Some notes, quotes and video from UConn's practice, prior to Friday night's season-opener vs. Bryant.

As you likely know by now, Rodney Purvis must sit out the game after having played in more than one summer league this past summer.

"He's just got to wait 40 more minutes, and he’ll be alright," said Kevin Ollie.

Ryan Boatright, who had to sit out nine games as a freshman due to eligibility issues, had perhaps the best line.

“I tell him, ‘You’re lucky it’s only one game. I sat out, like, 13.’ So, he’ll be alright," Boatright said.

Yes, nine, not 13, but still a good line.




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OLLIE:

“We’re playing a real good team. They have a lot of shooters on the court, they shoot a lot of 3’s, they do a lot of ball screens. We’ve got to be great on our ball pressure, we’ve got to communicate very, very well, and we’ve got to attack on offense.”

(on whether Omar Calhoun will play)

“(No), unless James (Doran) did a miracle back there. But he is progressing. I don’t think he’ll be ready to play, but you never know. He’s been shooting, he’s been looking real good ... but the way I got the word today, he probably won’t play.”

“You play with the guys that you’ve got. Those guys work hard all summer, they look at it as an opportunity to play more minutes. Hopefully, they stay hungry and they have the attitude to go out there and take care of that opportunity. We want a win, whether we play with five guys, eight or 10.”

“We’ve got a lot of guards. Take Rodney out, we’ve got another guard. You know the roster. There’s no adjustment. All our guys are interchangable. Everybody can play the 1, everybody can play the 2, play the 3, Daniel (Hamilton) can play even the four.”

“He’s here, he’ll deal with it, and he’ll be ready to play in Puerto Rico. He’s gonna come out and have a great season.

(on the purpose of the NCAA rule)

“I have no idea. Your guess is better than mine. I guess to keep guys out from playing three or four of them, but I have no idea.”

(on Terrence Samuel)

“I’ve seen some good things, and I’ve seen some things he needs to work on. He definitely needs to keep his man in front of him a little better. He’s been able to get broken down too easy. We’ve been working on that, watching a lot of film. I think he did a better job the second game. Last year, he changed the pace. He came in and got steals, defensive pressure, pushed the ball. So, we need him to play that way. He’s definitely improved on his shot, but he has to be a force out there when he gets in the game. The tempo’s got to change. Hopefully, he understands that. If he’s in the starting lineup or coming off the bench, his mentality should not ever change.”

“We’ve got eight guys, so everybody’s got more minutes. That’s what it is. You look at it as an opportunity. I think he’s going to come out there and play hard, gotta stay out of

BOATRIGHT:

“I’m probably gonna have a few more shot attempts than I normally do."

“We’ve been waiting on this day for a long time, to be able to beat up on somebody else rather than on each other. I’m excited, and I think the team is excited.”

"Winning a national championship, you’re gonna get everybody’s best shot. But just going to UConn, you’re gonna get everybody’s best shot. I think whatever school you go to, when you see UConn on the schedule, you’re like, ‘That’s UConn.’ You’re gonna get everybody’s best shot.”