I always find it fun to look back and see what was being said about UConn players back when they were being recruited or had just committed to the Husky program.

And with Shabazz Napier finally starting to generate the national buzz that he deserved last season, what better time to hark back to the blog files on when Napier first became a Husky.

*** Napier made his unofficial visit to UConn on Feb. 28, 2010, taking in the Huskies' 78-76 loss to Louisville at Gampel. Josh Selby was slated to visit that day, too, but had "car trouble." Later, after committing to Kansas, Selby was found to have received improper benefits and was suspended the first nine games of the 2010-11 season.

*** Napier committed to UConn on April 2, 2010. West Virginia, Florida, Miami and Memphis were among the other schools offering him scholarships. He was listed as Class of 2011 at the time, and he was attending Lawrence Academy. The hope was that he would be able to re-classify, however, and he did so after transferring back to Charlestown High (where he spent his first three years) late in the school year and graduating from there.

I found out later that day that Napier had, indeed, re-classified to 2010. It's funny, reading the comments on my blog from that day (back in the days before Twitter, when people still commented on my blog), there was so much concern that signing Napier meant the Huskies were going to miss out on Brandon Knight, Cory Joseph and Selby, among others.

All three wound up as one-and-dones, and none of them have an NCAA championship ring.

*** Kevin Wiercinski, Napier's coach at Lawrence Academy, had a lot of good things to say about him at the time of his commitment. A couple of quotes stand out:

"He’s a good kid and an exciting player, that’s for sure. He's probably one of the more dynamic point guards around. He's exciting athletically: as quick as they come, handles the ball real well, right hand/left hand, and he's a very good shooter with excellent range. He makes all the open ones and the tough ones, too. He's got a real ability to warm up in a hurry. And he's such a great penetrator."

"He's really dynamic on the offensive end, and you add that to how instinctual he is, his anticipation is off the charts, and he's a real gamer. When the chips are down, he doesn't shy away from that stuff at all."

Some things never change.

*** I thought this rivals.com post, linked to my blog at around the time of Napier's commitment, was very telling: "Napier eventually would nail 11 threes, and looked the part of a big time player. Most of Napier's shots were created by himself, and he was even well defended, but still there was nothing that could have been done."

*** Napier held a press conference to sign his national letter-of-intent on April 22, 2010, up at the Tobin Community Center in Boston's Mission Hill section. Me and the J-I's (then Connecticut Post's) Neill Ostrout went up for it, and I posted this blog entry (I really wish the video was still working. And no, the link doesn't work anymore, either.)

Anyway, it was obvious from the start that Napier didn't lack for confidence.

My favorite quote that day, after Napier was asked about being able to play with Kemba Walker for a season:

“He’s a great player. He’s fast, I’m fast. We’ve played against each other, it’s hard. I think it’s going to be good, because he can teach me some certain things, and I guess I can teach him how to shoot better.”

Hey, guess it worked, no?

The Greater Hartford Pro-Am kicks will have a new look to it when it begins play on July 10.

For one, the league -- for a variety of reasons -- will be based at Crosby High in Waterbury this year.

There will be a few new teams in the league, as well, including one entered by Andre Drummond. The former UConn and current Detroit Piston standout will be put in his own team, according to league co-founder/CEO Peter Higgins, and Higgins is hoping Drummond may bring some of his new NBA friends (like Brandon Knight, etc.) to play from time to time.

Also, the perennial powerhouse team from Waterbury run by Ryan Gomes and Wayne Simone will be split up. Gomes will run with his New Haven buddies, Keith Cothran and Lamonte Ulmer, while Simone will coach a team with some younger players.

Higgins is also trying to get a Bridgeport team in the league, though that's not a done deal yet. There will be three Hartford-based teams, as well as Cambyland and the Springfield Slamm. The Slamm has Jeremy Lamb on its roster and hopes to have two or three of UConn's incoming freshmen (Amida Brimah, Kentan Facey and Terrence Samuel) as well. The frosh are only likely to play on weekends, however, since UConn's freshman summer program has 7 p.m. study halls Monday through Friday.

The league is slated to begin July 10 (though there may be a game or two before that date).

I’m not sure what this says, or if it means anything at all, but I find it ironic that Derrick Williams (Arizona), Enes Kanter (Kentucky … sorta), Tristan Thompson (Texas) and Brandon Knight (Kentucky) – all of whom were beaten by Kemba Walker and UConn this season – all were selected before Walker in the NBA Draft.

I don’t know, just found that interesting. Personally, I would have looked over Walker’s alleged shortcomings and recognized his heart and winning attitude. Apparently the NBA’s greatest winner of all time (with apologies to Bill Russell) felt the same way.

Some Kemba quotes from tonight:

(on MJ)

“I’m happy he’s giving me this opportunity. He’s the greatest player ever to play the game, so anything I can learn from that man, I’m going to ask a lot of questions.”

“He was a winner, he had a lot of heart when he played. I’m all about heart. I go out there and compete every night, and I’m not going to go down without a fight.”


(on being picked ninth)

“I’m happy, I can’t complain at all. If I went (No.) 30, I wouldn’t be mad, honestly. I’m just happy to be in the NBA. I’m just going to continue to work hard and keep improving … Of course I wish I could have gone higher, but who cares? I’m with Michael Jordan.”

(on tearing up after hearing his name announced by David Stern)

“I told myself I was going to hold it in, but I couldn’t. I’m a very emotional guy, and when great things happen to me, I let it show.”

( On possibly having to battle current Bobcats point guard D.J. Augustin at the point):

“As far as sharing time with D.J., I have no problem. As long as we’re playing well and we’re winning, if I can do anything possible to help that team, I’m willing … I’m definitely more confident playing on the ball, but last year, having to score so much, I learned how to be off the ball. If there’s a situation where me and D.J. (are) in the game together, both of us, depending how the night is going, can play off the ball, so there’s no problem with that.”

(on everything that’s transpired over the past year)

“It’s been like a movie. This whole year has been magical, honestly So many different, crazy things have been happening to me. I just feel blessed. I have God on my side and, hopefully, the sky is the limit for me.”

Here's what we've been told about what Kemba Walker can expect at the NBA Draft on Thursday night in Newark:

*** Kemba's worked out with five teams -- Utah, Toronto, Sacramento, Detroit and Charlotte. It appears he'd be a pretty good fit with all five, with the possible exception of the Raptors, who have some good young guards in place. Utah picks third overall, Toronto fifth, Sacramento seventh, Detroit eighth and Charlotte ninth. Expect Kemba to go somewhere between No. 3 and No. 9 (more likely No.'s 7-9).

*** For what it's worth, NBADraft.net has him going eighth to the Pistons, while DraftExpress.com has him going fifth to the Raptors.

*** The Knicks? Yeah, they love Kemba. But picking at No. 17, there's no chance Walker would still be available. They could trade up, of course, but you've got to have the goods to trade for a higher pick. Not sure if the Knicks have what it takes.

*** The Celtics? Not particularly interested in Kemba. They do have Rajon Rondo, after all.

*** Rumors you may have heard about Brandon Knight's agent not wanting Knight to go head-to-head against Walker in NBA workouts are true.

*** Kemba just finished his workouts and is in New York City right now, where he'll be until Thursday's draft. The endorsment opportunities have already started: Webster Bank and Best Buy, specifically, with surely more to come.

That's all we've got for now. See you in Newark!

Shabazz Napier didn’t have much of an impact over the first 37 minutes of Saturday night’s Final Four bout with Kentucky.

He missed his first six shots from the floor and hadn’t scored at all to that point.

But Napier’s fingerprints were all over the final 2 ½ minutes of UConn’s 56-55 victory over the Wildcats. The freshman guard had a big basket, a big rebound, a bad turnover and two big free throws over that span – all after surviving a low blow earlier in the game.

Napier’s two foul shots with two seconds left sealed the victory for UConn. He had grabbed the rebound of a DeAndre Liggins 3-pointer and went to the line with the chance to send the Huskies to Monday night’s national championship game.

“The first thing that was going through my mind was the Syracuse game, when I had the chance to make the free throw to end the game and I missed it,” Napier recalled. “I saw my mom in the stands and said, ‘I’ve got to make this, man.’ After I made it, I was ecstatic, I was happy. I felt like I redeemed myself.”

Napier had picked a good time to hit his first field goal of the night, a nifty driving layup with 2 minutes, 30 seconds left that capped a 6-0 UConn run and gave it a 54-48 lead.

However, with the Huskies clinging to a two-point lead, Napier turned the ball over in the lane.

“I was kind of upset,” Napier said. “I felt like I let my team down, and that’s the worst feeling in the world.”

UK’s Brandon Knight grabbed the loose ball on the floor and called timeout with 16.6 seconds left, setting up a chance for the Wildcats to win the game or send it to overtime. But Liggins missed the 3-pointer, Napier grabbed the rebound and redeemed himself with the two free throws.

The freshman also did a good job much of the night guarding Knight, the Wildcats’ top scorer who shot just 6-for-23. He seemed to frustrate Knight, too, causing the UK freshman to hit Napier in his man region just before a timeout late in the game.

“He said it was accidental,” Napier said. “It was uncalled for. I was trying to get the timeout, and he just swung. I’m like, ‘Just play basketball, man.’ There’s no reason for that. We’re on a big stage, we’re trying to get to the same place, there’s no reason for that.”

A trip to the national championship game is enough to let Napier forgive and forget.
“He just looked at me. He knew he was wrong for it. At the end, I said, ‘Is that intentional?’ He said he didn’t mean it. It’s over with.”

So Tired?

As if winning five games in five days at the Big East tournament or nine games in 19 days to get to the Final Four wasn’t taxing enough, there’s another reason to question how fatigued UConn might be right now.

When the Huskies take the floor on Monday night, it will be their 41st game of the season – most by any team since 1945, when Oregon (30-15) played 45 contests.

On Saturday, UConn and Virginia Commonwealth tied the modern record (since 1948) of most games in a season, which has been done seven other times: Duke in 1986 and last season, UNLV in 1990, Kentucky in 1997, Florida in 2007, and Kansas and Memphis in 2008.

Hilton Heads to Houston

Hilton Armstrong was in the UConn locker room after the game, congratulating various Husky players.

UConn goes with the same starting lineup of its last few games: Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb, Roscoe Smith, Alex Oriakhi, Tyler Olander.

No surprises from Kentucky, either: Darius Miller, Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins, Terrence Jones, Josh Harrellson.

Tonight's officials are Les Jones, John "Don't Call Me Tim" Higgins and Mark Whitehead.

Please feel free to join me for a live chat today at 1:30 p.m. from Reliant Stadium in Houston. I'll be talking UConn hoops and Final Four hoops in general. You can join me here and/or submit questions throughout the day via Twitter at #NHRUConn.

Thanks, and hope to see you then.

In the meantime, here are my stories from today's Register, on Kentucky's Brandon Knight, who nearly went to UConn, and on the Jim Calhoun-John Calipari relationship over the years.

Dave Beckerman tried.

Not in a pushy way -- he knows Brandon Knight already has dozens of hangers-on pushing and pulling him one way or another, so he'd never impose anything on him. But Beckerman, the New Haven native and longtime UConn fan who coached Knight at Pine Crest School in Boca Raton, Fla., tried in his own way to persuade Knight to choose Jim Calhoun and UConn over John Calipari and Kentucky.

Didn't work. Knight, was we all know, opted for Lexington last April in a press conference at Pine Crest School that I attended (I was on vacation in Florida at the time).

Why did Knight go Blue? Beckerman thinks there were various reasons.

"The (Jasper) Howard issue, the issue of health with Jim Calhoun, his contract, the (NCAA) investigation. A lot of things added up, and at the end of the day may have even been used against UConn, which I’m not sure of.”

He also noted that Knight had relatives who lived in the Lexington area.

On Thursday, Knight talked about his decision to choose UK over UConn. "It was a tough decision, but Kentucky was my final choice. I liked UConn, but I just felt better off going to Kentucky," adding that Beckerman informed him about UConn, but "really just wanted the best for me.”

He also noted that Calipari's success with one-and-done point guards like Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall also played a role.

“It definitely weighed in my decision, just knowing that a lot of other guards that were pretty good in high school trusted Coach Cal to get them to the next level, and to help them get better individually. Also the fact that other players around those people got a lot better.”

Knight’s decision was crushing to UConn fans at the time. Around the same time, the program was being shunned by other top recruits (Josh Shelby, Corey Joseph and Doron Lamb, who’s also now a freshman guard at UK), and Knight’s nix seemed to hint that Calhoun was slipping on the recruiting trail.

Rather, it may have been a blessing in disguise. Had Knight committed to UConn, Shabazz Napier almost certainly wouldn’t have come to Storrs (at least for this season; Napier said he may have opted for another year at prep school had Knight become a Husky).



And though Jeremy Lamb had already committed to the Huskies, it’s doubtful he would have emerged as the dynamic, versatile scorer he’s become over the past couple of months.

It’s also hard to envision how Walker and Knight would have shared the same backcourt, even if both have proven quite adept at playing off the ball.

Still, Beckerman, who founded the former New Haven-based Starter sports apparel line and was the head coach at Hamden Hall for a few years, can’t help thinking of how life would have been different for Knight in Storrs.

“I think he clearly would have been a much more offensive threat,” Beckerman said. “I don’t know if that would have taken away from Kemba in terms of offense, and I don’t know if Kemba cares about that. Calipari is trying to mold him into a pass-first,shoot-second point guard. Jim Calhoun lets the natural instincts come out in a player. That’s his formula for success.”

Knight averaged 17.3 points and 4.2 assists per game as a Wildcat freshman. He’s reached double figures in all but three of UK’s 37 games, but has really risen to prominence in the NCAA tournament. Knight’s bank shot with two seconds left against Princeton (his only two points of the game) kept the Wildcats from an embarrassing first-round loss. And his jumper with 5.4 seconds left against Ohio State moved the Wildcats into the Elite Eight, where they beat North Carolina behind Knight’s game-high 22 points.

Knight’s Kemba-like ability in the clutch is nothing new to Beckerman, who recalled a regional championship game in Knight’s junior season. Pine Crest was losing, one of its best players had just fouled out and everyone on the bench – including Beckerman – had their heads down.

During a timeout, Knight turned to Beckerman and asked, “Coach, what time is practice tomorrow?” He then proceeded to go out and hit three 3-pointers and six straight free throws over the next three minutes, propelling Pine Crest into the state finals with a 52-point effort.

Now Beckerman, who winters in Boca Raton while coaching Pine Crest but spends his summers in Guilford, will be torn while watching the Final Four. He’ll root for Knight to have a good game, but root for UConn to win.

And deep down, he’ll still wonder what it would have been like had Brandon Knight become a Husky.

“It would have been great for UConn,” Beckerman said, “and, candidly, I think it would have been great for Brandon.”

Gotta admit, when we walked out of Gampel Pavilion on March 7, the day before the Big East tournament, I figured the only way I'd be back in the arena before summertime was if UConn had lost to DePaul in its BET opener and somehow had been relegated to the NIT. (And yes, I know, that wasn't going to happen).

Anyway, we were back this afternoon as the Huskies met with the media for a good 2 1/2 hours before their practice. They'll fly out tomorrow and land at Houston's Hobby Airport around 7 p.m. local time.

Here are some notes 'n quotes from earlier today:

KEMBA WALKER:

On recalling the first time he walked into Gampel as a recruit and saw the Huskies' "Wall of Fame" in the hallway.


"I told myself, ‘One day I want to be on that wall.’ And one day I will be on that wall.”

Will he even bother to watch the game tape of UConn's win over a very different Kentucky team in the Maui Invitational in November?

"Of course. We’ll definitely look at some of that. I played fairly well that game, so I’ll see what I did, what I was able to do against those guys. I’m pretty sure they’ll watch film of that game, also, and make some corrections."

On if he ever thinks about how things would be different at UConn had Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb decided to become Huskies, rather than Wildcats:

“No. Honestly, I definitely would have loved to have those two guys, but I’m fine with the guys I have, honestly. It really didn’t matter, to tell you the truth. I’m glad we got the guys we got. I don’t know how coachable those guys are – I’m not saying they’re not, but I don’t know. But the guys we have are very coachable, they listen to me, they listen to Donnell, and they always come willing to learn new things. I’m fine with the guys we have."

On the UConn women:

"Best team in the country, in my opinion. They work extremely hard, every day. There was a point where they didn’t lose, until they lost to Stanford, but you would have thought they had lost 80 games in a row the way they practice every day.

For us to have two teams in (the Final Four) again would be pretty impressive. Hopefully, we can both bring it back home."

On his favorite current course, Racism in Sports:

"We're reading a book right now called '$40 Million Slaves' by William C. Rhoden. It talks a lot about basketball players, LeBron James, the recruiting process -- a lot of different things over the years. It's a pretty good book. It's helping me realize the world I'm probably going to get into."

He’s definitely been pretty impressive to watch this tournament. You could just see the development he had throughout this season. He’s been a great leader for his team. Something like me, a little bit, because you can tell he wants to take the last shot. When he takes it, he’s taking it to make it, and that’s what he’s been doing so far.

ALEX ORIAKHI:

On playing against fellow Boston-area native Shabazz Napier back in the day:

"I remember seeing him in AAU tournaments in 6th, 7th grade. I've known since 8th, 9th grade. I played against him in some little tournament in Boston. He killed us, we lost. But he got every call. He got every call!"


GEORGE BLANEY
on John Calipari:

"You always had to ask coaches to do things for charities and different coaching events. You’d be surprised about who does things and who doesn’t do things. John would always do what we asked him to do."

JIM CALHOUN

On not getting Knight or Doron Lamb:

"I'm very happy with the guys we got. We didn't get Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb. Well, we got Jeremy Lamb, who's been real special already but is going to be very special, and we got Shabazz. he reminds me of that every day, actually."

On the Final Four two years ago in Detroit:

"It wasn't typical of a Final Four. When we were in San Antonio, we were riding boats on the canal. When we were in St. Petersburg, we went to see Sammy Sosa and the Cubs play. In Detroit, we went from the gym to the hotel. I think it's going to be a little different (in Houston), and that's no knock on Detroit whatsoever ... I’m for warm weather, it has nothing to do with Detroit. I wouldn’t want it in Hartford. We need warm weather – bad."

On if he's thought about perhaps riding off into the sunset after this run:

"If we win the national championship, standing at the podium would be a bad time to make any decision. And if things don’t go well, it would be a lousy time to make a decision. I mean, this has been fun."

JAMAL COOMBS-MCDANIEL


Said he had an MRI on his left knee yesterday that revealed "ligament issues." He may need surgery once the season is over, but until then he'll keep playing through the pain.


SHABAZZ NAPIER

On how Kentucky is different now than it was in Maui:

“Brandon Knight is a better point guard, Doron Lamb is a better shooter now. He knows his spots, where to shoot at. We’ve got to watch him, especially on transition, seeing that his favorite spot’s the corner. Harralson is tough now, you see how well he played against Jared Sullinger. Liggins, the veteran guys, they’re all stepping up now. It’s more of a team. Usually, before, it was just the freshmen doing something, and the older guys letting them do it. Now, it’s all of them combined, and that’s dangerous for us. Now, if you try to stop one person, they have four others, unlike (how) it was in Maui."

"We’re leaving that game behind us. I can tell you right now, it’s not going to be a 17-point game. We’re not going to win by 17, and hopefully we don’t lose by 17. It’s going to be a hard-fought game."

Remember a few years ago, when UConn played Memphis in a preseason NIT game at the Garden and Jim Calhoun and John Calipari tried to pretend everything was cool between the two of them?

Didn't buy it then? Me neither. And don't buy whatever the two coaches say over the next week, either. They still don't like each other.

No further proof needed than this bit from a good Sports Illustrated story on Calipari a few weeks ago:

If the Wildcats' spring ends early, there will be matchups Calipari won't watch. There are rivals he can't abid, and vice versa; even without being asked he gives you a list: Pitino, Pearl, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun.

No worries, John. Guaranteed the feeling is mutual.

Here's a little piece I did today on Kemba Walker's leadership skills. Plenty more coming over the next week.

Here's a few snippets from today's conference call with the coaches from the Final Four teams:

JIM CALHOUN

On the three other coaches in this year's Final Four:

"My two sons, and my problem child."

On what he takes from UConn's win over Kentucky for the Maui Invitational title back in late November:

"Nothing, absolutely nothing. Except I remember the last four minutes of the first half. It was not any indication of what they've become, or what we went through. I don't think that game means absolutely anything."

On his public perception:

"There's no way that you're going to please everybody. If I please my God, my family, that's important to me. And if I please my players and my university, then I'm fine ... What I'm sometimes perceived as, I don't recognize that person. YOu get stuck with something, and that becomes you."

On losing out on recruits Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb, both now at Kentucky:

"Yes, there was a great deal of disappointment. At one time, we were recruiting Brandon Jennings ... loved the place and wanted to come here. We determined Brandon Jennings hadn't made his mind up, and we went after a kid we thought we could get. A kid named Kemba Walker.

When we got Shabazz (Napier) and Jeremy Lamb, we thought we got two pretty good players.

You get a lot more no's than yeses.

It's kind of ironic that we're playing against two kids we really went hard after.

If I spent all my time on the kids we lost, I guess we would have won a lot of championships. I'm much more interested in the kids we get. Kemba and Shabazz: how have they worked together? Shabazz has been sensational, has taken a lot of pressure off Kemba this year and allowed him to play (off the ball)."

On if he's thought of his place in the game if he wins a third national championship:

"Any legacy stuff, I can look at later. I just can't wait to get this team to the Final Four."

JOHN CALIPARI:

On key to Jim Calhoun's success over the years:

"I think he's a battler, he holds the bar high, doesn't accept anythying but their best ... and he has talented players. He got talented players to buy in, and has done a great job throughout his whole career ... He is as good as they get."

On growing and improving as a coach:

"Let me explain to all who are listening: I do not have this figured out."

UConn's Final Four but with John Calipari, Brandon Knight and Kentucky should start around 9 p.m. on Saturday.

The VCU-Butler game starts at 6:09 p.m., with UConn-Kentucky to follow 40 minutes after that game's conclusion.

Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr call the games along with Tracy Wolfson serving as reporter.

The Huskies will head to Houston after practice Wednesday.

Tell us where you've heard this one before: Jim Calhoun says that signing a contract extension with UConn is just around the corner.

“It’s signaturable,” Calhoun said of the contract, while perhaps making up a new word along the way. “Right now, it’s up to the university. As soon as they say ‘go,’ as far as I’m concerned, it will be done.”

Of course, Calhoun said back in January that his extension was essentially done, and after a source with knowledge of the situation told me in mid-March that it would be a done deal in about a month, Calhoun said the same thing publicly.

A Wall Street Journal story on Wednesday noted that questions surrounding Calhoun’s unsigned contract, coupled with health issues that sidelined him for seven games this past season, had scared off potential recruits, including Josh Selby, the McDonald’s All-America guard who recently signed with Kansas University.

In fact, over the last couple of weeks, the Huskies have whiffed on some of the most sought-after recruits in the country. Selby, Brandon Knight (Kentucky), Doron Lamb (Kentucky), Corey Joseph (Texas) and C.J. Leslie (North Carolina State) all were heavily recruited by UConn but ultimately chose to go elsewhere.

Still, when reached on his cell phone this afternoon while he was on his way to a round of golf with his son and George Blaney, Calhoun said he is “thrilled” with the five members of the program’s incoming freshman class, which is ranked No. 17 in the nation by scout.com and includes Roscoe Smith, the scouting service’s No. 6-rated small forward.

“I like the kids we have here,” Calhoun said. “We didn’t get everybody we started out after, no. But we got more guys than we expected.”

Calhoun apparently is referring to the fact that two players – 6-foot-9 power forward Tyler Olander of Mansfield and 6-foot point guard Shabazz Napier of Cambridge, Mass – were originally slotted as Class of 2011 recruits. But Olander elected to graduate from E.O. Smith High this spring rather than return to prep school for a year. Napier has been awaiting word from his prep school, Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass., on whether he’ll be able to re-classify from Class of 2011 to 2010. According to one source, Napier received word on Wednesday that he’s good to go for next season. However, sources around the program said it wasn't a done deal yet.

If Smith, Napier, Olander, 6-4 shooting guard Jeremy Lamb and 6-9 center Michael Bradley are all to suit up for the Huskies next season, something must be done to make room for them. UConn has nine returning players, which would give them 14 players for 13 scholarship spots.

Calhoun said he’s had discussions with freshman guard Jamaal Trice, who didn’t see a single second of action in Big East play this past season, about playing time next year and a possible transfer, though nothing has been determined.

Asked if senior center Jonathan Mandeldove, who effectively red-shirted last season after struggling with academics, is definitely in the mix for next year, Calhoun said: “Talk to me after finals.”

Read more on the potential NCAA investigation into UConn's alleged recruiting violations in tomorrow's Register.

So the wife and I are staying in Aventura, Fla. (about 15 minutes out of Fort Lauderdale) for the next couple of days to visit my in-laws. (My wife is Jewish. Believe it or not, she has relatives in the Miami area).

Anyway, decided to shoot up I-95 to cover Brandon Knight's press conference at the Pine Crest School. Nice campus. Crowd of about 850 people packed inside the auditorium for Knight's announcement.

About 45 minutes before his announcement, Knight was sitting on a bench in the middle of campus, talking on a cell phone, sporting a backpack and otherwise looking like any other student at the school – not one who could be signing a multi-million dollar contract a little more than a year from now.

Here's Knight shortly after announcing he's going to Kentucky. At bottom left is David Beckerman, Knight's coach at Pine Crest School and a New Haven native who still lives in Connecticut half the year. (Believe me, he tried).

Strange scene: At 4 p.m., everything fell silent – and stayed that way for about five minutes. Finally, questions from Bristol came into Knight's earpiece, and he'd answer them for the crowd to hear.

Then came the moment we were all waiting for: "The place where I plan to play my college basketball is (Knight reached down to pull out blue cap with UK on it) … at the University of Kentucky."

That was followed by a loud ovation from the crowd, including what seemed at least a couple of dozen blue-decked Kentucky boosters/fans.

Afterwards, I caught up with Knight.

"I made the decision this week," he said. "That's when I finally knew where I was going to go. The other schools were close. A lot of them had been recruiting them all through high school, so I had close bonds to a lot of the coaches. I don't talk much on the phone, but just seeing them at the events, I developed relationships with the other coaches."

Was there a second-place finisher?

"It was pretty close between all of them. I liked Kansas a lot, and I also liked UConn and Florida a whole lot. Those schools, with the exception of Kansas, have pretty much been on me since I started high school."

So why not UConn? Were Jim Calhoun's health issues an issue?

"No, not at all. I know he missed some games this year, but Coach Calhoun assured me he'd be there. Everyone has health problems some time. It's a great program, great history, a lot of NBA players. But my heart was with Kentucky."

Did he simply feel he'd have a better chance of making a run to the Final Four with whoever is at Kentucky next year, as opposed to UConn

"Not really, not so much. UConn has a lot of great players also. I just felt I'd probably fit in more at Kentucky."

How about the fact that five UK players from this year have already declared for the NBA draft. Was that a worry?

"I'm 100-percent confident in Coach Cal and his ability to recruit players and get players, and his ability to take teams from not being so great and inexperienced to winning games. That's what he did with this year's team. I felt whoever I'm fortunate enough to play with this year, he'll have the ability to do the same thing."

So there you have it: Brandon Knight is a Wildcat.

Brandon Knight, arguably the No. 1 recruit in the nation, will announce his collegiate decision Wednesday at 4 p.m. It will be televised on ESPNU. After that, the rest of the dominos (Josh Selby, Cory Joseph, C.J. Leslie, Doron Lamb, etc.) will fall.

For UConn fans crossing their fingers for Knight to come to Storrs, here's a bit of news: there has been contact between Knight and the UConn staff within the last day or two. That may not mean anything, but it's all we've got right now.

Stay tuned ...

... Well, not actually sailing, but that's where we're heading to for the week. With this week being the start of national signing period, and with UConn hopeful (but doubtful) Brandon Knight announcing his collegiate choice on Wednesday on ESPNU, it would seem to be a bad time for me to take a vacation. But, we like to escape the (sorta) cold weather at least once each year, and I can't exactly do that from November to March (although this year ... never mind). Plus, it's the wife and my last chance to get away before we welcome our newest addition, a boy, some time in early July.

But enough about me. Here's some links on another pair of UConn recruits, recent commit Shabazz Napier, who had himself a night the other night, and undecided Corey Joseph, courtesy of FOB (Friend of Blog) Chris O.

Make sure to check in on the Register website next week, as Dave Solomon and other writers will keep tabs on who commits to UConn, etc. I'll be back next Saturday.

We had it all/Just like Bogey and Bacall ...

While UConn is at its scholarship limit of 13, don’t be shocked to see another slot or two open up over the coming weeks via transfer, etc. The Huskies are still in pursuit of some of the top Class of 2010 recruits in the country, but like their competitors on the recruiting trail (Kentucky, Kansas, Texas, Syracuse, Florida, etc.) they are at the whim of the decisions of a bunch of 17, 18-year-old kids. Once one major recruit (Brandon Knight?) makes his decision, the dominos will all start to fall over the next month.

So what’s UConn’s sales pitch to elite recruits? Well, here’s a good one: since Ray Allen in 1993-94, there have been (by my count) 17 players who started right off the bat as freshmen at UConn. Of those 17, 11 wound up being NBA draft picks, and many emerged as NBA stars. And that list doesn’t even include Ben Gordon, who didn’t start for most of his freshman season despite being the team’s second-leading scorer (12.6 per game). The others not on the list: Kevin Freeman, Ajou Deng, Taliek Brown, Rashad Anderson and Jeff Adrien.

Translation: if you come to UConn and play immediately, there’s a great chance you’ll wind up making lots of money in the NBA one day.

And there are definitely minutes to be had next season for the Huskies. Starter’s minutes. Incoming frosh Roscoe Smith could certainly be one. Can UConn land another?

***Totally unrelated, but here’s a feature from today’s Register about New Haven’s Keith Cothran, who’ll lead URI into action against North Carolina tomorrow night in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden. Nice story (whether well-written or not) about a nice kid who’s overcome a lot and has truly used college basketball as a ticket to an education and a better life.

Not surprisingly, UConn's commits and recruiting targets want to know what's going on with Jim Calhoun. What they're hearing from the Huskies' coaching staff is that the coach is fine, will be back this season and will certainly be back on the sidelines next year.

It doesn’t appear the staff has told the recruits what Calhoun’s ailment is (though “high blood pressure” apparently was the message relayed to at least one recruit) or how long he’ll be out.

“Coach (Patrick) Sellers said he was going to be OK,” Michael Bradley said. “He said they’ve got Coach (George) Blaney right now, it’s like (not) skipping a beat.”

Of course, if for whatever reason Calhoun is unable to coach UConn next year, Bradley, Roscoe Smith and others would consider going elsewhere. But they don't seem at all concerned that will be the case.

Brandon Knight? Yup, he's been asking, too.

“His family did ask me about Coach Calhoun,” said Dave Beckerman, the New Haven native who coaches Knight, a senior, down at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “With (Calhoun’s) latest announcement, they want to know what’s going on. I told them, ‘I don’t know, but from my knowledge, Coach Calhoun is a very intense, discipline coach. It looks like it’s not a physical problem, he just needed some rest and some time off.’”

Knight, a 6-3 point guard who is averaging 31 points, eight rebounds, 4.5 assists and three steals per game this season, has narrowed his list of schools down to UConn, Kentucky, Kansas, Florida and Miami, in no particular order. He was slated to make his final official visit to Miami this past weekend, according to Beckerman.

It appears Knight won’t make a commitment until after his high school season is over in March. That will give Knight, a potential one-and-done college player, the chance to gauge what kind of talent teams have coming back for a potential run to a national championship next season.

Of course, the other inherent problem with Calhoun’s health issues is the potential for negative recruiting. You can almost hear an assistant, even a head coach from another program whispering to a recruit, “Hey, you can go to UConn, but can you be assured Jim Calhoun will be there for the next few years? Or even next year?”

Hurd, however, doesn’t believe that will be a big problem for Calhoun.

“There are a few guys you don’t mess with," said Hurd, "and he’s one of them.”

Read more about this in tomorrow's Register.

Brandon Knight and Michael Bradley are on campus this weekend for official visits. Spoke to both of them today at Gampel while the rest of the team played pick-up games. Here's a little of what each had to say:

***Knight hasn't whittled his list down to five schools yet, but insists that the six or so schools that are at the top of the list (UConn, Kansas, Kentucky, Florida, Miami and UCLA) are all on equal footing right now. His only official visits so far have been to Kentucky (last week) and UConn. Knight isn't sure when or where his next official might come. He's not sure if he'll attend anyone's Late Night Madness festivities, since they all fall on Pine Crest School's Homecoming Weekend.

***Knight, the No. 1 recruit in the nation per Rivals.com and the reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year, re-iterated what his Pine Crest coach, Guilford's Dave Beckerman, told me earlier in the week: he'll likely make his commitment in the spring. Knight is a 6-foot-3 point guard, but he's very versatile – averaging 31.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists last season at Pine Crest.

"I can play the two and the one," Knight said. "I don't want to limit myself to say I’m a point guard. I think I'd be a bigger point guard."

***So, the $64,000 question is: Could Knight play together with Kemba Walker next year, assuming Walker doesn't decide to go pro. Knight didn't answer that exact question, but insisted he's not worried about who's still on whatever team he commits to.

"I'm not really concerned about who's going to be there," he said. "I'm more concerned about who I'm going to be playing with, not competing for a spot (with). I don’t really care about players that might be there at my position, because I'm just coming to compete for a spot and get better. I feel if I'm good enough, I'm going to play."

***What does Knight like about UConn, which he's visited twice before on unofficials?

"Great place, great history. I like Coach Calhoun. He gets his point (across). He doesn't tell you what you want to hear. I like that, because my dad's like that a lot. I respect that kind of person that doesn't feed you B.S. I respect that about Coach Calhoun."

***Knight is here with his parents, Efrem and Tonya. They have always stressed academics, and Knight has responded, boasting a 4.2 GPA at challenging Pine Crest.

"I try my best," said Knight, "That's what my parents pride me on first: academics first. If you don't have your academics, you can't get on the court."

***Knight, who suffered a stress fracture in his right foot a short while ago and just got out of a boot cast about a week ago, didn't take part in today's pick-up games. He may do so tomorrow.

So who is Michael Bradley, anyway?

Nope, though I always thought this ex-Villanova star would have a better pro career.

Nope.

Yup, that's him, a 6-10 power forward out of Chatanooga, Tenn. Not as polished or as talkative as Knight, Bradley is, nonetheless, another top-notch student. He's taking some AP courses at Tyner High, and will likely start off his college career with plenty of course credits right off the bat. He'd like to major in pharmacy.

***Bradley is simply looking for "somewhere I'm comfortable." He's made official visits to Georgia and Drake, and has others lined up with Virginia Commonwealth and (possibly) Boston College.

***Bradley envisions himself at the four – a position at which the Huskies could need some depth next season. He played a bit in today's pick-up games but didn't do a whole lot.

In other news …

***Stanley Robinson recently had deviated septum surgery and won't participate in contact drills/pick-up games for another few weeks. He continues to work out and should be fine for the start of practice on Oct. 17.

***I just know there's a bunch of UConn fans out there who are upset that Jim Calhoun wasn't one of the answers in this Sporcle quiz.

Here's a piece from today's Register on New Haven's own Dave Beckerman, who coaches the reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year, Brandon Knight, down at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale.

UConn will have an in-home visit with Knight tomorrow, prior to an open gym workout at Pine Crest, where the biggest names in college basketball coaching (Jim Calhoun, John Calipari, Billy Donovan, Bill Self, etc.) are expected to attend. Only problem is, turns out Knight may not be able to showcase all his talents. Knight had suffered a stress fracture in his foot a short while ago, and while he just got out of a cast, he's not quite ready to go at full-throttle yet. Rather than play, he'll likely run a few drills and also (as team captain) instruct his teammates during the open gym. The coaches are still likely to be there.

It also means that Knight isn't likely to play much (if at all) with current UConn players during his official visit to Storrs this upcoming weekend. Recruits usually try to get some run in with their potential future teammates during such visits, but Knight probably won't.


Knight won't be alone at this weekend's visit, either. Michael Bradley, a 6-10 senior center at Tyner High in Chattanooga, TN, will be on an official visit, as well. Bradley is the 15th-ranked center in the Class of 2010, according to scout.com.

Next Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the Pine Crest School's gymnasium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a veritable who's who of college basketball coaches will gather to watch Brandon Knight, the nation's top recruit in the Class of 2010, play in an open gym format.

Jim Calhoun will be there. So will John Calipari, Coach K, Jim Boeheim, Bill Self, Rick Barnes, Billy Donovan, Stan Heath and many others -- including, most likely, coaches from Yale and Harvard (Knight, after all, boasts a 4.2 grade-point average).

Pine Crest coach Dave Beckerman, a Guilford resident and former Hamden Hall coach, held a similar open gym last year. Calhoun, Boeheim, Bobby Gonzalez and others were in attendance. But this year's roster is even more impressive.

Knight will make an official visit to Kentucky this weekend, and after next week's open gym, he'll travel to Connecticut, stay at Beckerman's house for a night or two, then make an official visit to UConn. He's already made two unofficials to the school.

Knight has already made an official to Florida, and his others will be Kentucky, UConn, Kansas and Duke. Beckerman doesn't believe that Knight, a 6-3 point guard who averaged 31.8 points per game last season for Pine Crest, will make a commitment this fall. He's likely to wait until the spring.

"There are a lot of variables," Beckerman noted. "He wants to look at who else commits to the schools, how the team does, what's coming back. He wants to see where he fits in."

Suffice to say, Knight should fit in quite well, wherever he chooses. In fact, academically, according to Beckerman, if he went to UConn he'd have 18 credits right off the bat, thanks to all of the AP courses he's taken at Pine Crest (one of the top academic schools in Florida).

Incidentally, Knight will be ESPN on Feb. 15, when Pine Crest takes on Winter Park (which features Doc Rivers' son, another top recruit).