A.J. Price, who is currently recovering after surgery to repair a torn ACL, was left off all the three AP All-American teams, but was an honorable mention. Price was a second-team All-American, as named by the USCBWA.
Here is the complete list from the AP teams:
FIRST TEAM
(1) Michael Beasley, Kansas State, 6-10, 235, freshman, Washington, 26.5 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 53.5 fg pct, 38.9 3-pt fg pct, 1.7 blocks (72 first-place votes, 360 points)
(2) Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina, 6-9, 250, junior, Poplar Bluff, Mo., 23.0 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 54.0 fg pct, 81.7 ft pct (72, 360)
(3) D.J. Augustin, Texas, 6-0, 180, sophomore, New Orleans, 19.8 ppg, 5.7 apg, 37.2 minutes (66, 346)
(4) Kevin Love, UCLA, 6-10, 260, freshman, Lake Oswego, Ore., 17.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 55.7 fg pct (52, 318)
(5) Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis, 6-7, 200, junior, Detroit, 17.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 55.1 fg pct, 44.9 3-pt fg pct (52, 309).
SECOND TEAM
(1) Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, 6-8, 251, sophomore, Schererville, Ind., 20.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 51.5 fg pct, 37.5 3-pt fg pct (9, 211)
(2) Shan Foster, Vanderbilt, 6-6, 205, senior, Kenner, La., 20.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 52.6 fg pct, 47.3 3-pt fg pct (7, 159)
(3) D.J. White, Indiana, 6-9, 251, senior, Tuscaloosa, Ala., 17.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 60.4 fg pct, 1.7 blocks (2, 146)
(4) Stephen Curry, Davidson, 6-2, 185, sophomore, Charlotte, N.C., 25.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 43.8 3-pt fg pct, 89.8 ft pct, 1.9 steals (4, 117)
(5) Roy Hibbert, Georgetown, 7-2, 278, senior, Adelphi, Md., 13.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 60.1 fg pct, 2.3 blocks (1, 86).
THIRD TEAM
(1) Derrick Rose, Memphis, 6-3, 190, freshman, Chicago, 13.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.5 apg (4, 85)
(2) Chris Lofton, Tennessee, 6-2, 200, senior, Maysville, Ky., 16.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 39.8 3-pt fg pct, 83.5 ft pct (4, 82)
(3) Darren Collison, UCLA, 6-1, 165, junior, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 15.2 ppg, 3.9 apg, 50.6 3-pt fg pct, 87.4 ft pct, 1.9 steals (2, 80)
(4) Brook Lopez, Stanford, 7-0, 260, sophomore, Fresno, Calif., 19.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.2 blocks (1, 73)
(5) Eric Gordon, Indiana, 6-4, 215, freshman, Indianapolis, 21.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 84.5 ft pct (4, 72).
HONORABLE MENTION (Alphabetical Order)
Joe Alexander, West Virginia; Josh Alexander, Stephen F. Austin; Ryan Anderson, California; Darrell Arthur, Kansas; Jerryd Bayless, Arizona; Marqus Blakely, Vermont; Jon Brockman, Washington; Chase Budinger, Arizona; Jaycee Carroll, Utah State; Mario Chalmers, Kansas.
Lee Cummard, BYU; Scott Cutley, Cal State-Fullerton; Louis Dale, Cornell; Jeremiah Dominguez, Portland State; Wayne Ellington, North Carolina; Adam Emmenecker, Drake; Al Fisher, Kent State; Gary Forbes, Massachusetts; J.R. Giddens, New Mexico; Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State.
Mike Green, Butler; James Harden, Arizona State; Alex Harris, UC Santa Barbara; Andrew Hayles, Alabama State; Richard Hendrix, Alabama; George Hill, IUPUI; Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin; Ty Lawson, North Carolina; Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky; Tony Lee, Robert Morris.
Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth; O.J. Mayo, Southern California; Drew Neitzel, Michigan State; DeMarcus Nelson, Duke; David Padgett, Louisville; Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga; A.J. Price, UConn; Arizona Reid, High Point; Tyrese Rice, Boston College; Brandon Rush, Kansas.
Thomas Sanders, Gardner-Webb; Sean Singletary, Virginia; Jamar Smith, Morgan State; Tyler Smith, Tennessee; Greg Sprink, Navy; Jason Thompson, Rider; Sam Young, Pittsburgh.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Price undergoes "successful" surgery
A.J. Price underwent successful surgery Friday morning to repair damage to a torn ACL in his left knee, according to a press release.
The surgery, performed by Dr. Michael Joyce, M.D., lasted one hour and 20 minutes and took place at the Farmington Surgery Center at the New England Musculoskeletal Institute, located at the John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington.
As anticipated based on testing, damage was limited to the ACL and was successfully repaired, keeping in-tact the six-month window for Price's rehabilitation and return to full game action. At this point, he's projected to return by mid-September, roughly three to four weeks before UConn's first official practice. The junior guard will check out of the hospital later today.
Rehab is expected to begin Saturday with athletic trainer James Doran. Price said he will remain in Storrs for the summer for the first time since coming to UConn. The junior has spoken with several people who have undergone the procedure for perspective, including UConn soccer player Karl Shilling, who tore his ACL in the fall.
The surgery, performed by Dr. Michael Joyce, M.D., lasted one hour and 20 minutes and took place at the Farmington Surgery Center at the New England Musculoskeletal Institute, located at the John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington.
As anticipated based on testing, damage was limited to the ACL and was successfully repaired, keeping in-tact the six-month window for Price's rehabilitation and return to full game action. At this point, he's projected to return by mid-September, roughly three to four weeks before UConn's first official practice. The junior guard will check out of the hospital later today.
Rehab is expected to begin Saturday with athletic trainer James Doran. Price said he will remain in Storrs for the summer for the first time since coming to UConn. The junior has spoken with several people who have undergone the procedure for perspective, including UConn soccer player Karl Shilling, who tore his ACL in the fall.
Calhoun recap
Jim Calhoun sat down for an hour and 20 minutes with the media Thursday afternoon to discuss the season that was and the offseason that will be. As you can imagine, 80 minutes of discussion produced more than what could fit into today's stories: an examination of the immediate future of the team and A.J. Price's impending surgery and his take on the whole situation.
As for UConn's immediate future, Calhoun more than hinted that there will be a roster shake-up, with as many as two to three current players leaving.
"Between some personnel changes, some additions to the roster and a couple deletions, we think it's the best interest of everybody," he said. "If a kid comes in and asks me, 'Coach, what's my role next year?' As you'll probably imagine, I'll be blatantly honest with all those kids. And some kids it might surprise, some kids it might be. But it won't be shocking to anybody I don't think. But I will take the total package of what it's like to be a UConn basketball player and I've had a few disappointments in the total package of our culture."
The prime candidates for transfer appear to be Curtis Kelly, Donnell Beverly and Doug Wiggins, three players who either have already seen their playing time slashed and may be an even tighter crunch with the impending arrival of several recruits. Kemba Walker and Scottie Haralson are already locked into next season, but there remains the possibility Nate Miles joins next year's class as well as Ater Majok, who is expected to make an official visit sometime in mid to late April. Miles still needs to clear several academic hurdles, including UConn's own admissions process.
As for who these players may replace:
Kelly, highly touted coming out of Rice (the same school as Walker), appeared primed for a big year at the start of the season. Calhoun called him the Huskies' best player during preseason workouts and his first game against Morgan State (13 points, nine rebounds) showed what the 6-foot-9 sophomore was capable of. But between a poor showing the following in New York at the 2K Classic, the emergence of Gavin Edwards as a reliable reserve and a dislocated elbow in late February, this season was largely a disaster for Kelly.
Beverly received high praise from Calhoun Thursday. "I still think he's going to be a good basketball player," the coach said. "He may be our single hardest worker and he may be one of our best teammates." That said, being a freshman on a team with a solidified backcourt, Beverly was usually the odd-man out, aside from his performance against Indiana. And with a player like Walker expected to join since last summer, Beverly's place always seemed in question. He seemed to adjust well, and his high school has been known to produce late bloomers (e.g. UCLA's Russell Westbrook), but there just may be too many guards to justify Beverly sticking around.
Wiggins, a favorite of Calhoun's early in the year, had as erratic a season as anyone on the team. After being suspended two games for alcohol possession, the East Hartford native struggled with his confidence but rebounded with some great performances (the 20 points at South Florida sticks out the most), only to have his playing time slashed with the return of Jerome Dyson from his 30-day suspension. Calhoun refused to speak of Wiggins status, though he did in somewhat veiled terms.
"You can't say we've had a ton of behavior problems," Calhoun said. "We had an incident and it was not pleasant, but it was some thing I think that one young man has really grown from it."
Then this, earlier about Dyson: "I think you'll see a different Jerome Dyson; we're setting plans up for him. I've got one call in and a return call from Ben (Gordon), and he may be the kind of guy we want him working out with. What he has right now is terrific athletic talent, great, great competitiveness, he's probably one of the toughest guys I've coached. ... He needs to develop more game, in other words, not just one speed going at the hole, but changing speeds."
There's always the possibility someone else could transfer, citing a desire for more playing time. And academics could play a roll for others not mentioned here. Either way, who stays or goes should be made apparent quickly.
"If you see any movement in our roster, and I'm telling you right now, you will, and speculate all you want, I think most of it will become pretty evident in the next week or two," Calhoun said.
Last season also marked a departure of several Huskies, including Rob Garrison to Niagara, Ben Eaves to URI and, very early on this past winter, Marcus Johnson to USC. Asked if he misjudged some recruits who've come into the program, Calhoun said that wasn't necessarily the case.
"It's hard to say we misjudged them when the program hasn't dipped and gone any place. Has it gone below it's lofty standards? Yes it has. But I hasn't dipped and gone any place. But when you take the real positive (outlook), it seems to be on the cusp of having a real terrific year next year in a very difficult league.
"I want us to be better next year."
He added, "Everybody reacts differently to the pressure putting on you, to other good players in the program, to what we're asking of you."
Here to talk about the past
Though it wasn't the focus of today's stories, Calhoun did speak of the season as a whole, though it largely reflected what he said after the loss to San Diego.
"The season was a success for us," he said. "It just wasn't a terrific season, which we've kind of become very used to here. And I don't want that change. I know one of the columnists wrote that I wanted my head on a platter and people will write different things about me. … But regardless, the most wins the university had before 1986 was 23. We won 24 this year. So some perspective may be in order."
Calhoun added that, "No question we would have won that game if A.J. had played, but ... we still should have won the game. I think we were good enough and had been through losing at that point our leading scorer (in Dyson earlier in the year) to be able to adjust to some things. We had enough guards."
And more, on the Huskies' 10-game winning streak, by far the defining part of the regular season: "I asked (associate head coach) George (Blaney) to look at that stretch, and he took that stretch and he thought that's when we would lose the most games at any point in time. He thought that 6-4 in that 10 games would be good. And to win 10 in a row is a magnificent accomplishment. How did that evaporate? I think it's a lack of focus."
Thabeet to go on?
Calhoun was mum about what he thinks Hasheem Thabeet will do, but he expects the 7-foot-3 sophomore to either choose between staying or entering the NBA Draft within the next two to three weeks. Thabeet wasn't made available to the media Thursday, but Calhoun said he plans to set up a trip to a Boston Celtics game and perhaps a practice so Thabeet can speak with players about to expect from joining the league.
"And what it's like to be a Kwame Brown and still make six or seven million (dollars) a year because he was the (first pick)," Calhoun said.
Calhoun has not been shy this season about what he thinks Thabeet should do. He wants him to stay, both for the sake of the program and for the sophomore himself. As good as Thabeet is defensively, there are far too many gaps in his offensive game for him to make an immediate impact in the pros. The question is, what is a better environment to improve those weaknesses: The college game, where if he continues his progression, he can be dominant next season, or an NBA bench or perhaps even the NBDL? The monetary draw is undeniable, but teams that take Thabeet are still largely taking a project.
"I will give him the best advice on both sides of the issue to satisfy the responsibility he has," Calhoun said. "He does enjoy college very much, he's a good student (Thabeet has the highest GPA on the team). He's enjoyed his time here. And he's got some weighing out to do, some legitimate weighing out. Last year, I think he was intrigued. And people were intriguing him. This year has has a legitimate decision to make because we have a feel of where he might go right now. And he would go without question in the first round. And he would go in the upper two-thirds."
If Thabeet does leave, that would clear up one more scholarship and undoubtedly change how the Huskies play defense. Calhoun said Thursday it would go back to a more "traditional" style to what UConn teams in the past have played.
Price to be determined
Price was scheduled to have his surgery today, and an update is expected to be released later this afternoon about what Dr. Michael Joyce found during the procedure. Stay tuned.
As for UConn's immediate future, Calhoun more than hinted that there will be a roster shake-up, with as many as two to three current players leaving.
"Between some personnel changes, some additions to the roster and a couple deletions, we think it's the best interest of everybody," he said. "If a kid comes in and asks me, 'Coach, what's my role next year?' As you'll probably imagine, I'll be blatantly honest with all those kids. And some kids it might surprise, some kids it might be. But it won't be shocking to anybody I don't think. But I will take the total package of what it's like to be a UConn basketball player and I've had a few disappointments in the total package of our culture."
The prime candidates for transfer appear to be Curtis Kelly, Donnell Beverly and Doug Wiggins, three players who either have already seen their playing time slashed and may be an even tighter crunch with the impending arrival of several recruits. Kemba Walker and Scottie Haralson are already locked into next season, but there remains the possibility Nate Miles joins next year's class as well as Ater Majok, who is expected to make an official visit sometime in mid to late April. Miles still needs to clear several academic hurdles, including UConn's own admissions process.
As for who these players may replace:
Kelly, highly touted coming out of Rice (the same school as Walker), appeared primed for a big year at the start of the season. Calhoun called him the Huskies' best player during preseason workouts and his first game against Morgan State (13 points, nine rebounds) showed what the 6-foot-9 sophomore was capable of. But between a poor showing the following in New York at the 2K Classic, the emergence of Gavin Edwards as a reliable reserve and a dislocated elbow in late February, this season was largely a disaster for Kelly.
Beverly received high praise from Calhoun Thursday. "I still think he's going to be a good basketball player," the coach said. "He may be our single hardest worker and he may be one of our best teammates." That said, being a freshman on a team with a solidified backcourt, Beverly was usually the odd-man out, aside from his performance against Indiana. And with a player like Walker expected to join since last summer, Beverly's place always seemed in question. He seemed to adjust well, and his high school has been known to produce late bloomers (e.g. UCLA's Russell Westbrook), but there just may be too many guards to justify Beverly sticking around.
Wiggins, a favorite of Calhoun's early in the year, had as erratic a season as anyone on the team. After being suspended two games for alcohol possession, the East Hartford native struggled with his confidence but rebounded with some great performances (the 20 points at South Florida sticks out the most), only to have his playing time slashed with the return of Jerome Dyson from his 30-day suspension. Calhoun refused to speak of Wiggins status, though he did in somewhat veiled terms.
"You can't say we've had a ton of behavior problems," Calhoun said. "We had an incident and it was not pleasant, but it was some thing I think that one young man has really grown from it."
Then this, earlier about Dyson: "I think you'll see a different Jerome Dyson; we're setting plans up for him. I've got one call in and a return call from Ben (Gordon), and he may be the kind of guy we want him working out with. What he has right now is terrific athletic talent, great, great competitiveness, he's probably one of the toughest guys I've coached. ... He needs to develop more game, in other words, not just one speed going at the hole, but changing speeds."
There's always the possibility someone else could transfer, citing a desire for more playing time. And academics could play a roll for others not mentioned here. Either way, who stays or goes should be made apparent quickly.
"If you see any movement in our roster, and I'm telling you right now, you will, and speculate all you want, I think most of it will become pretty evident in the next week or two," Calhoun said.
Last season also marked a departure of several Huskies, including Rob Garrison to Niagara, Ben Eaves to URI and, very early on this past winter, Marcus Johnson to USC. Asked if he misjudged some recruits who've come into the program, Calhoun said that wasn't necessarily the case.
"It's hard to say we misjudged them when the program hasn't dipped and gone any place. Has it gone below it's lofty standards? Yes it has. But I hasn't dipped and gone any place. But when you take the real positive (outlook), it seems to be on the cusp of having a real terrific year next year in a very difficult league.
"I want us to be better next year."
He added, "Everybody reacts differently to the pressure putting on you, to other good players in the program, to what we're asking of you."
Here to talk about the past
Though it wasn't the focus of today's stories, Calhoun did speak of the season as a whole, though it largely reflected what he said after the loss to San Diego.
"The season was a success for us," he said. "It just wasn't a terrific season, which we've kind of become very used to here. And I don't want that change. I know one of the columnists wrote that I wanted my head on a platter and people will write different things about me. … But regardless, the most wins the university had before 1986 was 23. We won 24 this year. So some perspective may be in order."
Calhoun added that, "No question we would have won that game if A.J. had played, but ... we still should have won the game. I think we were good enough and had been through losing at that point our leading scorer (in Dyson earlier in the year) to be able to adjust to some things. We had enough guards."
And more, on the Huskies' 10-game winning streak, by far the defining part of the regular season: "I asked (associate head coach) George (Blaney) to look at that stretch, and he took that stretch and he thought that's when we would lose the most games at any point in time. He thought that 6-4 in that 10 games would be good. And to win 10 in a row is a magnificent accomplishment. How did that evaporate? I think it's a lack of focus."
Thabeet to go on?
Calhoun was mum about what he thinks Hasheem Thabeet will do, but he expects the 7-foot-3 sophomore to either choose between staying or entering the NBA Draft within the next two to three weeks. Thabeet wasn't made available to the media Thursday, but Calhoun said he plans to set up a trip to a Boston Celtics game and perhaps a practice so Thabeet can speak with players about to expect from joining the league.
"And what it's like to be a Kwame Brown and still make six or seven million (dollars) a year because he was the (first pick)," Calhoun said.
Calhoun has not been shy this season about what he thinks Thabeet should do. He wants him to stay, both for the sake of the program and for the sophomore himself. As good as Thabeet is defensively, there are far too many gaps in his offensive game for him to make an immediate impact in the pros. The question is, what is a better environment to improve those weaknesses: The college game, where if he continues his progression, he can be dominant next season, or an NBA bench or perhaps even the NBDL? The monetary draw is undeniable, but teams that take Thabeet are still largely taking a project.
"I will give him the best advice on both sides of the issue to satisfy the responsibility he has," Calhoun said. "He does enjoy college very much, he's a good student (Thabeet has the highest GPA on the team). He's enjoyed his time here. And he's got some weighing out to do, some legitimate weighing out. Last year, I think he was intrigued. And people were intriguing him. This year has has a legitimate decision to make because we have a feel of where he might go right now. And he would go without question in the first round. And he would go in the upper two-thirds."
If Thabeet does leave, that would clear up one more scholarship and undoubtedly change how the Huskies play defense. Calhoun said Thursday it would go back to a more "traditional" style to what UConn teams in the past have played.
Price to be determined
Price was scheduled to have his surgery today, and an update is expected to be released later this afternoon about what Dr. Michael Joyce found during the procedure. Stay tuned.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Kemba, East take McDonald's game
Future Husky Kemba Walker scored 13 points and the East team won the McDonald's All-American game Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Here's the game story from ESPN.com. Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings grabbed most of the ink, but Walker had a ridiculous break-away dunk that leads the highlights (linked to the story).
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Surgery set for Price
A.J. Price, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last Friday in UConn's first-round NCAA tournament loss to San Diego, will undergo surgery this Friday to repair the damage at the Farmington Surgery Center at the New England Musculoskeletal Institute. The center is located at John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington.
According to a press release, UConn Director of Sports Medicine Jeff Anderson said the rehab time is expected to be six months.
According to a press release, UConn Director of Sports Medicine Jeff Anderson said the rehab time is expected to be six months.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Touching upon the past and future
No stories in today's paper, but it looks like media availability with the team and Jim coach Calhoun may come within the next week or so. We'll see, but at that point, there will be a complete look-back at the season that was. That doesn't mean we can't start now, though.
As detailed in Sunday's follow from the San Diego loss, this season certainly was a step back in the right direction for UConn. From its record (24-9) to all the awards and attention, it was what Jim Calhoun and company are more accustomed to. That said, the ending wasn't. The first-round loss to San Diego will cast a shadow on UConn's season, no doubt, but over time, I don't think it will come to define it. This season is about the two parts, the good and the bad, when people look back on it, both have to be considered: The good because of the magnitude of the turnaround from last year, and the bad because, well, the Huskies haven't lost in the first round in 29 years.
If last season was just like any other -- 20 to 25 wins, a few tournament wins, etc. -- this past regular season doesn't really hold any significance. But because last year was so disappointing (and as bad as losing in the first round, a 17-14 record and no tournament appearance is far worse), this group's ability to prove it can win, if only in the regular season, is important.
As for where the Huskies go from here, that depends on what happens the next few months. If A.J. Price goes into surgery sometime next week and doctors find that the damage isn't beyond a torn ACL, the six-month recovery period will most likely stay intact and the junior will be in line to play the season. If doctors find more damage (MCL, meniscus, etc.), then everything changes dramatically.
That said, when and if Price does return, at what level he'll be at is unclear. By missing summer ball and workouts, certain areas of his will regress, shooting being the most likely thing. If rehab and everything goes well, I can't see his game taking a humongous step back, but he may be at where he was to start this year, maybe even farther behind. I don't believe Price will turn into a liability, but it will take time to build off all the progress he made this season. Then, of course, there's the impact this all has on his confidence in himself and that knee to hold up.
Hasheem Thabeet's decision to stay or declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft also plays a huge role. If he leaves, it will change UConn dramatically, both offensively and defensively, and without a clear replacement in line (Jonathan Mandeldove proved himself able to give a couple solid minutes off the bench, but I can't see him starting), it means UConn will have to go searching. At the moment, its two open scholarships spots are locked up by Kemba Walker and Scottie Haralson, and one or more people are going to have to transfer if someone like Ater Majok decides to come to Storrs.
There's so much to be decided.
As detailed in Sunday's follow from the San Diego loss, this season certainly was a step back in the right direction for UConn. From its record (24-9) to all the awards and attention, it was what Jim Calhoun and company are more accustomed to. That said, the ending wasn't. The first-round loss to San Diego will cast a shadow on UConn's season, no doubt, but over time, I don't think it will come to define it. This season is about the two parts, the good and the bad, when people look back on it, both have to be considered: The good because of the magnitude of the turnaround from last year, and the bad because, well, the Huskies haven't lost in the first round in 29 years.
If last season was just like any other -- 20 to 25 wins, a few tournament wins, etc. -- this past regular season doesn't really hold any significance. But because last year was so disappointing (and as bad as losing in the first round, a 17-14 record and no tournament appearance is far worse), this group's ability to prove it can win, if only in the regular season, is important.
As for where the Huskies go from here, that depends on what happens the next few months. If A.J. Price goes into surgery sometime next week and doctors find that the damage isn't beyond a torn ACL, the six-month recovery period will most likely stay intact and the junior will be in line to play the season. If doctors find more damage (MCL, meniscus, etc.), then everything changes dramatically.
That said, when and if Price does return, at what level he'll be at is unclear. By missing summer ball and workouts, certain areas of his will regress, shooting being the most likely thing. If rehab and everything goes well, I can't see his game taking a humongous step back, but he may be at where he was to start this year, maybe even farther behind. I don't believe Price will turn into a liability, but it will take time to build off all the progress he made this season. Then, of course, there's the impact this all has on his confidence in himself and that knee to hold up.
Hasheem Thabeet's decision to stay or declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft also plays a huge role. If he leaves, it will change UConn dramatically, both offensively and defensively, and without a clear replacement in line (Jonathan Mandeldove proved himself able to give a couple solid minutes off the bench, but I can't see him starting), it means UConn will have to go searching. At the moment, its two open scholarships spots are locked up by Kemba Walker and Scottie Haralson, and one or more people are going to have to transfer if someone like Ater Majok decides to come to Storrs.
There's so much to be decided.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Links
Just wanted to post the links to today's stories: the game story and notebook.
Unfortunately, the notebook already is a little dated with the announcement of Price's injury. But there's more insight in there than what was not in the blog posts last night.
Here's another link for a fan story we've added into our coverage about Connecticut transplants in Florida making the most of their chance to see UConn. Myself and Joe Perez will have each day looking at things off the court for the men's and women's teams. Joe will have a lot more than me from here on out.
Unfortunately, the notebook already is a little dated with the announcement of Price's injury. But there's more insight in there than what was not in the blog posts last night.
Here's another link for a fan story we've added into our coverage about Connecticut transplants in Florida making the most of their chance to see UConn. Myself and Joe Perez will have each day looking at things off the court for the men's and women's teams. Joe will have a lot more than me from here on out.
Price has torn ACL
The disappointing ending to the UConn men's basketball season just got worse.
A.J. Price, who left midway through the first half of the Huskies' 70-69 overtime loss to San Diego Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament, has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, tests determined late Friday night, and is expected to miss six months.
The junior All-American guard will return to Storrs along with the rest of the team Saturday morning and is expected to undergo surgery at the end of next week, though an exact time and date has not been determined. Team doctor Jeff Anderson said the recovery time for the injury is a half-year. Under that timetable, Price is not expected to miss any of next season.
Price injured his knee with 9:39 to play in Friday's upset when while driving to the basket, he was stripped of the ball on a shot attempt and felt his knee buckle. After being carried to the team's bench and walking under his own power to the locker room, he returned on crutches to watch the second half but didn't play.
It's a sad ending to a breakout season for Price. He finished the year averaging 14.5 points per game with a team-leading 192 assists. He was named a First Team All-Big East, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association District I Player of the Year and a USBWA Second Team All-American.
Price underwent tests Friday evening at the USF Tower at Tampa General Hospital.
A.J. Price, who left midway through the first half of the Huskies' 70-69 overtime loss to San Diego Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament, has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, tests determined late Friday night, and is expected to miss six months.
The junior All-American guard will return to Storrs along with the rest of the team Saturday morning and is expected to undergo surgery at the end of next week, though an exact time and date has not been determined. Team doctor Jeff Anderson said the recovery time for the injury is a half-year. Under that timetable, Price is not expected to miss any of next season.
Price injured his knee with 9:39 to play in Friday's upset when while driving to the basket, he was stripped of the ball on a shot attempt and felt his knee buckle. After being carried to the team's bench and walking under his own power to the locker room, he returned on crutches to watch the second half but didn't play.
It's a sad ending to a breakout season for Price. He finished the year averaging 14.5 points per game with a team-leading 192 assists. He was named a First Team All-Big East, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association District I Player of the Year and a USBWA Second Team All-American.
Price underwent tests Friday evening at the USF Tower at Tampa General Hospital.
Connect Four
This went down long after UConn was eliminated, but with No. 12 Villanova's 75-69 upset win over Clemson late Friday night, the Tampa site officially became Upset City. (And no I'm not stealing that from ESPN.com; I'm stealing it from the group of four drunk college kids who were running up to every car in downtown Tampa holding a makeshift sign that said, you guessed it, 'Upset City.') Four games, four upsets. Two No. 12 seeds, two No. 13 seeds. Just crazy. It's the first time in NCAA tournament history that something of this magnitude happened. Take solace UConn fans, you're not the only supporters who wallowed in a beer or two (or 12) Friday night.
Here is the ESPN story recapping it all. And here is SI.com's story on the history-making night.
Here is the ESPN story recapping it all. And here is SI.com's story on the history-making night.
Friday, March 21, 2008
A sudden ending
No one on the Huskies saw this coming, the ending or how it happened. But with its stunning 70-69 overtime loss to 13th-seeded San Diego Friday, the Huskies are going home after the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in Calhoun's tenure. Here are some notes and quotes from a game no could have predicted.
(1) It's the lowest seeded team Calhoun has ever lost to while at UConn. He's now 14-1 in first-round games.
(2) Gyno Pomare scored 22 points, outpacing both Jeff Adrien (18 points, 13 rebounds) and Hasheem Thabeet (14, 6, four blocks). Outside of De'Jon Jackson's fallways game-winner, that may be the most surprising aspect of the Huskies' loss considering, their size advantage.
(3) On Thursday, Calhoun said he had lied when he told reporters after the Huskies' Big East tournament loss that he had a good handle on the Huskies. It's safe to say this game only left him more confused. He used words like "mystified" Friday in explaining the Huskies' lack of defensive effort.
(4) A.J. Price, who left the game midway through the first half with what was initially diagnosed as a sprained left knee, went to the hospital for an MRI following the game, and Calhoun said "they're looking into an ACL" injury. The results, however, aren't expected to be released tonight.
Here are some quotes from Price, who spoke to a pool reporter before heading off to a nearby hospital for the MRI:
On injuring his knee;
"I made a tough move to the basket and as I was pushing off to go up I just felt everything go wrong in my knee, and I took pressure off of it as fast as I could. I was thinking about giving it a go, at one point I felt like I could, but when I did some warm-up stuff in the locker room, I just didn't think I could go. I'll have an MRI tonight to see what the story is."
On watching the rest of the game from the bench:
"I was saying all week how excited I was to play in my first (NCAA) tournament, and knowing that my team needed me tonight, it was extremely difficult to watch. But all in all, I was proud of these guys coming back and getting themselves back in the game. It was very hard to see my team lose with that last shot."
On giving his team advice:
"I was giving the team everything I could as far as knowledge. I told Jerome Dyson that I needed him to go back to the scorer that he was. I knew he was capable of being there."
On the conclusion of UConn's season:
"It's very difficult to deal with. We had a good season, not a great season, a good season, especially after the year we had last year. We showed a lot of people that this team is good; same players, same core. We came back and put together 24 wins. To end this way is very difficult, knowing we should be moving on. I feel like we had a great chance of winning on Sunday as well, so it's very tough."
(5) Calhoun said he would have considered this season very successful if the Huskies (24-9) had made it to Phoenix for the Sweet 16. Instead, he and his players will most likely look back at this year with mixed feelings. It's had to say this upset loss to San Diego was bigger than the one to George Mason two years ago, but it certainly sours what had the potential for being a special season.
(6) Some reaction from Jackson's 17-footer with 1.2 seconds left that won San Diego its first NCAA tournament game:
Calhoun: "I'm sure he's going to remember that the rest of his life, as well he should. It's a hell of a play."
Jackson, himself: "That's the way coach drew the play up for me, to come off the double (screen). And while I was under the rim, I think it was (Stanley Robinson) who said, 'He's coming out the top.' I was like, 'Dang, they know the play,' so I was like whatever, I'll just do it. So I went off the double and saw the opening, and Coach said, just drive it to the right. I drove it to the right, stepped back and it went in.
San Diego coach Bill Grier: Just like we drew it up.
Jackson said he had hit a game-winning shot before, a halfcourt heave at the buzzer in high school that sent his team to a championship (state or conference or county, I'm not sure).
"But this is on a way bigger stage," he said. "So this feeling right now, I can't even explain right now. It's like the best feeling I've ever had in my life. It's a good feeling."
(7) Calhoun said he wanted to strip San Diego of the belief they could match up with the Huskies. But UConn's slow start gave the Toreros confidence that they never lost.
"I don't know if you noticed; I did, but on the opening introductions when the kid (Jackson) went out to shake (Hasheem Thabeet's) hand, the little point guard and looked up at Hasheem, he started laughing," Calhoun said. "And I saw it as a comical moment. So they were going to try us out. When they tried us out, they didn't maybe find what they probably expected. In the last ten minutes that's what they expected. A tough team, and a tough game. But we had given them too much confidence by that time."
Some key stats:
(1) San Diego shot better than 47 percent from the floor. For the season, UConn held its opponents to 38 percent.
(2) UConn outrebounded San Diego, 41-31 for the game, but the battle was tied 16-16 at the half.
(3) Jerome Dyson had 14 points, and took over the offensive load in the final minutes of both regulation and overtime. He looked like he was the hero after sending it into the extra frame with two free throws and hitting two more for a 69-68 lead with nine seconds to play in overtime. But then Jackson happened.
(4) UConn had more turnovers (15) than assists (14). A lot of the Huskies' troubles could be tied to the loss of Price, which Dyson called devastating.
I'll have the links to all the stories from today's game posted up tomorrow morning. After that, you can expect at least one follow-up story for the next day, looking back at the Huskies' final game, it's season and where it goes from here. At some point, I'll have a blog post looking back at my own experience covering this team for the first time, and some observations of the year in general, the team and all the people involved. It's strange to think it's over -- and I'm sure for the players and coaches its 10-fold -- but don't expect the news to stop. There is still a lot more to come.
(1) It's the lowest seeded team Calhoun has ever lost to while at UConn. He's now 14-1 in first-round games.
(2) Gyno Pomare scored 22 points, outpacing both Jeff Adrien (18 points, 13 rebounds) and Hasheem Thabeet (14, 6, four blocks). Outside of De'Jon Jackson's fallways game-winner, that may be the most surprising aspect of the Huskies' loss considering, their size advantage.
(3) On Thursday, Calhoun said he had lied when he told reporters after the Huskies' Big East tournament loss that he had a good handle on the Huskies. It's safe to say this game only left him more confused. He used words like "mystified" Friday in explaining the Huskies' lack of defensive effort.
(4) A.J. Price, who left the game midway through the first half with what was initially diagnosed as a sprained left knee, went to the hospital for an MRI following the game, and Calhoun said "they're looking into an ACL" injury. The results, however, aren't expected to be released tonight.
Here are some quotes from Price, who spoke to a pool reporter before heading off to a nearby hospital for the MRI:
On injuring his knee;
"I made a tough move to the basket and as I was pushing off to go up I just felt everything go wrong in my knee, and I took pressure off of it as fast as I could. I was thinking about giving it a go, at one point I felt like I could, but when I did some warm-up stuff in the locker room, I just didn't think I could go. I'll have an MRI tonight to see what the story is."
On watching the rest of the game from the bench:
"I was saying all week how excited I was to play in my first (NCAA) tournament, and knowing that my team needed me tonight, it was extremely difficult to watch. But all in all, I was proud of these guys coming back and getting themselves back in the game. It was very hard to see my team lose with that last shot."
On giving his team advice:
"I was giving the team everything I could as far as knowledge. I told Jerome Dyson that I needed him to go back to the scorer that he was. I knew he was capable of being there."
On the conclusion of UConn's season:
"It's very difficult to deal with. We had a good season, not a great season, a good season, especially after the year we had last year. We showed a lot of people that this team is good; same players, same core. We came back and put together 24 wins. To end this way is very difficult, knowing we should be moving on. I feel like we had a great chance of winning on Sunday as well, so it's very tough."
(5) Calhoun said he would have considered this season very successful if the Huskies (24-9) had made it to Phoenix for the Sweet 16. Instead, he and his players will most likely look back at this year with mixed feelings. It's had to say this upset loss to San Diego was bigger than the one to George Mason two years ago, but it certainly sours what had the potential for being a special season.
(6) Some reaction from Jackson's 17-footer with 1.2 seconds left that won San Diego its first NCAA tournament game:
Calhoun: "I'm sure he's going to remember that the rest of his life, as well he should. It's a hell of a play."
Jackson, himself: "That's the way coach drew the play up for me, to come off the double (screen). And while I was under the rim, I think it was (Stanley Robinson) who said, 'He's coming out the top.' I was like, 'Dang, they know the play,' so I was like whatever, I'll just do it. So I went off the double and saw the opening, and Coach said, just drive it to the right. I drove it to the right, stepped back and it went in.
San Diego coach Bill Grier: Just like we drew it up.
Jackson said he had hit a game-winning shot before, a halfcourt heave at the buzzer in high school that sent his team to a championship (state or conference or county, I'm not sure).
"But this is on a way bigger stage," he said. "So this feeling right now, I can't even explain right now. It's like the best feeling I've ever had in my life. It's a good feeling."
(7) Calhoun said he wanted to strip San Diego of the belief they could match up with the Huskies. But UConn's slow start gave the Toreros confidence that they never lost.
"I don't know if you noticed; I did, but on the opening introductions when the kid (Jackson) went out to shake (Hasheem Thabeet's) hand, the little point guard and looked up at Hasheem, he started laughing," Calhoun said. "And I saw it as a comical moment. So they were going to try us out. When they tried us out, they didn't maybe find what they probably expected. In the last ten minutes that's what they expected. A tough team, and a tough game. But we had given them too much confidence by that time."
Some key stats:
(1) San Diego shot better than 47 percent from the floor. For the season, UConn held its opponents to 38 percent.
(2) UConn outrebounded San Diego, 41-31 for the game, but the battle was tied 16-16 at the half.
(3) Jerome Dyson had 14 points, and took over the offensive load in the final minutes of both regulation and overtime. He looked like he was the hero after sending it into the extra frame with two free throws and hitting two more for a 69-68 lead with nine seconds to play in overtime. But then Jackson happened.
(4) UConn had more turnovers (15) than assists (14). A lot of the Huskies' troubles could be tied to the loss of Price, which Dyson called devastating.
I'll have the links to all the stories from today's game posted up tomorrow morning. After that, you can expect at least one follow-up story for the next day, looking back at the Huskies' final game, it's season and where it goes from here. At some point, I'll have a blog post looking back at my own experience covering this team for the first time, and some observations of the year in general, the team and all the people involved. It's strange to think it's over -- and I'm sure for the players and coaches its 10-fold -- but don't expect the news to stop. There is still a lot more to come.
GAME UPDATE: UConn stunned
San Diego sophomore De'Jon Jackson hit a fall-away 17-foot jump shot with 1.2 seconds left and UConn never got a shot off as the 13th-seeded Toreros stunned the No. 4 Huskies, 70-69, in overtime Friday.
It's the first time Jim Calhoun has lost in the first round at UConn, a span of 15 appearances.
It's the first time Jim Calhoun has lost in the first round at UConn, a span of 15 appearances.
GAME UPDATE: Dyson puts Huskies ahead
Jerome Dyson scooped in a Jeff Adrien pass, giving the Huskies a 67-66 lead with 43.6 seconds to play in overtime. San Diego had jumped out quickly to start the extra frame, going up 64-60 and later, 66-63. But Adrien pivoted around Rob Jones for a lay-up with 1:28 to play, and after a De'Jon Jackson travel, the junior forward found Dyson cutting under the hoop for a quick score.
GAME UPDATE: UConn, San Diego going to OT
Jerome Dyson hit two free throws to tie the game with 10. 4 seconds left and San Diego's De'Jon Jackson missed a lay-up attempt with about three seconds to play, putting the game into overtime.
Dyson was in the middle of everything in the final moments. He was bowled over by Devin Ginty on an inbounds play, but was called for a blocking foul. Ginty, in an one-and-one situation, made the first but missed the second, and after a Jeff Adrien rebound, Dyson drove to the left side of the basket, drawing a foul on Brandon Jackson to set up the tying foul shots.
Dyson was in the middle of everything in the final moments. He was bowled over by Devin Ginty on an inbounds play, but was called for a blocking foul. Ginty, in an one-and-one situation, made the first but missed the second, and after a Jeff Adrien rebound, Dyson drove to the left side of the basket, drawing a foul on Brandon Jackson to set up the tying foul shots.
GAME UPDATE: UConn within one
After four straight fouls, San Diego's Devin Ginty made one-of-two free throws and Jeff Adrien tipped back in a missed Jerome Dyson lay-up, cutting San Diego's lead to 59-58 with 20.1 seconds to play. San Diego is still in a one-and-one situation, so without a forced turnover, the Huskies will probably have to foul.
GAME UPDATE: UConn on brink
Rob Jones scooped in an up-and-under lay-up past Hasheem Thabeet, and after Craig Austrie was stripped, lofted in a running jump shot, giving San Diego a 58-54 lead with under a minute to play. The Huskies called a timeout with 50.3 seconds left and will need a quick bucket and a stop. They have four fouls to give.
GAME UPDATE: Huskies tie it, go back down
A Hasheem Thabeet free throw tied the game at 46-all, but San Diego's Brandon Johnson, who has been outstanding, hit a pull-up 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring to give San Diego a 49-46 entering a media timeout. Johnson now has 13 points, but UConn finally looks comfortable on the offensive end. It has 7 minutes, 8 seconds to see if it translates.
GAME UPDATE: UConn cuts into deficit
UConn has gone on a 7-0 run over the last three minutes, slicing San Diego's lead to 44-41 with 11:19 to play.
GAME UPDATE: Huskies down eight
After an initial San Diego burst made it a 40-29 game, UConn has started to show some life, though it still trails 42-34. Jeff Adrien banked in a jump hook, Craig Austrie hit a runner and Adrien fought off Gyno Pomare for a rebound, drawing a foul. It may be the start of something for the Huskies, who were knocked back to start the half, forcing Jim Calhoun to call a timeout 1:04 in.
A.J. Price is back on the UConn bench, though it is highly unlikely he'll play. He's wearing a blue brace on the left knee that he sprained.
A.J. Price is back on the UConn bench, though it is highly unlikely he'll play. He's wearing a blue brace on the left knee that he sprained.
At the half
Some key stats from the first half:
Score: San Diego 34, UConn 29
Rebounds: UConn 16, USD 16
Shooting percentage: UConn 41.7 (10-of-24), USD 46.9 (15-of-32)
Turnovers: UConn 9, USD 6
Leading scorer: UConn, Jeff Adrien (11), USD, Gyno POmare (16)
Score: San Diego 34, UConn 29
Rebounds: UConn 16, USD 16
Shooting percentage: UConn 41.7 (10-of-24), USD 46.9 (15-of-32)
Turnovers: UConn 9, USD 6
Leading scorer: UConn, Jeff Adrien (11), USD, Gyno POmare (16)
GAME UPDATE: UConn still trails entering half
Gyno Pomare hit a jump shot over Hasheem Thabeet just before time expired, giving 13th-seeded San Diego a 34-29 lead at the break here at the St. Pete Times Forum. It hasn't been a good half for the Huskies. A.J. Price, who left the court with a sprained knee with a little less than eight minutes to play, never returned, and not coincidently, the offense rarely has looked in sync.
Jeff Adrien has a team-high 11 points, but UConn has allowed Pomare (16 points) to hurt it around the basket.
Jeff Adrien has a team-high 11 points, but UConn has allowed Pomare (16 points) to hurt it around the basket.
GAME UPDATE: UConn down three
Jeff Adrien (11 points) has come to play, but San Diego has shown little fear driving in on the Huskies as it leads, 30-27, with 3:17 to play until the break. Hasheem Thabeet has been in and out of the lineup, and Gyno Pomare has especially thrived. The junior already has 14 points. Defensively, UConn hasn't been the force many probably expected it to be, and San Diego, somewhat surprisingly, has stuck with a man-to-man defense with pretty good results.
Price walks off court
A.J. Price was walking on his own but was led from the playing surface to the team's locker room during the last media timeout (7:52 remaining). A UConn spokesman just confirmed the junior guard suffered what appears to be a sprained left knee. With 7:52 remaining in the first half, it's unclear if or when he'll return.
Price goes out
A.J. Price had to be carried off the floor after going down and apparently injuring his left knee. A member of the training or medical staff is working on it and Price is in visible pain.
GAME UPDATE: Huskies trail Toreros
With Hasheem Thabeet on the bench, Gyno Pomare has scored six straight points for San Diego to give it a 16-14 lead with 11:02 left in the half. Two baskets came on put-backs and another came on a step-back 10-footer on the baseline over Gaven Edwards. In Edwards defense, he responded on UConn's next possession for a lay-up.
The media timeout just finished and Thabeet is back in with A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien, Stanley Robinson and Jerome Dyson.
The media timeout just finished and Thabeet is back in with A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien, Stanley Robinson and Jerome Dyson.
GAME UPDATE: UConn up one
The Huskies lead the Toreros , 8-7, at the 15:08 mark. It's a little early to pick out any definitive trends, but Stanley Robinson did a hit a long 3-pointer and as usual, the Huskies are looking to Jeff Adrien early. He has four points on 2-of-4 shooting.
UConn is wearing its home whites. It's the first time it's done so since a Jan. 17 loss to Providence.
UConn is wearing its home whites. It's the first time it's done so since a Jan. 17 loss to Providence.
GAME UPDATE: WKU upsets Drake in thriller
Ty Rogers hit a 25-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer, lifting 12th-seeded WKU to a miraculous 101-99 upset of No. 5 Drake here at the St. Pete Times Forum. Drake's Jonathan Cox had hit two free throws with 5.7 seconds left to give the Bulldogs the one-point lead, but Tyrone Brazelton drove nearly the length of the court and dished a pass to Rogers near the right sideline, where the senior guard pulled up to nail a 3-pointer over two defenders. Just an amazing shot.
WKU plays the winner of No. 4 UConn and No. 13 San Diego, which should start a little before 3:40.
WKU plays the winner of No. 4 UConn and No. 13 San Diego, which should start a little before 3:40.
GAME UPDATE: WKU, Drake going to OT
Drake's Jon Cox hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to send the Drake-WKU game to overtime. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 16 in a game that went from smooth to ugly to exciting over the course of a long second half. It looks like the UConn game won't start until at least 3:45. (CBS has it at approximately 3:35, so we'll see.)
GAME UPDATE: WKU leads Drake at half
The Hilltoppers went on an 8-1 run to close the half, and lead the Bulldogs, 47-38, at the Drake. Both teams shot unconsciously at times and combined to hit 12 3-pointers. Drake faded badly in the latter part of the half, though, finishing 10-for-27 from the field (37 percent) while WKU shot a blistering 60.6 percent (20-for-33).
But UConn should like what it sees out of either opponent. WKU had no trouble scoring inside against Drake, and the smaller, less athletic Bulldog guards got to the rim often against the WKU defense. Whoever advances, as long as UConn plays straight up on the perimeter (as opposed to funneling into the lane, opening up opportunities for drive-and-kicks), it will give itself a good chance of limiting either free-shooting team. That's just an observation.
But UConn should like what it sees out of either opponent. WKU had no trouble scoring inside against Drake, and the smaller, less athletic Bulldog guards got to the rim often against the WKU defense. Whoever advances, as long as UConn plays straight up on the perimeter (as opposed to funneling into the lane, opening up opportunities for drive-and-kicks), it will give itself a good chance of limiting either free-shooting team. That's just an observation.
Almost time ...
Greetings from the St. Pete Times Forum. As expected, things were a little more livelier outside the arena this morning, with music, more tents and more fans. It's hard to tell at this point how many are going to be UConn supporters. As usual, there will be a lot of people just coming to see the games, and when given the chance, they'll get behind the underdog. A couple on the street asked me for directions to the arena, and after a few minutes of talking with them, I learned they were from Rochester, N.Y., had won tickets in some type of lottery and just made the trip, though they didn't really have one particular team they were rooting for.
"We have Siena, UConn," the women said. "Our son just got into Clemson, so we'll be rooting for them."
As for UConn's first-round game today, here is the full Scout Box that runs in the print edition. One note that I kind of buried (regrettably): Jerome Dyson may see more time at the 3 with Stnaley Robinson moving to the four. For now, that makes sense. The Huskies are facing a far smaller team in San Diego and whether they get Drake or Western Kentucky, they can afford to go small and may want to as teams try to spread the Huskies' defense.
Scout Box:
(13) SAN DIEGO vs. (4) UCONN
NCAA tournament first round
3 p.m. (approximately), today
St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Fla.
Records: UConn 24-8; San Diego 21-13.
Last game: UConn lost to fifth-seeded West Virginia, 78-72, in the Big East quarterfinals on March 13; San Diego beat top-seeded Gonzaga, 69-62, in the West Coast Conference championship on March 10.
Next game: The winner plays Sunday in the second round against the winner of No. 5 Drake and No. 12 Western Kentucky.
TV/Radio: CBS/WILI (1400 AM), WTIC (1080 AM).
Series: This is the first meeting between San Diego and UConn.
Injuries: UConn—none reported. San Diego—Daniel Fleming (out for season, knee surgery).
Scouting report: The teams officially tip off 30 minutes after the finish of the Drake-Western Kentucky, which starts at 12:30 p.m. … Jeff Adrien’s last NCAA tournament game was a good one: He scored 17 points in 25 minutes off the bench in an overtime loss to 11th-seeded Gonzaga in the regional finals. “We should have been in the Final Four,” Adrien said. “But George Mason had the better day. It still sticks with me. I thought about that the other day. I’m just trying to continue on from that game.” … Jim Calhoun has tried to create a different role for sophomore Jerome Dysin, who’s come off the bench in every one of his five games back from suspension. “We’re making him the back-up three man,” the coach said. “And actually, we’ve moved Stanley (Robinson) to the four to get more offense into the game. That is something that is tough a little bit when Hasheem (Thabeet) or Jeff (Adrien) has been on the bench.” … When San Diego coach Bill Grier coached at the high school level in the late ’80s and early ’90s, he remembered listening to Calhoun speak at clinics. “And you know, it’s the same things he was emphasizing then, and it’s different personnel but it’s the same things he emphasizes now. They defend, they rebound, they push the ball and they have really good players. So we have concerns on all fronts, you know.” … Though this is the first NCAA tournament for every San Diego player, Grier isn’t worried about them playing tight. “They went into Kentucky and I thought they’d be nervous and they weren’t,” the coach said. “This group’s been pretty loose all year.” … A victory today would give Calhoun his 11th 25-win season at UConn. In that time, he’s built a 29-2 tournament record against teems seeded sixth or lower.
UConn
21 F Stanley Robinson 10.5
4 F Jeff Adrien 14.7
34 C Hasheem Thabeet 10.4
12 G A.J. Price 14.9
24 G Craig Austrie 7.5
UConn reserves
11 Jerome Dyson 12.4
3 Doug Wiggins 6.8
33 Gavin Edwards 2.9
San Diego
23 F De'Jon Jackson 7.7
22 F Rob Jones 8.8
21 C Gyno Pomare 13.7
11 G Trumaine Johnson 5.5
1 G Brandon Johnson 16.9
San Diego reserves
12 Chris Lewis 5.0
13 Danny Brown 2.6
3 Devin Ginty 2.5
"We have Siena, UConn," the women said. "Our son just got into Clemson, so we'll be rooting for them."
As for UConn's first-round game today, here is the full Scout Box that runs in the print edition. One note that I kind of buried (regrettably): Jerome Dyson may see more time at the 3 with Stnaley Robinson moving to the four. For now, that makes sense. The Huskies are facing a far smaller team in San Diego and whether they get Drake or Western Kentucky, they can afford to go small and may want to as teams try to spread the Huskies' defense.
Scout Box:
(13) SAN DIEGO vs. (4) UCONN
NCAA tournament first round
3 p.m. (approximately), today
St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Fla.
Records: UConn 24-8; San Diego 21-13.
Last game: UConn lost to fifth-seeded West Virginia, 78-72, in the Big East quarterfinals on March 13; San Diego beat top-seeded Gonzaga, 69-62, in the West Coast Conference championship on March 10.
Next game: The winner plays Sunday in the second round against the winner of No. 5 Drake and No. 12 Western Kentucky.
TV/Radio: CBS/WILI (1400 AM), WTIC (1080 AM).
Series: This is the first meeting between San Diego and UConn.
Injuries: UConn—none reported. San Diego—Daniel Fleming (out for season, knee surgery).
Scouting report: The teams officially tip off 30 minutes after the finish of the Drake-Western Kentucky, which starts at 12:30 p.m. … Jeff Adrien’s last NCAA tournament game was a good one: He scored 17 points in 25 minutes off the bench in an overtime loss to 11th-seeded Gonzaga in the regional finals. “We should have been in the Final Four,” Adrien said. “But George Mason had the better day. It still sticks with me. I thought about that the other day. I’m just trying to continue on from that game.” … Jim Calhoun has tried to create a different role for sophomore Jerome Dysin, who’s come off the bench in every one of his five games back from suspension. “We’re making him the back-up three man,” the coach said. “And actually, we’ve moved Stanley (Robinson) to the four to get more offense into the game. That is something that is tough a little bit when Hasheem (Thabeet) or Jeff (Adrien) has been on the bench.” … When San Diego coach Bill Grier coached at the high school level in the late ’80s and early ’90s, he remembered listening to Calhoun speak at clinics. “And you know, it’s the same things he was emphasizing then, and it’s different personnel but it’s the same things he emphasizes now. They defend, they rebound, they push the ball and they have really good players. So we have concerns on all fronts, you know.” … Though this is the first NCAA tournament for every San Diego player, Grier isn’t worried about them playing tight. “They went into Kentucky and I thought they’d be nervous and they weren’t,” the coach said. “This group’s been pretty loose all year.” … A victory today would give Calhoun his 11th 25-win season at UConn. In that time, he’s built a 29-2 tournament record against teems seeded sixth or lower.
UConn
21 F Stanley Robinson 10.5
4 F Jeff Adrien 14.7
34 C Hasheem Thabeet 10.4
12 G A.J. Price 14.9
24 G Craig Austrie 7.5
UConn reserves
11 Jerome Dyson 12.4
3 Doug Wiggins 6.8
33 Gavin Edwards 2.9
San Diego
23 F De'Jon Jackson 7.7
22 F Rob Jones 8.8
21 C Gyno Pomare 13.7
11 G Trumaine Johnson 5.5
1 G Brandon Johnson 16.9
San Diego reserves
12 Chris Lewis 5.0
13 Danny Brown 2.6
3 Devin Ginty 2.5
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Afternoon round-up
Just finished watching Belmont nearly upset Duke. It's a shame they couldn't figure out that their own player was wearing the dark jersey, not the white one, on that last inbounds play.
As for the scene here at the SPT Forum, all the teams have gone home for today, with the four Midwest regional teams (Vanderbilt, Villanova, Siena and Clemson) finished with their media availability. No. 4 Vandy takes on No. 13 Siena and No. 5 Clemson plays No. 12 Villanova tomorrow night, starting at 7:20. Considering their games have no affect on the Huskies' tournament experience (unless they meet one of them in NCAA championship), I'm going to make my last blog post of the day an all-inclusive one hitting on interesting notes from all four.
Check back in around 11 tomorrow. I'll be back here getting ready to watch the Drake-Western Kentucky game, which kicks off at 12:30 p.m. I'll have links to tomorrow's stories and even more preview stuff that didn't make it in today or the stories. Have a good night watching the rest of the games!
Villanova: Good to see the Wildcats here. They were one of the last teams in, and deserved it despite taking a lop-sided loss to Georgetown in the Big East quarterfinals.
"Definitely, I think everybody in this tournament is happy to be here," Scottie Reynolds said. "I think the great teams that go on to win and be champions are the ones that are not satisfied. ... We've got more to go."
They'll have an audience, that's for sure. Jay Wright said Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollings, who's in spring training at nearby Clearwater, plans to attend the game. He'll see a team that has more wins as a lower seeded team than any other in NCAA tournament.
"That's a great stat," Wright said when a reporter informed him. "I've got to get that for recruiting purposes. .I like that. But this university's got a great tradition in the NCAA tournament. I hope we can keep that up in this tournament."
Obviously aiding that stat was Nova's unprecedented run to the 1985 title as the No. 8 seed, making it the lowest seeded team to ever win the national championship. Wright remembers watching that game.
"I was down there (in Lexington, Kentucky) for the coaches' convention," he said. "It was my second year as a coach. My wife had just graduated, was a cheerleader, she was at the game. We were dating at the time. And I actually left after the semifinals, went back to Rochester, where I was an assistant coach and watched the game on TV with tears in my eyes, man. I worked at Villanova camps in the summer, so I felt a tiny part of it. And I think it was one of the most inspirational events that I've seen in terms of wanting to be a coach."
This just in: Jay Wright is awesome.
Vanderbilt: There are some pundits picking Vanderbilt to be upsetted by Siena. The Commodores heard some of the same predictions last year when they faced No. 11 George Washington in the first round. They responded by winning by 33 and advancing to the Sweet 16, where they lost 66-65 to Georgetown.
"That's something that I haven't been able to understand," Shan Foster said o Vanderbilt being the upset pick. "You know, last year we felt like we had a pretty good team, and had beaten the most ranked teams. And this year we've beaten a number of quality opponents. You know, we've won 26 games. We're not a 4 seed by a miracle, you know."
Siena's Kenny Hasbrouck scoffed at the idea the Saints are the trendy pick to beat Vanderbilt.
"When it comes to the media, we don't pay attention to that," he said. "We know how we have to work ourselves."
Coincidently, though, Josh Duell was part of a 13-4 upset two years ago when he was a member of Vermont. The Catamounts beat Syracuse, which had that incredible run to the Big East title, but lost the next round. I should remember: the upset killed my bracket that year.
Duell obviously has been asked about the experience.
"Some of the guys have asked me about it, and I just said, you've got to really enjoy it. It's one of the experiences that you might not ever get a chance to come back here again in your lifetime. Many players don't even get to here once. I just told them to really enjoy it. It's up with the best experiences in my life, I know that."
Clemson: To be a little more game technical, Clemson's success comes down to tis ability to force mistakes through its press. It created the third-most turnovers of any ACC team (17.9 per game) and will face an inexperienced backcourt in Villanova.
"I think our press is designed to wear people down," Cliff Hammonds said. "We may get a couple steals here and there, but throughout the course of the game if we keep our pressure on a team and keep going after them, it's designed to wear them down the stretch."
That said, Scottie Reynolds isn't your normal sophomore and has been handling the ball primarily for the Wildcats in the season's last few weeks.
"Everybody understands that Villanova has great guards and they've got a number of them," said Coach Oliver Purnell. "But Scottie Reynolds is as good as there is in the country, and Corey Fisher is one of the best young talents in the country. So they have the weapons to attack the pressure, there is no question about that."
As for the scene here at the SPT Forum, all the teams have gone home for today, with the four Midwest regional teams (Vanderbilt, Villanova, Siena and Clemson) finished with their media availability. No. 4 Vandy takes on No. 13 Siena and No. 5 Clemson plays No. 12 Villanova tomorrow night, starting at 7:20. Considering their games have no affect on the Huskies' tournament experience (unless they meet one of them in NCAA championship), I'm going to make my last blog post of the day an all-inclusive one hitting on interesting notes from all four.
Check back in around 11 tomorrow. I'll be back here getting ready to watch the Drake-Western Kentucky game, which kicks off at 12:30 p.m. I'll have links to tomorrow's stories and even more preview stuff that didn't make it in today or the stories. Have a good night watching the rest of the games!
Villanova: Good to see the Wildcats here. They were one of the last teams in, and deserved it despite taking a lop-sided loss to Georgetown in the Big East quarterfinals.
"Definitely, I think everybody in this tournament is happy to be here," Scottie Reynolds said. "I think the great teams that go on to win and be champions are the ones that are not satisfied. ... We've got more to go."
They'll have an audience, that's for sure. Jay Wright said Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollings, who's in spring training at nearby Clearwater, plans to attend the game. He'll see a team that has more wins as a lower seeded team than any other in NCAA tournament.
"That's a great stat," Wright said when a reporter informed him. "I've got to get that for recruiting purposes. .I like that. But this university's got a great tradition in the NCAA tournament. I hope we can keep that up in this tournament."
Obviously aiding that stat was Nova's unprecedented run to the 1985 title as the No. 8 seed, making it the lowest seeded team to ever win the national championship. Wright remembers watching that game.
"I was down there (in Lexington, Kentucky) for the coaches' convention," he said. "It was my second year as a coach. My wife had just graduated, was a cheerleader, she was at the game. We were dating at the time. And I actually left after the semifinals, went back to Rochester, where I was an assistant coach and watched the game on TV with tears in my eyes, man. I worked at Villanova camps in the summer, so I felt a tiny part of it. And I think it was one of the most inspirational events that I've seen in terms of wanting to be a coach."
This just in: Jay Wright is awesome.
Vanderbilt: There are some pundits picking Vanderbilt to be upsetted by Siena. The Commodores heard some of the same predictions last year when they faced No. 11 George Washington in the first round. They responded by winning by 33 and advancing to the Sweet 16, where they lost 66-65 to Georgetown.
"That's something that I haven't been able to understand," Shan Foster said o Vanderbilt being the upset pick. "You know, last year we felt like we had a pretty good team, and had beaten the most ranked teams. And this year we've beaten a number of quality opponents. You know, we've won 26 games. We're not a 4 seed by a miracle, you know."
Siena's Kenny Hasbrouck scoffed at the idea the Saints are the trendy pick to beat Vanderbilt.
"When it comes to the media, we don't pay attention to that," he said. "We know how we have to work ourselves."
Coincidently, though, Josh Duell was part of a 13-4 upset two years ago when he was a member of Vermont. The Catamounts beat Syracuse, which had that incredible run to the Big East title, but lost the next round. I should remember: the upset killed my bracket that year.
Duell obviously has been asked about the experience.
"Some of the guys have asked me about it, and I just said, you've got to really enjoy it. It's one of the experiences that you might not ever get a chance to come back here again in your lifetime. Many players don't even get to here once. I just told them to really enjoy it. It's up with the best experiences in my life, I know that."
Clemson: To be a little more game technical, Clemson's success comes down to tis ability to force mistakes through its press. It created the third-most turnovers of any ACC team (17.9 per game) and will face an inexperienced backcourt in Villanova.
"I think our press is designed to wear people down," Cliff Hammonds said. "We may get a couple steals here and there, but throughout the course of the game if we keep our pressure on a team and keep going after them, it's designed to wear them down the stretch."
That said, Scottie Reynolds isn't your normal sophomore and has been handling the ball primarily for the Wildcats in the season's last few weeks.
"Everybody understands that Villanova has great guards and they've got a number of them," said Coach Oliver Purnell. "But Scottie Reynolds is as good as there is in the country, and Corey Fisher is one of the best young talents in the country. So they have the weapons to attack the pressure, there is no question about that."
Top of the morning to you
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers were actually the first team to meet with the media this morning, so I'm more just catching up with them now. Most of the discussion was very game specific, but the team does have an interesting view of itself, despite it's No. 12 seed.
"We don't consider ourselves underdogs," he said. "We see it as an opportunity to play another game, and we're going to take it like another game on our schedule. We pretty much know the history of the 12 seeds playing the 5 seeds. We're going to come out and play as hard as we can and hopefully duplicate that."
Since 1985, the No. 12 seeds have pulled off 30 upsets, more than any of the five lower seeds in the tournament, including No. 11s, which have won 29 times.
"We're not trying to upset anybody," coach Darrin Horn said. "We're trying to win. The seed, and the match-up to us are irrelevant from the standpoint that we want come out and find a way to win the game."
One interesting quote from junior guard Orlando Mendez-Valdez on the Forum, which houses the Tampa Bay Lightning: "The ice, that's a little different, almost like the arena was sweating."
To come: Vanderbilt, which just got to their press conference.
"We don't consider ourselves underdogs," he said. "We see it as an opportunity to play another game, and we're going to take it like another game on our schedule. We pretty much know the history of the 12 seeds playing the 5 seeds. We're going to come out and play as hard as we can and hopefully duplicate that."
Since 1985, the No. 12 seeds have pulled off 30 upsets, more than any of the five lower seeds in the tournament, including No. 11s, which have won 29 times.
"We're not trying to upset anybody," coach Darrin Horn said. "We're trying to win. The seed, and the match-up to us are irrelevant from the standpoint that we want come out and find a way to win the game."
One interesting quote from junior guard Orlando Mendez-Valdez on the Forum, which houses the Tampa Bay Lightning: "The ice, that's a little different, almost like the arena was sweating."
To come: Vanderbilt, which just got to their press conference.
Husky watch
UConn's currently on the St. Pete Times Forum floor right now practicing. The session is open to both the media and fans (there's a smattering on one side of the arena), and even San Diego coach Bill Grier took it in. The Huskies are mainly doing shooting drills (they're not going to run any of their plays obviously), but the extra reps should help. They're most likely going to see zone against San Diego, a team that's not overly aggressive defensively but likes to make teams shoot over it.
As for what the team is saying, here are some notable quotes and observations from the Huskies' trip to the podium and inside the locker room.
(1) Jim Calhoun knows San Diego forward Gyno Pomare is good. But he needed a little help with the junior's name.
Calhoun: "Pomare, the big kid up front -- There's probably not an 'O' in there. It's Pomare, I think?"
Moderator: "Pomare."
Calhoun: "Oh, OK. I'm Irish, what do you expect? But the bottom line, whether he's Pomaro or Pomare, it really is no important, he's good and he's very effective."
(2) The Huskies didn't know much about San Diego as of Sunday, the last time they met with the media. Calhoun said he's watched about six tapes of the Toreros and was struck by one thing more than anything: their efficiency.
"I think Pragmatically, they really go inside when they need to go inside. I think they space the floor with three guards and cause you programs without question," Calhoun said. "I'm looking at the tape (of a game against Gonzaga) and Gonzaga is winning this game, except the scoreboard didn't show that because they (San Diego) were really controlling the pace of the game. ... I've seen more talented teams on tape not take of advantage of who and what they are."
Both A.J. Price and Jeff Adrien, who represented the team in the press conference, called San Diego a good team, citing wins over the Zags and St. Mary's, who are both in the tournament.
"You've got to add Kentucky to that list, too, of teams they beat," Adrien said.. "I just think that we are just physically better than them as far as our talent and everything. But you know, anything cold happen. So i think we match up a lot better."
The Huskies have a definite size advantage (San Diego has one player over 6-foot-8) and should over-match the Toreros athletically.
"I really don't think we have a significant advantage anywhere against them," Grier said. "I do think we have good quickness. But I look at A.J. Price, and (Jerome) Dyson and (Craig) Austrie off the bench and Wiggins, and I think those kids are every bit as quick as Brandon (Johnson) and Trumaine (Jackson), if not quicker. Maybe Gyno's a little bit quicker than (Hasheem) Thabeet, I don't know. We can put them in a foot race or something after the game."
(3) There's obvious excitement around the team now that it's finally at the tournament, in town and preparing for the game tomorrow. Not having to wear a winter jacket helps, too.
"This weather is great right now," Dyson said. "That's the biggest thing. But I feel like I'm kind of nervous to play. That's just how I am. But I don't think there's too much with the group of us because we're confident in what we can do and how we play. We
Stanley Robinson was all smiles in the locker room (when is Sticks not smiling, though). But the only thing that could have topped it would have been the chance to play in his hometown. Birmingham was a possible first-round destination for the Huskies.
"First, I was looking at and hoping it was (where we'd end up)," Robinson said. "I'm kind of close to it, though."
Would have it been a distraction for you, though?
"No not all, just extra excitement," he said. "I'm really excited right now, but being put back in Birmingham would have been over the limits."
(4) A reporter stating posing a question to Calhoun about what's behind the so many first-round upsets, particularly among No. 4 and 5 seeds, before the coach cut in.
"I was in a good mood about five minutes ago, but go ahead," he said smiling.
Is there any reason why these types of match-ups lend themselves to a decent amount of lower seeds winning?
"Psychologically, particularly by the 4 and 5's, they think that they are one of the super teams and (they) really aren't," Calhoun said. "We're a very good basketball team, we're 24-8, that's what we are. But we aren't a super team. We're a tea, that could catch fire in this tournament, because I think we have the components to be very, very good at times. We've shown that.
"But as a guard, we could have no argument about (an upset at) 8-9 because they're two evenly matched teams," he later added. "But when you get to the 5-4, it's the team that thinks they're better than what they are. When you get down to 13, you're getting a very good basketball team to play against."
(5) Following UConn's 78-72 loss to West Virginia last week in the Big East tournament, a reporter asked Calhoun if this was a hard team to a read on, considering its 3-3 finish. Calhoun flatly said, No. He recanted Thursday afternoon.
"This is a shock to some of you that I actually lied the other night," he said. "I'm not admitting that because it is the Lenten season, and I think I should come up with some form of confession. But the confession is, you're 100 percent right. I've been very surprised (by this team).
"You can look at it, we're 3-3 out of our last six and won 13 out of 16," he continued, "I prefer the 13 out of 16 because I think we're that good and can be that good. But we've shown signs of doing things that teams of ours in the past haven't done. Not defending, getting out-rebounded (42-26) by West Virginia.
"But in turn in the midst of that, we set an all-time (Big East) record of 45-point win over a good Cincinnati team. We beat a good West Virginia team at home. ... And you're right. we've been erratic, no question."
As for the venue itself ...
The Forum seems like a nice arena. The sight lines are good, and the loge seats are kind of spread on a low incline (as opposed to places like the TD Banknorth Garden, where the first sections are pretty steep). And it's big -- both the arena itself (it has roughly 21,000 seats) and the building that houses it. The Courant's Jeff Jacobs, Mike Anthony and I had trouble finding the media entrance when we first arrived and ended up doing a lap around the building. And seriously, it took almost 15 minutes.
Also, all the media is being seated along two rows on one of the sidelines, which always makes me happy. Trying to watch a game from a baseline seat can be maddening. You don't catch everything on the other end of the floor, and if you're by the basket, there's a good chance there is some combination of cheerleaders, dancers, cameramen or arena workers sitting in front of you.
To come: Western Kentucky.
As for what the team is saying, here are some notable quotes and observations from the Huskies' trip to the podium and inside the locker room.
(1) Jim Calhoun knows San Diego forward Gyno Pomare is good. But he needed a little help with the junior's name.
Calhoun: "Pomare, the big kid up front -- There's probably not an 'O' in there. It's Pomare, I think?"
Moderator: "Pomare."
Calhoun: "Oh, OK. I'm Irish, what do you expect? But the bottom line, whether he's Pomaro or Pomare, it really is no important, he's good and he's very effective."
(2) The Huskies didn't know much about San Diego as of Sunday, the last time they met with the media. Calhoun said he's watched about six tapes of the Toreros and was struck by one thing more than anything: their efficiency.
"I think Pragmatically, they really go inside when they need to go inside. I think they space the floor with three guards and cause you programs without question," Calhoun said. "I'm looking at the tape (of a game against Gonzaga) and Gonzaga is winning this game, except the scoreboard didn't show that because they (San Diego) were really controlling the pace of the game. ... I've seen more talented teams on tape not take of advantage of who and what they are."
Both A.J. Price and Jeff Adrien, who represented the team in the press conference, called San Diego a good team, citing wins over the Zags and St. Mary's, who are both in the tournament.
"You've got to add Kentucky to that list, too, of teams they beat," Adrien said.. "I just think that we are just physically better than them as far as our talent and everything. But you know, anything cold happen. So i think we match up a lot better."
The Huskies have a definite size advantage (San Diego has one player over 6-foot-8) and should over-match the Toreros athletically.
"I really don't think we have a significant advantage anywhere against them," Grier said. "I do think we have good quickness. But I look at A.J. Price, and (Jerome) Dyson and (Craig) Austrie off the bench and Wiggins, and I think those kids are every bit as quick as Brandon (Johnson) and Trumaine (Jackson), if not quicker. Maybe Gyno's a little bit quicker than (Hasheem) Thabeet, I don't know. We can put them in a foot race or something after the game."
(3) There's obvious excitement around the team now that it's finally at the tournament, in town and preparing for the game tomorrow. Not having to wear a winter jacket helps, too.
"This weather is great right now," Dyson said. "That's the biggest thing. But I feel like I'm kind of nervous to play. That's just how I am. But I don't think there's too much with the group of us because we're confident in what we can do and how we play. We
Stanley Robinson was all smiles in the locker room (when is Sticks not smiling, though). But the only thing that could have topped it would have been the chance to play in his hometown. Birmingham was a possible first-round destination for the Huskies.
"First, I was looking at and hoping it was (where we'd end up)," Robinson said. "I'm kind of close to it, though."
Would have it been a distraction for you, though?
"No not all, just extra excitement," he said. "I'm really excited right now, but being put back in Birmingham would have been over the limits."
(4) A reporter stating posing a question to Calhoun about what's behind the so many first-round upsets, particularly among No. 4 and 5 seeds, before the coach cut in.
"I was in a good mood about five minutes ago, but go ahead," he said smiling.
Is there any reason why these types of match-ups lend themselves to a decent amount of lower seeds winning?
"Psychologically, particularly by the 4 and 5's, they think that they are one of the super teams and (they) really aren't," Calhoun said. "We're a very good basketball team, we're 24-8, that's what we are. But we aren't a super team. We're a tea, that could catch fire in this tournament, because I think we have the components to be very, very good at times. We've shown that.
"But as a guard, we could have no argument about (an upset at) 8-9 because they're two evenly matched teams," he later added. "But when you get to the 5-4, it's the team that thinks they're better than what they are. When you get down to 13, you're getting a very good basketball team to play against."
(5) Following UConn's 78-72 loss to West Virginia last week in the Big East tournament, a reporter asked Calhoun if this was a hard team to a read on, considering its 3-3 finish. Calhoun flatly said, No. He recanted Thursday afternoon.
"This is a shock to some of you that I actually lied the other night," he said. "I'm not admitting that because it is the Lenten season, and I think I should come up with some form of confession. But the confession is, you're 100 percent right. I've been very surprised (by this team).
"You can look at it, we're 3-3 out of our last six and won 13 out of 16," he continued, "I prefer the 13 out of 16 because I think we're that good and can be that good. But we've shown signs of doing things that teams of ours in the past haven't done. Not defending, getting out-rebounded (42-26) by West Virginia.
"But in turn in the midst of that, we set an all-time (Big East) record of 45-point win over a good Cincinnati team. We beat a good West Virginia team at home. ... And you're right. we've been erratic, no question."
As for the venue itself ...
The Forum seems like a nice arena. The sight lines are good, and the loge seats are kind of spread on a low incline (as opposed to places like the TD Banknorth Garden, where the first sections are pretty steep). And it's big -- both the arena itself (it has roughly 21,000 seats) and the building that houses it. The Courant's Jeff Jacobs, Mike Anthony and I had trouble finding the media entrance when we first arrived and ended up doing a lap around the building. And seriously, it took almost 15 minutes.
Also, all the media is being seated along two rows on one of the sidelines, which always makes me happy. Trying to watch a game from a baseline seat can be maddening. You don't catch everything on the other end of the floor, and if you're by the basket, there's a good chance there is some combination of cheerleaders, dancers, cameramen or arena workers sitting in front of you.
To come: Western Kentucky.
Meet Drake
Some tidbits from Drake players and coaches' meeting with the media from the Forum. Drake, the No. 5 seed, plays 12th-seeded Western Kentucky in the first game of the day at 12:30 p.m.
(1) Adam Emmenecker has become a well-known name on the Bulldogs and around the country. The Missouri Valley Conference MVP and the owner of four majors, he's been written about countless times as the model student-athlete. So, is he tired of all the questions yet?
"No not yet," said Emmenecker, who didn't do one interview during the team's preseason media day. "You know, I had three, almost and a half years with doing no interviews. So we're trying to make up for it as much as possible as my days are getting close to being numbered toward the end of my senior year. So it would be hard to say that I'm getting sick of it, because I mean, how many people get the opportunity to do this?"
"I think it's an inspiration," Drake coach Keno Davis said of Emmenecker's story. "I've had a lot of people, other coaches want to talk about our success and Adam's success."
(2) Josh Young is arguably the team's best player and its leading scorer. But as Drake has become more and more visible nationally, he hasn't gotten the pub that others like Emmenecker or Klayton Korver (brother of Kyle and a fifth-year senior who came back from knee surgery) has. A reporter asked Young if he minds being on the list of the country's best uknowns.
"Well, that's quite an honor to be put on a lit like that," he said. "I think with our team, we have a lot of guys that could fit in that bracket. And so I'm honored that we're here right now and getting a chance to play down here. We're all excited about playing tomorrow."
(3) Speaking of Korver, his brother played in the tournament four times as a member of Creighton.
"I'm just glad I got to make it once," Klayton said. "Hopefully it's a start of a run of these trips for Drake University."
To come: The important stuff -- UConn.
(1) Adam Emmenecker has become a well-known name on the Bulldogs and around the country. The Missouri Valley Conference MVP and the owner of four majors, he's been written about countless times as the model student-athlete. So, is he tired of all the questions yet?
"No not yet," said Emmenecker, who didn't do one interview during the team's preseason media day. "You know, I had three, almost and a half years with doing no interviews. So we're trying to make up for it as much as possible as my days are getting close to being numbered toward the end of my senior year. So it would be hard to say that I'm getting sick of it, because I mean, how many people get the opportunity to do this?"
"I think it's an inspiration," Drake coach Keno Davis said of Emmenecker's story. "I've had a lot of people, other coaches want to talk about our success and Adam's success."
(2) Josh Young is arguably the team's best player and its leading scorer. But as Drake has become more and more visible nationally, he hasn't gotten the pub that others like Emmenecker or Klayton Korver (brother of Kyle and a fifth-year senior who came back from knee surgery) has. A reporter asked Young if he minds being on the list of the country's best uknowns.
"Well, that's quite an honor to be put on a lit like that," he said. "I think with our team, we have a lot of guys that could fit in that bracket. And so I'm honored that we're here right now and getting a chance to play down here. We're all excited about playing tomorrow."
(3) Speaking of Korver, his brother played in the tournament four times as a member of Creighton.
"I'm just glad I got to make it once," Klayton said. "Hopefully it's a start of a run of these trips for Drake University."
To come: The important stuff -- UConn.
Introducing ... the Toreros
San Diego players and coaches just hopped off the podium here at the St. Pete Times Forum. Here are a few gems from their meeting with the media:
(1) Hasheem Thabeet poses a challenge San Diego hasn't seen this year. Toreros coach Bill Grier had reporters going a little bit when he described how his team's prepared to face the 7-foot-3 sophomore.
"We had one of our kids get on the shoulders of another one of our kids in practice all week," he said. "And then we held brooms up. I don't want our guys to play in fear of them but we also have to be intelligent. He's a great shot blocker and you see some teams on film keep trying to challenge and he keeps blocking shot. ... So we have to be mart about it."
As Grier finished, a reporter asked, "You're joking about the shoulders, right?"
"Yes I am joking," Grier said.
San Diego forward Gyno Pomare will probably draw the majority of the time against Thabeet on both ends of the floor. He understands the challenge ahead of him.
"I've never played anyone that tall before," said Pomare, who's averaging 13.7 points per game . "I know he's going to block some shots, i'm just goign to keep gthoing at m, find others ways to score, get some other guys open. My role's going to change for this game for sure."
(2) The last time San Diego was in the tournament was 2003. So where were some of the players when it happened?
"I didn't know USD existed until they started recruiting me," Pomare said with a smile, "and I didn't even find out they went to the tournament until they told me that when they started to recruit me."
Teamamte Brandon Johnson joked that Corey Belser "showed us his ring (he got for the tournament) a couple of times."
"He let us know what we need to get. But they (the former players) all called us and congratulated us. And i think right now it's just a blessing to be playing in the tournament."
(3) The No. 13 seed has won 18 times in the first round before. San Diego players know they're the underdogs, but they weren't interested in historical context or Cinderella stories.
"When you go in there and the ball goes up, I think the seeds all go out the window," Johnson said. "You've just got to go out there and try to perform to the best of your ability. And I think a lot of teams respect that. I read in a couple of papers that Coach said we can go in this game and win."
To come: Drake players and coach Keno Davis.
(1) Hasheem Thabeet poses a challenge San Diego hasn't seen this year. Toreros coach Bill Grier had reporters going a little bit when he described how his team's prepared to face the 7-foot-3 sophomore.
"We had one of our kids get on the shoulders of another one of our kids in practice all week," he said. "And then we held brooms up. I don't want our guys to play in fear of them but we also have to be intelligent. He's a great shot blocker and you see some teams on film keep trying to challenge and he keeps blocking shot. ... So we have to be mart about it."
As Grier finished, a reporter asked, "You're joking about the shoulders, right?"
"Yes I am joking," Grier said.
San Diego forward Gyno Pomare will probably draw the majority of the time against Thabeet on both ends of the floor. He understands the challenge ahead of him.
"I've never played anyone that tall before," said Pomare, who's averaging 13.7 points per game . "I know he's going to block some shots, i'm just goign to keep gthoing at m, find others ways to score, get some other guys open. My role's going to change for this game for sure."
(2) The last time San Diego was in the tournament was 2003. So where were some of the players when it happened?
"I didn't know USD existed until they started recruiting me," Pomare said with a smile, "and I didn't even find out they went to the tournament until they told me that when they started to recruit me."
Teamamte Brandon Johnson joked that Corey Belser "showed us his ring (he got for the tournament) a couple of times."
"He let us know what we need to get. But they (the former players) all called us and congratulated us. And i think right now it's just a blessing to be playing in the tournament."
(3) The No. 13 seed has won 18 times in the first round before. San Diego players know they're the underdogs, but they weren't interested in historical context or Cinderella stories.
"When you go in there and the ball goes up, I think the seeds all go out the window," Johnson said. "You've just got to go out there and try to perform to the best of your ability. And I think a lot of teams respect that. I read in a couple of papers that Coach said we can go in this game and win."
To come: Drake players and coach Keno Davis.
Tampa Tidbits
A day full of press press conferences and practices (and blog posts) is about two hours away, but I got a chance to see a little of downtown Tampa Wednesday afternoon. Here are my first impressions:
(1) This is only my second trip every to Florida (I went to Orlando as a senior in high school), so all the palm trees, the 78-degree weather in March, etc. ... I'm still amazed by it. I'm sure the novelty of it all wears off for people who have been here more (this is UConn's third trip to the state this season), but for me, it's pretty cool to see.
(2) I'm without a car for the weekend, so checking out places like St. Pete's, Clearwater, Fort Myers, etc., is kind of out of the question. But downtown Tampa seems relatively clean and safe (My hotel is about a mile away from where myself and some of the other writers grabbed dinner last night, and my walk back alone was uneventful). There are a few restaurants and bars, too, and two blocks down from the St. Pete's Times Forum, there is an outdoor mall-like area that has stores, a Bennigans, a Thai place, a Hooters, etc. Included in there, interestingly enough, is a place called Banana Joe's, the infamous spot of the Carolina Panther cheerleader incident a few years back.
(3) The local newspapers (the Tampa Tribune and St. Pete Times) have really gone full out on coverage. The Tribune alone had a separate inside page for the regional tournament and sent a columnist and photographer to upstate New York to do a story on Siena.
(4) As for the city itself, there are banners around the arena touting it as an NCAA tournament destination (and the home of the women's Final Four), but throughout downtown, there's really little hoopla as far as posters, banners, etc.
(5) Disappointed I won't be able to catch a Red Sox game. Even if I had the time or funds (taxi?) to get out to Fort Myers, it doesn't matter. The Sox are off on their Japan trip, though they do know how to take care of their own before they go.
(6) As from ESPN.com writer Pat Forde's NCAA tournament scenario column:
"CONNECTICUT (4)
Best Case: Hasheem Thabeet blocks so many shots that they have to ice his palm daily by the time the Huskies reach the Final Four. Pleasant memories flourish for UConn fans, since they won the last Final Four played in the Alamodome, but the Huskies are taken down in the title game by North Carolina. Everyone returns on senior-less team and UConn is preseason No. 1 for 2008-09.
Worst Case: Jim Calhoun calls timeout four seconds into the opener against San Diego, furious at his team for failing to line up correctly for the jump ball. Grabs A.J. Price by the jersey, barks profanity at fans behind the bench, dumps on officials and generally acts like the unhappiest man in the Dance. Team follows his lead, plays miserably and loses to the Toreros. Thabeet and Price go pro."
I put this only for one reason: I wouldn't be surprised for San Diego to jump out very quickly on Friday and force Calhoun to burn a timeout. I'm not saying UConn isn't ready, but they're usually slow starters in day games and jacked-up underdogs usually come out red-hot anyway. That said, I can't imagine Price going pro after this season. It's gotten all the necessary accolades this year, but he has to know his stock can only go up if he stays. Thabeet's in the same boat, but his is high enough now where turning down a chance to leave might be too difficult. So enjoy seeing him -- every game from here on out could be his last at UConn.
Check back here in a few hours for the first round of updates from today's Media Day.
(1) This is only my second trip every to Florida (I went to Orlando as a senior in high school), so all the palm trees, the 78-degree weather in March, etc. ... I'm still amazed by it. I'm sure the novelty of it all wears off for people who have been here more (this is UConn's third trip to the state this season), but for me, it's pretty cool to see.
(2) I'm without a car for the weekend, so checking out places like St. Pete's, Clearwater, Fort Myers, etc., is kind of out of the question. But downtown Tampa seems relatively clean and safe (My hotel is about a mile away from where myself and some of the other writers grabbed dinner last night, and my walk back alone was uneventful). There are a few restaurants and bars, too, and two blocks down from the St. Pete's Times Forum, there is an outdoor mall-like area that has stores, a Bennigans, a Thai place, a Hooters, etc. Included in there, interestingly enough, is a place called Banana Joe's, the infamous spot of the Carolina Panther cheerleader incident a few years back.
(3) The local newspapers (the Tampa Tribune and St. Pete Times) have really gone full out on coverage. The Tribune alone had a separate inside page for the regional tournament and sent a columnist and photographer to upstate New York to do a story on Siena.
(4) As for the city itself, there are banners around the arena touting it as an NCAA tournament destination (and the home of the women's Final Four), but throughout downtown, there's really little hoopla as far as posters, banners, etc.
(5) Disappointed I won't be able to catch a Red Sox game. Even if I had the time or funds (taxi?) to get out to Fort Myers, it doesn't matter. The Sox are off on their Japan trip, though they do know how to take care of their own before they go.
(6) As from ESPN.com writer Pat Forde's NCAA tournament scenario column:
"CONNECTICUT (4)
Best Case: Hasheem Thabeet blocks so many shots that they have to ice his palm daily by the time the Huskies reach the Final Four. Pleasant memories flourish for UConn fans, since they won the last Final Four played in the Alamodome, but the Huskies are taken down in the title game by North Carolina. Everyone returns on senior-less team and UConn is preseason No. 1 for 2008-09.
Worst Case: Jim Calhoun calls timeout four seconds into the opener against San Diego, furious at his team for failing to line up correctly for the jump ball. Grabs A.J. Price by the jersey, barks profanity at fans behind the bench, dumps on officials and generally acts like the unhappiest man in the Dance. Team follows his lead, plays miserably and loses to the Toreros. Thabeet and Price go pro."
I put this only for one reason: I wouldn't be surprised for San Diego to jump out very quickly on Friday and force Calhoun to burn a timeout. I'm not saying UConn isn't ready, but they're usually slow starters in day games and jacked-up underdogs usually come out red-hot anyway. That said, I can't imagine Price going pro after this season. It's gotten all the necessary accolades this year, but he has to know his stock can only go up if he stays. Thabeet's in the same boat, but his is high enough now where turning down a chance to leave might be too difficult. So enjoy seeing him -- every game from here on out could be his last at UConn.
Check back here in a few hours for the first round of updates from today's Media Day.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
San Diego ... soak it in
Here is the full (and long) transcript from a phone interview with first-year San Diego coach Bill Grier earlier this week. The 13th-seeded Toreros play No. 4 UConn Friday at approximately 3 p.m. (or 30 minutes following the end of the 12:30 p.m. WKU-Drake game). Some basics on San Diego (21-13):
(1)
(1)