tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81858290230653804602024-03-18T07:33:34.202-04:00UConn Men's Basketball BlogDavid Borgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10048777379290646863noreply@blogger.comBlogger1971125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-5315343008385481582018-01-13T10:07:00.001-05:002018-01-13T10:18:06.531-05:00Lukas Kisunas, UConn targets at Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield this weekendThe 2018 Spalding Hoop Hall Classic kicked off on Thursday at Blake Arena in Springfield, Massachusetts. As usual, some of the top prep prospects in the country will be on hand, and UConn has its eyes on some of them.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfXsCEHPfnOG6WEXb9JArN5bsOV6sXJ0BU-pcDO3EXEPOoHpSG2sb4GrfNuraPAeVk7nqYEMBQc4rAfeeW5SyQIvbbHRDvDeaytNoxwKqcOoLbz-UX-0_5FkUGU1W0sg8JmhpSkNmvJk/s1600/Kisunas.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfXsCEHPfnOG6WEXb9JArN5bsOV6sXJ0BU-pcDO3EXEPOoHpSG2sb4GrfNuraPAeVk7nqYEMBQc4rAfeeW5SyQIvbbHRDvDeaytNoxwKqcOoLbz-UX-0_5FkUGU1W0sg8JmhpSkNmvJk/s320/Kisunas.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brewster forward Lukas Kisunas, who committed to UConn in October</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Perhaps the best time for UConn fans to come and watch future (or potentially future) Huskies is on Sunday morning. At 10:45 a.m., Brewster Academy, which features UConn commit Lukas Kisunas and point guard target Sherif Kenney, will square off against Cushing Academy.<br />
<br />
Right after that, at 12:30 p.m., Vermont Academy, which features 2020 point guard Symer Torrence, whom UConn assistant Dwayne Killings was in to see recently, takes on IMG Post Grad.<br />
<br />
<br />David Borgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10048777379290646863noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-29147970759236571522017-10-22T17:05:00.002-04:002017-10-25T11:17:22.312-04:00UConn recruits, targets will play in New Haven Nov. 17-19UConn commit Lukas Kisunas and targets Sherif Kenney, Akok Akok and others will be on display at the 2017 National Prep Showcase Nov. 17-19 at Albertus Magnus College.<br />
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Kisunas, a physical Class of 2018 forward who <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/sports/article/Physical-big-man-Lukas-Kisunas-commits-to-UConn-12246445.php">pledged to the Huskies a few weeks ago</a>, and Kenney, a 2019, 6-4 point guard "with a little Khalid El-Amin in him," per his Brewster Academy coach, will play on Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. against Link Year Prep of Missouri and Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. against Maryland's Mount Zion Prep.<br />
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Akok, a 6-9 Class of 2018 forward who plays at Putnam Science Academy, will play on Nov. 17 at 6:45 p.m. against Link Year Prep and on Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. against Sunrise Christian Academy of Kansas.<br />
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Here's the full tournament schedule:<br />
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<br />
<b><br /></b>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #646464; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: medium;"><b>2017 National Prep Showcase</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #646464; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: medium;"><b>November 17th - 19th, 2017</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #646464; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: medium;"><b>Albertus Magnus College - New Haven, CT</b></span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Friday, November 17th</b></div>
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<b>9:30a.m. St. Thomas More School (CT) vs. Fork Union Military Academy (VA)</b><br />
<b>11:00a.m. Notre Dame Prep (NH) vs. IMG Academy (FL)</b><br />
<b>12:30p.m. Woodstock Academy (CT) vs. Hargrave Military Academy (VA)</b><br />
<b>2:00p.m. Bridgton Academy (ME) vs. Scotland Campus Sports (PA)</b><br />
<b>3:45p.m. South Kent School (CT) vs. The Academy Spain (ESP)</b><br />
<b>5:15p.m. Northfield Mount Hermon School (MA) vs. Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)</b><br />
<b>6:45p.m. Putnam Science Academy (CT) vs. Link Year Prep (MO)</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #646464; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<b>Saturday, November 18th</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #646464; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<b>9:30a.m. Fork Union Military Academy (VA) vs. Bridgton Academy (ME)</b><br />
<b>11:00a.m. Hargrave Military Academy (VA) vs. St. Thomas More School (CT)</b><br />
<b>12:30p.m. IMG Academy (FL) vs. Scotland Campus Sports (PA)</b><br />
<b>2:15p.m. Massanutten Military Academy (VA) vs. Northfield Mount Hermon (MA)</b><br />
<b>4:00p.m. Link Year Prep (MO) vs. Brewster Academy (NH)</b><br />
<b>5:45p.m. CBD Montverde Academy (FL) vs. New Hampton School (NH)</b><br />
<b>7:30p.m. Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) vs. Putnam Science Academy (CT)</b></div>
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<b>Sunday, November 19th</b></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #646464; font-family: montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b>10:00a.m. Brewster Academy (NH) vs. Mount Zion Prep (MD)</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #646464; font-family: montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b>11:30a.m. New Hampton School (NH) vs. Massanutten Military Academy (VA)</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #646464; font-family: montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b>1:00p.m. Tilton School (NH) vs. Spire Institute (OH)</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #646464; font-family: montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b>2:45p.m. Woodstock Academy (CT) vs. CBD Montverde Academy (FL)</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #646464; font-family: montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b>4:15p.m. MacDuffie School (MA) vs. Blair Academy (NJ)</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #646464; font-family: montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<b>5:45p.m. Vermont Academy (VT) vs. The Academy Spain (ESP)</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Also, here's the schedule for the Hoop Hall Classic Jan. 11-14 at Springfield College. Many top programs will be there, including Brewster, along with numerous high-profile UConn targets:<div style="background-color: white; color: #646464; font-family: montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-72633707717036773782017-10-07T09:05:00.001-04:002017-10-07T09:05:24.330-04:00Tickets for Jimmy V Classic on sale now<i>Tickets for the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 5 at Madison Square Garden, which will feature Syracuse-UConn in the nightcap at 9 (more like 9:30) p.m., are on sale.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Here's the info via a press release:</i><br />
<br />
Tickets for the Jimmy V Men’s Classic Presented by Corona, to be played on Tuesday, December 5, are now on sale. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The event, in its 23rd year, will once again be played from Madison Square Garden, featuring a potential top-20 matchup, according to ESPN’s Way-Too- Early Rankings, with No. 9 Villanova facing No. 19 Gonzaga (7 p.m. ET), followed by Syracuse against UConn (9 p.m.), both on ESPN. The Orange and Huskies return to MSG to face each other after last year’s matchup, where the Huskies edged out the Orange 52-50.<br /><br />Ticket prices range from $55 to $455 and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, Ticketmaster charge by phone at (866) 858-0008 and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com.<br /><br />The early-season event will be part of the 11th annual V Week for Cancer Research – the weeklong initiative across multiple ESPN platforms and programs featuring special content to help raise funds for cancer research. ESPN’s 2016<br /><br />Jimmy V Week for Cancer Research raised $3.8 million for the V Foundation for Cancer Research –more than $600,000 from the previous year’s total. In ten years, V Week has raised over $17.6 million for cancer research.</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-39339555471458930882017-09-19T18:29:00.001-04:002017-09-19T18:29:41.021-04:00A look at UConn's eight newcomers<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dbaB7bqSM-Y/WcGY8dTa37I/AAAAAAAAW1Q/iw3QzhAv99g5Y1kvXeIsGVt7GWoUXoeggCLcBGAs/s1600/Kwintin%2BWilliams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dbaB7bqSM-Y/WcGY8dTa37I/AAAAAAAAW1Q/iw3QzhAv99g5Y1kvXeIsGVt7GWoUXoeggCLcBGAs/s320/Kwintin%2BWilliams.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kwintin Williams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Husky Run is a week away (Wednesday, Sept. 27, to be exact). UConn begins practice three days after that.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, and with so many newcomers joining the Huskies this season (true freshmen, grad transfers, JUCO transfers), we thought we'd link some stories we've written on the newbies over the past few months so that you can get to know them a little better.<br />
<br />
It's an intriguing, eclectic bunch: a wide-body with plenty of Southern charm; an athletic St. John's transfer; a high school teammate of Markelle Fultz; a grad transfer from Cornell; a wiry big man who bases his game on Anthony Davis's; the son of a former NFL linebacker;<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DJTIFXnKFss/WcGYfzwkUpI/AAAAAAAAW1I/5aX6TNJAvqYWnXmgqx9544XSv1zVGFg7gCLcBGAs/s1600/Eric%2BCobb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DJTIFXnKFss/WcGYfzwkUpI/AAAAAAAAW1I/5aX6TNJAvqYWnXmgqx9544XSv1zVGFg7gCLcBGAs/s320/Eric%2BCobb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric Cobb</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Eric Cobb is UConn's best big man in the preseason, we're told. <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/uconn/article/UConn-lands-6-9-JUCO-transfer-Cobb-11668026.php">He's had some past transgressions</a> - getting booted out of South Carolina two years ago after an arrest. But the affable big man was one of <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/uconn/article/Meet-the-newcomers-for-the-UConn-men-s-12199313.php">the most engaging players at UConn's recent "Meet the New Huskies" media event</a>, asking sincere questions back to reporters and shaking everybody's hand after his interviews were all done. And, at 6-9, 270 pounds, he's exactly the kind of wide-body UConn will need this winter.</li>
<li>Antwoine Anderson is a Fordham grad transfer who has <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/uconn/article/Antwoine-Anderson-is-Huskies-latest-Mr-Big-11740192.php">hit three buzzer-beating, game-winning shots over the past two seasons</a>. He'll add experienced depth to the Huskies' already strong backcourt.</li>
<li>David Onuorah, a grad transfer, joins Cobb as perhaps the most in line for early minutes as a big man. <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/uconn/article/Fifth-year-grad-transfer-David-Onuorah-commits-to-11316964.php">The 6-9 shot-blocker sat out almost all of last season at Cornell</a> for personal reasons. He originally hails from Lithonia, Georgia, hometown of UConn redshirt frosh Alterique Gilbert.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nhregister.com/uconn/article/Josh-Carlton-hoping-to-provide-big-presence-for-11309437.php">Josh Carlton, is a classic, back-to-the-basket big </a>who was a teammate of NBA No. 1 draft pick Markelle Fultz at DeMatha High. He may be a year or two from being a major contributor for the Huskies.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nhregister.com/uconn/article/Future-UConn-men-s-basketball-player-Tyler-11316010.php">Tyler Polley is a small forward with a knack for the "lost art" of the mid-range jumper</a>. His dad, Tommy, was an NFL linebacker for six seasons, and Tyler has memories of pops chasing down Brett Favre in the snow.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nhregister.com/uconn/article/UConn-men-s-basketball-team-nabs-big-man-Isaiah-11314090.php">Isaiah Whaley, a wiry, 6-foot-9 forward </a>who models his game after Anthony Davis and has overcome some self-imposed adversity (a shoplifting incident) to become a truly "special kid."</li>
<li>Of course, <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/colleges/article/Basketball-player-Sidney-Wilson-now-enrolled-at-12175290.php">Sidney Wilson joins the Huskies after transferring from St. John's</a> a couple of weeks ago. The athletic, 6-7 forward chose the Johnnies over UConn in May but was almost <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gjXzciwhYsw/WcGYrPp7ZUI/AAAAAAAAW1M/-CnpA60GsXYFdDxbS_YMjUJZteJRp_TIQCLcBGAs/s1600/Sid%2BWilaon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gjXzciwhYsw/WcGYrPp7ZUI/AAAAAAAAW1M/-CnpA60GsXYFdDxbS_YMjUJZteJRp_TIQCLcBGAs/s320/Sid%2BWilaon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sidney Wilson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
immediately unhappy in Queens. He left St. John's a couple of weeks ago, but not after having been enrolled in summer courses. Because of that, he's currently considered a transfer who must sit out the season. He's applied for a waiver to try to become eligible this year, but that seems highly unlikely.</li>
<li>And, of course, last but not least there's Kwintin Williams, <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/uconn/article/UConn-men-get-commitment-from-athletic-JUCO-11308730.php">a 6-7 athletic freak with a 44-inch vertical leap</a>. He's 23 and has never played a minute of D-1 basketball, so it remains to be seen just how good and productive he can be. But he sure should be fun to watch.</li>
</ul>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-40086271934662280372017-09-15T11:38:00.000-04:002017-09-15T11:38:02.817-04:00Breaking down UConn's 2017-18 schedule<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Breaking down UConn's 2017-18 schedule. It's a good one:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Monday, Oct. 30 <b>vs.
Merrimack (XL Center, 7 p.m.) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>An
exhibition game</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sunday, Nov. 5 <b>vs.
Queens College (Gampel Pavilion, 5:30 p.m.)</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Exhibition will be first game
under new roof at Gampel </i> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Friday, Nov. 10 <b>vs.
Colgate (GP, 7 p.m., SNY) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>UConn
has won seven straight vs. Patriot League foes, dating back to 1974</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tuesday, Nov. 14 <b>vs.
Stony Brook (XL, 7 p.m., SNY) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Part of the PK80 Invitational …
sort of.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sunday, Nov. 19 <b>vs.
Boston Univ. (XL, 6 p.m., SNY) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>New Haven’s Walter Whyte should
be impact freshman for Terriers</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Thursday, Nov. 23 <b>vs.
Oregon (Moda Center, 9 p.m., ESPNU)</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Ducks
lost three NBA draft picks from Final Four team that beat UConn in Maui last
November</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Friday, Nov. 24 <b>vs.
Michigan State/DePaul (Veterans Col., TBD) </b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Huskies
will face either Tom Izzo’s Spartans or Dave Leitao’s Blue Demons in PK80
Invitational bout</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sunday, Nov. 26 <b>TBD </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>UConn will play third and final
game of PK 80 Invitational vs. either defending champ North Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas or Portland</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wednesday, Nov. 29 <b> vs.
Columbia (GP, 7 p.m., SNY) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>UConn is 8-2
all-time against Lions</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saturday, Dec. 2 <b>vs.
Monmouth (XL, 4 p.m., SNY) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i> King Rice’s
Hawks have been a MAAC powerhouse last few years</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tuesday, Dec. 5 <b>vs.
Syracuse (MSG, 9 p.m., ESPN) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Old Big East rivals will play
for third time in three years, this time at Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square
Garden</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saturday, Dec. 9 <b> vs.
Coppin State (GP, TBD, ESPN2/ESPNU) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Last
time Huskies played Eagles, Amida Brimah scored career-high 40 points</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Thursday, Dec. 21 <b>at
Arizona (McKale Center, TBD, TBD)</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Beginning
of home-and-home series with Wildcats, who will be preseason No. 1 on a lot of
lists</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saturday, Dec. 23 <b>at
Auburn (Auburn Arena, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Bruce
Pearl’s Tigers popped UConn in OT last December in Hartford</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saturday, Dec. 30 <b>vs.
Wichita State (XL, noon, CBS) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>This will be first-ever AAC game
and first visit to Connecticut by new AAC mates, who’ll be a preseason national
top-10</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wednesday, Jan. 3 <b>at
Tulsa (Reynolds Center, 7 p.m, ESPNews) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Will
Huskies visit the Bob Dylan Archives center on campus during their visit?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saturday, Jan. 6 <b> vs.
East Carolina (XL, noon, ESPNews) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i> Pirates have one of AAC’s better
all-around players in Kentrell Barkley</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wednesday, Jan. 10 <b>vs.
UCF (GP, 7 p.m., CBSSN) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i> Knights
are led by the long (7-foot-6 Tacko Fall) and short (high-scoring guard B.J.
Taylor) of it</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saturday, Jan. 13 <b>at
Tulane (Devlin Fieldhouse, 1 p.m., ESPNews) </b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Led
by talented Cameron Reynolds, Mike Dunleavy, Sr.’s Green Wave should be
improved</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tuesday, Jan. 16 <b> at
Memphis (FedExForum, 9 p.m., CBSSN) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>The
Lawson brothers (AAC top rebounder Dedric, rookie of the year K.J.) are now in
Kansas</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saturday, Jan. 20 <b>vs.
Villanova (XL, noon, CBS) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Start of
three-game series vs. former Big East foes</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Thursday, Jan. 25 <b> vs.
SMU (GP, 7 p.m., CBSSN) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>UConn
gets reprieve, won’t travel to Dallas for its annual thrashing by the Mustangs
this season</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sunday, Jan. 28 <b> at
Temple (Liacouras Center, 8 p.m., ESPN2) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Jalen
Adams’ last-second layup beat Owls in Philly last February </i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wednesday, Jan. 31 <b> at
UCF (CFE Arena, 9 p.m., CBSSN) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Watch
out for coach Johnny Dawkins’ son, Aubrey, who might be league’s best newcomer</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saturday, Feb. 3 <b>vs.
Cincinnati (GP, noon, ESPN/ESPN2) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>This
will be a homecoming for East Hartford native/Sacred Heart transfer Caine Broome</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wednesday, Feb. 7 <b>vs.
USF (GP, 7 p.m., ESPNU) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Just
about everybody’s gone from last year’s 7-23 train wreck</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saturday, Feb. 10 <b>at
Wichita State (Koch Arena, TBD, ESPN) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>UConn’s
only previous meeting vs. Shockers was in 2010 Maui Invitational. Kemba
happened.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Thursday, Feb. 15 <b>vs.
Tulsa (XL, 7 p.m., ESPNU) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Golden Hurricane
has nearly everyone back from last year’s 15-17 team</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sunday, Feb. 18 <b> at ECU (Minges Coliseum, 3 p.m., ESPNews) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Site
of one of UConn’s more disheartening league losses last March</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Thursday, Feb. 22 <b> at
Cincinnati (BB&T Arena, 7 p.m., ESPN) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>High-powered
Bearcats will give Wichita State a run for its money at top of league standings</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sunday, Feb. 25 <b>vs.
Memphis (GP, 2/4 p.m., ESPN/ESPNU) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Tubby
Smith’s Tigers were decimated by transfer, graduation last spring</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Wednesday, Feb. 28 <b>vs.
Temple (GP, 7 p.m., CBSSN) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Led by Obi
Echeniyonia, Shizz Alston, Quinton Rose, Owls should be much-improved this
season</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sunday, March 4 <b>at
Houston (TBD, 4 p.m., CBSSN) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Game
will be played either at Texas Southern or Toyota Center, home of Houston
Rockets</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Thursday-Sunday, March 8-11 <b>AAC Championships (ESPN) </b> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>At
the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida – where UConn won its only other AAC title
two years ago</i></div>
David Borgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10048777379290646863noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-8467290144311133572017-09-13T11:14:00.001-04:002017-09-13T11:14:53.843-04:00Kevin Ollie, other local D-1 coaches in roundtable on Sept. 28<i>An interesting event at the Golf Club of Avon on Sept. 28. Kevin Ollie and six other D-1 men's hoops coaches from Connecticut will have a roundtable discussion. Always thought Connecticut should have an event like this (Rhode Island used to do one weekly during the season, though admittedly there were much fewer coaches to deal with).</i><div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Anyway, here's the press release:</i> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Former college basketball coach and current ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg announces the inaugural V University’s CT Basketball Tip-Off, Presented by Hoffman Auto Group. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The event will feature head coaches from Connecticut’s seven Division-I men’s basketball programs in a roundtable discussion prior to taking questions from the audience. The breakfast event will take place Thursday, September 28, from 8-10 a.m. at the Golf Club of Avon. Net proceeds from tickets and a silent auction will benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research.</div>
<div>
<br />“I am excited to bring Connecticut’s Division-I college basketball coaches together for a morning of<br />hoops conversation while raising money for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. This event is something Jimmy would have loved,” said Greenberg, who won 383 games during his 22 seasons as<br />a head coach. “The format will give the coaches an opportunity to discuss their programs as well as<br />the state of the game.”</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLU86ncWfMkvpZYSoQW-mvONUYyWt9vPkggw0fGL84xCRQuz0Q5ksSRDe0DPcb1QpB3tuz5TrnTY30wwsk2HI8qHS_6fYg8LqmadxAuepC_N4_i5A5UcsVSvRtcgojD5_H6Nyt-0ZgsU/s1600/kevinolliecutsnet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLU86ncWfMkvpZYSoQW-mvONUYyWt9vPkggw0fGL84xCRQuz0Q5ksSRDe0DPcb1QpB3tuz5TrnTY30wwsk2HI8qHS_6fYg8LqmadxAuepC_N4_i5A5UcsVSvRtcgojD5_H6Nyt-0ZgsU/s320/kevinolliecutsnet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />Event-goers will have the opportunity to hear a first-hand preview of the in-state college basketball season, while raising money for cancer research. Conversation between some of college basketball’s top coaches, including Kevin Ollie, University of Connecticut’s National Championship coach in 2014, will cover topics such as past experiences, the state of college basketball, and outlooks for individual state teams. Audience question and answer will follow the coaches’ discussion. Tickets for the event can be purchased per person or by table until Friday, September 22.</div>
<div>
<br />V University (www.jimmyv.org/vuniversity) is a virtual campus that offers collegiate athletic conferences, departments, teams and student-athletes an opportunity to raise funds for cutting-edge<br />cancer research. V University was formed to help spread the late Coach Jim Valvano’s message of<br />perseverance—“Don’t Give Up . . . Don’t Ever Give Up!”®—shared during his inspirational speech at the inaugural ESPY Awards in 1993.</div>
David Borgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10048777379290646863noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-36684148563987657392017-09-01T17:00:00.002-04:002017-09-01T21:24:15.489-04:00Sid Wilson will be heading to UConn, hoping for a waiver to play this seasonFor Sidney Wilson, UConn was always near the top of his list. Perhaps at the very top.<br /><br />But when he initially made his collegiate decision back in May, Wilson selected St. John’s. The chance for the Bronx native to play for his hometown school was just too much to resist.<br /><br />Not even a week into summer courses, however, Wilson already wanted out. He announced he was leaving St. John’s earlier this week, and <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/uconn/article/Sidney-Wilson-leaves-St-John-s-joins-UConn-12167883.php">he will be transferring to UConn</a>.<br /><br />“My relationship with the coaching staff,” he said, when asked why he chose the Huskies a second time around. “Before I committed to St. John’s, I had a good feeling on my visit in early May. Coach (Kevin) Ollie wanted me just as much as before, once he found out I was transferring. That’s probably the biggest thing for me. He feels like even if I sit out this year, I can still get better.”<br /><br />Since Wilson was enrolled at St. John’s and took summer courses, he is likely to be considered a transfer by the NCAA and forced to sit out a year, per NCAA rules. However, UConn is working on a waiver to get Wilson eligible for this season, at least in part because he didn’t take any fall courses at St. John’s.<br /><br />Either way, Wilson and his father, Sidney, Sr., are happy to be with UConn.<br /><br />“The legacy of the program speaks for itself,” Sidney, Sr. said by phone on Friday. “Coach Ollie’s a stand-up guy. A lot of coaches would have taken it personal. But he was very welcoming. He wanted him again. He always wanted him. That never wavered.”<br /><br />And neither, apparently, did Wilson’s fondness for UConn.<br /><br />“They were neck-and-neck,” Wilson, Sr., said of the Huskies and St. John’s. “It came down to coming home and being home. Until the whole aspect of home came into it, (UConn was) probably No. 1.”<br /><br />Wilson’s mother, Pauline, passed away in March, 2015. Sidney, Sr. sent his son up to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire to get away from home – and all the memories that were there – for a while.<br /><br />The family thought Sidney was ready to return home when he committed to St. John’s.<br /><br />“St. John’s had great people, a great coaching staff, the facilities were wonderful,” Wilson said. “I just didn’t feel at home at St. John’s. I felt rushed into the decision. I thought being at home would be a great thing, but it turned out it wasn’t.”<br /><br />Added his father: “The memory of his mother was just a little too much.”<br /><br />Wilson is a 6-foot-7, ultra-athletic small forward who was the No. 71 overall recruit in the nation, per rivals.com. He could help a young, inexperienced UConn frontcourt this season, if he’s granted a waiver. But if not, he’s still ready to help.<br /><br /> <br /><br />“If I can’t (get a waiver), I’m still excited to get down to Storrs, have a great season and root on my teammates.”David Borgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10048777379290646863noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-82669355344415383922017-08-30T10:53:00.000-04:002017-08-30T10:54:32.277-04:00Sid Wilson leaves St. John's; UConn should be back in pictureSid Wilson has decided to transfer from St. John’s after taking summer courses at the school, and UConn would be one of his logical next destinations.<br />
<br />
Wilson, a 6-foot-7 forward from the Bronx, was down to St. John’s, UConn and Texas when he made his decision to join the Red Storm in May. But, according to a source, Wilson was never truly happy at St. John’s from the start of summer classes.<br />
<br />
Wilson lost his mother, Pauline, in March, 2015, and that seems to be one of the main reasons he decided to stay close to home. <br />
<br />
“But, unfortunately, I recently realized it was not what is best for me at this time to manage adversity in my life,” he said in a statement.<br />
<br />
Wilson played three years at St. Raymond’s High in the Bronx before transferring to Brewster Academy, where he planned on spending two years. However, this past spring he elected to re-classify and, ultimately, sign with St. John’s.<br />
<br />
Wilson’s primary option at this point would seem to be to sign with another school and sit out a year as a transfer, since he already took summer courses at St. John’s. It’s not unprecedented for players to take summer classes at a college and then return to prep school. In fact, Jakarr Sampson and Ron Patterson did so at Brewster, though there were extenuating circumstances – Sampson didn’t get through the NCAA Eligibility Center, and Indiana had oversigned for Patterson’s recruiting class.<br />
<br />
As a full-qualifier who has already taken college courses, it seems unlikely Wilson would be able to return to Brewster or any other prep school.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned …<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Jalen Carey has arrived on campus for his official visit to UConn. The Class of 2018 point guard is a highly-coveted recruit for the Huskies.David Borgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10048777379290646863noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-78669907755946699952017-08-24T12:29:00.001-04:002017-08-30T10:59:37.057-04:00Some dates to look forward to for UConn fans<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There may not be a First Night at UConn this year, but
that doesn’t mean the school won’t be doing something to get students and fans
revved up for the 2017-18 season.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What that will be remains to be seen, but the athletic
department is in the early planning stages of putting together something – no one’s
really sure what quite yet.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-92bFS4-DkSs/WZ7-dwDHlJI/AAAAAAAAW0E/VxtmDU_qEW49F_I-eDXwiuVk5neFJTL1gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-92bFS4-DkSs/WZ7-dwDHlJI/AAAAAAAAW0E/VxtmDU_qEW49F_I-eDXwiuVk5neFJTL1gCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3062.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The main problem, of course, is the venue. While work on
Gampel Pavilion’s roof is on schedule and will be completed by the time the
schedule begins in early November, it likely won’t be done by the time First
Night usually rolls around in mid-October. Hence, no First Night this year.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But be on the lookout for some type of announcement in
the coming weeks. What that event will be, where it will be held, who will
partake – all questions that remain to be answered.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-etgMhqt6xWI/WZ7-hnW-CjI/AAAAAAAAW0I/FVEhyl3klokOEKVst_FlYzElY41EbdkUACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-etgMhqt6xWI/WZ7-hnW-CjI/AAAAAAAAW0I/FVEhyl3klokOEKVst_FlYzElY41EbdkUACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3063.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work on Gampel Pavilion's roof back in late-June. It's a lot better now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Meanwhile, Tyler Polley and Eric Cobb, who had other
things to take care of over the summer, have arrived on UConn’s campus. The
rest of the team, including recent signee Kwintin Williams, who also hasn’t
made it to campus yet, will arrive by this weekend. Classes start on Monday.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here are some concrete dates for UConn fans to mark on
their calendars: </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Week of Sept. 4</b> – The AAC should release its schedule
sometime this week. UConn's will likely follow a day or two after. The league met with officials from CBS and ESPN last
Thursday to lock up some national games. Now, it’s just a matter of going over
with athletic directors, coaches, etc. about whether those dates and times
work, or if anything needs to be shifted. One complication this year is that
Houston and Cincinnati will both be playing all their games away from home due
to arena renovations. Houston will play most of its games on the Texas Southern
campus but a few at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston, home of the Rockets.
Cincy, meanwhile, will play all its games on the Northern Kentucky campus.<br />
<br />
Also this week, UConn will be holding a "Meet the Newcomer" event for the press. This will give media types a chance to find out a bit about the new players and tell their stories to interested readers.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Wednesday, Sept. 27</b> – The annual Husky Run should take
place on this date. This year’s route around campus may be a little different,
due to construction.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Saturday, Sept. 30</b> – First practice. Teams begin
practicing six weeks before their first game. That actually means the Huskies
could start on Friday, Sept. 29, but Kevin Ollie typically likes to start that
Saturday morning.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Monday, Oct. 16</b> – AAC Media Day. This will be held in
Philadelphia for the second straight year. The general public probably doesn’t
care, but it’s a good time for media to talk to players and coaches from around
the league as the season approaches.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Monday, Oct. 30</b> – UConn’s first exhibition game. No, not
against the University of St. Joseph. It’ll be against Merrimack, though not
sure if it’ll be in Storrs or Hartford just yet.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Tuesday, Nov. 14</b> – The Huskies will play Stony Brook in
their only previously-unannounced non-conference game. Again, not sure if it
will be in Storrs or Hartford yet.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, on the recruiting front, UConn will be getting a visit from coveted point guard Jalen Carey out of New Jersey. The Huskies were in on Carey early so they should feel good about where they stand with him.<br />
<br />
Other potential visits over the next few weeks include Tyron Brewer of Mississippi, Keyontae Johnson out of Oak Hill Academy and Andrew Nembhard out of Montverde Academy in Florida.</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-82543190250408681062017-08-19T08:22:00.002-04:002017-08-19T08:22:45.911-04:00What NBA player cares more about their hometown than Andre Drummond?Andre Drummond is still just a big kid at heart. Case in point:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qPnuXBOGBmI/WZgqjH4W4SI/AAAAAAAAWy0/pPDzP_AIKi0k823bmdtPUKtzPFUOvVf1ACLcBGAs/s1600/Andre%2BDrummond%2Bsilly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qPnuXBOGBmI/WZgqjH4W4SI/AAAAAAAAWy0/pPDzP_AIKi0k823bmdtPUKtzPFUOvVf1ACLcBGAs/s320/Andre%2BDrummond%2Bsilly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
But he takes his status as an NBA star and a role model seriously, and he's always giving back. One of his chief beneficiaries is his hometown of Middletown, specifically the Middlesex YMCA. He was back there on Friday, handing out 300 backpacks stuffed with school supplies and signing 100 basketballs for a long line of local kids.<br />
<br />
Here's <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/sports/article/Former-Husky-Andre-Drummond-continues-to-give-11943584.php">the story we wrote about the even</a>t. (By the way, he'll be playing in the Osgood Shootout at New Britain High on Saturday at 3 p.m., if you're interested).<br />
<br />
And here are a few more photos:<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-7845369583319417592017-08-08T18:01:00.001-04:002017-08-08T18:01:28.838-04:00Andre Drummond keeps giving back to his communityWe're reminded again about what a good person Andre Drummond is.<br />
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Drummond will be at the Middlesex YMCA in Middletown on Friday, Aug. 18. The first 300 children in attendance will receive a backpack with school supplies, while the first 100 kids will receive an autographed basketball. The event, which will run from 6-8 p.m., is open to the public.<br />
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Drummond, who will be accompanied by longtime friend from Middletown Mike Boornazian, has previously donated $10,000 to the Middlesex Y. That money funded Andre’s Allstars, a program open to youth over the age of 12 which currently provides support to over 30 participants. All participants receive a complimentary membership and academic support with tutoring sessions on Tuesday evenings, during the school year, through a partnership with Wesleyan University Volunteer Tutors.<br />
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The funding has also provided an opportunity for additional programming such as basketball skill clinics and S.T.O.R.M.Y Nights (Spend Time Out Relaxing at the Middlesex Y), a program designed to bring middle school kids into the Y for supervised activities on select Fridays. Many Andre's Allstars scholarship recipients have also participated in this summer's youth basketball league.<br />
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“We’re very grateful for the opportunity Andre has created for youth in this community," said Middlesex YMCA teen coordinator Craig Chivers. "So many of the Andre’s Allstars Scholarship recipients really need a safe space to get away and focus their energy. It’s such an impressionable age, so it’s important that we continue to provide a positive outlet. I think we’re beginning to truly develop future leaders and establishing a sense of community for the youth here at the Middlesex Y."<div>
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Drummond also was recently named a global ambassador for the Special Olympics.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-71213011314888977812017-07-27T17:01:00.000-04:002017-07-27T17:01:49.466-04:00Jeff Hathaway named chair of NCAA men's hoops oversight committee. Seriously.<i>I've got nothin'. Just read the press release (and notice how his tenure at UConn is never mentioned)</i>:<br />
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Hofstra University Vice President and Director of Athletics <a href="http://gohofstra.com/staff.aspx?staff=35">Jeffrey A. Hathaway</a> has been named the chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Oversight Committee. He began his tenure on July 1. <br />
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Hathaway has extensive experience on the national level as he has served as the vice-chair of this important committee since July, 2015. Hathaway will serve as the chair from July, 2017 until June, 2019. <br />
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"On behalf of the Colonial Athletic Association I would like to congratulate Jeff on being named the chair of the NCAA Men's Basketball Oversight Committee," commented CAA Commissioner Joe D'Antonio. "Jeff has done an outstanding job as the Conference's representative to the NCAA Division I Council, and I know he will tackle the challenges of this new position with the same level of enthusiasm and thoroughness. The NCAA Division I membership will benefit from Jeff's attention to detail, experience and overall knowledge of the college basketball landscape."<br />
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The Men's Basketball Oversight Committee ensures that appropriate oversight of men's basketball is maintained, will enhance the development and public perception of the sport and make recommendations related to regular-season and postseason men's basketball. The committee will prioritize enhancement of the student-athlete educational experience (academically and athletically), and in doing so, promote student-athletes' personal growth and leadership development.<br />
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The Men's Basketball Oversight Committee also supervises qualifications and/or selection procedures for the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. The committee will review recommendations from the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee and process other issues related to the administration of the championship. The committee assumed many of the duties of the former NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Issues Committee and will provide direction to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rules Committee regarding playing rules. The committee will be comprised of representatives from each divisional subgroup.<br />
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The Men's Basketball Oversight Committee shall consist of 12 voting members and four nonvoting members. The voting members shall include four Council members, seven non-Council members and one men's basketball Student-Athlete Advisory Committee member. The Council members shall be comprised of at least one representative from the FBS conferences, FCS conferences and Division I subdivision conferences. The nonvoting members shall be comprised of the chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee, the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, a faculty athletics representative and a men's basketball student-athlete.<br />
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Some of the direct responsibilities of the Oversight Committee include: <br />
- Maintain appropriate oversight of Division I men's basketball;<br />
- Enhance the development and public perception of Division I men's basketball;<br />
- Make recommendations related to regular season and postseason Division I men's basketball;<br />
- Prioritize enhancement of the student-athlete educational experience (academically and athletically), and in doing so, promote student-athletes' personal growth and leadership development;<br />
- Supervise qualifications and/or selection procedures for the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship;<br />
- Review recommendations from the Men's Basketball Committee and process other issues related to the administration of the championship;<br />
- Provide direction to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rules Committee regarding playing rules; and<br />
- Make recommendations on policy issues in Division I men's basketball that are unrelated to legislative and playing rule changes.<br />
- Also oversees the newly-formed NCAA Men's Basketball Competition Committee. <br />
- Work with other basketball organizations such as the National Basketball Association, USA Basketball and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. <br />
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Hathaway just concluded his fifth year at the helm of the Hofstra Department of Athletics. The former chairman of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee, Hathaway also serves on the NCAA Council as the Colonial Athletic Association representative. In his new role, he is also an ex-officio member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Board of Directors.<br />
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A three-time Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Award recipient, Hathaway has seen 11 Pride teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament, seven capture CAA titles, seven earn regular season CAA titles and four other make postseason appearances (National Invitation Tournament and Women's National Invitation Tournament and College Basketball Invitational).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-35392926424384646192017-07-24T21:37:00.000-04:002017-07-26T10:32:18.332-04:00A midsummer's look at the American Athletic ConferenceYes, the AAC just had its football media day last week in beautiful Newport, R.I. (is there a better media day location anywhere, for any sport?).<br />
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Still, it's never too early to take <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20170725/how-will-uconn-mens-basketball-fare-in-stronger-aac-this-season">a sneak peak ahead to basketball season</a>. So we did that, with a midsummer's look at what the AAC could offer this winter in men's hoops.<br />
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Here's what we see:<br />
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<b>NCAA TOURNAMENT LOCKS</b><br />
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<b>1. Wichita State</b>: Top eight scorers and all five starters are back from 31-5 MVC champs. Shockers may have league's best overall player in PG Landry Shamet, shooter in Conner Frankamp and on-the-ball defender in Zach Brown. Markus McDuffie is a tough power forward from St. Anthony's High (R.I.P.). They outrebounded foes by 9 per game last year, second in the nation. They'll be rude newcomers to their new league.<br />
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<b>2. Cincinnati:</b> Top three scorers (Jacob Evans, Kyle Washington, Gary Clark) are back. Jarron Cumberland is a bull. Troy Caupain is gone, but let's face it, he was a bit disappointing last year. Mick Cronin loves East Hartford's Caine Broome, who'll replace Caupain at point. Washington and Clark will somehow knock down a bunch of 3's against UConn. The Bearcats will make their eighth straight tourney and be serious challengers to WSU for league title.<br />
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<b>SHOULD BE IN TOURNEY PICTURE</b><br />
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<b>3. SMU</b>: Mustangs lost three players to the NBA, including AAC player (and scholar-athlete!) of the year, Semi Ojeleye. But Shake Milton is getting some first-round NBA draft buzz, and the 'Stangs get a true point guard in Arkansas transfer Jimmy Whitt. They'll also (somehow) have former USF high-scorer Jahmal McMurray by Christmas. He left USF last December, transferred to a junior college but didn't play. Oh, and Tim Jankovich can coach with anyone.<br />
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<b>4. UCF:</b> You know 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall. You may remember B.J. Taylor, who averaged 17.6 per game last season after sitting out a year with injury, and A.J. Davis, who led the team in scoring two years ago while Taylor was out. You'll soon get to know Aubrey Dawkins, the coach's son who's a dynamic athlete and likely would be starting for Michigan this season had he not transferred to play for pop.<br />
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<b>MAYBE, IF ...</b><br />
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<b>5. UConn</b>: <br />
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Biggest mystery team. There's great talent (Jalen Adams, Terry Larrier, Alterique Gilbert) and great unknown (the frontcourt). If the Huskies can stay healthy (no given considering the injury histories of Gilbert, Larrier and Mamadou Diarra) and get something from at least a couple of a group of young, raw bigs, they'll easily be in the NCAA tourney picture. If not ... that coaching seat could get hot.<br />
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<b>6. Temple:</b> Owls have about 70 percent of their scoring back, not to mention Josh Brown, who missed most of last season due to injury. Obi Enechionyia is an all-around talent, and Fran Dunphy can flat-out coach. Expect a nice bounce-back season.<br />
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<b>7. Houston:</b> UConn-killer Damyean Dotson is gone to the NBA, but AAC scoring champ Rob Gray, Jr. is back and Kelvin Sampson can coach. Once again, he's got a whole slew of JUCO transfers to integrate into the system. If Sampson can do that, Cougars could definitely finish higher.<br />
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<b>8. Tulsa:</b> Golden Hurricane entered last season with almost no one back from NCAA tourney team. This year, they've got nearly everyone back from a 15-17 team.<br />
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<b>THEY'LL BE BETTER</b><br />
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<b>9. East Carolina:</b> Jeff Lebo's back from season-ending hip surgery, but he'll be on coaching hot seat if Pirates don't show improvement. With Kentrell Barkley, B.J. Tyson and Jeremy Sheppard back, they just might.<br />
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<b>10. Tulane</b>: Green Wave have gone 3-15 in league play last two seasons. Don't expect that this year. A second year under Mike Dunleavy, Sr. should mean even more improvement from Cameron Reynolds, who was the league's most improved player <i>last</i> year, along with Melvin Frazier.<br />
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<b>YIKES!</b><br />
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<b>11. Memphis:</b> Odd to put Tigers this low, but they suffered a mass exodus over the offseason that made even UConn's look tame. The Lawson Bros. (Dedric and K.J.) are gone, as are Markel Crawford and five others. Tubby Smith will have to start from scratch, though he's had success doing that in the past.<br />
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<b>12. South Florida:</b> Bulls had eight players leave the program in offseason. That doesn't even include coach Orlando Antigua, fired in January, or leading scorer Jahmal McMurray, who left in December and will be hitting 3's for SMU this winter. Former Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory takes over. Good luck.<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>FIRST TEAM</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">G Landry Shamet,
Wichita State 6-4 188
R-So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">G Shake Milton, SMU 6-6 205 Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">G Jalen Adams, UConn 6-3 195 Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">G Rob Gray, Jr.
Houston 6-2 185
R-Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">F Kyle Washington,
Cincinnati 6-9 230
Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>SECOND TEAM</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">G Jacob Evans,
Cincinnati 6-6 210
Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">G B.J. Taylor, UCF 6-2
200 R-Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">F Markis McDuffie,
Wichita State 6-8 212 Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">F Gary Clark,
Cincinnati 6-8 225 Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">C Tacko Fall, UCF 7-6
290 Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>THIRD TEAM</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">G Obi Enechionyia,
Temple 6-10 220 Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">G Terry Larrier, UConn 6-8 193 R-Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">G Conner Frankamp,
Wichita State 6-1 172
R-Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">F Cameron Reynolds,
Tulane 6-7 215 R-Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">F Junior Etou, Tulsa 6-8 240 R-Sr..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PhBKQpf7ugI/WXaQRIyAiHI/AAAAAAAAWwY/n9X4kkMHB3EB1ECSMYQim1yEINw0OcyIwCLcBGAs/s1600/Shamet%252C%2BLandry_white_J2U2254_200x250px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="182" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PhBKQpf7ugI/WXaQRIyAiHI/AAAAAAAAWwY/n9X4kkMHB3EB1ECSMYQim1yEINw0OcyIwCLcBGAs/s1600/Shamet%252C%2BLandry_white_J2U2254_200x250px.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Landry Shamet, Wichita State</b>. Tough one to call, but we'll go with (probably) the best player on (probably) the best team. Turning point in Shockers' season last year was when Gregg Marshall moved Shamet from shooting guard to point and inserted Conner Frankamp at two-guard after loss to Illinois State. Shockers didn't lose again until NCAA tourney second round, to Kentucky.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Runner-up</i>: <b>Shake Milton, SMU</b>. <i>In the running</i>: <b>Kyle Washington, Cincinnati</b>; <b>Jalen Adams, UConn</b>; <b>B.J. Taylor, UCF</b>; <b>Gary Clark, Cincinnati</b>; <b>Rob Gray, Jr., Houston</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Alterique Gilbert, UConn</b>. By AAC standards, this means best freshman or redshirt freshman (after all, Memphis's K.J. Lawson won last year despite playing 10 games the year before). Gilbert is a redshirt after missing all but first 2 1/2 games last season.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Runner-up</i>: <b>William Douglas, SMU</b>. <i>In the running</i>: <b>Cedrick Alley, Jr., Houston</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Aubrey Dawkins, UCF.</b>This means any new player to the league, including grad transfers, regular transfers or JUCO transfers. Johnny's son was known for his acrobatic dunks at Michigan and has the type of athleticism not often seen in the AAC.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Runner-up:</i><b> Caine Broome, Cincinnati.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:</b> <b>Tacko Fall, UCF.</b> It's his to lose, after winning it last season. He'll surely lead league in blocked shots, which is usually what seals the deal. Of course, Cincy's Gary Clark won it two years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Runner-u</i>p: <b>Clark, Cincinnati</b>. <i>In the running</i>: <b>Zach Brown, Wichita State</b>.</span></div>
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<b>BEST SHOOTER: </b>Wichita State's <b>Conner Frankamp</b> shot 44 percent from 3 last year, just a snooch ahead of teammate Landry Shamet's 43.9 percent. Coach, these dudes can shoot.</div>
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<b>BEST ATHLETE:</b> Aren't we all a little excited to see UConn's <b>Kwintin Williams</b> and his 44-inch vertical? I know I am.</div>
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<i>Runner-up</i>: <b>Aubrey Dawkins, UCF</b>.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ESRNfwZMV8/WXaT3ZlH9uI/AAAAAAAAWw0/S7tpEMbq-sUg1QhpvpwQ1dOTLQVQF2R0wCLcBGAs/s1600/Broome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ESRNfwZMV8/WXaT3ZlH9uI/AAAAAAAAWw0/S7tpEMbq-sUg1QhpvpwQ1dOTLQVQF2R0wCLcBGAs/s320/Broome.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>BEST CONNECTICUT NATIVE</b>: <b>Caine</b> <b>Broome, Cincinnati</b>. He had the most points in the nation after his first two years at Sacred Heart, but Mick Cronin loves the idea of moving him to point guard this season. Also, with Steve Enoch's transfer from UConn to Louisville, he's the only Nutmegger left in the league, at least on scholarship. I guess he beats out Christian Foxen or Restinal Lomotey.</div>
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<b>HOTTEST COACH'S SEAT</b>: <b>ECU's Jeff Lebo</b> may have had a bit of a reprieve after missing second half of last season for hip surgery. He's got to show improvement.</div>
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<b>BEST B.J.</b>: <b>B.J. Taylor </b>led UCF in scoring as a freshman, sat out his sophomore year with an injury but returned and pumped home 17.4 ppg last season. He edges out ECU's B.J. Tyson, who led the Pirates in scoring as a freshman and sophomore before being slowed by a stress reaction injury much of last season.<br />
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<b>BEST MAMADOU DIARRA:</b> Or Mamoudou Diarra, as the Cincinnati freshman spells it. The league leads the nation in Mamadou (Mamoudou) Diarras, that's for sure. In fact, UConn alone nearly led the nation, until Mamoudou Diarra, a Washington transfer, picked the Bearcats over the Huskies. We'll go with <b>UConn's Mamadou</b> <b>Diarra</b> as the best, for now, providing his knees are healthy. He could be the rebounding force the Huskies very much need this season.<br />
<i>Runner-up</i>: <b>Duh</b>.</div>
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<b style="font-weight: bold;">BEST NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: </b><b>UConn</b> plays in the best preseason tournament, the PK80 Invitational, and will also play Arizona and Auburn on the road, Syracuse at Madison Square Garden and Villanova at home. </div>
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<i>Runner-up</i>: <b>Temple</b>, which plays in the Charleston Classic, plays at Georgia and hosts both Wisconsin and Villanova. <i>In the running: </i><b>Cincinnati</b> plays at Xavier and UCLA, hosts Mississippi State, faces Florida in Newark, N.J. and plays in a weak tourney in Grand Cayman. <b>Wichita State</b> plays in a decent Maui Invitational, hosts Oklahoma and plays at Baylor and Oklahoma State. <b>SMU</b> is in the Battle 4 Atlantis, hosts USC and is at TCU. <b>Tulane</b> is at North Carolina. <b>Memphis</b> plays Louisville at MSG. <b>Houston</b> is in a weak Paradise Jam, is at LSU and plays Providence at Mohegan Sun. </div>
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<b>TOUGHEST ROAD SCHEDULE: </b>That's easy - <b>Cincinnati </b>and <b>Houston</b>. Why? Because all their home games will be on the "road," so to speak. With renovations on Cincy's Fifth Third Arena, the Bearcats will play all their home games on the Northern Kentucky Unversity campus about 10 miles away. Meanwhile, $60 million in renovations to Hofheinz Pavilion (soon to be known as the Fertitta Center) will have Houston playing most of its games on the Texas Southern campus, with a few likely at the downtown Toyota Center, home of the Rockets.</div>
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<i>In reality</i>: <b>UConn.</b></div>
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<b style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">WELCOME BACK ...</b></div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Terrence Samuel</b>, who helped UConn win a national title as a back-up point guard in 2014, is back in the AAC with South Florida. He spent the past three years at Penn State. Should get a nice ovation from UConn fans when Bulls come to Hartford or Storrs this season.</li>
<li><b>Donnie Jones</b>, former UCF head coach, is now an assistant on Gregg Marshall's staff at Wake Forest. Jones was fired during 2016 AAC tourney (which was in Orlando, no less!). Shockers will visit UCF's CFE Arena, but Jones was already there last winter while scouting for the Clippers.</li>
<li><b>Shaq</b>. With the recent departures from the league of Shaq Goodwin (Memphis), Shaq Thomas (Cincinnati) and Shaq Harrison (Tulsa), the AAC gets a much-needed Shaq back in the form of Shaq Morris, Wichita State's starting center.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>RETURNING LEADERS</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>SCORING</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rob Gray, Jr. Houston 20.6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">B.J. Taylor UCF 17.4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cameron Reynolds Tulane 17.0<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jalen Adams UConn 14.4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shizz Alston Temple 13.9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jacob Evans Cincinnati 13.5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kentrell Barkley ECU 13.2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Obi Enechionyia Temple 13.1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shake Milton SMU 13.0<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kyle Washington Cincinnati 12.9 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>REBOUNDING</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tacko Fall UCF 9.5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gary Clark Cincinnati 7.9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kentrell Barkley ECU 7.6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A.J. Davis UCF 7.0<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cameron Reynolds Tulane 6.8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tulio Da Silva USF 6.8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kyle Washington Cincinnati 6.8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Junior Etou Tulsa 6.7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Obi Enechionyia Temple 5.8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>ASSISTS</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jalen Adams UConn 6.1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Galen Robinson, Jr. Houston 4.8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shake Milton SMU 4.5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jeremiah Martin Memphis 4.4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shizz Alston, Jr. Temple 4.1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>3 POINT %</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Conner Frankamp Wichita State .440*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Landry Shamet Wichita State .439*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shake Milton SMU .423<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jacob Evans Cincinnati .418<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cameron Reynolds Tulane .388<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-84592790470294065612017-07-10T14:41:00.005-04:002017-07-10T14:41:37.406-04:00Mick Cronin, Gregg Marshall talk about addition of Wichita State to AAC, as well as league itselfSay what you want about Mick Cronin (and UConn fans say a lot about him, mostly negative), the guys makes great conversation.<br />
<br />
Spoke with Cronin for about a half-hour this morning about his team and, more to the point, the American Athletic Conference. Had a similar conversation with Wichita State's Gregg Marshall late last week.<br />
<br />
Marshall's Shockers will be a consensus national top-10 pick this year and without question the pick to win the AAC in their first year in the new league. But don't sleep on Cincinnati. It loses Troy Caupain and Kevin Johnson, but returns everyone else, including its top three scorers (Jacob Evans, Kyle Washington and Gary Clark). And, let's face it, Caupain was pretty disappointing last season, and East Hartford's own Caine Broome (a Sacred Heart transfer) will combine with Justin Jenifer to ease the loss of Caupain at point guard.<br />
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Anyway, here's some of what Cronin and Marshall had to say:<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6z2KPEJ9dRM/WWPJMOzTjII/AAAAAAAAWvY/MlJ-eE-0w0wItP4Qqlt0PEQ8WLCf0tZJQCLcBGAs/s1600/Mick-Cronin-1-620x365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="620" height="188" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6z2KPEJ9dRM/WWPJMOzTjII/AAAAAAAAWvY/MlJ-eE-0w0wItP4Qqlt0PEQ8WLCf0tZJQCLcBGAs/s320/Mick-Cronin-1-620x365.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>CRONIN:</b><br />
<br />
(<i>on addition of Wichita State</i>)<br />
<br />
"When our league changed, we gave away the name to the Big East, but obviously lost a lot of quality basketball teams. We picked up some teams from Conference USA trying to raise their program to a new level where the Big East was. For those teams, I think they've gotten a lot better and they continue to add to their basketball budget. A lot of quality coaches were hired. But the facts are, we lost some really good basketball teams. It's great to be able to add basketball school like Wichita State, with everybody back, who'll be ranked in the top-10 this year."<br />
<br />
"The fact that they're a basketball school really helps our league as far as showing a commitment to basketball. I think it's hurt us in NCAA seeding, as far as perception. I don't think people on the committee or AD's from around the country realize how good SMU has been."<br />
<br />
"We need anything to help our profile. Wichita State does have the respect. Cincinnati and UConn have names because our our history and past. Wichita State, because of their run to the Final Four (in 2013), people know who they are. That's just how it is. But we have another team that's just as perennial in SMU."<br />
<br />
"The future is bright for basketball in our league."<br />
<br />
(<i>on the fact WSU is basketball-only and doesn't bring the almighty, money-making football to the table</i>)<br />
<br />
“I don’t care. And you can quote me on that. It’s great to see somebody cared enough about basketball
to do the right thing for basketball in our league. Everything’s done for football. But when you sit in the
chair I sit in, (people say) ‘Oh, but we need basketball to win and win big.’
It’s beyond refreshing to see something done for the betterment of basketball
in our conference – or any conference.”<br />
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<o:p>(<i>Does the league need UConn to be better?</i>)</o:p></div>
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<o:p>"Absolutely. Throw Memphis in, too ... Eight years (combined), eight possible tournaments, what are the odds of them going 3-for-8 (combined)? No doubt, it's important for your traditional schools to be good, in any conference. Whether it's North Carolina and Duke or UCLA and Arizona out west, it's no different. But I think UConn (last year), in all fairness, came down to injuries."</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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"And guys that go pro early. Give them Daniel Hamilton and tell them how their season went. It makes the margin for errors smaller. It's harder when one or two guys go down. It can devastate you. Nobody's got that kind of depth anymore." </div>
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(<i>on Caine Broome, who will play point guard for Bearcats after being one of nation's leading scorers two years ago at Sacred Heart</i>)</div>
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"We knew he was a really good player watching him on film. Once we got him here ... we realized he had to score for Sacred Heart, but he's much more comfortable playing point guard. In fact, he's probably a better passer than scorer. When you look at his Sacred Heart stats, that doesn't make sense. But having him in practice every day, watching him up close, his ability to break down a defense ... he gives us a weapon we haven't had, as far as getting teammates easy shots and being able to get in the paint really at will."</div>
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<b>GREGG MARSHALL:</b></div>
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(<i>on AAC</i>)</div>
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"I think we've got some nationally-known brands for college basketball. We've got nationally-known coaches that have had national-championship success, coach of the year-type success. We feel like this will be a very, very good opportunity for us to join a conference that should be a multi-bid conference every year. It has teams that can go deep in the tournament."</div>
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(<i>on being preseason favorites</i>)</div>
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"I really try not to put too much stock in it. I will tell you that I'd much prefer that than to be predicted to be not very good. If I had my druthers, I'd rather be picked as a good team. If people don't expect much from you, you probably haven't been very good."</div>
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(<i>on importance of UConn being good</i>)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"I think the key for us to be a very good conference is for as many teams as possible - you can't say all, because if somebody's having a great year, somebody's having a bad - to play up to their potential and what they've done in the past. Teams such as Wichita State, Cincinnati, SMU, Connecticut, Memphis, Temple, now Central Florida, all of those teams. Tulsa has shown in recently it can be one of the best programs in the country. If you can get a lot of those teams to do that, the majority to do that, you can get a handful of bids."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-69207311017365372382017-07-09T21:26:00.001-04:002017-07-10T14:45:23.368-04:00Kwintin Williams commits to UConnUConn is adding another player to next season's roster.<br />
<br />
Kwintin Williams, a 6-7 forward with freakish athleticism, <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20170709/uconn-men-get-commitment-from-athletic-juco-transfer-kwintin-williams">committed to the Huskies on Sunday afternoon</a>.<br />
<br />
Here's my story in the New Haven Register on Williams, who claims a 44-inch vertical leap and would like to increase that by about four inches.<br />
<br />
And here are some quotes from my phone conversation with him on Sunday:<br />
<br />
“I had a couple other high-major schools. I was talking to Pitt,
TCU, Oregon, WSU, UNLV."<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"Coach Ollie, when he called me, it wasn’t all about
basketball. He was telling me about the UConn family and relationship me and
him would be able to have off floor as well as on floor. That led me away from the ACC and Pac 12. I feel like I can come in and
have an immediate impact in the American Conference. It's all about relationships with the coach, and I felt I had the best relationship here."</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"I'm more of a solid 3, could be 4, go to 2, could guard all
five positions"</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"My vertical is 44 inches now, and I'm trying to get to at least 48 inches."</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"I've always had pretty good hops. It's the hunger, aggression I play with,
that always helps. Some people jump occasionally, I jump all 40 minutes. The whole
game, I’m in there getting it done. The drive, energy, stuff I bring to floor, as well as aggression to win, or to go get ball. Not everybody jumps for every
rebound. That’s a big part of my game: put-backs, tip-ins."</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"I took the year off, couldn’t do anything, didn’t need any
offers. I was behind the bar on grades, my GPA wasn't the best. I sat down and realized what it
takes to play ball. I got 40 credits and held a 3.2 GPA all year."</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"I took the year off to get 3 years of eligibility."</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Williams said he's originally from Oklahoma City, but he and his mom and grandmother moved to Alaska when he was young. He still lives in Alaska but hopes to be in Storrs by early August."</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"Coach Ollie on the phone, he was real with me. Everything he said
seemed to add up. That relationship, you don't come across that with too many high-major coaches."</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-49750700218268138042017-06-27T16:21:00.000-04:002017-07-10T12:20:49.334-04:00Kevin Ollie talks about a number of topicsHad a nice chat with Kevin Ollie and Josh Carlton today. Look for story on Carlton in Wednesday's Register.<br />
<br />
Here's some of what Ollie had to say about a number of different topics:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u7cXEtVEM6Q/WVK9G4s1PyI/AAAAAAAAWuU/FSnDDcYuFgItJhAuyeoxvcDMWLy9KCRpQCLcBGAs/s1600/Kevin%2BOllie%2BBreakfast%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u7cXEtVEM6Q/WVK9G4s1PyI/AAAAAAAAWuU/FSnDDcYuFgItJhAuyeoxvcDMWLy9KCRpQCLcBGAs/s320/Kevin%2BOllie%2BBreakfast%2BPhoto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin Ollie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
(2017-18 outlook)<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I think our ballhandling’s gonna be much improved,
especially with Alterique coming back and Jalen coming off an outstanding
season.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p>(Looking back on last season's disappointment, injuries)</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It happens, it’s part of the game, we’re not making any
excuses about it. I’m just glad to see those guys healthy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Two weeks left in the season, we were fighting for
third. Then we kind of had a letdown at the end of the season.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I was proud of the guys overall. Proud of the coaching
staff. We just learned a lot. I know I learned a lot. I had never been through
anything like that in my career as a head coach or an assistant.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Alterique Gilbert)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"He's still not 100 percent. We're still kinda cautious with
everything, He'll do some contact, then lean off that a little bit. In July, we're gonna
allow him to go full-contact, 5-on-5."</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"He’s a tremendous leader. He has a great work ethic, and
just seeing him out there, I think it really helps our team and our psyche,
just to see that leadership out there. He’s a pit bull on the basketball court.
He loves what he does, and you can see it in everything he does – every behavior
he does, he’s kinda like a quiet leader."</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Will next year's team try to run more, go with smaller lineups?)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“That’s got to be the game plan. We don’t want to go down
and face set defenses all the time. But that goes back to defensive rebounding.
If you want to be a great running team, you’ve got to play good defense and
rebound the basketball.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Mamadou Diarra)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"Mamadou’s been going full strength, getting up at 6:30
a.m., working out with Carlos Daniels, coming back to practice center doing
individual work. No swelling in the knee, no bad feedback, every day he's recovering
and coming back stronger."</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Terry Larrier)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HWaTMOsabSE/WVK9o3fEiYI/AAAAAAAAWuc/XzJR5QYAfVkDYQ2IQY_Ywr5efKrXjlS6QCLcBGAs/s1600/terry%2Blarrier.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HWaTMOsabSE/WVK9o3fEiYI/AAAAAAAAWuc/XzJR5QYAfVkDYQ2IQY_Ywr5efKrXjlS6QCLcBGAs/s1600/terry%2Blarrier.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terry Larrier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"Terry’s doing great. He’s a man on a mission ... Terry’s really stepping up vocally, in workouts, going
above and beyond the things we ask. I think the switch has really flipped on by
him.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Will it be good for UConn to go into next season with lesser expectations, a bit under the radar?)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I’d love to be No. 1. I don’t run away from expectations.
I don’t care if we’re eighth or 10<sup>th</sup> in the preseason – in Connecticut,
they expect us to win. That’s the expectations that we come into each and every
year, and that’s how we’re evaluated. I understand that pressure. I played
here, I coached here. I like that pressure. I think that’s a privilege. If
people want to call us an underdog, this and that, it is what it is. We want to
just come in and play.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“In February, when we’re coming back from SMU and you’ve
got to get up for school at 8 a.m. and then come back in for practice – can you
be committed then? That’s when I’ll know if we have a championship-caliber
team.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Jalen Adams)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"Just being more consistent in big games – SMU,
Cincinnati games. Stretch the defense more. He's a fantastic open-court basketball
player. I want him to be known as one of the best defensive guards in our
conference. That’s an area he can improve on.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"His ankle was messed up the last three weeks. The way he
gutted it out for us and gutted it out for me, and it’s not like we pushed him
or anything. He wanted to play. That was big-time. Now, just giving him a
little time to rest his ankle, get it back to full strength, that’s kind of
what we’re doing with him now. But what he did those last three weeks … people
didn’t write about that, but we knew about it. His ankle was bothering him. But
he wanted to push through for the team and give it his all.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Does he think the program is still in good shape?)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I don’t think, I know.
Guys left, made their own decisions. It happens. I wish them the best of luck,
but we have to move on. I don’t have time to be looking back. I’m running
towards my destiny, and I think this program is running towards their destiny.
We don’t have time to go back. We learned from it, we got through it. We’re
focused on a new task this season to get the guys that are putting these
jerseys on and going out here playing for this great university.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I know this program is in a good state. We’ve graduated
guys, we did a remarkable job academically. On the basketball court, yeah, we
took a step back. Everybody understands the different circumstances that
happened. But, at the end of the day, I thought we played hard, we competed.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LoK9YfWgKT0/WVK-3zX7yJI/AAAAAAAAWuk/H8-gxudmwG8lS8k_n3_X0c8TwMf1OG_1QCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-18%2BUConn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1164" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LoK9YfWgKT0/WVK-3zX7yJI/AAAAAAAAWuk/H8-gxudmwG8lS8k_n3_X0c8TwMf1OG_1QCLcBGAs/s640/2017-18%2BUConn.jpg" width="464" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We have to win. I can’t keep going 15-17, we all know
that. But I really admire the men that they’ve become. I hope everybody sees
that, too.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We have a great program. It’s not for everybody. If you want to be here, come in with the mentality, you’re going to be successful. A lot of guys on that wall have done it, and it’s not all based on talent.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Will Antwoine Anderson help compliment Adams, Gilbert and Christian Vital in the backcourt?)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"(With a smile) Compliment? He’s gonna make them compete a little bit
more, too. He’s really good. He’s what we need. He’s a push guard, he loves to
play defense, he’s got a chip on his shoulder. Those guys stepping up a little
bit want to prove themselves. He’s kind of what we need. He’s got the veteran
leadership, but then he also has the tenacity to get out there defensively. He’s
very shifty with the ball, he’s gonna give us another ballhandler.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Josh Carlton)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Very skilled, big body. It’s not like we’re telling
Carlos to put 25 pounds on him. We want to get him more lean and physically in
shape, condition-wise. Very talented around the rim, can rebound. He’s just got
a big body. I expect him to compete for minutes. He could be, eventually, a
person that we can throw it down low to. He can command a double team, eventually.
But I really think his skill level is close to (Steve) Enoch’s. Enoch is better
skilled than him now, but I kind of compare those two, skill-wise. Great touch
around the basket. Hopefully, he can come in and compete for some minutes.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"We want to get him more athletic, boost his jumping ability,
his fast-twitch muscles, being able to react on defensive end. Only way they
get on court is if they pick up defensive schemes. Hopefully, he can do that."</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Eric Cobb)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"He went through an ordeal at South Carolina, took
whatever punishment came his way, then went to JUCO and proved himself there
and did great academically. Now, he’s coming back to get his second chance to
play Division I basketball. I really think he has that motivation in his heart
to say, ‘Man, I went through some stuff, but I’m better now.’ I think he has a
toughness that we kind of lacked sometimes last year against the bigger teams.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"His fault, not his fault – he was part of it. I think he
took that under consideration, how he needs to change his life, the circle that
he was running with. Now he’s a better man for it. I’m very intrigued by him.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Keeping two scholarship spots open)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Just in case Andre Drummond falls out of the sky. We’re
working. Some 2018’s that can be 2017’s, and still some guys transferring, we might
bring in transfer and have him sit out and be a part of our system while not
playing. That would be ideal.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ollie said that Amida Brimah will likely play for Miami in the Orlando Summer League, then with Chicago out in Las Vegas. It seems the Bulls have the most interest in Brimah.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-63773633845283328242017-06-19T13:48:00.002-04:002017-06-19T13:48:45.394-04:00UConn men's season tickets are on sale nowWe already know UConn will host Villanova on Jan. 20, and host strong AAC foes Wichita State, Cincinnati and SMU, as well.<br /><br />On Monday, we learned the bulk of the rest of the Huskies' non-league slate. And it's underwhelming, to be sure.<br /><br />
UConn will host Colgate (Nov. 10), Boston University (Nov. 19), Columbia (No. 29), Monmouth (Dec. 2) and Coppin State (Dec. 9), in addition to 'Nova and its nine home dates with AAC foes. UConn will also play a home game either on Nov. 14 or 15 as part of the PK 80 Invitational.<br /><br />Of course, the Huskies also face a challenging road slate, at the PK80 Invitational (opening up vs. Oregon), vs. Syracuse at Madison Square Garden, at Arizona and at Auburn. <br /><br />UConn will also play a pair of exhibition games against Division 2 foes: Merrimack on Oct. 30 and Queens College on Nov. 5.<br /><br />Public sale of season tickets went on sale Monday, June 19.<br /><br />The dates of UConn’s nine American Athletic Conference home games will be announced when the league releases its schedule later this summer, but the AAC opponents UConn will play at home include UCF, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Memphis, USF, SMU, Temple, Tulsa, and Wichita State.<br /><br />UConn’s league road opponents include UCF, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Temple, Tulane, <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Tulsa, and Wichita State.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2017-18
Non-Conference Home Schedule<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Monday, Oct. 30 Merrimack
(exhib.)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sunday, Nov. 5 Queens
(exhib.)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Friday, Nov. 10 Colgate<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Tue or Wed, Nov. 14 or 15 TBA<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sunday, Nov. 19 Boston
University<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Wednesday, Nov. 29 Columbia<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Saturday, Dec. 2 Monmouth<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Saturday, Dec. 9 Coppin
State<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Saturday, Jan. 20 Villanova<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2017-18 AAC Home Opponents<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">UCF<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Cincinnati<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">East Carolina<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Memphis<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">USF<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SMU<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Temple<br />
Tulsa <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Wichita State<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-21727385543158644452017-06-16T20:23:00.000-04:002017-06-16T20:25:39.048-04:00Kevin Ollie on UConn's walking wounded, outlook for next season, Wichita State, etc.Kevin Ollie helped open the second Kevin's Kourts in South Windsor today. He also <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20170616/kevin-ollie-unveils-new-kevins-court-optimistic-about-coming-season">spoke to the media about a variety of UConn-related subject</a>s.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="590" height="332" src="http://launch.newsinc.com/?type=VideoPlayer/Single&widgetId=1&trackingGroup=69016&playlistId=19132&siteSection=91725_pp&videoId=32566080" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" noresize marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-56985402944906488712017-06-14T22:20:00.002-04:002017-06-15T12:22:00.599-04:00UConn-Villanova set to meet Jan. 20 in HartfordUConn will begin a three-game series with Villanova on Jan. 20, 2018 at the XL Center in Hartford, the school announced on Thursday.<br />
<br />
The series will shift to a neutral site, Madison Square Garden, on Dec. 22, 2018, with the final game being played at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 18, 2020.<br />
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Villanova owns a 33-31 all-time advantage over the Huskies, including a 70-61 win at XL in the teams' final meeting as Big East foes on Feb. 16, 2013.<br />
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Of course, a little over a year later, they'd meet again in an NCAA tournament second-round game. And UConn won that one, 77-65, en route to its fourth national title.<br />
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Here's the press release sent out by UConn:<br />
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<i>UConn and Villanova, former longtime rivals in the Big East Conference, have agreed to a three-game series in men’s basketball that will begin this coming season and run through 2019-20.</i><br />
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<i>The series will bring together two of the past four NCAA champions -- - UConn in 2014 and Villanova in 2016. The schools will start the series on Jan. 20, 2018, when they meet at the XL Center in Hartford.</i><br />
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<i>The second game of the series is scheduled for Dec. 22, 2018, at Madison Square Garden as a neutral-site game. The final game of the series will be held on Jan. 18, 2020, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.</i><br />
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<i>“We are very excited to renew our series with Villanova, and especially pleased to be able to play one of the games in the tremendous basketball atmosphere of Madison Square Garden,” UConn had coach Kevin Ollie said. “We have had so many memorable games against Villanova over the years and Coach (Jay) Wright obviously has one of the very best programs in the country. I know our fans will be thrilled to see the Wildcats back on our schedule.”</i><br />
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<i>UConn has an overall 31-33 record against Villanova in a series that began in 1941. As Big East rivals for 33 years, beginning in 1980-81, the Huskies were 28-31 against the Wildcats -- 1-17 during the first eight seasons and 27-14 during the last 25. In their final game as conference colleagues in 2013, Villanova took a 70-61 decision at the XL Center.</i><br />
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<i>UConn, however, has won five of its last six games against Villanova, including a 77-65 victory in their last meeting, on March 22, 2014, in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo. The Huskies went on to capture the 2014 National Championship, the fourth in the history of the program.</i><br />
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<i>“UConn and Villanova have enjoyed exciting games over a long history. This series honors the great tradition of Villanova and Connecticut basketball,” said Villanova coach Jay Wright. “Facing UConn was always a challenge and will be again. Coach Ollie was one of the toughest and smartest players in Big East history and he instills those same qualities in his team.”</i><br />
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<i>Over the last five years, Villanova has compiled an outstanding 149-31 record (.828) and made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including winning the program’s second national championship in 2016.</i><br />
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-60522524980970867712017-06-08T15:16:00.002-04:002017-06-08T15:16:57.531-04:00AAC announces regular-season pairings<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif;">The American Athletic Conference has announced the 2017-18 men's basketball conference pairings</span><span style="font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif;">.</span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif;"><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif;">With the addition of Wichita State in 2017-18, each team in The American will play seven of its 11 opponents twice, and the other four opponents once each – two at home and two away.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif;">UConn will face UCF, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Memphis, Temple, Tulsa and Wichita State both home and away next season. The Huskies will face USF and SMU at home only, and face Houston and Tulane solely on the road.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif;">Playing only one game against SMU could hurt the Huskies' RPI. Typically, the American ensures the upper-level teams in the league (UConn, SMU, Cincinnati, now Wichita State) play each other twice, in order to help each teams' respective RPIs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif;">However, UConn's non-conference slate (Oregon and others at the PK80 Invitational, at Arizona, at Auburn, vs. Syracuse at MSG) should mean its RPI remains strong. There's also the chance that SMU isn't as strong this year now that AAC player of the year Semi Ojeleye has opted to turn pro.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif;">The complete 2017-18 men's basketball schedule </span><span style="font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif;">with dates and times</span><span style="font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif;"> will be announced at a later date.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">UConn</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">USF, SMU<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">Houston, Tulane<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Univers LT Std 55", sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">UCF, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Memphis, Temple, Tulsa, Wichita State</span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-86993866832548129202017-06-06T21:18:00.001-04:002017-06-06T21:18:58.816-04:00A little bit on new UConn grad transfer forward David OnuorahHad a nice phone conversation with newest Husky David Onuorah this evening. What a thoughtful, respectful young man - as you might expect from a Cornell graduate.<br />
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Here's some of what Onuorah had to say:<br />
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(Why UConn?)<br />
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“I felt comfortable with the coaching staff. The visit
was a great visit. I feel like they understood me and it was a good fit.”<br />
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* Onuorah visited last Monday-Wednesday. Only other visit was Georgetown.<br />
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* He sat out all but one game last season for "personal reasons" but received a waiver to play one more season.<br />
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* Onuorah was a teammate of Shonn Miller's at Cornell. Miller also transferred to UConn as a grad transfer, two years ago.</div>
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"I guess it just happened that way. I had no plan of that, it just happened that way. I’m thankful I had Shonn to talk to about his experience. I think it only helps to make the decision a bit clearer. It’s crazy, it’s kinda funny and cool. But yeah, Shonn’s awesome. He enjoyed his experience there. He had a good year. I was able to follow him."</div>
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* Onuorah hails from Lithonia, Georgia, the same hometown of current UConn guard Alterique Gilbert. Gilbert played at Miller Grove while Onuorah played at Marist School. Gilbert was in eighth grade and Onuorah a junior when the teams met, so they didn't play against each other. The following year, the teams switched regions and weren't on each other's schedules.</div>
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"I didn't really know about him until my visit, honestly. I don't think he knew me. We just had that connection of Lithonia."</div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-14688378409266952152017-06-05T21:48:00.004-04:002017-06-06T19:42:51.382-04:00Local prep coaches weigh in on UConn's status in recruiting world<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y3A5VsXczbA/WTYJTJuLnjI/AAAAAAAAWtE/8PM6LDV4Odcr6DNOZChIyB8hg9rIBR4qwCLcB/s1600/tremont%2Bwaters.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="613" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y3A5VsXczbA/WTYJTJuLnjI/AAAAAAAAWtE/8PM6LDV4Odcr6DNOZChIyB8hg9rIBR4qwCLcB/s320/tremont%2Bwaters.png" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tremont Waters chose LSU over UConn, Georgetown.</td></tr>
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With the (not unexpected) news that New Haven's own Tremont Waters is heading off to LSU, it would appear yet another indignity in UConn's recruiting season of discontent.<br />
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It started back in January, when Hamidou Diallo chose Kentucky over the Huskies. It continued on as one UConn target after another opted for different programs, most notably Sidney Wilson picking St. John's a couple of weeks ago.<br />
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Add it all to Makai Ashton-Langford backing out of his commitment, three players (Steve Enoch, Vance Jackson and Juwan Durham) bolting the program and ... well, the optics aren't good.<br />
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So I called around to some New England-based prep and AAU coaches to <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20170606/does-uconn-still-have-clout-on-the-mens-basketball-recruiting-trail">see what the perception of UConn is these days</a>. Here's some of what they had to say.<br />
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JASON SMITH, Brewster Academy head coach:<br />
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"It's still definitely one of the premier programs in the country. Coach Ollie is tremendous, and I think they made a fantastic hire. Coach (Raphael) Chillious is one of my closest friends in the business, one of the coaches I communicate with most frequently."<br />
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"I know they've had some hiccups the last month or two, but that's part of how recruiting goes in cycles."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsH_7YYGG20/WTYJz1o56nI/AAAAAAAAWtI/DgK_wbvHLc0kbbxHgO0H9TZ6qJuRfgaVQCLcB/s1600/UConn%2Bfreshmen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsH_7YYGG20/WTYJz1o56nI/AAAAAAAAWtI/DgK_wbvHLc0kbbxHgO0H9TZ6qJuRfgaVQCLcB/s320/UConn%2Bfreshmen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 'Top Five' is now down to 'Top Three'</td></tr>
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"They're gonna be more than fine. Coach Chillious, Dwayne Killings are two of the most respected assistant coaches in the business. Coach Ollie's proven to be a championship-caliber coach himself. I think UConn is one of the premier programs in the country. Everything goes in cycles. You'll see them bounce back, have a great year, then continue to recruit great guys."<br />
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JERE QUINN, St. Thomas More head coach:<br />
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<o:p>"I think it's taken a hit. Unfortunately, the conference lacks the luster with a lot of these kids. They're in with the top players with every other major program. But the league doesn't bring a lot of national prominence. The rivalries are new; it's a new league trying to find itself. Connecticut is still going after the top-echelon kids in the U.S., and they've got some pretty good players, too."</o:p></div>
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<o:p>"It's very difficult for those guys to compete against the Big 10, the Big East, the ACC. If you ask the same question to the people at East Carolina or Tulane - nothing against them, but they're not going after the same kids UConn is going after."</o:p></div>
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We'll have much more in Wednesday's Register, including Smith's views on why Ashton-Langford de-committed from UConn and went to Providence, and why Wilson picked St. John's. Smith coached both players at Brewster.</div>
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Also a bit more on Smith's relationship with Chillious, and Quinn's take on why Christian Vital elected to remain at UConn.<br />
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*** Meanwhile, UConn is still heavily interested in Class of 2018 point guard Luguentz Dort from Canada. Chillious saw him drop 36 points against 22 Feet Academy (S.C.) while still at Washington to see Mamadou Diarra (not the UConn kid, the kid that recently committed to Cincinnati). The Huskies are still inquiring about the score-first point guard, but Louisville likes him a lot, too, as does Florida and old friend Andre LaFleur at UNLV, among others.<br />
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*** And add this name to UConn's recruiting interests: Brycen Goodine, a 6-foot-4, Class of 2019 combo guard from New Bedford, Massachusetts. He preps at St. Andrew's, and comes from good stock: his mom played at Providence, and his dad, Jonathan DePina, was a guard at UMass.<br />
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DePina also was a mentor to a young kid from Roxbury by the name of Shabazz Napier.</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-42683379418555339152017-05-31T13:12:00.001-04:002017-05-31T13:12:04.389-04:00UConn to face Oregon in PK80 opening game, either Georgetown, Michigan State to followThe brackets for the inaugural PK80 Invitational on Thanksgiving week in Portland, Oregon were revealed today. UConn opens up on Thanksgiving (time to be determined) against Oregon. The Huskies will face either Georgetown or Michigan State the following day, and move on from there.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Cnv2cwc1I4/WS75LlEScVI/AAAAAAAAWsY/EYswryA0d_oxQ1e96fpBRP-V7mAXJdTBwCLcB/s1600/VICTORY%2BBRACKET.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1200" height="475" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Cnv2cwc1I4/WS75LlEScVI/AAAAAAAAWsY/EYswryA0d_oxQ1e96fpBRP-V7mAXJdTBwCLcB/s640/VICTORY%2BBRACKET.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's the press release:<br />
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<i>The UConn men’s basketball team will challenge 2017 Final Four participant Oregon on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 23, in the first round of the “Victory” bracket at PK80, the 16-team, early-season tournament set in Portland, Ore., to honor the 80th birthday of Nike co-founder and Hall of Famer Phil Knight.</i><br />
<i><br />The format consists of two eight-team brackets running simultaneously at the Moda Center and the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, both in Portland. Games will be played on Thursday, Nov. 23, Friday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 26, with the crowning of two champions on Sunday.<br /><br />The Huskies and the Ducks – who met for the first time last year at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Hawaii – are scheduled to play in the second game of the Thanksgiving evening doubleheader at the Moda Center, with Michigan State taking on Georgetown in the opener of the evening twinbill.<br /><br />In the Thanksgiving afternoon doubleheader in the “Victory” bracket at the Moda Center, North Carolina will meet Portland and Arkansas will take on Oklahoma. The afternoon winners and losers will meet in an afternoon doubleheader and the winners and losers of Thursday’s evening games will clash in an evening doubleheader on Friday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum – meaning UConn will meet either Michigan State or Georgetown on Friday night.<br /><br />In the “Motion” bracket, Duke meets Portland State and Butler challenges Texas in the Thursday afternoon doubleheader, while Florida plays Stanford and Gonzaga takes on Ohio State in the Thursday evening twinbill, all at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.<br /><br />Game times and television information are still to be determined.<br /><br />Oregon defeated UConn in Maui, 79-69, last November in Maui. The Ducks, nationally-ranked throughout last season, went on to reach the Final Four before losing to eventual NCAA champion North Carolina.<br /><br />The Huskies have a long history with former Big East Conference foe Georgetown, with 66 meetings on the hardwood since the 1958-59 season, the most recent a 72-69 loss to the Hoyas last season in Washington D.C.<br /><br />UConn has a 4-2 overall record against Michigan State, the most recent meeting a 60-54 UConn victory in the 2014 NCAA East Regional Championship game at Madison Square Garden, sending UConn to the Final Four and the eventual National Championship.<br /><br />The PK80 field includes 24 national champions, including 10 of the past 14 winners, as well as three of the four programs to reach the NCAA Final Four this past season.<br /><br />Ticket Information<br /><br />Limited All Session and Moda Only Ticket Packages are still available exclusively at pkinvitational.com/tickets. Single-session tickets, which include seats for two games, will go on sale Friday, June 9 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets will be available at ticketmaster.com, the Rose Quarter Box Office (M-F 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.), by calling 800.745.3000 or online atpkinvitational.com/tickets. Fans can join the presale for single-session seats by signing up now at http://pkinvitational.com/event-info/.</i>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-92062831220437479602017-01-19T15:42:00.003-05:002017-01-19T15:42:50.425-05:00Dee Rowe earns prestigious honor from Hall of Fame<i>Dee Rowe has been selected to receive the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's coveted John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Here's the release sent out by the Hall: </i><br /><br /> Announced today in the birthplace of basketball, Springfield, Massachusetts, Michael H. Goldberg, the long-time Executive Director of the National Basketball Coaches Association, and New England coaching legend Donald “Dee” Rowe have been selected by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to each receive the coveted John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.<br /><br />The Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award was instituted by the Board of Trustees of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973 and is the most prestigious award presented by the Hall of Fame outside of Enshrinement. Named in honor of Hall of Famer John W. Bunn (Class of 1964), the first chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame Committee who served from 1949-1964, the award honors coaches, players and contributors whose outstanding accomplishments have impacted the high school, college, professional or International game.<br /><br />“For the first time in the history of the Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, we will be recognizing two outstanding individuals in the same year who have so very positively impacted the game of basketball throughout their lives,” said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “There are so many admirable individuals in the basketball community that deserve to be recognized for their incredible influence on the game and we have decided from time to time that we will not be restricted to just one award winner. The contributions these gentlemen have made to the game speak volumes and deserve to be recognized.”<br /><br />A graduate of New York University and St. John’s University School of Law, Michael H. Goldberg has served as the Exectutive Director of the National Basketball Coaches Association since 1980. He assisted in gaining vastly increased retirement funds and disability insurance for the National Basketball Association Coaches, and in partnership with the NBA, many unique marketing opportunities for NBCA members.<br /><br />Prior to joining the NBCA, Mr. Goldberg was a Branch Chief for U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, as well as General Counsel for the American Basketball Association where he guided the League, along with its late Commissioner Dave DeBusschere, until its merger with the NBA in 1976.<br /><br />Through National Media Group Inc., the agency he founded, Mr. Goldberg has become one of the most well-respected figures in the business of sports marketing, working over the years with a wide variety of prominent corporate sponsors and licensees to promote their products and services through sports and entertainment partnerships. His agency also played a key role in the growth of the sport of basketball, including the international game, by organizing the Gatorade World Coaches Clinic program for the NBA, as well as launching the highly successful NBA/FIBA McDonalds Basketball Championship.<br /><br />Throughout his long career, Mr. Goldberg has been a respected leader, mentor and friend to the members of the NBA community and championed the coaches of the NBCA with heart and humor.<br /><br />Donald “Dee” Rowe, a native of Worcester, Mass., played scholastically at Worcester Academy and during his collegiate days at Middlebury College (1952). He also earned a M.Ed. at Boston University in 1953. Mr. Rowe returned to his high school alma mater, where for 13 years he served as Director of Athletics and Head Coach of Men’s Basketball and Baseball at Worcester Academy, winning nine New England Prep School Basketball Championships.<div>
<br />In 1969, he was named head coach of at the University of Connecticut and was awarded New England Coach of the Year twice (1970, 1976) during his eight years at the helm. Coach Rowe was part of numerous coaching and clinician activities including the U.S. State Department <br />Partners of Americas Exchange Program throughout Brazil, the 1976 U.S. Olympic Basketball Trials, and serving as Assistant Coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team that ultimately boycotted the games in Russia.<br /><br />In 1978, after stepping down as head coach, Mr. Rowe launched the fund-raising arm for UConn Athletics and for the next 13 years became a national leader in collegiate athletic fund-raising, generating millions of dollars. In 1979, he played a pivotal role in UConn’s joining of the Big East Conference and he served on the search committees that brought Hall of Fame Coaches Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun to Connecticut.<br /><br />Since his official UConn “retirement” at the end of calendar year 1991, Dee Rowe has remained actively involved at the school in his emeritus role as Special Adviser for Athletics. Over the past 60 years, Dee Rowe has had a tremendous impact on the game he “fell in love with” as a third grader.<br /><br />Goldberg and Rowe will be presented the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies, to be held at the “Hall of Fame Family Reunion Dinner” in September 2017. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.hoophall.com/">www.hoophall.com</a>.</div>
David Borgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10048777379290646863noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185829023065380460.post-34951840380026027142017-01-16T18:24:00.003-05:002017-01-16T18:24:56.455-05:00A look at UConn incoming recruit Tyler PolleySpoke with one incoming UConn recruit, Makai Ashton-Langford, at the Hoophall Classic on Sunday in Springfield. Here's <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20170115/future-uconn-guard-makai-ashton-langford-has-familiar-skill-set">the story I wrote</a>.<br />
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For Tuesday's paper, wrote a story on another incoming Husky, 6-foot-8 forward Tyler Polley. Nice kid, comes from good stock (his dad was an NFL linebacker), and he has apparently mastered the lost are of the mid-range jumper.<br />
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Here's <a href="http://www.nhregister.com/sports/20170116/future-uconn-mens-basketball-player-tyler-polley-hails-from-good-athletic-stock">my story on Polley for the New Haven Register</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwRqxZMry0KXaopfdTAprvlTAC3zkimMUvHf6bQW3UXit4JexaddiZHyK9qM9WPzR509xxDGSyPls5XObnHuPPPCQB0H-J0e8S00C_UYfJzlBlawV4yAT3_toSkp8NqnN57-eRGyd8fw/s1600/Tyler+Polley+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwRqxZMry0KXaopfdTAprvlTAC3zkimMUvHf6bQW3UXit4JexaddiZHyK9qM9WPzR509xxDGSyPls5XObnHuPPPCQB0H-J0e8S00C_UYfJzlBlawV4yAT3_toSkp8NqnN57-eRGyd8fw/s1600/Tyler+Polley+II.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyler Polley puts up a shot for Sagemont School</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_NiNjOny35LHOINczwPDymDCDDdLLEa3nlXKOQ00KZb0O8TzHGBltm6Tvl9_D7MApPdPMT2RUwnhlZTj6MdgQEnxknihvS51QaAtFu86sgI9UnmlqAyh9IX781SmXStXuE-q1i9GA_s/s1600/Tyler+Polley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_NiNjOny35LHOINczwPDymDCDDdLLEa3nlXKOQ00KZb0O8TzHGBltm6Tvl9_D7MApPdPMT2RUwnhlZTj6MdgQEnxknihvS51QaAtFu86sgI9UnmlqAyh9IX781SmXStXuE-q1i9GA_s/s320/Tyler+Polley.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyler Polley (different haircut) in action for Sagemont.</td></tr>
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David Borgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10048777379290646863noreply@blogger.com37