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.

After a couple of years at Waterbury's Crosby High, the Greater Hartford Pro-Am officially returns to ... well ... Hartford on Wednesday night. Games will be played at the Sport & Medical Sciences Academy at 208 Huyshope Ave. in Hartford.

The GHPA's 2015 season kicks off at 6:30 p.m., with Attorney Deron Freeman (led by Tobin Carberry and a host of players from Central Connecticut) facing Pauly Chute Slamm (which will be led by a pair of terrific New Haven guards past and present -- Bobby Moore and Tremont Waters. Waters, a UConn target, won't be at Wednesday night's game. Stanley Robinson is also on the team).

At 8:15 p.m., New York's Hot 93.7 (last year's scoring champ Doug Herring, Anthony Cox) will face two-time defending champion BJM Law Firm (Ryan Gomes, Keith Cothran, Lamonte Ulmer, Kelvin Davis).

Other top players expected to compete in the 11-team league include Jerome Dyson, Doug Wiggins and A.J. Price. The league could get some special guest appearances: on Aug. 1-2, Nate Robinson is expected to play. Other possible players throughout the summer could include Andre Drummond, Rudy Gay, Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb and Wes Matthews.

And, as always, several current UConn players are expected to play throughout the summer.

Ray Allen, Kemba Walker, Rip Hamilton, Rudy Gay and Shabazz Napier are among the former UConn stars expected to play at this year's Jim Calhoun Charity Classic game on Aug. 8 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Also expected to be in attendance are: Ben Gordon, DeAndre Daniels, Jeremy Lamb, Donyell Marshall, Donny Marshall, Charlie Villanueva, A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien, Taliek Brown and Scott Burrell.

As UConn bids adieu to one Class of 2015 recruit, it appears to be in pretty good standing with another.

Will Jackson, who committed to UConn back in February, has decommitted and instead lent his commitment to Georgia, according to multiple reports:

Ga Stars 2015 PG Will Jackson has decommitted from UCONN and committed to Georgia
— Shun Williams (@OntheRadarHoops) July 7, 2014

Along with Prince Ali's recent decision to re-open his commitment, that leaves talented Boston guard Jalen Adams as the Huskies' only Class of 2015 commit at this point.

But it looks like UConn is in good with Philadelphia's Derrick Jones, the No. 33-ranked player in his class, according to rivals.com. Jones, a 6-foot-6 small forward who plays at Archbishop Carroll in Philly, visited UConn last Monday with his AAU coach -- who just happens to be New Haven native and former Hillhouse standout Terrell Myers.

"I think Coach (Kevin) Ollie did a great job while we were there," said Myers, who knows Ollie from his college playing days at St. Joseph's, as well as from playing against him in pro-am leagues. "They crossed the t's, dotted the i's, explained what UConn basketball is all about. He really, really enjoyed his visit. It's a place he can really, really thrive."

Myers added that Jones is "a great kid, an amazing kid, probably the most athletic player we have right now. He has the ability to do so many things."

"He's extremely athletic, and really knows how to play the game of basketball, as well. He understands the nuances of it, all the small details. That's the greatest thing about him. His upside can be tremendous, he's just still scratching the surface. He's so athletic, people don’t understand other things he can do because he wows you with his athleticism."

Jones does need to get stronger, but, as Myers noted, so does Daniel Hamilton. And so did DeAndre Daniels and Jeremy Lamb and any number of recent talented UConn recruits.

Jones went to the Syracuse Elite camp last summer and has visited a few schools locally, but doesn't have anything else lined up at the moment.

"He's 17, so making a decision for college is tough," Myers noted. "He's trying to figure out what to wear tomorrow."

His visit to UConn came largely as a result of Myers coming back to the area.

"I was coming up that way," Myers said, "and I thought it would be a good opportunity for him to see the school."

Myers used to run a basketball camp each summer at which Ollie would come to speak.

"Without calling him, he just showed up and spoke to the kids," Myers recalled. "He's always been a thorough guy."

Jones isn't the only player on the Philly-based We-R1 AAU team that UConn is interested in. There's also Sedee Keita, a 6-9, Class of 2016 center from Delaware who plays at Vermont Academy. And the Huskies have also inquired about Malik Ellison, a 6-5, Class of '15 swingman who is the son of former Louisville star "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison.

"UConn’s a great place with a great basketball history," Myers said. "I think Coach Ollie is a guy who’s gonna take it to another level."

Some might say he already has.

A few off-the-beaten-path notes heading into Friday's UConn-Iowa State Sweet 16 game at Madison Square Garden:

As we documented in a story back in December, Shabazz Napier was already Shabazz-ing other opponents long before he enrolled at UConn. He was hitting clutch shots and having big games at Lawrence Academy and at Charlestown High prior to his Husky career.

In fact, in a game against Tilton School as a senior, Napier went for 36 points in an 88-85 overtime win on the road. One of Tilton's star players? Georges Niang.

Yes, we know Niang won't be playing for Iowa State tonight, but just found that interesting.

*** Kemba Walker had a lot of interesting things to say about this year's UConn team in this New York Post story the other day. One thing I'm not sure I'd heard before was the following:

Walker recalled how Jim Calhoun raged at Napier at halftime of the NCAA championship against Butler.

“We weren’t playing so great, and Coach Calhoun kind of got into Shabazz a little bit, and the way he came out in that second half and responded, it was a cool thing to watch. Coach Calhoun, during that time, he hadn’t really got into anyone the way he got into Shabazz that day, and it was kind of cool to see how Shabazz reacted. He didn’t get down, he got better. He sparked us in that second half, and that was why we were able to go on and win that championship game.”
I didn't get a chance to ask Shabazz about that yesterday, as he was too busy answering the same questions, over and over, from national and New York media about staying with the UConn program, playing at the Garden, etc., etc. But I did ask Tyler Olander if he recalled the halftime outburst by Calhoun at Shabazz, and here's what he had to say:

"I remember him laying into a couple of guys. I don't remember him specifically singling out anyone, but he said a couple of guys really need to step it up if we're going to win this game. I think Shabazz and Jeremy (Lamb) knew he was talking to them, they've got to step it up, take a little pressure off Kemba so he'd be able to create and they can get involved in the flow of the game."

"(Calhoun) was in there, throwing markers and all that stuff. We were like, 'Hey,' I thought we were doing decent, we're winning the game, doing alright. That's just Coach Calhoun. That wasn't enough. We had to dominate, we could do better."

*** Wouldn't it be amazing if, somehow, Omar Calhoun were to make some sort of big contribution for UConn on Friday, right here in his hometown of New York? Especially after this most disappointing sophomore season? Calhoun tells me his future is at UConn. We shall see.

*** No doubt, there will be no shortage of New York City bars where Husky fans can congregate for Friday's game. There's even a UConn pre-game pep rally from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Affinia Manhattan Ballroom on 371 7th Ave. (31st and 7th, just a block from the Garden).

There'll even be a Husky Hangout/Game Watch on Saturday at The Thirsty Fan on 254 W. 31st St., across from the Garden, for those who want to watch the UConn women's game against BYU.

And, against all odds, there's apparently an Iowa State bar in NYC, too:

Who knew?

Here's some info on Iowa State, which edged North Carolina on Sunday night to earn the right to play UConn in a Sweet 16 game on Friday night at Madison Square Garden:

Iowa State is led by Melvin Ejim, a 6-foot-6 senior forward who averaged 18.1 points per game, and DeAndre Kane, a senior guard who netted 16.9. The team suffered a huge loss in its Round-of-64 win over NC Central when 6-7, 240-pound sophomore Georges Niang broke a bone in his foot and was lost for the rest of the tourney. Niang averaged 16.7 points per game this season, and the Cyclones often ran their offense through him.

Ejim beat out Kansas’s Andrew Wiggins for Big 12 player of the year. He had 48 points and 16 rebounds in a win over TCU earlier this season. Anyone who can go for 48 and 16 in a game, no matter the opponent, is someone to be reckoned with.

History lesson (this will be brief): UConn and Iowa State have met just once in their respective histories, and it was recent. The Cyclones handed the Huskies a 77-64 loss in each teams’ NCAA tournament opening game on March 15, 2012. It proved to be Jim Calhoun’s final game as UConn’s head coach, as he retired six months later and handed over the reins to Kevin Ollie.

The Cyclones, led by soon-to-be NBA first-round draft pick Royce White, jumped out to as much as a 22-point first-half lead (keyed by a 16-0 run) and withstood UConn’s comeback bid to earn the win. The underachieving Huskies had two soon-to-be NBA draft lottery picks (Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond) as well as future second-round pick Alex Oriakhi on the team. But Drummond and Oriakhi each finished with two points and three rebounds. Drummond fouled out; Oriakhi would soon transfer to Missouri.
Shabazz Napier led the Huskies with 22 points in that one.

It's also worth noting that the game was played in Louisville's KFC Yum! Center, which has become a true House of Horrors for the Huskies in its brief history. UConn will be much happier playing before what's sure to be a rowdy, partisan crowd Friday night at the Garden.

Old pals: Kevin Ollie and ISU coach Fred Hoiberg are longtime friends, dating back to a recruiting trip to two took to the University of Arizona more than 20 years ago. They were also teammates with the Chicago Bulls for about half a season. And when Hoiberg was assistant general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves, he brought in Ollie to come in and play backup point guard.

Some notes, quotes and video from today at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, where UConn will face St. Joesph's in a "second-round" NCAA tournament game on Thursday at 6:55 p.m. (TBS).

DeAndre Daniels has been a lot more assertive lately. That could bode very well for the Huskies moving forward.

Ryan Boatright:



"We're confident. We know how good we can be. We know that we've got veteran leaders, on and off the floor. We've been practicing well, and we're just getting mentally and physically prepared to go to war. We know they're not going to go down easy. But we're prepared to take the challenge."

(lessons from 2012 tourney)

"Just refuse to let it happen again, man. Losing in the first round, then not being able to play last year, it sticks with you. We're going into this tournament hungry, as a collective group. We're looking forward to getting out there."

(more on '12)

"We were probably the most talented team in the country. The chemistry just wasn't there."

(were guys thinking more about the NBA at the end of that season?)

"Maybe. I was a young guy. I was best friends with (Jeremy) Lamb and (Andre) Drummond. They thought about it, but they really wanted to win the national championship. It just wasn't there, man. I think everybody was just worried about individual goals."

*** Talked to Phil Nolan a little bit on the art of taking a charge:

"I wouldn't say I worked hard on it. It just kind of comes naturally, because I know at the beginning of the year, coach was talking about how no one on the team takes charges and stuff. I was getting in foul trouble. Instead of jumping and trying to block everything, I was just going to stand in the way of somebody and let them run into me."

"Earlier, they were definitely calling them way more. But now, in the last couple of games, they were calling blocking fouls. I will continue to do it, though."



*** Shabazz Napier on that 2012 team:

"It was a team trying to find our way. I wouldn't say it was broken. I wasn't as capable a leader as I thought I would be, and that was one of the biggest reasons why. I don't blame anything on anybody besides myself. That team was talented as any other team you had in America. With me not being a great leader, with Coach Calhoun being out so many weeks, it was too tough for me to handle. But at the end of the day, I'm thankful for that. I learned from it a lot."

What if the next great professional athlete out of UConn wasn't Andre Drummond, Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb ... or even a basketball player at all?

What if it's George Springer, the New Britain product and 2011 first-round pick by Houston? It certainly could be. Check out these minor-league numbers this season between Double-A and Triple-A: .315, 26 homers, 72 RBI, 28 steals in 90 games. Here's Springer taking BP and talking at Sunday's Futures Game at Citi Field (he went 1-for-3, beating out an infield single and nearly breaking the glass windows of the third-deck Acela Club with a foul-ball home run):



I didn't have the heart to tell him I've got him on my Fantasy Baseball team. Or current Rock Cat Miguel Sano, either. I shouldn't be in last place in coming years.

It's not the All-Star Game Jeremy Lamb would like to be playing in, but the former UConn standout has been selected to play in the seventh annual NBA D-League All-Star Game on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Sprint Arena during the NBA All-Star Jam Session at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center. The game will air live on NBA TV at 3 p.m.

Lamb has played for Tulsa on assignment from the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was selected for the Futures Team, which will play the Prospects Team. Players were selected by vote of the D-League's 16 head coaches and were eligible to be selected based on having played in half their teams' games through Jan. 27. Each player must be on an active D-League roster at the time of the game in order to compete, meaning there's a chance Lamb might not play in the game.

Here are the rosters:

FUTURES ALL-STAR ROSTER

Pos.                    Player (Team)                                                             Ht.                  Wt.                 College              Birthdate

F                          Micah Downs (Maine)                                                6-7                  180                 Gonzaga            9/8/86

G                         Courtney Fortson (Los Angeles)                               5-11                185                 Arkansas           5/23/88

G                         Ron Howard (Fort Wayne)                                        6-5                  185                 Valparaiso        11/14/82

C                         Jerome Jordan (Reno)                                                7-0                  253                 Tulsa                  9/26/86

G                         Jeremy Lamb (Tulsa)*                                               6-5                  179                 Connecticut      5/30/92

F                          Marcus Landry (Reno)                                               6-7                  230                 Wisconsin          11/1/85

G                         Shelvin Mack (Maine)*                                             6-3                  215                 Butler                 4/22/90

F                          Arinze Onuaku (Canton)                                           6-9                  275                 Syracuse            7/13/87

F                          DaJuan Summers (Maine)                                         6-8                  240                 Georgetown      1/24/88

F                          Chris Wright (Maine)                                                  6-8                  225                 Dayton              9/30/88

                            Head Coach: Mike Taylor (Maine)

                            Assistant Coaches: Tunde Adekola (Maine), P.J. Clark (Maine)

                                                    Athletic Trainer: Jessica Kendall (Maine)

PROSPECTS ALL-STAR ROSTER

Pos.                  Player (Team)                                                               Ht.                  Wt.                 College              Birthdate

G                         Andrew Goudelock (Rio Grande Valley)                6-3                  200                 Charleston        12/7/88

F                          Damion James (Bakersfield)                                     6-7                  225                 Texas                 10/7/87

F                          Terrence Jones (Rio Grande Valley)*                      6-9                  252                 Kentucky          1/9/92

G                         Cory Joseph (Austin)*                                                6-3                  185                 Texas                 8/20/91

G                         D.J. Kennedy (Erie)                                                     6-6                  215                 St. John’s           11/5/89

F                          James Mays (Springfield)                                          6-8                  230                 Clemson            3/8/86

G                         Jerel McNeal (Reno)                                                   6-3                  202                 Marquette         6/1/87

F                          Demetris Nichols (Sioux Falls)                                  6-8                  210                 Syracuse            9/4/84

C                         Tim Ohlbrecht (Rio Grande Valley)                         6-11                255                 Germany           8/30/88

C                         Henry Sims (Erie)                                                        7-0                  241                 Georgetown      3/27/90

                          Head Coach: Will Voigt (Bakersfield)

                          Assistant Coaches: John Bryant (Bakersfield), Rod Baker (Bakersfield)

                          Athletic Trainer:  Sean Mirza (Bakersfield)

* - Indicates a player currently in the NBA

We've heard this before, but this time it's coming from a different source: the Huskies plan to run a lot this year. And press. And box out.

That's what Kevin Ollie's been stressing so far in the preseason, and he'll be doing so even more as the season officially unveils Friday night at First Night festivities (or, more appropriately, Saturday morning at the team's first full practice).

Jim Calhoun has, of course, promised to do all of these things more in recent years. But the truth is, UConn really hasn't been much of a running team -- at least not an effective one -- lately. And I can't think of more than a handful of times over the past couple of seasons where UConn has applied choking, fullcourt pressure. Please refresh my memory if I'm wrong.

And boxing out? Please -- a lost art in most of college basketball, but a veritable relic in Storrs the past few seasons.

Anyway, here's my story from today's Husky Run, where Ollie promises a "West Coast style, up-and-down, with an East Coast mentality" this season. Really, with such a guard-oriented team, the Huskies don't have many other options.

*** Ollie certainly has a few mottos. One of them today, we learned: "all 10 toes in, not five. You’ve got five in, you don’t belong here. I’m gonna tolerate you for a little bit until I can find someone else.”

*** Inevitably, Ollie and his players were asked by many media types, "With no postseason, what are you playing for this year."

All the right answers were given, but Ollie also touched on an interesting subject. With no NCAA or Big East tourneys, can his players still get proper attention from NBA scouts?

The answer: Of course.

"You’re always getting evaluated," Ollie said. "Kyrie Irving played 11 games and was the No. 1 pick (in 2011). We’re going to still have general managers (here)."

Though nothing's even close to certain, Ryan Boatright would seem to be the top candidate to possibly enter the NBA Draft after this season. I asked him if he thought the lack of a postseason could hurt his draft stock.

"Honestly, for me going to the league, I don’t feel like the tournament would benefit (me)," he said. "I mean, it would benefit, but I don’t think it’ll hurt me. I mean, last year, Jeremy (Lamb) just played one game in the tournament, the first game we lost. Damion Lillard (of Weber State) was the No. 6 pick, I never even heard of that school before. If you’re good, they’re going to find you. They’re going to hear about you, and you’re going to get your opportunity.”

*** Boatright will defend the dunk contest he won from Andre Drummond last year. He'll go against (we're told) freshmen Omar Calhoun and Phil Nolan, as well as Breanna Stewart from the women's team.

"I haven’t been doing as many dunks as I did in high school," Boatright confessed. "In high school, that’s all I wanted to do is dunk all the time. I’m gonna pull something out of my sleeve, definitely try to defend my title. It’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be a good show.”

Omar Calhoun said he may try his hand at the 3-point contest, as well.

*** As always, Shabazz Napier had some interesting things to say:

(on the postseason ban)

"Why not go out there and hurt someone else’s postseason? We’re going to do our best to win every game possible, and realize we’ve still got a chance to win a championship – the regular season championship."

(on Ollie's one-year contract)

"We want the coaching job to stay in the family. We all love Coach Ollie, we’ve all created bonds with him. We all kind of felt upset he only had seven months, we felt he’d have more than that. But at the end of the day, I guess you’ve got to prove yourself.

(on the difference between Ollie and Jim Calhoun)

"Coach Ollie’s going to put a little spice on it. He’s going to be able to get to the younger guys. Not that Coach Calhoun didn’t, but … Coach Ollie’s a guy who’s going to push you to the limits, he’s not just going to let you go the extra mile, but he knows how to do it in a certain way that’s going to help everybody. Coach Calhoun helped me out because he understood he had to dig deep in me and yell at me. Not a lot of people are like that. Ryan’s that way, Kemba was that way, guys like that, he helped them."

Napier hopes to be able to practice, at least partially, on Saturday.

*** Omar Calhoun on UConn's tradition of great guards.

"It’s a rich tradition. There’s a lot of great guards that have come out of UConn and have made great impacts on the league. I feel like I can be next in line. Kemba, I definitely had a good relationship with him. Seeing his process and growth at UConn, it’s definitely something I looked at when making my decision.”

Omar's sister, highly-touted recruit Sierra, will be on-hand Friday, but not on an official visit.

Leon Tolksdrof said he's heard the nickname "The Berlin Wall." I've always thought the "Teutonic Trio" would be a better nickname for UConn's three German-born players, Niels Giffey, Enosch Wolf and Tolksdorf.

But that may not work anymore, either. Giffey, Wolf and Tolksdorf won't be the only Husky players who will be greeted by family when UConn faces Michigan State in Germany on Nov. 9. R.J. Evans, the Holy Cross transfer and graduate student, has German roots, as well.

Evans' paternal grandmother was born in Germany. Ottile (Mauser) Evans came to the United States in the 1950's and currently lives in Queens. She has only been back to Germany a few times over the years "for funerals and stuff," Evans said. But when the Huskies head to Germany in November, R.J. will get a chancenot only to travel out of the U.S. for the first time but to finally meet some nephews and cousins with whom he's talked on the phone before but never met face-to-face.

"It should be fun," he said. "I've got a lot of family over there in Frankfurt that I've never seen before. Going over there will be a good opportunity to see family I've never seen."

So, guess it's time for a different nickname for UConn's German brigade.

“They say we have four Germans on the team, because of me," Evans said. "We’re basically Team Germany over here.”

*** Meanwhile, NBA.com did its fourth annual rookie survey, polling league rookies on who they thought would be Rookie of the Year, have the best NBA career, etc.

Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond each got votes in a couple of different categories. Lamb finished third (10.8 percent) in the Best Shooter category, and also received votes for Funniest Rookie (did I miss something the last two years in Storrs?).

Drummond, meanwhile, finished tied for fourth for Most Athletic (11.8 percent, with Dallas's Jared Cunningham), and received votes for Best Defender.

 

Harte Nissan beat Recycle Kings in Game 1 of the Greater Hartford Pro-Am finals on Monday. Game 2 is on Wednesday at 7 p.m., with Game 3 (if necessary) on Thursday at 7. Here are some nice photos from GHPA action this summer:

Clockwise: Jerome Dyson goes behind the back; A.J. Price and Ryan Gomes go head-to-head; UConn target Kuran Iverson throws down a dunk; Jeremy Lamb soars in for a slam.

Always good stuff from the pro-am. Unlike the video I've blogged here, I didn't take these photos. Dyson, Price/Gomes and Iverson were taken by Arthur Teal, and Lamb was shot by Ty Waterman.

Looks like the Greater Hartford Pro-Am was a big beneficiary of the Mohegan Sun/Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game being in town this weekend.

Jeremy Lamb poured in 52 points to lead State Farm Slamm to a 150-67, USA-Nigeria-style beating of All-Faith All-Stars on Sunday afternoon. Lamb added 10 rebounds and (I love this) two assists. Two.

In the second game, A.J. Price and Kemba Walker reunited for the first time since 2009 to lead Doc Hurley to a 106-94 win over Hot 93.7. Price had 30 points, five boards and (yup) two assists, while Kemba netted 28, had six rebounds and was unselfish enough to dole out three assists.

Oh, and the NBA flavor didn't end there. In the nightcap, Ryan Gomes poured in 40 to lead Harte Nissan to a 146-126 win over CT Flight. Gomes didn't play in the Calhoun charity game, of course. Seems he wasn't offered a scholarship by Calhoun.

On Monday, Atty Deron Freeman takes on Doc Hurley at 6:30 p.m., followed by Gomes's Harte Nissan against PPF Graphics at 8:15 p.m. (or so).

A reminder that the Mohegan Sun/Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game will be held Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena. Many of the top UConn stars of the past (Kemba Walker, Ray Allen, Rudy Gay, Jeremy Lamb, Hasheem Thabeet, etc.) are expected to be there.

Here's a little feature I did on Jerome Dyson, who's now a Phoenix Sun. He'll be at the game, too.



And remember, you can get autographs from most of the players once the game is over.

As Rod Sellers, Jerome Dyson and just about every other former UConn basketball player has learned, it pays to have Jim Calhoun on your side.

Sellers recently got a job, thanks in no small part from a phone call from Calhoun to Sellers' interviewer. "The guy came in and he was so happy," Sellers recalled. "He was saying, 'Man, I can tell all my friends I got a personal call from Jim Calhoun.'"

Dyson, of course, ran into some trouble during his four years at UConn, including a 30-day suspension for a positive drug (marijuana) test. But Calhoun stuck by his side.

"A lot of times, Coach could have easily looked the other way and forgot all about me," Dyson noted. "There were some incidents where he could have just given up on me, and he didn’t. I think the opportunity he’s given me was big for me."



Dyson and Sellers will be among the many UConn alumni at Saturday's Mohegan Sun/Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game. Kemba Walker, Ray Allen, Caron Butler, Rudy Gay, Jeremy Lamb, Khalid El-Amin, Hasheem Thabeet and Jake Voskuhl are among the many other ex-Huskies expected to play and/or participate.

Here's the info:

What: The Mohegan Sun/Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Why: To raise money for the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the UConn Health Center

Who: Kemba Walker, Ray Allen, Caron Butler, Rudy Gay, Jeremy Lamb, Khalid El-AMin, Ricky Moore, Jake Voskhul, Hasheem Thabeet, Kevin Ollie, Travis Knight, Rod Sellers and Scott Burrell are among those expected to play and/or participate.

How: Tickets are $12 to $25 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 800-345-7000, going to Ticketmaster.com or visiting the Mohegan Sun box office.

Many of the regulars -- Ray Allen, Caron Butler, Rudy Gay, etc. -- are expected to be at the annual Mohegan Sun/Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game on Saturday, Aug. 4 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. But there will be some new blood there, as well.

Kemba Walker will make his first appearance in the game. Jeremy Lamb, a Houston Rockets lottery pick just a month ago, is also expected to play, along with Hasheem Thabeet, Jerome Dyson and Gavin Edwards.  (Andre Drummond doesn't appear too likely, since his new employer, the Detroit Pistons, apparently would like him to attend a big man's camp around the same time).

Other likely participants include Kevin Ollie, Khalid El-Amin, Ricky Moore, Rod Sellers, Jake Voskuhl and Travis Knight. Of the big names, Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon don't seem too likely to appear. Neither do Josh Boone, Hilton Armstrong and Stanley Robinson.

Allen, who underwent surgery last month to remove bone spurs from his ankle, will dress, but will only play depending on how his ankle's feeling. (He is, however, expected to play in the event's two golf outings, on Aug. 5 at the Mohegan Sun Golf Course and the following day at the Golf Club of Avon).

The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Ticketts are $12 to $25 and are now on sale at the Mohegan Sun Arena box office. To purchase game tickets, call Ticketmaster at 800-345-700 or go to Ticketmaster.com or visit the Mohegan Sun box office.

Proceeds from the game and the entire Mohegan Sun/Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic will benefit the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the UConn Health Center.

"I am excited to be able to once again bring so many of my former players back together for what should be a special reunion for them and for the fans of Connecticut," said Calhoun. "I am also pleased that proceeds from the game will go to fight American's No. 1 killer -- heart disease."

Since 1999, the Mohegan Sun/Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic has raised more than $6 million for cardiology research and care.

UConn's Andre Drummond was selected ninth overall by Detroit in tonight's NBA draft. Jeremy Lamb was taken 12th by the Rockets.

Here's my story, and here's some video of Drummond and Lamb at the draft:

Andre Drummond met with the media today for a half-hour to discuss tomorrow night's draft, as well as a lot of other things: his time at UConn, why he decided to leave after one year, rumors that he has a poor work ethic and his mom, who left her job as a nurse at Middlesex Hospital two days ago and will move out with her son wherever he ends up.

Here's some of what Drummond had to say (Jeremy Lamb, by the way, was a no-show):

(on his workouts and everything leading up to the draft)

“It’s a lot of joy and excitement. I’m excited to be here, and I can’t wait for tomorrow to come around.”

(what NBA players have given him advice, and what have they told him)

"Rudy Gay, Ray Allen, Kevin Durant. They've all said pretty much the same thing: 'Once you get drafted, don't stop working hard. You haven't really done anything yet. Just give it your all every single day, work hard, and you'll be fine.'"

Drummond has worked out for Portland, Sacramento, Cleveland, Charlotte and Washington. He went head-to-head, fullcourt, with Thomas Robinson at Charlotte.

“(Charlotte) was probably one of the best two workouts I’ve ever had. I told Thomas (Robinson) before the workout, ‘I’m here to work, not to B.S. I’m trying to get something done here.’ He looked at me like, ‘Alright, let’s try to make each other better.’”

He said he's hearing he could go anywhere from No. 2 to No. 7 in the draft, but doesn't put any stock into what people are saying in the media. 

“I’ve never read anything in the media since I was in high school … I never read what people say about me. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. Whether people say good tihjings or bawd things, I just stay away from it.”

(on rumors that his work ethic and 'motor' are concerns to NBA teams)

“Hearing stuff like that, I don’t get upset about it. Nobody knows what I’m capable of doing. They just saw what they saw this year … everybody changes from year to year. They had the same doubts about Dwight Howard, and look where he is now.”

“Whatever team I go to, all that talk is going to be put to rest, because I am a hard worker, there’s nothing wrong with my motor.”

(how he'll be able to help a team as a rookie)

“Coming in, I feel like I’ll run the floor well, gravb rebounds, block shots and let the offense come to me. I’m not going to stress too much on offense, because that’s one of the things I’m working on. I’ve worked real hard on my offensive game. But right now, defense is the strongest part of my game.”

Drummond said he's lost 22 pounds since the end of the season, putting him around 275.

"I feel great, quicker laterally, moving quicker on my feet.”

He also said that his mom will move out with him to wherever he goes and live with him in his house, at least until he gets his second contract. At that point, he hopes to be able to buy her a house.

“She’s been my biggest supporter. She definitely needs to relax now.”

 But, he added with a smile: “Her work isn’t over. She’s going to be my manager, so she’s got a lot of work to do. It feels great to be able to give back to her after she helped me out so much.”

Drummond said that, throughout the spring, he'd come down to New York to work on his game, particularly his offensive skills set and his free throw shooting.

(on his one season at UConn)


“Connecticut's like a big family. I love Connecticut with all my heart. The fans there are amazing, my teammates are amazing, coaching staff is great, but the fans are really amazing."

(did UConn's postseason ban hasten his departure for the NBA)

“I think I was going to leave regardless of the tournament or not. This is an opportunity that doesn’t ocme up too many times. It’s an opportulnity I needed to take, and move forward with my life.”

UConn's two incoming freshmen, Omar Calhoun and Phil Nolan, have arrived on campus. Summer courses begin today for freshmen and run through early August.

I did a story on Nolan last week, and had a chance to catch up with Omar today, shortly after he began his coursework and had a physical (he's 6-foot-5, people).

Calhoun committed to UConn a year ago and sent in his letter of intent in November. Around that same time, the NCAA announced its APR penalties that will leave the Huskies out of the 2013 NCAA postseason.

The $64,000 question, of course, is whether Calhoun ever reconsidered his commitment to UConn (yes, I know at that point he would have had to been released from his scholarship).

"I considered different things like that, a lot of things that had pro's and con's that I was looking at," he admitted. "But we have a family here at Connecticut, and you can't leave your family. That's the way I thought about it. I was with them at the beginning, I'm going to end up with them, too."

He added: "The way I think about it is, you don't need the tournament, really, to showcase what you want. You have the whole season to do that, so that's what I'm here to do."




Here's some of what else Calhoun had to say on Monday (the young man doesn't lack in confidence):

(his strengths)

"I'm a competitor, I like to win. Shooting the ball, plus I can run the court. (I'm a) combo guard, I can play on the ball, off the ball, different positions, (play) defense, (be a) team leader, (be) vocal, different attritubes to win the game."

(known as a pure scorer, how he scores the ball)

"I can do everything. I can shoot the ball well, get to the rim both ways. I'm athletic, I can play above the rim. I can find guys, I can pull-up with the mid-range. It's hard to stop me."


(Can he be a vocal leader right off the bat as a freshman?)

"Yeah, definitely. It might take some time, getting accustomed to my teammates. But on the court, we're all basketball players, so I know how to put the game of basketball to my guys. That's what I'm gonna do."


(on what the coaching staff said of his potential for major minutes immediately)

"They just want to see me come here, work hard, be a leader, see me focused when I come in. That's what I'm here to do."

(on his sister, Sierra, who'll be a junior next season at Christ the King High in New York)

"She's a top-notch player. She's looking at Connecticut, too."

(on what it means to see Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb as likely lottery picks Thursday night, and all the other players UConn has sent to the NBA over the years)

"It just means that (Jim Calhoun) can get guys better. Guys buy into what he's saying, what he wants. You can be real successful."

*** One other think worth noting: it appears that, the denial of Michael Bradley's "hardship" request to transfer to Western Kentucky will likely hurt UConn's APR. If he had been able to play right away (like Alex Oriakhi will be able to, for different reasons), Bradley would have been a 3-for-3 last season at UConn -- two points for good academic standing in both semesters and one for retention in the first semester. The second semester retention point would have been waived, since it would have been viewed that he essentially had to transfer.

But since Bradley must sit out a year, UConn loses his retention point for the second semester. Hope that makes sense.

Talked to a high-ranking NBA front office source and an NBA scout today on what they think of Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb, and what both players should be expecting at the NBA Draft Thursday night in Newark.

On Drummond:

Front office source: "I'm hearing Drummond anywhere from 5-10, that's probably his range. Teams love his potential, his body, his athleticism. He's going to be pretty strong. He's a good shot-blocker, moves his feet pretty well. The concerns are free-throw shooting -- shooting in general -- but his free-throw shooting is poor. And, what kind of motor he has. He doesn't have the reputation of being a great worker, a self-starter. I hear he's a nice kid, but not a self-starter."

Eastern Conference scout: "I've got Drummond 2 to 8. He's the best physical specimen in the draft, without a doubt. He's physically the most gifted kid. There's questions about his skills set, his understanding of the game, and some questions about his motor and his desire. When he gets the money and becomes a rich young man, which he will very shortly, how motivated will he be?

"On some boards, he's in almost a separate category. He could be a big star ... or a big bust."

Drummond apparently recently worked out for the Charlotte Bobcats, who currently own the No. 2 overall pick.

On Lamb:

Front office source: "I've heard 7 to 14 or 15 (overall). Obviously he's a very long, graceful athlete. He has the ability to play up against competition. He was one of the better players, probably the best player, on the Team USA U-19 team in Latvia last summer. He kind of carried that team. His versatility's intriguing. He shoots the ball well enough, though he needs to get a little better as a shooter. There aren't gaping holes in his game. Obviously, he needs to get stronger, be a little better as a shooter. The (UConn) coaches did have good things to say about his work ethic -- coming back at night, getting up extra shots. He's a bit of a low-energy kid, he's got that sleepy look to him. But the coaching staff says, 'Don't let that fool you. He will come back and do the work. You may have to push him some in games, though.'"

Along with the sprained ankle Lamb suffered last week barely five minutes into a workout with Toronto, there are some questions about Lamb's right. The front office source said Lamb's shoulder is "a little loose" -- meaning it has the tendency to pop out of joint.

"It's not a major thing, according to our doctors, but it's something he may need to get minor surgery on to tighten it up. It can pop out of joint easily and he gets a shooting pain. It's not a major surgery, there's no risk to it. He's had it pop out and shift around on him before. It's something where, if it repeated ... it could become an issue some season."

*** If you believe in mock drafts, both DraftExpress.com and NBADraft.net have Drummond going sixth overall to Portland and Lamb eighth to the Raptors. Take that for what it's worth.

*** Oh, and this on Shabazz Napier, who recently left the Puerto Rican national team: Napier was experiencing what the UConn medical staff is terming "symptomatic discomfort" in his right foot --- the same foot that bothered him during last season, but not the same injury. He will be in a walking boot for the next six weeks to relieve any stress and then it will be re-evaluated.


The UConn medical staff feels he made the right decision to come home (from Puerto Rico) and have it treated rather than try to play on it and run the risk that it might have developed into something that could affect the upcoming season. He is at home and expected to be back on campus for the second session of summer school.


By all accounts, this is not a big deal, folks.