes from tip-off. Here are a few leftover notes that couldn't make it into the stories the past few days.
(1) Tom Moore's return to coach against UConn has been well-publicized this week, but Calhoun made an interesting comment following practice Saturday regarding Moore and his feelings for the Huskies.
"Just to talk about the players he had been involved with coming here, he feels responsible for two teams," Calhoun said, referring to UConn and Quinnipiac. "Not (Sunday) afternoon he won’t, but he really feels a sense of responsible about our basketball team and he watches us that closely."
In a conference call earlier this week, Moore also defended the Huskies, who despite owning a 6-2 record, aren't playing the way many fans think they should be.
"I get upset with the fans in Connecticut when they think these kids are not living up or whatever to what they're accolades were in high school or whatever," Moore said. "I feel more sorry for all of those kids but on their way in, they weren't prepared like a typical UConn player is prepared (with so many players leaving for the NBA Draft two years ago). And that's usually by getting your butt handed to you everyday upon arrival. That's how you grow."
(2) Craig Austrie is expected to miss today's game with a mild case of pneumonia that hospitalized him early Thursday morning.
(3) Today's game also marks the return of former UConn star Scott Burrell. The Hamden native is an assistant under Moore, and at least in my home back in East Haven, he's a fan favorite. My mother, who works in the New Haven public school system, worked with his father, Sam, before he retired, and she's always counted him as her favorite UConn player.
"We sort of divided up the scouting reports and he's doing Uconn," Moore said of Burrell. "He was asking me a lot of questions about the guys because he knows I'm a lot more familiar with them than he is. And he's watched a lot of tape on them. He's excited about it. He has very strong feelings for Coach Calhoun and he appreciates and respects all that Calhoun did for him in sort of molding and shaping him.
"He walks around Hamden and he can't go one street without saying his name and, 'How about the pass to Tate?'" he continued. "He's really lived great life in this state as sort of a hero in college."
Check back around 3 p.m. for a halftime update and later tonight for reaction to the game. As much excitement that's surrounded this game with Moore and Burrell, this is an important contest for UConn, who needs to come out, play a good game and really put away a young an inexperienced Quinnipiac squad early. The team seemed especially energized in practice on Saturday, but it needs a real dominant performance to start building some momentum before the Big East season.
First glance inside the arena showed a pretty sparse turnout, but that may change as we inch toward the tip-off. I wouldn't be surprised if we're looking at 3 or 4,000 tonight, if that. The Bruins, remember, drew far less Thursday at the TD Banknorth Garden up in Boston. But who knows, I may be way off.
Anyway, the Huskies and Bobcats are about 45 minutes from tip-off. Here are a few leftover notes that couldn't make it into the stories the past few days.
(1) Tom Moore's return to coach against UConn has been well-publicized this week, but Calhoun made an interesting comment following practice Saturday regarding Moore and his feelings for the Huskies.
"Just to talk about the players he had been involved with coming here, he feels responsible for two teams," Calhoun said, referring to UConn and Quinnipiac. "Not (Sunday) afternoon he won’t, but he really feels a sense of responsible about our basketball team and he watches us that closely."
In a conference call earlier this week, Moore also defended the Huskies, who despite owning a 6-2 record, aren't playing the way many fans think they should be.
"I get upset with the fans in Connecticut when they think these kids are not living up or whatever to what they're accolades were in high school or whatever," Moore said. "I feel more sorry for all of those kids but on their way in, they weren't prepared like a typical UConn player is prepared (with so many players leaving for the NBA Draft two years ago). And that's usually by getting your butt handed to you everyday upon arrival. That's how you grow."
(2) Craig Austrie is expected to miss today's game with a mild case of pneumonia that hospitalized him early Thursday morning.
(3) Today's game also marks the return of former UConn star Scott Burrell. The Hamden native is an assistant under Moore, and at least in my home back in East Haven, he's a fan favorite. My mother, who works in the New Haven public school system, worked with his father, Sam, before he retired, and she's always counted him as her favorite UConn player.
"We sort of divided up the scouting reports and he's doing Uconn," Moore said of Burrell. "He was asking me a lot of questions about the guys because he knows I'm a lot more familiar with them than he is. And he's watched a lot of tape on them. He's excited about it. He has very strong feelings for Coach Calhoun and he appreciates and respects all that Calhoun did for him in sort of molding and shaping him.
"He walks around Hamden and he can't go one street without saying his name and, 'How about the pass to Tate?'" he continued. "He's really lived great life in this state as sort of a hero in college."
Check back around 3 p.m. for a halftime update and later tonight for reaction to the game. As much excitement that's surrounded this game with Moore and Burrell, this is an important contest for UConn, who needs to come out, play a good game and really put away a young an inexperienced Quinnipiac squad early. The team seemed especially energized in practice on Saturday, but it needs a real dominant performance to start building some momentum before the Big East season.
First glance inside the arena showed a pretty sparse turnout, but that may change as we inch toward the tip-off. I wouldn't be surprised if we're looking at 3 or 4,000 tonight, if that. The Bruins, remember, drew far less Thursday at the TD Banknorth Garden up in Boston. But who knows, I may be way off.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Austrie hospitalized, doubtful for Sunday
UConn junior guard Craig Austrie was hospitalized early Thursday morning for a mild case of pneumonia in his left lung, Kyle Muncy, UConn's assistant director of athletics for communications, said Friday afternoon.
Austrie, a Stamford native, was brought into the infirmary at Windham Hospital in Willimantic, and was kept overnight on Thursday, mainly due to weather conditions. He returned to campus Friday and was present at the Huskies' practice at Gampel Pavilion, though he wasn't expected to participate, Muncy said.
When asked if Austrie is unlikely to play Sunday when UConn hosts Quinnipiac at 2 p.m. at the Hartford Civic Center, Muncy said it's "safe" to classify the guard as that.
Austrie, a Stamford native, was brought into the infirmary at Windham Hospital in Willimantic, and was kept overnight on Thursday, mainly due to weather conditions. He returned to campus Friday and was present at the Huskies' practice at Gampel Pavilion, though he wasn't expected to participate, Muncy said.
When asked if Austrie is unlikely to play Sunday when UConn hosts Quinnipiac at 2 p.m. at the Hartford Civic Center, Muncy said it's "safe" to classify the guard as that.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Moore to come
Just get back from a crawl-of-a-drive to Quinnipiac's new TD Banknorth Sports Center. Check tomorrow and Sunday's papers for stories on former UConn assistant and current QU head coach Tom Moore, his take on the current Huskies and his adjustment to his new job after 13 years as an assistant under Jim Calhoun.
First, some observations from the day. The QU sports information staff set up a conference call this morning with Moore, and being my first chance to hear him talk and ask questions, I was very impressed. He speaks in detail, with well thought-out points and as you will see in Friday's story, he made some very good observations about UConn and why many of its players are struggling to be what fans want them to be.
Like Calhoun, Moore also speaks in length and provides a lot of substance, though his accent isn't nearly as thick. But few people's touches Calhoun's.
As for the time spent in Hamden, the trip was a haul -- I averaged about 30 MPH on the highway and 15 off of it -- but the university's new facility is pretty impressive. The backside of it, which you get first view of as you drive up the hill its built on, resembles a warehouse, but the front is beautiful, featuring a statue of a Bobcat in the middle of the circular driveway by the front doors, and it actually includes not one but two separate arenas -- one for hockey and one for basketball, each of whcih sits between 3,000 and 4,000 people.
Considering the growth in both programs -- the hockey team is receiving votes in at least one national hockey poll -- it seems like a good investment.
Also, in case you missed it, here's a link to Wednesday's story about Calhoun and his belief that this team can still do some very good things this season.
Check back throughout the weekend for updates from UConn practice, observations about Sunday's upcoming game, and of course, updates on game day from the Hartford Civic Center.
First, some observations from the day. The QU sports information staff set up a conference call this morning with Moore, and being my first chance to hear him talk and ask questions, I was very impressed. He speaks in detail, with well thought-out points and as you will see in Friday's story, he made some very good observations about UConn and why many of its players are struggling to be what fans want them to be.
Like Calhoun, Moore also speaks in length and provides a lot of substance, though his accent isn't nearly as thick. But few people's touches Calhoun's.
As for the time spent in Hamden, the trip was a haul -- I averaged about 30 MPH on the highway and 15 off of it -- but the university's new facility is pretty impressive. The backside of it, which you get first view of as you drive up the hill its built on, resembles a warehouse, but the front is beautiful, featuring a statue of a Bobcat in the middle of the circular driveway by the front doors, and it actually includes not one but two separate arenas -- one for hockey and one for basketball, each of whcih sits between 3,000 and 4,000 people.
Considering the growth in both programs -- the hockey team is receiving votes in at least one national hockey poll -- it seems like a good investment.
Also, in case you missed it, here's a link to Wednesday's story about Calhoun and his belief that this team can still do some very good things this season.
Check back throughout the weekend for updates from UConn practice, observations about Sunday's upcoming game, and of course, updates on game day from the Hartford Civic Center.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Poll-sitting and more
There's a lot to talk about and a lot to react to from the last few days. Let's first start with the Huskies themselves.
At 6-2 with its only two losses coming to ranked teams (and for the most part, in winnable situations), the Huskies haven't played poorly but there's certainly some things left to be desired. Against Northeastern specifically, they struggled to really put a scrappy but inferior team away until going up 11 with three minutes to go. Even then, Northeastern still made a couple late 3s and put UConn at the foul line so the game wasn't totally out of reach.
One of the problems, for obvious reasons, was the offense. The Huskies didn't shoot poorly (50 percent is by no means poor), but they didn't control the tempo of the game, often letting Northeastern's zone defense slow things down and, at the same time, setting off an already frustrated Jim Calhoun. Northeastern plays best when its opponents can't get out and run, and outside of a few steals for fast-break dunks (several of which ending with Stanley Robinson slams), the Huskies failed to do that. That is probably the biggest reason why Calhoun was so unhappy with the offense, which he called "inept."
That game also featured a Calhoun ejection, which he probably had coming. He was especially animated that night, and at one time, stepped three feet out on the court to yell at Craig Austrie, only to see the officials stop the game but not call a technical.
The "laughing" technical may seem absurd, but I've seen it before. When covering the Boston University men's ice hockey team back in 2005-06, a BU assistant was given a bench penalty for what BU head coach Jack Parker later described as "nodding and clapping" toward an official after he made a call against BU. Similar to Calhoun's situation, the official interpreted that as mocking, blew his whistle and the punishments were assessed. Parker vehemently disagreed with the decision afterward, using the same sarcastic tone that Calhoun used on Thursday, but the fact remains that an official does have the power to judge a reaction that way. Whether it's always fair is a different story.
But Calhoun made the point afterward that Tim Clougherty, who called the "laughing" technical, at least explained it to him. On Calhoun's second technical, he admitted that he deserved one for using a profanity. He didn't appear to be on the court when saying it (though he may have been too far up the sideline) and the official, Wally Runecki, T'ed him up for being out of the coach's box, which falls under the NCAA's new movement to crack down on such actions.
Whether he deserved the second technical for that is debatable, but the ejection served to illustrate how frustrated Calhoun has become with this team. Afterward, he questioned certain players and applauded others, but in general, it definitely is not at the point he wants it to be. If you poll every college coach across the country, they'd probably say the same thing (scratch that, they definitely would), but Calhoun continually said early in the year that he thought he would have a good idea (or a much better one at least than last year) of what this team is capable of. Perhaps he's more frustrated than most because he doesn't, and in many ways, you can't blame him. Perhaps he does and he doesn't like what he sees. It's anybody's guess.
As for his public reprimand, it was nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
Polls Update
Anyway, the Huskies' performance against Northeastern dropped them to No. 35 (receiving eight votes) in the Coaches' Poll. The news wasn't so good in the AP Top 25, where for the first time this season, they didn't receive a single vote. Holy Cross, Davidson and Sam Houston State all did them one better.
As expected, UNC remained at No. 1, Memphis at No. 2 and Kansas at No. 3 in both polls. Georgetown is No. 4 in the Coaches and No. 5 in the AP, with Texas being the reverse.
Though the Huskies spent a long stretch last year out of Top 25 consideration, it's still strange not to see them receive any votes at all. A 9-point win over Northeastern, though, will do more harm than good. Not sure if the same over Quinnipiac this Sunday will give them that much of a boost, even if they totally dominate.
My Poll
Thanks to both of you who voted in last week's poll, which asked which UConn player did you think improved the most from last year? Hasheem Thabeet, A.J. Price, Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson, Doug Wiggins and 'Someone else' were the choices. The two of you were split, one for Thabeet and one for Robinson. Both are fine choices, with Thabeet showing a much more refined offensive game and Robinson certainly looking more comfortable able to impact the game in nearly every area, from rebounding to defense to scoring.
I wasn't as up close with the team last year, obviously, but my vote would probably have to go to Robinson. He really looks like he can make a difference each and every night. His jump shot remains inconsistent at best but he's so uber-athletic, it's looking harder and harder to deny him at least a couple plays (or more) every time he's on the floor.
I'm interested to see reader's take on the new poll: Is Calhoun being too hard on this team? I have my own opinion but we'll wait until next Monday after the Quinnipiac game and once the results (all four maybe?) are tallied.
At 6-2 with its only two losses coming to ranked teams (and for the most part, in winnable situations), the Huskies haven't played poorly but there's certainly some things left to be desired. Against Northeastern specifically, they struggled to really put a scrappy but inferior team away until going up 11 with three minutes to go. Even then, Northeastern still made a couple late 3s and put UConn at the foul line so the game wasn't totally out of reach.
One of the problems, for obvious reasons, was the offense. The Huskies didn't shoot poorly (50 percent is by no means poor), but they didn't control the tempo of the game, often letting Northeastern's zone defense slow things down and, at the same time, setting off an already frustrated Jim Calhoun. Northeastern plays best when its opponents can't get out and run, and outside of a few steals for fast-break dunks (several of which ending with Stanley Robinson slams), the Huskies failed to do that. That is probably the biggest reason why Calhoun was so unhappy with the offense, which he called "inept."
That game also featured a Calhoun ejection, which he probably had coming. He was especially animated that night, and at one time, stepped three feet out on the court to yell at Craig Austrie, only to see the officials stop the game but not call a technical.
The "laughing" technical may seem absurd, but I've seen it before. When covering the Boston University men's ice hockey team back in 2005-06, a BU assistant was given a bench penalty for what BU head coach Jack Parker later described as "nodding and clapping" toward an official after he made a call against BU. Similar to Calhoun's situation, the official interpreted that as mocking, blew his whistle and the punishments were assessed. Parker vehemently disagreed with the decision afterward, using the same sarcastic tone that Calhoun used on Thursday, but the fact remains that an official does have the power to judge a reaction that way. Whether it's always fair is a different story.
But Calhoun made the point afterward that Tim Clougherty, who called the "laughing" technical, at least explained it to him. On Calhoun's second technical, he admitted that he deserved one for using a profanity. He didn't appear to be on the court when saying it (though he may have been too far up the sideline) and the official, Wally Runecki, T'ed him up for being out of the coach's box, which falls under the NCAA's new movement to crack down on such actions.
Whether he deserved the second technical for that is debatable, but the ejection served to illustrate how frustrated Calhoun has become with this team. Afterward, he questioned certain players and applauded others, but in general, it definitely is not at the point he wants it to be. If you poll every college coach across the country, they'd probably say the same thing (scratch that, they definitely would), but Calhoun continually said early in the year that he thought he would have a good idea (or a much better one at least than last year) of what this team is capable of. Perhaps he's more frustrated than most because he doesn't, and in many ways, you can't blame him. Perhaps he does and he doesn't like what he sees. It's anybody's guess.
As for his public reprimand, it was nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
Polls Update
Anyway, the Huskies' performance against Northeastern dropped them to No. 35 (receiving eight votes) in the Coaches' Poll. The news wasn't so good in the AP Top 25, where for the first time this season, they didn't receive a single vote. Holy Cross, Davidson and Sam Houston State all did them one better.
As expected, UNC remained at No. 1, Memphis at No. 2 and Kansas at No. 3 in both polls. Georgetown is No. 4 in the Coaches and No. 5 in the AP, with Texas being the reverse.
Though the Huskies spent a long stretch last year out of Top 25 consideration, it's still strange not to see them receive any votes at all. A 9-point win over Northeastern, though, will do more harm than good. Not sure if the same over Quinnipiac this Sunday will give them that much of a boost, even if they totally dominate.
My Poll
Thanks to both of you who voted in last week's poll, which asked which UConn player did you think improved the most from last year? Hasheem Thabeet, A.J. Price, Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson, Doug Wiggins and 'Someone else' were the choices. The two of you were split, one for Thabeet and one for Robinson. Both are fine choices, with Thabeet showing a much more refined offensive game and Robinson certainly looking more comfortable able to impact the game in nearly every area, from rebounding to defense to scoring.
I wasn't as up close with the team last year, obviously, but my vote would probably have to go to Robinson. He really looks like he can make a difference each and every night. His jump shot remains inconsistent at best but he's so uber-athletic, it's looking harder and harder to deny him at least a couple plays (or more) every time he's on the floor.
I'm interested to see reader's take on the new poll: Is Calhoun being too hard on this team? I have my own opinion but we'll wait until next Monday after the Quinnipiac game and once the results (all four maybe?) are tallied.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Big East publicly reprimands Calhoun
The Big East issued a public reprimand of UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun Friday regarding comments he made of the officiating following the Huskies’ 69-60 win over Northeastern a night earlier at Gampel Pavilion.
“Negative public comments about officiating are prohibited per conference policy,” Big East commissioner Michael Tranghese said in a press release. “The Big East supports the NCAA’s rules regarding bench decorum and the coaching box. Any similar comments made in the future will warrant more severe penalties.”
Calhoun received two technical fouls and was ejected during the second half of Thursday’s win, the second whistle coming with 6:25 to play in the game and the Huskies up, 53-45.
Calhoun received a technical foul earlier in the half for “laughing,” he said, which official Tim Clougherty interpreted as mocking the referees, and then another from official Wally Rutecki for, according to Calhoun, stepping out of the coaching box, though he also yelled a profanity crosscourt toward one of his players.
In his post-game press conference, Calhoun was critical of Rutecki, saying that he’s “incompetent” and adding, “I’m sure I’ll hear about this,” meaning his comments.
“But he’s a bad official,” Calhoun said on Thursday. “He overacted, he heard a (curse) word (from me), and if he told me he got for the word, I have no problem with that. If he tells me he got me because I was out of the coaching box during a dead period and I was approaching one of my kids about not going after a loose ball … he should have got me for profanity. But don’t give me the coaching box.”
Friday, Calhoun was apologetic in a statement released by UConn.
“I would like to sincerely apologize for my words last night and truly understand that my comments were inappropriate,” Calhoun said. “I will do everything I can to keep this from happening again in the future and, most importantly, will work to avoid putting my team, my university, the officials and the Big East in this unfortunate position again with ill-advised comments.”
“Negative public comments about officiating are prohibited per conference policy,” Big East commissioner Michael Tranghese said in a press release. “The Big East supports the NCAA’s rules regarding bench decorum and the coaching box. Any similar comments made in the future will warrant more severe penalties.”
Calhoun received two technical fouls and was ejected during the second half of Thursday’s win, the second whistle coming with 6:25 to play in the game and the Huskies up, 53-45.
Calhoun received a technical foul earlier in the half for “laughing,” he said, which official Tim Clougherty interpreted as mocking the referees, and then another from official Wally Rutecki for, according to Calhoun, stepping out of the coaching box, though he also yelled a profanity crosscourt toward one of his players.
In his post-game press conference, Calhoun was critical of Rutecki, saying that he’s “incompetent” and adding, “I’m sure I’ll hear about this,” meaning his comments.
“But he’s a bad official,” Calhoun said on Thursday. “He overacted, he heard a (curse) word (from me), and if he told me he got for the word, I have no problem with that. If he tells me he got me because I was out of the coaching box during a dead period and I was approaching one of my kids about not going after a loose ball … he should have got me for profanity. But don’t give me the coaching box.”
Friday, Calhoun was apologetic in a statement released by UConn.
“I would like to sincerely apologize for my words last night and truly understand that my comments were inappropriate,” Calhoun said. “I will do everything I can to keep this from happening again in the future and, most importantly, will work to avoid putting my team, my university, the officials and the Big East in this unfortunate position again with ill-advised comments.”
Thursday, December 6, 2007
UPDATE: UConn up at half, 34-28
UConn trailed for the majority of the first half, taking their first lead at 17-15 with 9:37 to play in the half. A 10-4 run helped give it some breathing room with 3:34 to play before a Stanley Robinson shot jumper helped close the half, 34-28.
Jerome Dyson has eight points and seven rebounds, but UConn had trouble stopping Northeastern's Matt Janning and Nkem Ojougboh, who both finished the half with 11 points.
Jerome Dyson has eight points and seven rebounds, but UConn had trouble stopping Northeastern's Matt Janning and Nkem Ojougboh, who both finished the half with 11 points.
Huskies, Huskies everywhere
Greetings from Gampel Pavilion, where the UConn Huskies and the Northeastern Huskies are about an hour from tipping off their 38th meeting. Some quick notes about tonight's contest:
(1) Junior guard Craig Austrie is starting in place of Stanley Robinson, giving UConn the three-guard set coach Jim Calhoun said he may go with. Northeastern isn't a very tall team -- 6-foot-9 center Nkem Ojougboh is its tallest player -- and it does like to slow the tempo of the game down. This may be Calhoun's way of trying to speed things up early, but truthfully, it's an interesting move. Robinson has played well of late and is more athletic than Austrie, who has traditionally been a player more comfortable in a half-court game.
Doug Wiggins may have also been a candidate to start in the three-guard set but Calhoun likes to bring the sophomore off the bench, a role Wiggins has been extremely effective in this year.
(2) Hasheem Thabeet is fighting off a left hamstring pull, but is expected to start as well. Calhoun said Thabeet "was really upset" the last few days with everything that transpired Saturday in Boston. "And I think that's good," the coach said, adding he hopes his other players have the same mentality.
(3) Calhoun coached at Northeastern for 14 seasons before taking the job at UConn. This will be the teams' fourth meeting in seven years (2001, '04 and '06), but Calhoun doesn't get too sentimental about playing his former team. And really, it's been 22 years since he was there.
"Athletics is not a romantic business. It's an emotional business," Calhoun said. " ... I'll always think about Northeastern, certainly, but it won't be (tonight) before the game or after the game. It will be far after the game."
As usual, check back here at halftime (around 8:30 p.m.) and following the game for updates and reaction. The game tonight can be seen on MyTV9, starting at 7:30 p.m.
(1) Junior guard Craig Austrie is starting in place of Stanley Robinson, giving UConn the three-guard set coach Jim Calhoun said he may go with. Northeastern isn't a very tall team -- 6-foot-9 center Nkem Ojougboh is its tallest player -- and it does like to slow the tempo of the game down. This may be Calhoun's way of trying to speed things up early, but truthfully, it's an interesting move. Robinson has played well of late and is more athletic than Austrie, who has traditionally been a player more comfortable in a half-court game.
Doug Wiggins may have also been a candidate to start in the three-guard set but Calhoun likes to bring the sophomore off the bench, a role Wiggins has been extremely effective in this year.
(2) Hasheem Thabeet is fighting off a left hamstring pull, but is expected to start as well. Calhoun said Thabeet "was really upset" the last few days with everything that transpired Saturday in Boston. "And I think that's good," the coach said, adding he hopes his other players have the same mentality.
(3) Calhoun coached at Northeastern for 14 seasons before taking the job at UConn. This will be the teams' fourth meeting in seven years (2001, '04 and '06), but Calhoun doesn't get too sentimental about playing his former team. And really, it's been 22 years since he was there.
"Athletics is not a romantic business. It's an emotional business," Calhoun said. " ... I'll always think about Northeastern, certainly, but it won't be (tonight) before the game or after the game. It will be far after the game."
As usual, check back here at halftime (around 8:30 p.m.) and following the game for updates and reaction. The game tonight can be seen on MyTV9, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Calhoun to speak on autism
Jim Calhoun will be at Mystic Aquarium on Sunday to speak at Autism Awareness Day. The Huskies' 22nd-year coach will arive at the aquarium at 9:30 p.m. and speak at the Marine Theater at 10:15 a.m. Calhoun has two grandchildren who have been diagnosed on the autism spectrum and often wears an Autism Speaks puzzle pin on his coat's lapel.
A percentage of all profits from the Autism Awareness Day will be donated to Austim Speaks through its New England chapter.
A percentage of all profits from the Autism Awareness Day will be donated to Austim Speaks through its New England chapter.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Polls Update and more
Well, here is UConn again, trying to regroup after another defeat to a ranked team, looking ahead to that next game where they can make their statement to college basketball.
The things that hurt the Huskies Saturday in their 85-82 loss to Gonzaga are clear: late in the game -- partly because Hasheem Thabeet fouled out and partly because they failed to provide help defense -- the Huskies had too may defensive breakdowns, and the hot shooting that carried them in the first half tailed off as crunch time neared. A.J. Price tried carrying them when he could and almost did (in the final 2:45, he scored all of UConn's final seven points), but his 3-point attempt at the buzzer fell short.
It indeed was crushing, but UConn will have chances to improve through its remaining non-conference schedule (Northeastern, Quinnipiac, Maine and at UCF) before Big East play.
Perhaps what was most striking afterward, however, was the difference in reaction between coach Jim Calhoun, who cut many of his comments short and didn't comment directly on any of his players besides Thabeet (albeit briefly), and the Huskies themselves, who said they were frustrated but were confident they could bounce back.
Calhoun has said in the past he likes to take time following a game to put what happened in perspective (he was on the podium within 20 or 25 minutes following Saturday's loss). So it will be interesting to see what his reaction is later this week after he has had a couple days to run his team through practice -- and run they will -- and think about what went wrong.
Polls news
Interestingly enough, UConn moved in different directions in the national rankings, depending on which poll you look at. In the AP Top 25, the Huskies (No. 37 last week with 30 votes) slid back to No. 40 in the country, receiving six votes. But in the Coaches' poll, they actually moved up to No. 34 (from No. 36), despite receiving fewer votes. Last week, they earned 17 while this week they got 15.
Meanwhile, UNC became the consensus No. 1 after UCLA's lost to Texas. UCLA slipped back to No. 7 in the AP and No. 8 in the Coaches', while Texas (previously No. 8 in both polls) moved up to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Memphis was also a beneficiary of the "upset", taking over both No. 2 slots with Kansas occupying No. 3 in each one as well.
As for Gonzaga, it moved up to No. 17 in the AP, but its win over UConn did little to convince coaches that it deserves to move any higher. It remained at No. 19.
Here is the link to both polls on ncaasports.com.
My Poll
Making far fewer headlines nationally is the update of my blog poll. Check it out in the upper right-hand corner. As I said last week, this will become a weekly update. I can feel the nation clamoring already.
Boston, the Garden and more
Besides the game, I just have to say I really enjoyed it up in Boston. I went to school there, visited there often last year when I lived up in New Hampshire and still go up a few times a month to visit my girlfriend.
So it really wasn't like I haven't been there in a long time, but it did feel different going up there for work. I was able to see some friends that, oddly enough, I haven't seen in a while, and then got to pay $35 to park at the Garden Saturday (perhaps the only low-light of the trip).
I hadn't been to the Garden in over and a year and a half since I covered the Beanpot when I was at school at BU, but it's everything I remembered. Except last time I was there, they didn't have wireless Internet. I'm not sure if that was a one-time thing or not, but it was good to see them up with the times on this visit.
And probably unlike 99.9 percent of the people out there, I really don't mind driving in Boston. The traffic is bad at times and in certain areas (but in what city is it isn't?), but once you get to know the city, its shortcuts and the places to go, it's really not bad. Plus, in places like New York, where it's a big grid, I think you lose the charm that Boston has, where certain neighborhoods have their quirks as far as finding your way around in them. You just have to know them.
I can write for hours about Boston, I love that city. I, like Jeff Adrien and Calhoun, would have really enjoyed having Boston College back in the Big East just to have an excuse to go up there one more time a year. Though, BC isn't really in Boston, it's in Chestnut Hill, right at the end of the Green Line. And if you're ever there, visit Eagles Deli. Big portions of unhealthy food and it's absolutely great. I once ate a one-pound burger and one pound of fries there, a meal called the "Godzilla." I recommend it, only if you have a day to recover.
The things that hurt the Huskies Saturday in their 85-82 loss to Gonzaga are clear: late in the game -- partly because Hasheem Thabeet fouled out and partly because they failed to provide help defense -- the Huskies had too may defensive breakdowns, and the hot shooting that carried them in the first half tailed off as crunch time neared. A.J. Price tried carrying them when he could and almost did (in the final 2:45, he scored all of UConn's final seven points), but his 3-point attempt at the buzzer fell short.
It indeed was crushing, but UConn will have chances to improve through its remaining non-conference schedule (Northeastern, Quinnipiac, Maine and at UCF) before Big East play.
Perhaps what was most striking afterward, however, was the difference in reaction between coach Jim Calhoun, who cut many of his comments short and didn't comment directly on any of his players besides Thabeet (albeit briefly), and the Huskies themselves, who said they were frustrated but were confident they could bounce back.
Calhoun has said in the past he likes to take time following a game to put what happened in perspective (he was on the podium within 20 or 25 minutes following Saturday's loss). So it will be interesting to see what his reaction is later this week after he has had a couple days to run his team through practice -- and run they will -- and think about what went wrong.
Polls news
Interestingly enough, UConn moved in different directions in the national rankings, depending on which poll you look at. In the AP Top 25, the Huskies (No. 37 last week with 30 votes) slid back to No. 40 in the country, receiving six votes. But in the Coaches' poll, they actually moved up to No. 34 (from No. 36), despite receiving fewer votes. Last week, they earned 17 while this week they got 15.
Meanwhile, UNC became the consensus No. 1 after UCLA's lost to Texas. UCLA slipped back to No. 7 in the AP and No. 8 in the Coaches', while Texas (previously No. 8 in both polls) moved up to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Memphis was also a beneficiary of the "upset", taking over both No. 2 slots with Kansas occupying No. 3 in each one as well.
As for Gonzaga, it moved up to No. 17 in the AP, but its win over UConn did little to convince coaches that it deserves to move any higher. It remained at No. 19.
Here is the link to both polls on ncaasports.com.
My Poll
Making far fewer headlines nationally is the update of my blog poll. Check it out in the upper right-hand corner. As I said last week, this will become a weekly update. I can feel the nation clamoring already.
Boston, the Garden and more
Besides the game, I just have to say I really enjoyed it up in Boston. I went to school there, visited there often last year when I lived up in New Hampshire and still go up a few times a month to visit my girlfriend.
So it really wasn't like I haven't been there in a long time, but it did feel different going up there for work. I was able to see some friends that, oddly enough, I haven't seen in a while, and then got to pay $35 to park at the Garden Saturday (perhaps the only low-light of the trip).
I hadn't been to the Garden in over and a year and a half since I covered the Beanpot when I was at school at BU, but it's everything I remembered. Except last time I was there, they didn't have wireless Internet. I'm not sure if that was a one-time thing or not, but it was good to see them up with the times on this visit.
And probably unlike 99.9 percent of the people out there, I really don't mind driving in Boston. The traffic is bad at times and in certain areas (but in what city is it isn't?), but once you get to know the city, its shortcuts and the places to go, it's really not bad. Plus, in places like New York, where it's a big grid, I think you lose the charm that Boston has, where certain neighborhoods have their quirks as far as finding your way around in them. You just have to know them.
I can write for hours about Boston, I love that city. I, like Jeff Adrien and Calhoun, would have really enjoyed having Boston College back in the Big East just to have an excuse to go up there one more time a year. Though, BC isn't really in Boston, it's in Chestnut Hill, right at the end of the Green Line. And if you're ever there, visit Eagles Deli. Big portions of unhealthy food and it's absolutely great. I once ate a one-pound burger and one pound of fries there, a meal called the "Godzilla." I recommend it, only if you have a day to recover.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
UPDATE: UConn falls, 85-82
A.J. Price's 25-foot 3-pointer hit the right side of the rim and bounced out at the buzzer, giving Gonzaga an 85-82 victory in first game of The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase doubleheader. Jeremy Pargo was named the game's MVP.
UPDATE: Huskies trail by one at half
David Pendergraft hit a 3-pointer over the outstretched hand of Craig Austrie as time ran out, giving Gonzaga its first lead of the game, 45-44, over the Huskies at the half.
UConn led by as many as 10 points, 24-14 with 11:15 to play behind 13 points from A.J. Price, and was deadly from long-range, hitting 7-of-16 3-pointers (43.8 percent) over the Gonzaga zone. The Huskies may not be able to shoot better than that, and will have to in the second half. It was able to force the Zags to go to man-to-man at times, but couldn't capitalize as often in one-on-one match-ups when slashing to the basket.
Jerome Dyson hit three long 3-pointers but was limited to 11:19 because of two fouls.
UConn led by as many as 10 points, 24-14 with 11:15 to play behind 13 points from A.J. Price, and was deadly from long-range, hitting 7-of-16 3-pointers (43.8 percent) over the Gonzaga zone. The Huskies may not be able to shoot better than that, and will have to in the second half. It was able to force the Zags to go to man-to-man at times, but couldn't capitalize as often in one-on-one match-ups when slashing to the basket.
Jerome Dyson hit three long 3-pointers but was limited to 11:19 because of two fouls.
Garden Party
Coming at you the from TD Banknorth Garden in Boston! Sorry, I'm a little excited. I haven't been back to the Garden since February 2006 when I covered the Beanpot for my college newspaper at Boston University.
But I shouldn't be the only one pumped. The Huskies and No. 19 Gonzaga are about 30 minutes from tip-off here in the first of two games in The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase, with Boston College and Providence playing in the nightcap.
In case you're searching on TV for the games, UConn-Gonzaga is set for a 3:32 tip on ESPN, while BC-PC will be shown at ESPN Classic. Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas are calling the game.
"We still have 18 league games left, that’s going to be good for our resume, plus two more non-conference big games (against Indiana and Georgia Tech( so we have plenty of chances to build our resume (for the NCAA tournament)," Jeff Adrien said. "But definitely starting Saturday we can start to have a good one."
I'm sure most of you aren't checking the Spokesman (Spokane, Wash.) Review every day so here's the link to its preview of today's game.
Also, here's the Bulletin story in case you missed it today.
As usual check back here at halftime (should be around 4:30 p.m) and following the game for updates and reaction.
But I shouldn't be the only one pumped. The Huskies and No. 19 Gonzaga are about 30 minutes from tip-off here in the first of two games in The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase, with Boston College and Providence playing in the nightcap.
In case you're searching on TV for the games, UConn-Gonzaga is set for a 3:32 tip on ESPN, while BC-PC will be shown at ESPN Classic. Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas are calling the game.
"We still have 18 league games left, that’s going to be good for our resume, plus two more non-conference big games (against Indiana and Georgia Tech( so we have plenty of chances to build our resume (for the NCAA tournament)," Jeff Adrien said. "But definitely starting Saturday we can start to have a good one."
I'm sure most of you aren't checking the Spokesman (Spokane, Wash.) Review every day so here's the link to its preview of today's game.
Also, here's the Bulletin story in case you missed it today.
As usual check back here at halftime (should be around 4:30 p.m) and following the game for updates and reaction.
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