Say what you want about Mick Cronin (and UConn fans say a lot about him, mostly negative), the guys makes great conversation.

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.

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.

Anyway, here's some of what Cronin and Marshall had to say:

CRONIN:

(on addition of Wichita State)

"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."

"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."

"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."

"The future is bright for basketball in our league."

(on the fact WSU is basketball-only and doesn't bring the almighty, money-making football to the table)

“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.”

(Does the league need UConn to be better?)

"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."

"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." 

(on Caine Broome, who will play point guard for Bearcats after being one of nation's leading scorers two years ago at Sacred Heart)

"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."

GREGG MARSHALL:

(on AAC)

"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."

(on being preseason favorites)

"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."

(on importance of UConn being good)

"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."

Interesting stuff from the Jordan Brand Classic regional game today. Here's what Mamadou Diarra, Taurean Thompson and Christian Vital had to day:

THOMPSON (who is taking an official to UConn on Monday, his third official):

“I don’t know a lot about UConn. I know (Daniel) Hamilton just left. I talked to the assistant coaches briefly, I haven’t really talked to (Kevin) Ollie yet. He’s been busy. But when I get there, they’ll let me know what’s going on.”

“After UConn, if it doesn’t feel right, I’m gonna keep brainstorming and use my last two officials.”

Thompson was named Team New York's MVP on Friday after shooting 13-for-15 from the floor for 27 points and 13 boards.

DIARRA:

(on persuading Thompson to come to UConn)

“I was just talking to him in the locker room about it, ‘you’ve got to come to UConn. He’s taking his visit Monday, so hopefully he likes it.”

Diarra, who scored 19 points in Team New York's 148-128 victory on Friday, said he'll likely arrive on UConn's campus around May 31. He's been working on getting stronger and "stepping out a little bit, making jump shots, stretching my game out a little."

But he knows his bread-and-butter will be rebounding and shot-blocking.

“That’s my niche, that’s what I’m gonna need to do to get on the floor. That’s what I’ll keep on doing. Our leading rebounder last year was Daniel Hamilton, and he’s out, too. So that’s a big role that’s missing. They’re gonna need that.”

(on Hamilton's departure to the NBA)

“I’m a little surprised ... He’s good, but players come and players go. That’s just a part of the game. There’s a lot of other guys on the team that can step up and play, like Terry Larrier, Vance Jackson.”

VITAL:

The Queens Village, New York product, played AAU ball with Larrier, knows Jalen Adams from playing prep ball in New England and said Steve Enoch is “my beat friend.”

“I just spoke to him the other day, he told me to get ready for my visit,” Vital reported. “And Coach Ollie is a really great guy, too. You can see how genuine he is about his players. That’s why he shows so much emotion when coaching on the sidelines. And being in Connecticut, UConn is on a lot. When I’m scrolling through the channels, I’m able to watch them play.”

Vital said it's down to UConn, Louisville and Iowa - though it appears UConn and Louisville are the leaders. He'll visit both soon (UConn early next week).Vital spoke glowingly of Louisville.

“You grow up watching Coach Pitino, he’s a great coach,” Vital said. “I can tell he has a lot of great character. A lot of things, as we know, happened down at Louisville, and I am aware of that and I’m thinking about that in my decision. But I don’t feel like you should ever judge someone just because they sin differently than you. Whatever did happen over there, no one’s perfect. They definitely took the steps to get ahead of their sanctions by saying ‘no postseason’ last year and getting rid of scholarships. Coach Pitino can’t come down and see me, that’s part of it ... And also national championships ... I want to compete for a national championship.”

Less than 20 minutes after UConn's season had been ended in rather inglorious fashion with a loss to Kansas in the second round of the NCAA tournament, I was surveying the Huskies' postgame locker room.

We had just chatted with a very emotional Sterling Gibbs, who had broke down on the podium a few minutes before when asked about his memories of his one season at UConn. We didn't even bother talking to Phil Nolan, who sat in the corner with his hoodie pulled over his eyes and earphones on, overcome by tears as the fact that his four years in Storrs were now over seemed to sink in.

As I made my way to the exit to write my story, I saw Daniel Hamilton on the other end of the locker room. I briefly considered going over to ask him if he intended on returning to UConn for his junior year. Just as we had asked Rodney Purvis if he planned on returning for his final year of eligibility (he said "yes," though hardly in convincing fashion). Then I said to myself, "Nah, not worth it. I've got deadlines to meet, and Hamilton is almost definitely coming back. Right?"

Wrong.

Sure, I knew in the back of my mind that it wouldn't be crazy to think Hamilton might bolt to turn pro. The kid is very talented -- terrific passer, excellent rebounder, O.K. shooter. The past two years in writing for Lindy's magazine, I tabbed Hamilton as the AAC's best pro prospect (though if he returns next year, Memphis's Dedric Lawson might have given him a run for his money).

So I gave Hamilton's mom, Karen, a call about a week later, and she revealed that, indeed, her son intended on declaring for the NBA draft. At the time, he wasn't hiring an agent, meaning he'd be able to return to UConn if he pulled out of draft consideration by May 25. Made sense. A ton of sense. Why not find out from NBA personnel how they view you, what you need to work on, etc.? Then go back to UConn if it appears your best chance is a second-round draft pick with no guaranteed money.

But there was something about that conversation with Karen Hamilton that made me think Daniel was going to leave UConn and hire an agent. She talked about how he could take online courses to keep his academics in order. When I asked what the odds were that he'd return to UConn, she couldn't provide an answer.

Turns out, Daniel Hamilton has decided to go pro. He hasn't decided on an agent yet, but says he will. He knows some (many?) will think this is a mistake -- including, apparently, UConn coach Kevin Ollie -- but he feels it's the right decision for himself. And while we may disagree, who are we to tell a young man what do do with his life?

There is no doubt that NBA teams are intrigued by Hamilton. One official from a Western Conference team told me Hamilton will almost certainly be a second-round pick. There's worries about his demeanor (too timid) but there's a lot to like about his game, the official told me.

Now, second-round picks don't get guaranteed money -- necessarily. But they can. NBA teams can do anything they want with their second-round picks. The Celtics gave guaranteed money to Jordan Mickey last year (he's now in the "D-League"). If a team likes Hamilton's potential, they could very well take him in the second round, give him some guaranteed cash and stash him in the D-League (or overseas) for a year or two as he improves his game.

But even if that's Hamilton's best-case scenario, is it a good one? Here's what one Western Conference scout had to say:

“Say he gets drafted with guaranteed money. It’s not a great life. You’re on a bus in some God-forsaken, Palooka town. Whatever’s left of your adolescence is done. You’ve got grown men trying to take your head off in some God-forsaken place with 50 people in the stands. You’ve got a few bucks in your pocket, but you’re in Reno, Nevada, eating at a coffee shop by yourself.”

Another year in college sounds better to me, but what do I know?

The scout also had another interesting point: While NBA personnel can talk to players during the pre-draft process (and, now, with Hamilton's soon-to-be agent), the league won't let scouts talk to the kids.

"What we'd say to them is markedly different than what they're told by most people -- what they can't do, what their weaknesses are, how they're not ready," the scout said.

And how many of these kids aren't ready for the NBA yet.

"It’s a man’s league. These are talented boys coming out of college. They’re not ready for the league."

And what if a team whispers sweet nothings into a player's ear and promises they'll take him in the second round, only to have things drastically change on draft night?

"How do you know kid’s gonna be there, or another kid you like better isn’t gonna slip?" the scout noted. "You can get in a lot of trouble making promises you can’t keep."

In the end, Daniel Hamilton will be paid to play basketball somewhere next year, and it won't be for free. There's a chance he could be making a lot of money. There's a good chance he'll make a lot of money playing basketball for the next 10-plus years, wherever that may be.

I wish him the best of luck. He's a very nice, considerate young man who was fun to cover. Was it the best choice? Yes -- because it's what he believes is best for him. All other opinions really don't matter all that much.

Here's the AAC's all-conference and all-rookie teams. I thought Shonn Miller might make second team instead of Daniel Hamilton, but despite Hamilton's struggles this season, he's still among the league's top rebounders and assist men. And he's got more name recognition.

Also thought Jalen Adams might make all-rookie, but this isn't a huge crime, either. If you want to go by stats, he doesn't compare to the five who made it -- or, you could argue, with UCF's Tacko Fall, the league's top shot-blocker who's become a bit of an offensive force lately.

The league's defensive player of the year, Sixth Man Award, most improved player and Sportsmanship Award winners will be announced on Wednesday. On Thursday, at a 12:30 p.m. luncheon, the league's player of the year, coach of the year, rookie of the year and scholar-athlete of the year will be announced.

UConn doesn't figure to reap too many (if any) of these awards. Maybe Rodney Purvis for Sixth Man? Maybe Amida Brimah for DPOY (did he play enough? I don't think so).

One thing is certain: if SMU's Nic Moore repeats as AAC player of the year, he won't be on-hand to accept his award. Seems Moore has booked a cruise this week with his girlfriend. Guess you can do that when your team has a postseason ban.

All-Conference First Team
Troy Caupain, G, Cincinnati
Shaq Goodwin, F, Memphis
*Nic Moore, G, SMU
*Quenton DeCosey, G, Temple
James Woodard, G, Tulsa

All-Conference Second Team
Daniel Hamilton, G/F, UConn
Gary Clark, F, Cincinnati
Devonta Pollard, F, Houston
Dedric Lawson, F, Memphis
Shaquille Harrison, G, Tulsa

Honorable Mention All-Conference
Shonn Miller, F, UConn
Damyean Dotson, G, Houston

All-Rookie Team
Kentrell Barkley, G/F, East Carolina
*Dedric Lawson, F, Memphis
Galen Robinson, Jr., G, Houston
*Jahmal McMurray, G, USF
*Shake Milton, G, SMU

As the American Athletic Conference season winds down this week, it's time to take a look at who could/should be hauling in some hardware at the league tournament next week in Orlando.

A lot of tough choices this season, really. In fact, looking back at the preseason all-conference teams, we've got just two players picked for the first team making either first or second team all-AAC. Of course, we could be very wrong.

Here's how we see it:

ALL-CONFERENCE

FIRST TEAM

Nic Moore, Sr. G, SMU

Quenton DeCosey, Sr. G, Temple

Shaq Goodwin, Sr. F, Memphis

James Woodard, Sr. G, Tulsa

Gary Clark, Soph. F, Cincinnati

SECOND TEAM

Damyean Dotson, Jr. G, Houston

Troy Caupain, Jr. G, Cincinnati

Shonn Miller, Gr. F, UConn

Jordan Tolbert, Sr. F, SMU

Shaq Harrison, Sr. G, Tulsa

HONORABLE MENTION

Daniel Hamilton, Soph. F, UConn

Dedric Lawson, Fr. F, Memphis

Pat Birt, Jr. F, Tulsa

Louis Dabney, Sr. G, Tulane

ALL-ROOKIE

Jalen Adams, G, UConn

Jahmal McMurray, G, USF

Dedric Lawson, F, Memphis

Shake Milton, G, SMU

Kentrell Barkley, F, ECU

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Candidates: Nic Moore, SMU; Quenton DeCosey, Temple

Winner: Nic Moore, SMU

Moore won the award last season (beating out UConn's Ryan Boatright), and was the preseason pick this year, which certainly gave him the leg up on the competition from the start. Sometimes, guys have trouble living up to the expectations (see: Dunn, Kris), but not in Moore's case. He's third in the league in scoring at 16.7 ppg, third in assists and fourth in steals. It's a shame his NCAA tourney career will be defined by the following: snubbed as a sophomore, first-round loss on controversial goaltending call as a junior, postseason ban as a senior.

As recently as a few weeks ago, I thought Daniel Hamilton had a chance to unseat Moore for the honor. But he struggled so badly for the whole month of January, and UConn has fallen so short of expectations, that it's worth wondering whether Hamilton will even earn all-AAC honors.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Candidates: Dedric Lawson, Memphis; Jahmal McMurray, USF; Shake Milton, SMU

Winner: Dedric Lawson, Memphis

Despite a pair of atrocious performances this season against UConn, Lawson -- a heralded McDonald's All-American coming in -- is the choice. He leads the AAC in rebounding at 9.5 per game (barely edging out Hamilton) while also scoring at a 15.6 ppg clip. McMurray leads the league in scoring, but he's too one-dimensional on a bad team. Jalen Adams was the preseason pick, but while he's really made strides in recent weeks, he's not going to win this one.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Candidates: Fran Dunphy, Temple; Kelvin Sampson, Houston; Larry Brown, SMU

Winner: Kelvin Sampson, Houston

This is a really tough one that could go to either Dunphy or Sampson. Temple was picked to finish sixth and is 12-4 with a chance to finish first. Houston was picked to finish seventh and is 10-6, fresh off a win at UConn. I was really impressed with the job Sampson did in Sunday's win in Storrs, and even more impressed with his postgame press conference. Dunphy won it last year, so maybe there's a tendency to go with someone new. Either that or Dunphy becomes the Mike Brey of the AAC: the de facto coach of the year.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Candidates: Tacko Fall, UCF; Gary Clark, Cincinnati; Shaq Goodwin, Memphis; Shaq Harrison, Tulsa; Amida Brimah, UConn

Winner: Gary Clark, Cincinnati

This usually goes to a shot-blocker, so that eliminates Harrison. Fall, a freshman, leads the league in blocks (2.1 per game). Brimah would be second at 2.0 per game, but he's only played in nine league contests and will end up only playing 11. He is the reigning league DPOY, but is 11 games enough to merit a repeat? I say it goes to Clark, the top shot-blocker (1.8) on the league's most consistently excellent defensive team.

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR

Candidates: Markus Kennedy, SMU; Rodney Purvis, UConn; Rob Gray, Jr., Houston

Winner: Rodney Purvis, UConn

This is another real tough one. Kennedy won it last year, but he's been bothered by a knee injury for much of this season and is only averaging 9.7 points and 7.1 rebounds in league play. Not bad, but not what was expected from a preseason first team all-league pick. Gray leads the league in scoring in overall games (17.1 ppg) but doesn't rank in conference play because he's only played in 12 (starting seven of them) due to a balky ankle. He scored just two points Sunday against UConn. Is it fair to give the league's Sixth Man Award to a player who's only come off the bench in five league games?

Unless I'm missing someone else, Purvis seems to be the best fit. We all know his limitations, but he's come off the bench in 12 of 16 league games and averaged 10.9 points.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
I'll go with Temple's Obi Enechionyia, unless anyone can come up with someone else.

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD
UConn's Pat Lenehan won it last year, so could Nnamdi Amilo and his 4.0 GPA make it two Huskies in as many years? Doubtful, since Amilo is not a scholarship athlete this season.

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
This is not meant to be a sarcastic putdown of the players in the AAC, but I don't have a great guess who's deserving of the award. Sometimes it goes to a real good player who got edged out in another award, so maybe Quenton DeCosey or a James Woodard wins it. If we could give an award to the UConn player who's most amenable to the media (I know that doesn't exactly equate to sportsmanship) then Purvis would be a front-runner.

Impressive win for UConn last night. The Huskies thoroughly dominated Memphis in the second half, holding it to one offensive rebound over the final 20 minutes (just five for the game) and to just four field goals. UConn may have hastened Josh Pastner's departure from Memphis, though his $10.6 million buyout may muddle things.

It seems to me that the Huskies may be hitting their stride right now. Amida Brimah is back (though still a bit limited). Daniel Hamilton is back (though he never really left ... just playing much better the past couple of games). UConn's defense is as good as any in the nation. The Huskies seem to have settled on a rotation, and the players seem to be buying into their respective roles.

UConn could be really on to something here -- though Kevin Ollie is loath to say the Huskies have "turned a corner."



Getting back to Hamilton, his terrific night on Thursday (16 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists) wasn't the product of any pep talks from Kevin Ollie or his teammates, or even necessarily any extra work in the gym. It simply came from some inspirational text messages from the person who knows him best -- his mom, Karen.

Too many 3-pointers. An unimaginative offense. Continued poor play from Daniel Hamilton. The end of Rodney Purvis's double-figures streak. We could go on and on ...

Just a horrible loss for UConn on Thursday in Tulsa. Asked Kevin Ollie about the Huskies' over-reliance on 3-pointers (they took 29), and here was his response:



Ollie also called out Hamilton and Purvis -- as well as himself, to a degree.

All this on a night where recruiting target D.J. Harvey, who UConn had planned to go see on Monday at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, revealed a list of 15 schools that didn't include the Huskies.

Ouch.

UConn will be playing in Houston on Sunday when several targets are playing in Springfield, including Westown School's Mohamed Bamba, who plays Sunday at 4 p.m., as well as commit Mamadou Diarra and target Hamidou Diallo of Putnam Science Academy, which plays Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

Karl Hobbs did stay back to check out Diarra and Diallo on Wednesday night. Diallo had 14 points, three assists and three rebounds and Diarra added nine points and 10 boards to lead PSA to a 71-67 victory over Cushing Academy. Cushing is led by Makai Ashton-Langford, another prime UConn target. The Huskies are expected to watch a player on Friday in Houston, as well.

UConn continues to keep an eye on its other commits, as well, recently seeing Alterique Gilbert play in Georgia. The Huskies are encouraged with Juwan Durham's progress, as well, and feel he'll be ready to go by next November -- even if he has to start off slowly.

And it certainly appears Vance Jackson is excited about becoming a Husky this summer.

6 months till I be in Storrs✈️😝

— HeVantastic (@VanceJackson1) January 13, 2016

UConn looks to get back to its winning ways on Saturday against a Memphis team that appears better than maybe we originally thought this season.

But first, Kevin Ollie and Daniel Hamilton talked a bit about the failings of Tuesday night's loss to Temple.

Here's Hamilton explaining his verbal sparring with Rodney Purvis at one point during the game:



Meanwhile, Ollie talked a little more about the loss to Temple on Friday afternoon, as well.

And here's Ollie talking about Memphis:

In its third season, the AAC doesn't appear to be as good as we thought it was going to be just a few months ago. With SMU barred from the postseason, could this be a one-bid league? Probably not, but considering how the league has had the two biggest snubs for each of the last two NCAA tournaments (SMU in 2014, Temple in 2015), it's hard to envision any more than two bids -- at least at this point.

We chronicle all this in today's Register. Meanwhile, with conference play just underway (and UConn readying for its league opener on Saturday at Tulane), here's our picks for the league's award-winners this season:

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Daniel Hamilton, UConn. The most complete player in the league, and possibly its best NBA prospect. Hamilton leads the league in assists, is fifth in reboundng and 13th in scoring. Even with reigning POY Nic Moore back and playing well, we're gonna side with Hamilton on this one.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Dedric Lawson, Memphis. He's got strong competition from SMU's Shake Milton, but Lawson has thus far made the transfer of Austin Nichols far more bearable. He's fifth in the league in scoring and second in rebounding.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shaq Harrison, Tulsa. Amida Brimah isn't expected back until about mid-February, so we're eliminating him from the competition. With that in mind, we'll throw Tulsa a bone and give it to the player who currently leads the league in steals.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Kelvin Sampson, Houston. No matter how many games SMU wins, there's no way they'll give this award to Larry Brown -- right? Houston was expected to be better this season, and Sampson -- a very good coach -- may have the Cougars even better than expected.

ALL-CONFERENCE

FIRST TEAM

Daniel Hamilton, UConn
Rodney Purvis, UConn
Nic Moore, SMU
Jordan Tolbert, SMU
James Woodard, Tulsa
Troy Caupain, Cincinnati

SECOND TEAM

Shaq Harrison, Tulsa
Quenton DeCosey, Temple
Dedric Lawson, Memphis
Shaq Goodwin, Memphis
Rob Gray, Houston

HONORABLE MENTION

B.J. Tyson, East Carolina
Gary Clark, Cincinnati
Octavius Ellis, Cincinnati
Louis Dabney, Tulane

ALL-ROOKIE

Dedric Lawson, Memphis
Shake Milton, SMU
Jahmal McMurray, South Florida
Jalen Adams, UConn
Tacko Fall, UCF

A few awards that won't be announced at the AAC tournament in Orlando in March:

BEST NAME: Tacko Fall, UCF. Is there any competition? That he's 7-foot-6, 300 pounds and playing pretty well (2.5 blocks per game) only adds to his intrigue.

BEST TRANSFER: Jordan Tolbert, SMU. Texas Tech transfer leads the league in rebounding at 10.2 per game, to go with 12.6 points. He's overshadowed Markus Kennedy to this point.

BEST GRAD TRANSFER: Ricky Tarrant, Jr., Memphis. UConn fans love Shonn Miller and Sterling Gibbs, but Tarrant, who started his career at Tulane, then played two seasons at Alabama, may have the bigger overall impact.

BEST JUCO TRANSFER: Rob Gray, Houston. After playing at Howard JC last year, Gray is leading the AAC in scoring at 18.5 points per game.

BEST SHAQ: Shaq Goodwin, Memphis. In a narrow victory, Goodwin, who seems to have been around forever, edges Harrison, who along with James Woodard forms one of the top guard combos in the league.

BEST ATHLETE: Bo Zeigler, South Florida.


BEST POINT GUARD: Nic Moore, SMU.

BEST SHOOTING GUARD: James Woodard, Tulsa.

BEST SMALL FORWARD: Daniel Hamilton, UConn.

BEST POWER FORWARD: Jordan Tolbert, SMU.

BEST CENTER: Amida Brimah, UConn.

HOTTEST COACH'S SEAT: Josh Pastner, Memphis. (Runner-up: Donnie Jones, UCF).

Granted, Texas was without its double-double averaging big man, Cam Ridley. And the Longhorns may not have been a particularly great team even with him.

But make no mistake: UConn's 71-66 at the Erwin Center Tuesday night qualifies as a very big win. Texas, 8-4, and getting a few Top 25 votes (including mine) the past couple of weeks, is a Big 12 team that should be competitive in the nation's best conference. That alone should guarantee the Longhorns finish the season with a good RPI.

Couple the fact that its a road win (and don't forget, UConn is without Amida Brimah, as well), and this is a real nice one for the Huskies. A true resume-builder.

UConn also has found its true go-to guy -- on and off the floor -- in Rodney Purvis. Daniel Hamilton may be the team's best all-around player, but Purvis is the Huskies' best scorer, and is a leader off the floor, as well.

Now, about those free throws ... that is an issue that Purvis will have to resolve. Otherwise, he's been consistently strong, and clutch, all season.

Finally, here's a piece on Terry Larrier, who has to sit out this season as a transfer but, unlike Purvis, can travel with the team.

Shaka Smart met with the media on Monday afternoon in advance of Tuesday's but with UConn. The Longhorns will be without 6-10, 290-pound center Cameron Ridley, who broke his left foot in practice on Sunday and is out indefinitely. Ridley was averaging 12.7 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Smart:

“He’ll bounce back. This certainly is not the end of his career, it’s just one of those things where it’s an unfortunate injury, unfortunate timing. As a team, we’re just gonna have to rally around him and everyone step up.”

Does this mean Texas will play more of the "havoc" style that Smart mastered at VCU the prior six seasons?

“As I’ve been saying since I got here, havoc is a mindset. It’s a way you think about yourself when you get out of bed. Then, the style of play comes from there. Does it mean we can extend the floor a little more? Does it mean our perimeter guys are gonna be even more involved in everything we’re doing? Yes. Does it mean, on offense, it makes more sense for us to get out and score in transition? Yes. But the mindset part, it’s something that just takes time to learn.”

Both teams will be without their starting centers, with Amida Brimah also out injured.



“Their best lineup, even when he was healthy, was to have four guys that are perimeter-type players in the game, with Daniel Hamilton being the biggest of those. But he’s such a dynamic, triple-threat guy -- he can shoot, drive or pass the ball so well -- that’s their best offensive team. In a way, it makes them harder to guard. Brimah, with what he did on the defensive end, not having him in there affects them defensively, much like not having Cam affects us on defense. Both teams, what we have to do is focus on ways on the offensive end where we can be most effective, and defensively, if you don’t have that big shot-blocker, you have to do a better job with your individual defense.”

Smart was asked if 6-11 Prince Ibeh would start in Ridley's place, and he said he wasn't sure, but seemed to indicate that was likely.

Smart also talked about Terry Larrier, whom he recruited to play for him at VCU last season before Smart took the Texas job and Larrier transferred to UConn.

“Great kid, very, very intelligent ... sometimes too smart for his own good. And I think he’s in a great program. When you leave a place, the hardest thing is leaving a guy like that, because I think that he was really making terrific progress. He came in as a guy with high expectations, came in, like most freshmen, he was taken aback a little bit by some of the challenges you get hit with as a freshman. But he’s through that, and I think that’s the exciting thing for Coach Ollie and his program. He’s got a freshman year under his belt where he’s had a lot of success. Now, he’s learning a new system, a new program. But he has a confidence level, because he’s had some success.”

Smart said he got a chance to speak with Larrier at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas last month.

“We’ve talked some since the spring. We stay in contact from time to time. It’s always kind of a fine line, because you don’t want to be bothering other people’s players. But as a person, you care about a guy, you worked with him for a year, you spent a couple of years recruiting him. I just gave him a hug, told him I’m proud of him, I love him, and I want to see him keep doing well. He looked good, he continues to get stronger, physically. I’m happy for him.”

Here's what Ollie had to say about Larrier in the Bahamas:



It was pointed out to Smart that he and Ollie have been after many of the same players on the recruiting trail in recent years (Larrier, current Longhorn Tevin Mack, recent UConn commit Alterique Gilbert)

“I think it speaks more to those players. They’re really good players that are sought-after. And UConn’s recruiting at a high level, those guys have done a great job. We tried to recruit Alterique Gilbert, who they signed. They did a great job recruiting him and developing a relationship. That one wasn’t even close. They beat everyone by a mile.”

“Both programs want to bring in high-level guys that are also the type of kids that we want to coach -- good kids, want to get better, want to learn, want to be part of something bigger than themselves. I know that’s something that Kevin values and it’s something that I value.”

Game 2, A.B. (After Brimah) went better defensively for UConn in Wednesday's matinee blowout of Central Connecticut than Game 1. After a sluggish start, the Huskies kept the Blue Devils from doing much of anything offensively, en route to a 99-58 win.

Meanwhile, the Huskies did just about everything on offense. Shonn Miller fell three points shy of a career high with 25 points, with six of his 10 baskets coming off feeds from Daniel Hamilton (more on him later).



Kentan Facey notched his second career double-double (his other had come last year against ... Central Connecticut!). Rodney Purvis kept his season double-figures streak alive at 11. Even all three walk-ons scored, including a dunk by Christian Foxen (who scored a career-high four points!).

Ah yes, Hamilton. All he did was notch the 11th triple-double in Husky history with 11 points, 11 boards and 11 assists. And the last prior UConn triple-double? Shabazz Napier on ... 11/11 (Nov. 11, 2013, to be exact).

All this from a player once labeled as selfish. Amazing.



As for Facey, talked to him a bit afterwards and asked how he felt about UConn bringing in Shonn Miller as a grad transfer, even though Miller would eat into Facey's playing time. He replied in typically, unselfish fashion.

“I felt like it was going to increase our depth, as you see we need it now," he said. "You never know what’s going to happen, it’s a long season. We definitely need Shonn right now. He had a monstrous game for us. We need that going into Texas and league play.”

Another ho-hum, non-conference win over an overmatched Sacred Heart Wednesday night, right?

Well, for the most part, yes. But the first 11 1/2 minutes of the game continued a disturbing trend for the Huskies -- one they must put an end to if they plan on upsetting No. 2 Maryland on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

And Rodney Purvis knows it:



Meanwhile, another night, another near triple-double for Daniel Hamilton. Kid is special.

The AAC released its preseason coaches' poll on Tuesday morning, and the coaches pretty much got it right.

SMU is picked to win the league. Debatable (especially with its postseason ban) but certainly not criminal. UConn's picked second, Cincinnati third, Tulsa fourth, Memphis fifth, Temple sixth, Houston seventh ... pretty standard.

Daniel Hamilton earned first-team honors, and I completely agree. I think there's a chance he could wind up conference player of the year. I'm that high on Hamilton. But it's no surprise that SMU's Nic Moore, who won the award last year, is the preseason pick.

Jalen Adams is tabbed as rookie of the year. I thought this could go to either Adams or Memphis's D.J. Lawson, who is a McDonald's All-American and could see major minutes as the player asked to replace Austin Nichols. But again, certainly no crime that Adams (who likely won't start much this season) is the choice.

Amida Brimah and Sterling Gibbs made preseason second team. Certainly fair. But here's where things get a little sticky -- Rodney Purvis did not earn any recognition. He is the Huskies' top returning scorer, and we all saw what he could do over the final couple of weeks last season, particularly in the league tourney while Ryan Boatright was battling injury and double-teams.

Of course, there are only so many spots (10) on the preseason teams, and it's hard to give four of them to UConn players. Should Purvis have got the nod over, say, Brimah? You could make that argument.

But he didn't,. and now maybe this "snub" could serve as motivation for Purvis as the season unfolds.

Preseason Player of the Year
Nic Moore, R-Sr., G, SMU
 Preseason Rookie of the Year
Jalen Adams, Fr., G, UConn
 Preseason All-Conference First Team
Octavius Ellis, Sr., F, Cincinnati
Daniel Hamilton, So., G/F, UConn
*Markus Kennedy, R-Sr., F, SMU
*Nic Moore, R-Sr., G, SMU
James Woodard, Sr., G, Tulsa
 Preseason All-Conference Second Team 
Troy Caupain, Jr., G, Cincinnati
Amida Brimah, Jr., C, UConn
Sterling Gibbs, GS, G, UConn
Shaq Goodwin, Sr., F, Memphis
Shaquille Harrison, Sr., G, Tulsa
 
[*] denotes unanimous selection
2015-16 Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)

	Team	Points
1.	SMU (8)	98
2.	UConn (2)	87
3.	Cincinnati (1)	84
4.	Tulsa	76
5.	Memphis	59
6.	Temple	54
7.	Houston	48
8.	East Carolina	31
9.	UCF	30
10.	USF	20
11.	Tulane	11

For what it's worth, Daniel Hamilton and Rodney Purvis have both been named to the 2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award watch list. I thought of Purvis as more of a two-guard, but what do I know?

Four different lists were announced on Tuesday: Erving, as well as the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year, Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year and Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year. No other Huskies are on the lists. I thought Sterling Gibbs might make the Cousy list, but it's a long season.

And if you're wondering about the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year list, that will be released on Friday. I'd expect Amida Brimah to make that one.


2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates:

Jaylen Brown, California

Daniel Hamilton, Connecticut 

Rodney Purvis, Connecticut

Brandon Ingram, Duke

John Brown, High Point

Troy Williams, Indiana

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Kansas

Wayne Selden, Jr., Kansas

Alex Poythress, Kentucky

Damion Lee, Louisville

Ben Simmons, Louisiana State

Jake Layman, Maryland

Denzel Valentine, Michigan State 

Justin Jackson, North Carolina

DeAndre Bembry, Saint Joseph’s

Malik Pope, San Diego State 

Michael Gbinije, Syracuse 

D.J. Hogg, Texas A&M

Brandon Taylor, Utah

Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin

It's that time of year, folks. UConn officially kicked off practice on Saturday with a four-hour grind that started at 10 a.m. in Guyer Gym and ended around 2 p.m. inside the Werth Family Champions Center.




Here's some of what was said, along with some video:

KEVIN OLLIE:



(on the newcomers)

“They did an amazingly good job. Sterling did a great job, Shonn was fantastic, and Enoch and Jalen did a great job. Terry played well, too. I was like, ‘Man, I wish I could have him, too.’ Just being greedy, I guess.”

“We lost a lot of games in the last few minutes, last possession, that we’d like to clean up. That’s why the execution part is so crucial going into the season.”

“Oh, we’re gonna run. Definitely gonna run. I was very disappointed in our tempo (last year). We’ve got to run, push the pace. I’ve got a lot of options. I can go big, I can go small. That’s what I like. We’ll just see how we can manipulate the defense, and see who’s not gonna give in, retreat or surrender. That’s what I kept telling the guys: it’s the UConn covenant.”

(on Jalen Adams)

“He’s gonna be a fantastic player. The one thing that he’s gotta get better at is conditioning -- which wasn’t bad, but playing at this level, you’re gonna be playing a top-notch point guard. You’re gonna be playing probably their best player on the court. So you’ve got to be able to guard defensively, then come down and have the composure to run the offense.”

“We’ve had a lot of great point guards. If he wants to be in that line of guys, he’s gonna have to do the extra stuff. It can’t just be the two hours of practice. It’s got to be the extra stuff to make him an extraordinary person to put on that jersey.”

(on how hard it is to monitor an entire program as a head coach)

“You have to have discipline. I’m not saying those other teams didn’t have it, I’m just speaking for myself. You have to have accountability, and that starts with the coach. It is what it is. We can put our arms up and say it’s not our job to do it, but that’s what we have to do. That falls on us. We have to understand that it comes with the job, with being a head coach. You’ve got to have great people around you.”

“It’s up to them to take ownership and do the right things. I think all our guys want to play. They have pride in their jersey and their university. Hopefully, our guys do the right thing. But they’re 17, 18-year-olds, they make mistakes like we all make mistakes. We’ve just got to be careful with what we’re doing. It starts with me. I can’t run away from that. We’ve got to step up. It’s like a great quarterback -- you can’t run away from pressure, because most pressure comes from outside. You’ve got to step up in the pocket. That’s what we’ve got to do -- step up in the pocket, on the court and off the court. That’s why we challenge so much. If you see your brother doing something wrong, you challenge him to be better, because he’s just gonna bring us all down. We do a lot of things off the court to try to manage them when they get in those situations, so they think about doing the right things, not the wrong things.”

STERLING GIBBS:



“That plays a big part in being good. You have to hold everyone accountable. As a brotherhood, you can’t be scared to tell your brother that he’s doing something wrong.”

(on Adams)

“Jalen’s talented. He’s really skilled. He’s gifted, he’s tall, he’s athletic. He has all the abilities to be a star. This year, I’m just gonna try to give him some knowledge, teach him a couple of things that I’ve learned over the course of the year. And I’ll probably be able to learn a couple of things from him, as well.”

(on running)

“That’s a guard’s dream, to be able to have the freedom to get out and run, and to use the pick and roll. Just to have the freedom overall, I think that’s one of the things that he’s really stressing. He doesn’t want to come down and call a play each time down.”

DANIEL HAMILTON:

“They handled it pretty well. The fifth-year (guys), and a couple of the freshmen, they played real well. I didn’t expect them to be that good. They handled it real well.”

(on Adams)

“He’s more mature than a freshman. He doesn’t play like a freshman, he plays like it’s his second or third year. That’s gonna help us huge, because he comes in and has a clue on what’s going on. He’ll come in and play right away.”

(on team's versatility)

“Last year it was kind of like, ‘Watch him do that, watch him do this.’ It’s more of a team this year. Everybody can do different stuff. People aren’t just one-dimensional.”

“It’s kind of like having toys. He can throw whatever toy or whatever car he wants to have.”


ADAMS:

“It was tiring, but I think I did pretty well ... The whole week leading up to this, everybody’s like, ‘First practice, K.O. is cool, but when you get on the court, he’s in a different mindset.’ So, I was kind of expecting it. And I like to run.”

“We have five guys who can score the ball, four who can score off the perimeter. Everybody’s a key asset, so you have to pay attention to everybody.”

(on running)

“I love that a lot. That’s one of the main reasons I came here, just watching them play. They’re always uptempo offense. I like to get out, fast-break dunks, alley-oops. I like to have fun when I’m playing.”

“Everybody can play basketball at this level. People who are willing to put in extra time, pay attention to detail, do the little stuff.”

“Each of those three guards, I want to take stuff from. Kemba, I want to take his aggressivness and creativity. Shabazz, his pull-up jump shot and how he’s the leader. And Boatright, how he’s also a great leader and he just gets everybody involved. I like that a lot from all those guys.”

(can he lead as a frosh?)

“Definitely. I think leading is natural. In those type of situations, growing up -- even off the court with my friends, I was always, like, the head honcho. Leading is natural. If you’ve been through it, it carries on to the court.”

Your Husky Run times:

1. (overall) Jon Gill, Walllingford, 17:45

(UConn)

1. Daniel Hamilton, 20:31
2. Kentan Facey, 21:41
3. Omar Calhoun, 22:43
4. Steve Enoch, 23:24
5. Christian Foxen, 23:48
6. Jalen Adams, 24:59
7. Sterling Gibbs, 25:12
8. Rodney Purvis, 25:34
9. Terry Larrier, 26:15
10. Shonn Miller, 26:15
11. Phillip Nolan, 26:30
12. Nnamdi Amilo, 29:44


Daniel Hamilton addresses the crowd prior to the run:



Kevin Ollie speaks with the media:



Daniel Hamilton crosses the finish line first among his UConn teammates -- backwards -- with a time of 20:31.




Some notes 'n quotes off the run:

KEVIN OLLIE

(on the Husky Run)

“It’s important -- spending time with the fans, seeing them run, seeing us run. It’s about starting something and finishing something. That’s kind of our motto: whatever we start, we want to finish. That hill on the back side always gets you. But you’ve got to persevere. Just like the season, there’s gonna be some ups and downs, but you’ve got to get to the finish line. It’s really not a race to win, it’s a race against yourself. You want to finish.”

(on the team's newcomers)

“They’re fitting in great. That’s one thing I really want to see early -- team chemistry. They’re doing a wonderful job coming in and bringing leadership. They’re not scared to challenge people. We don’t want them to come in and take a back seat, because they’re gonna play a pivotal role in our success.”

(on Daniel Hamilton)

“I think he always had confidence in how good he could be. It’s just putting the work in, seeing the results. I think he saw some great results last year, but he definitely wants to improve on shooting percentage, being a better decision-maker, taking better shots. But he did some wonderful things last year. Now, you’ve just got to take what you do well now and do it even better. I’ve been seeing some remarkable growth throughout this preseason.”

“He’s gonna be on everybody’s list to stop. We had Ryan Boatright, I bet you he had the big star on his name. Now, Daniel’s gonna have that star on his name. The good thing is we have a lot of players that are gonna have that star on their names. It’s not gonna just be one guy. That’s a good thing for a coach to have options, and to have a team that’s deep.”

(on SMU)

“We hate for that to happen to SMU ... I just hate for it to happen to a very dear friend of mine. I know they’re gonna get better from the situation and hopefully go forward. We’ve got to go forward as a university, as a conference. We still have some great teams that are gonna have the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament.”

“I can’t tell you that, you’re gonna have to call Larry about that. But, knowing him, he’s been down a lot of times in his life. The good thing about being down, a week later, he’s back up and at it again. I don’t think that’s gonna change now. I think he’s gonna look at it as a learning circumstance, and I think he’ll get better. But he’s a great man, he’s been very influential in my life. I just wish him the best going forward.”

*** Amida Brimah sat out the run. He rolled his ankle in his final GHPA game in August, but should be fine for Saturday's first practice.

Sam Cassell, Jr. also sat out the Husky run. Trainer James Doran didn't want him pounding his stress fracture for 3.1 miles on blacktop. He's good to go Saturday, too.

HAMILTON
“I said I was gonna win it a couple of weeks ago, so I had to make sure I lived up to that.”

“Definitely a different attitude. I want to win, like UConn does. I just want to come in, win and make a huge impact.”

“I’m in the best shape of my life.”

“I’m ready to come in and lead and just win, that’s the main thing. We win, everybody’s having fun and everybody looks good.”

“We’re more together. We all come to the gym at the same time, nobody’s separate from each other. We’ve got the team mindset. The new guys are fitting in real well, putting in their work at nighttime. They’re dragging me to come in the gym. That’s always a good sign.”

“I had way too many turnovers -- two turnovers a game, that’s a lot a game, and I’m not even a point guard. I’ve got to defnitely cut down on that.”

(on speculation he'll go pro after this year)

“That’s a distraction outside the locker room. I don’t want to make a distraction outside the locker room, because that could affect the way we play. I just want to come in and play our game, play the way UConn wants to play. That’s getting wins.”

OMAR CALHOUN:

“I’m feeling real good, better than I felt last year coming in. I did a lot of rehab over the summer, so I’m feeling 100-percent right now. Hopefully I can stay this way and just continue to improve.”

a lot of track work, working on mobility, flexibility, lot of strengthening core, when I was in boot, strengthen everything else

“I want to show everyone the kind of player I really am. I’ve been dealing with injuries basically every year, besides my freshman year. Hopefully, I can get the year I want my senior year. Make a big run in the tournament, that’s the plan.”

“I’ve always been a competitive person. It should be fun. Whoever’s the best is gonna be on the court at the end of the day.”

PURVIS:

“Everything with me is off the flow of the game. I’m pretty fast, so I’ll let my speed get me out in transition to get me going. It’s a great thing to have a lot of weapons, but just because you have a lot of weapons doesn’t mean you have to take your foot off the gas. The more scoring, the more points, the more wins we’ll get.”

“He’s even surprised me how much more he’s opened up. Last year he was a freshman. When you’re a freshman, you’re kind of figuring yourself out. You’re coming to a locker room with a lot of older guys. With his summer and with that year, he’s really opened up a whole lot. He’s kind of like a differnet person. Last year, he was the quietest in the locker room. Now, he’s one of the loudest. That’s always a positive.”

“I dedicated my whole summer pushing myself and preparing myself for this moment. It’s not really good to say, but I really do feel like this is my team. I’ve got to step up and be that guy and be that coach on the floor. It’s a huge role, a huge task, but I’ve got to give my credit to Coach Ollie. He’s really working with me each and every day. I really credit him.”

Perhaps playing in the American Conference, as opposed to one of the so-called "power five" leagues, isn't hurting UConn as bad as originally thought.

The Huskies have already notched three Class of 2016 players, and they're good ones -- Mamadou Diarra, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Putnam Science Academy; Alterique Gilbert, a uniquely talented (if small) point guard out of Georgia; and, most recently, Tampa's Juwan Durham, a multi-faceted 6-10 forward who has drawn favorable comparisons to a young Donyell Marshall.

Sure, there are hundreds of players out there, and Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina can't swipe up all of them. Sure, it may have helped UConn that Durham missed much of his junior year after tearing the ACL in his right knee, though it appears most of the major programs still coveted the Tampa Prep star despite the injury.

But the fact of the matter is, the Huskies are welcoming three excellent players to the program next season -- and more top-notch talent could be on the way.

Wenyen Gabriel, one of the top-rated power forwards in the nation out of Wilbraham and Monson Academy, is slated to visit Storrs in a few weeks (Oct. 2-4). He's also highly sought-after by Kentucky, Duke, Maryland and Providence, but if the Huskies can get him to commit, it would really put their 2016 haul over the top.

Meanwhile, UConn is still very strong with a pair of top 2017 recruits: Zach Brown, a 7-footer out of Miami, and Hamadou Diallo, a shooting guard out from Putnam Science Academy who is close to current teammate Diarra.

UConn currently has one scholarship still open, which it could fill with a walk-on, as it has the past couple of seasons, or leave open in case any mid-season transfers become available. Otherwise, the Huskies will have at least four scholarships open up next season, with Sterling Gibbs, Shonn Miller, Omar Calhoun and Phil Nolan all graduating. It's certainly possible that Daniel Hamilton, Amida Brimah and/or Rodney Purvis could leave school early for the NBA after this season, as well.

With all that considered, the Huskies will likely have at least two, if not three or four more slots to fill for the 2016-17 season. A big man and a shooter top their wish list to fill out the Class of 2016 -- unless, of course, an extremely talented player at any other position suddenly becomes available. UConn could soon be getting a visit from 6-8 forward De'Ron Davis out of Colorado, who's getting a home visit from the Huskies this week.

Otherwise, the Huskies are looking at '17's and '18's, and could be getting a visit soon from Myles Powell out of South Kent School.

Yeah, we know, most college sports previews at this time of year have to do with football. But we're all about basketball over here, and we decided to take a midsummer's look at the AAC's prospects for next season.

Turns out, the prospects are quite good. Barring any disasters, the league should get three and possibly as many as five teams into this year's NCAA tournament. Which means, of course, that it'll likely get just three, since the AAC has had the selection committee's two biggest snubs (SMU in '14, Temple last year) the past two seasons.

Mick Cronin returns to Cincinnati's sidelines this season

Anyway, the league looks good this year. Its player of the year (Nic Moore) is back. So are five other all-league players: Tulsa's James Woodard and Shaq Harrison, Cincinnati's Octavius Ellis, SMU's Markus Kennedy and Tulane's Louis Dabney. So is Mick Cronin, after missing most of last season with a vascular condition.

There are some tough losses -- Ryan Boatright, Austin Nichols, Will Cummings, Yanick Moreira, Corey Allen, Jr.. But there are also numerous high-level transfers (both graduates and otherwise) who will make immediate impacts: UConn's Sterling Gibbs and Shonn Miller; SMU's Jordan Tolbert and Semi Ojeleye; Memphis's Ricky Tarrant, Jr. And there are some talented, impact freshmen, too: Memphis' McDonald's All-American brothers Dedric and K.J. Lawson, UConn's Jalen Adams, SMU's Malik "Shake" Milton.

It says here that UConn, SMU and Cincy will be the top three -- pick your order, but we'll give the Huskies the edge on overall depth and talent -- with Tulsa and Memphis battling for tourney bids. One of those two will probably get in. Maybe both.

Temple lost a lot of talent but has a lot coming back, and it has Fran Dunphy. Owls may be borderline, but we know how that usually turns out. And Houston's been getting a little national love lately, but I just don't see it ... yet.

1. UCONN

Daniel Hamilton may be UConn's (and AAC's) best player

Best player: Daniel Hamilton; Top returning scorer: Rodney Purvis; Biggest loss: Ryan Boatright; Best addition: Sterling Gibbs (Seton Hall transfer); Best freshman: Jalen Adams; Biggest positive: Talent, depth at every position; Biggest negative: Team may take a while to jell.

2. SMU
Best player: Nic Moore; Top returning scorer: Moore; Biggest loss: Yanick Moreira; Best addition: Jordan Tolbert (Texas Tech transfer); Best freshman: Malik “Shake” Milton; Biggest positive: Defense! Defense!; Biggest negative: NCAA investigation looms over program (and Larry Brown seems to have lost a little of his fastball).

3. CINCINNATI
Best player: Gary Clark; Top returning scorer: Octavius Ellis; Biggest loss: Jermaine Sanders; Best addition: Head coach Mick Cronin (after missing most of last season due to health); Best freshman: Jacob Evans; Biggest positive: One of the stingiest defensive teams in the land; Biggest negative: No real go-to scorer.

4. TULSA
Best player: James Woodard; Top returning scorer: Woodard; Biggest loss: None; Best addition: Pat Birt (JUCO transfer); Best freshman: Sterling Taplin; Biggest positive: Everyone’s back from a 15-3, second-place team; Biggest negative: Golden Hurricane will sneak up on no one this season.

5. MEMPHIS
Best player: Shaq Goodwin; Top returning scorer: Goodwin; Biggest loss: Austin Nichols; Best addition: Dedric Lawson; Best freshman: Lawson; Biggest positive: Lawson brothers, transfer Ricky Tarrant ease loss of Nichols; Biggest negative: Nichols is gone, and Josh Pastner still coaches this team.

6. TEMPLE
Best player: Quenton DeCosey; Top returning scorer: DeCosey; Biggest loss: Will Cummings; Best addition: Shawn Alston; Best freshman: Alston; Biggest positive: DeCosey, AAC top rebounder Jaylen Bond are back; Biggest negative: Two of top three scorers (Cummings, Jesse Morgan) graduated.

7. HOUSTON
Best player: Devonta Pollard; Top returning scorer: Pollard; Biggest loss: Jherrod Stiggers; Best addition: Ronnie Johnson (Purdue transfer); Best freshman: Galen Robinson, Jr.; Biggest positive: Johnson, Damyean Dotson good transfer additions; Biggest negative: One of worst shooting teams in country last season.

8. CENTRAL FLORIDA

Best player: B.J. Taylor; Top returning scorer: Taylor; Biggest loss: Brandon Goodwin; Best addition: A.J. Davis (Tennessee transfer); Best freshman: Tacko Fall; Biggest positive: We could watch 700 pounds of big men (Fall, Justin McBride) playing together; Biggest negative: UCF was one of the worst defensive teams in nation a year ago.

9. TULANE
Best player: Louis Dabney; Top returning scorer: Dabney; Biggest loss: Jay Hook; Best addition: Malik Morgan (LSU transfer); Best freshman: Melvin Frazier; Biggest positive: Deepest recruiting class in 15 years; Biggest negative: Three players who started all 31 games last year now gone.

10. SOUTH FLORIDA
Best player: Chris Perry; Top returning scorer: Nehemias Morillo; Biggest loss: Corey Allen, Jr.; Best addition: Roddy Peters (Maryland transfer); Best freshman: Luis Santos; Biggest positive: Perry’s back after missing last 13 games with heart ailment; Biggest negative: Troy Holston, Jr. suffered ACL tear in June.

11. EAST CAROLINA
Best player: B.J. Tyson; Top returning scorer: Tyson; Biggest loss: Terry Whisnant; Best addition: Clarence Williams (JUCO transfer); Best freshman: Deng Riak; Biggest positive: Tyson; Biggest negative: Pirates were badly outrebounded last season.

PRESEASON SUPERLATIVES:

SMU's Nic Moore is the reigning AAC player of the year

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nic Moore, SMU. It's his until he surrenders it ... which he might.

BEST PLAYER: Daniel Hamilton, UConn. Or at least the best NBA prospect.

BEST NEWCOMER: Sterling Gibbs, UConn. Second-team all-Big East, 44-percent 3-point shooter.

BEST FRESHMAN: Dedric Lawson, Memphis. Should still be a high school senior, but will replace Austin Nichols at power forward.

BEST SHOOTER: Sterling Gibbs, UConn.

BEST DEFENDER: Amida Brimah, UConn. We know his shortcomings, but he'll lead league in blocks again. (Honorable mention: Shaq Harrison, Tulsa).

BEST DUNKER: Bo Zeigler, USF. He's got Stanley Robinson-type hops.

BEST COACH: Larry Brown, SMU. Tough to argue against a Hall of Famer.

BEST RETURN OF A COACH: Mick Cronin, Cincinnati. Though Larry Davis did a terrific job in his stead.

HOTTEST COACH'S SEAT: Josh Pastner, Memphis. (Honorable mention: Donnie Jones, UCF).

BEST POINT GUARD: Nic Moore, SMU.

BEST SHOOTING GUARD: James Woodard, Tulsa.

BEST SMALL FORWARD: Daniel Hamilton, UConn.

BEST POWER FORWARD: Markus Kennedy, SMU.

BEST CENTER: Octavius Ellis, Cincinnati.

BEST SHAQ: Shaq Harrison, Tulsa. Edges out Memphis's Shaq Goodwin, with Cincy's Shaq Thomas getting some love, too. Lotta Shaqs in this league.

BEST B.J.: B.J. Taylor, UCF. Edges out ECU's B.J. Tyson. Shut up.

BEST SCANDAL: SMU. NCAA looking into possible academic improprieties involving a former assistant coach, former player Justin Martin and current Mustang Keith Frazier. (Runner-up: Memphis, though a report about a tutor providing improper academic help to players apparently was much ado about nothing).

BEST BOOK ABOUT UCONN'S 2014 NATIONAL TITLE RUN: He he. Couldn't resist a little self-promotion.

Sterling Gibbs and Terry Larrier both played in the Greater Hartford Pro-Am on Wednesday night. Daniel Hamilton was there to cheer them on.

Gibbs and Larrier both looked good. Real good.

Gibbs, who poured in 45 points in a GHPA game the other night, can distribute and shoot. And he just oozes 'winner.'



Larrier is silky smooth, a long, 6-foot-7 athlete who can shoot from all over the floor:



Larrier draws obvious comparisons to Jeremy Lamb -- but also to Hamilton. In fact, the two have formed a unique bond this summer. They're best friends off the court, but when they go against each other in pick-up games on the court this summer, some intriguing battles have taken place.

Here's the story on Hamilton and Larrier's relationship from the Register. And here's the quote of the night from Gibbs:

Daniel Hamilton (l), Terry Larrier at GHPA game.

“It’s actually fun, because of the fact that they’re so similar. They’re tall, they’re able to score the ball in multiple ways -- shoot, dribble, everything. A move that Daniel might make on Terry, Terry will come back and make the same move on him. It’s real competitive, and they really like each other and they’re really good friends.”

Don't expect to see much more of Hamilton or Larrier at the GHPA this summer, however. Both are heading home next week, and will resume their off-court friendship/on-court rivalry in the fall. No doubt, Larrier's presence as a "practice player" will greatly benefit Hamilton -- and the entire UConn team -- this season.