There is absolutely, positively no excuse for UConn to lose to Wagner. Not at home. Not at Gampel. Not in the Huskies' season-opener. Not with a team full of high school McDonald's All-Americans and other top-rated recruits.

Except ...

Well, Wagner is a veteran team, with its top two scorers and eight of its key players returning from a squad that won the Northeast Conference (yeah, I know, not exactly a high-major league) last year and beat St. Bonaventure in an NIT game. Wagner also plays a methodical, control-the-tempo type of style.

In other words, the Seahawks were exactly the kind of team a young (albeit) talented UConn team would not want to face in its season-opener. The Huskies could hardly put a combination out on the floor on Friday night that had ever played together in an actual game.

Remember when Jim Calhoun refused to play Holy Cross nine years ago, instead making a last-minute switch to Buffalo, and even promising Buffalo a game at their place the following season (which the Huskies accommodated)? It was because Calhoun didn't want his team, which was coming off one of its worst seasons in a long while, to go up against a slow-it-down, veteran team like the Crusaders.

We'll repeat: there is no excuse for UConn to lose to Wagner on Friday night. But the Huskies couldn't have picked a worse mid-major matchup to open up their season against.

On the bright side for the Huskies: they received some letters-of-intent recently.

The New England Basketball Hall of Fame will host an all-day Reunion and Seminar at Springfield College on Saturday. Among those being honored will be Jim Calhoun.

Calhoun will receive our the Hall's first Basketball Genius Award for his unmatched ability to find and recruit young men well under the radar and coach those young men up to greatness.

Rather than present Calhoun with a trophy or medal, he will be presented with a poem written by acclaimed poet Jack Ridl. Here it is:

To Be a Genius

for Jim Calhoun

Any coach can say Yes
to a can’t-miss All-American.
Any coach can say No
to a high school bench warmer.

But a coach who says Maybe . . .
That can take a certain genius—

a coach who’s not sure, yet watches,
sees something, who thinks “If.”

“If I, if the kid, if I teach,
if he listens. If the kid
does the work, if he opens
his heart. If the kid stops going left

80 percent of the time, boxes out,
takes a charge, waits and waits
for his chance. If I can stick
with him. If he stays with me.

If I know what to say when he’s
ready to quit, if I know when
to say “it”—what he needs to hear.

If he believes I believe he can
get where I see him. When
at last he says Yes to what he
knows he must do—again and
again and again and again—then,
maybe then, when he’s hung it
all up, he’ll come back
to the gym, walk in, and say Thanks."

Here's what Kevin Ollie and Jim Calhoun had to say about Ray Allen's announcement that he's retiring from the NBA:

OLLIE:

“I believe we are all well-aware of the tremendous impact that Ray has had, not only on the UConn basketball program, but on the game of basketball at its highest level. His skills on the court were obvious, but the daily work ethic he maintained in order to retain those skills for so long was truly inspiring.

“On a personal level for me, Ray has been a great teammate both at UConn and in the NBA and he continues to be an even better friend.

“I know he now enjoys being able to spend time with his wonderful family and with his second family at UConn as well. I wish him nothing but the best.”

CALHOUN:

“We have had many great players through the years, but Ray is probably the No. 1 name brand we’ve had. We, at UConn, can all be proud of what he accomplished here and the greatness that he achieved when he went on to the NBA.

“He is obviously a very special player and he’s also a very special person on and off the court.”

As you likely already know, the Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game will be held on Friday, Aug. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena. As an added twist this year, women's players will also join the fun in some co-ed competition.

Here's the press release:

Hall of Fame Coach Jim Calhoun is hosting an NBA sanctioned alumni all-star basketball game this summer – the Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Game presented by Cigna – as part of the Mohegan Sun / Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic.

Many of Coach Calhoun's greatest players will return for the eighth Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Basketball Game. NEW THIS YEAR, many of Connecticut's top women players also will join us for some coed competition. It will be a special night in Connecticut basketball history when stars from our national championship teams take the floor and compete against each other. 

Ray Allen, Kemba Walker, Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton, Caron Butler, Andre Drummond, Donyell Marshall, Khalid El-Amin, and Rudy Gay among others, have played in past charity games at Mohegan Sun. On the women's side, we have 2016 event commitments from Connecticut stars Nykesha Sales and Svetlana Abrosimova among others.

The game will be played at 7:30 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, Aug. 12. Proceeds from the game and the entire Mohegan Sun / Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic will benefit The Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at UConn Health.

“I'm excited about bringing many of the top men's and women's players from the Connecticut Basketball family together for this game for the first time this year. It should be a tremendous evening as we all reconnect with these stars and I know they look forward to gathering together and playing in front of their longtime fans. As important, I'm so pleased that proceeds from the game will go to fight America’s number #1 killer – heart disease,” said Calhoun.

Since 1999, the Mohegan Sun / Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic has raised more than $8 million for cardiology research and life-saving care at The Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at UConn Health.

Tickets are $12 to $25 and go on sale Friday, June 10th at 10:00AM. To purchase game tickets, call Ticketmaster at 800.345.7000, go to Ticketmaster.com, or visit the Mohegan Sun box office.

Karl Hobbs is leaving his job as assistant coach at UConn to take over as associate head coach under Steve Pikiell at Rutgers.

Here's what Hobbs had to say in a statement released by UConn:

"I'm a lucky guy to have had the chance to return to my alma mater and enjoy such great success. While at UConn, I had the opportunity to be a part of two incredible eras of national championship basketball with legendary coach Jim Calhoun and with Kevin Ollie, who is also a phenomenal head coach. Not many people can say that they have been fortunate enough to leave and come back and win again so, I'm incredibly grateful. I'm also very appreciative of the entire UConn family, which has given me so much as a former student, an alumnus, and now as a coaching professional.

"I am moving on to another very competitive program at Rutgers where I will be able to coach alongside my longtime friend and fellow Husky alum, Steve Pikiell. As always, I want to bring out the best in each student/athlete and help them work hard to be their best. I am excited about the opportunity and look forward to taking my expertise to Rutgers."

Caron Butler has made a donation to the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center. Here's the press release sent out by UConn this morning:

The UConn Foundation is excited to announce that former Husky men’s basketball All-American Caron Butler and his wife Andrea have made a gift in support of the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center.

Butler earned All-American honors and was the Big East Conference Player of the Year and the Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2001-02 and led the Huskies to the NCAA Elite Eight.  After that season, Butler was an NBA Draft lottery selection with the 10th pick by the Miami Heat. He is a two-time NBA All-Star, 2011 NBA Champion as a member of the Dallas Mavericks and is in his 14th season in the NBA, currently as a member of the Sacramento Kings.

Butler returned to campus in February and was inducted as a member of the Huskies of Honor, which recognizes the great players in UConn history.

“Andrea and I met at UConn, and it has always held a special place in our hearts,” said Butler. “Being recognized in the Huskies of Honor event brought back so many incredible memories and emotions. Coach Jim Calhoun and all the coaches—Karl Hobbs, Dave Leitao, George Blaney, and Tom Moore—played a critical role in my life and we are blessed to be able to give back in this small way.”

“We are extremely grateful to Caron and Andrea for their support. We have raised more than $33.5 million in private support toward this project with another $3.5 million needed to complete it. Caron and Andrea’s commitment is meaningful as we work to complete the fundraising for the Center and hopefully provides an example that others will follow,” said Joshua Newton, UConn Foundation President and CEO. 

Butler, whose gift amount remains private, hopes that his act of giving inspires others. “I want everyone who values UConn and its student-athletes to understand that every gift matters, small or large,” Butler added.

“Any time a former student-athlete makes a gift we are grateful, as it shows how much UConn still means to them,” said Rachel Rubin, Interim Director of Athletics.

Butler’s Husky pride does run deep. In fact, he recently said that he is “elated that UConn has been loyal to the Husky Brotherhood” by hiring former UConn and NBA player Kevin Ollie as head coach of the men’s team. 

“We truly appreciate Caron and Andrea’s commitment to the project,” said Rubin.

The 75,000-plus square-foot Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center facility features two separate wings for the men’s and women’s basketball programs. It includes common areas for academic support, sports medicine, and strength training areas, as well as separate practice gyms, locker rooms, coaches’ offices, meeting rooms and video analysis theaters.

You've probably heard of (or seen) the Jim Calhoun/Kevin Ollie Dove soap commercial by now. Here are some "never before seen" clips from the ad:



And here, for those that haven't seen it yet, is the full commercial:

When UConn kicks off its 2015-16 season on Friday night at Gampel against Maine, there will be a somewhat familiar face on the opposing sidelines.

Bob Walsh is in his second season as head coach of the Black Bears. The name may not ring a bell, but Walsh was an assistant coach at Providence for seven seasons in the early-to-mid 2000's -- which means he was on the sidelines for those years when the Friars were a real thorn in the sides of the Huskies.

"The battles that we had ... obviously, they were an elite program," Walsh said of the Huskies. "It was a huge game for us, I know that. In that league, they were one of the elites. The passion of their fans, the program they've been able to build over there ... when people talk about what Storrs, Connecticut was 25, 30 years ago compared to what is is now ..."

Walsh, of course, was Tim Welsh's assistant for those seven seasons with the Friars. And here's some irony: Welsh will be SNY's analyst for Friday night's game. Awkward? Nah. Walsh is looking forward to it.

"It's really cool," said Walsh. "It is interesting, because I owe him so much. He hired me when I was 26, made me a Big East assistant and probably had more influence over my growth as a coach than anyone I’ve worked with."

Walsh added that Welsh's father, Jerry (a legendary coach in upstate New York), calls him at the beginning of each season wishing him good luck.

"It's cool to think I've got a chance to coach against UConn, and (Tim Welsh) will be there," Walsh noted.

*** Friday night's game came about fairly late in the schedule-making process. Maine was slated to begin its season against URI, but Rhody backed out unexpectedly, leaving the Black Bears looking for an opening-night foe. Walsh knows Glen Miller from when Miller coached at Brown, and knows Karl Hobbs from when Hobbs was Jim Calhoun's assistant the first time around. The Huskies needed an opening-night opponent, and, voila.

"I just got done watching them against New Haven, and I was saying, 'Man, are they long and athletic,'" said Walsh. "I think they're really talented. My first question was, 'How did they struggle last year, by their standards?'"

"Jalen Adams is a monster," Walsh continued. "I'm watching it, (saying), 'Who's that? Oh, that's Jalen Adams.' I think their talent is remarkable. I think they're absolutely a Top 20 team."

*** The Black Bears have a local connection, as well: Bunnell High product Isaac Vann is a freshman forward for Maine who could very well start on Friday night. Vann, a 6-foot-5, athletic wing, had 22 points and 16 rebounds in an exhibition game against Division 3 Husson.

"We saw him play over the summer (of 2014) ... and thought he was real good, and there was no way we could get him," Walsh said. "Monmouth and some MAAC schools were all over him in the fall, but he said he wanted to take his time. We stayed in contact, and in the middle of the year, my assistant told me, 'I think we can get Isaac Vann.' My response was, 'Get outta here.' But we had him on campus with his mom, and he enjoyed it.

"We felt really good about getting a 6-5, athletic wing. He needs to put on weight. He's kind of 'UConn Lite,' For our level, he's kind of like the players UConn's had success with, a wing who can really score."

It's also worth noting that Vann is a cousin of former UConn guard Oliver Macklin.

Jim Calhoun had some nice things to say about Scott Burrell the other day. Today, Kevin Ollie chimed in on Burrell's hire as head coach at Southern Connecticut State:

"I couldn't be more proud of my close friend and former UConn teammate Scott Burrell as he takes charge of the outstanding basketball program at Southern Connecticut State University.

"I know that what Scott learned about the game from Coach (Jim) Calhoun and throughout his own playing career in college and the NBA, plus the coaching experience he gained under Coach (Tom) Moore at Quinnipiac will serve him well as he takes on this new basketball challenge.

"But, even more important, the kind of person Scott is makes him a tremendous asset to the entire community at Southern Connecticut as he prepares his student-athletes for life following college.

"I congratulate both Scott and Southern Connecticut on this special day."

Here's what Jim Calhoun had to say about Scott Burrell being hired as the new head basketball coach at Southern Connecticut State:

"I think it's ideal, the fact that he was maybe the greatest athlete in the history of the New Haven-area school system."

"Like a lot of young guys, he probably needed to get a head job. I think at Southern Connecticut, his mom and dad graduated from there, so that makes it more special. I think he's ready. He and I talked a great deal about this over the years. There was a point where he wanted to get into coaching. Tommy (Moore) and I talked about hiring him, and he's moved on. He's done a good job there. I've watched him practice probably three or four practices a year at Quinnipiac, he does a great job at practice. I think he'll do a good job recruiting-wise, he's smart. A head coaching job is a head coaching job."

(did he see this day coming when Burrell played for him at UConn?)

"I never thought Scott Burrell would ever coach. Because then someone else would have to coach Scott Burrell. That was my joke to him. He was a typical 'boys of summer' -- he just wanted to play. He loved practices for the scrimmages. The drills, not so much. Watching him in the dugout when he wasn't pitching one day, he couldn't sit still ... Just a great kid, one of the best kids you're gonna find. He's kind of a throwback in many ways."

(does he have what it takes -- work ethic, etc. -- to be a head coach?)

"This isn't something that just came about. He started thinking about this four or five years ago ... Scott Burrell is ready for this job, he'll do a great job. We talked yesterday. We talked about this for the past few months, we've talked about a couple of things the past year or two."

"Taliek Brown is the next guy I'd love to see get into college coaching, because he's done a good job in high school ... He's trying to. We've talked a lot. He's been up to camp working. He's a great teacher. I always say the best (leaders) I ever had were 1. Kemba Walker and maybe 1a. or 2., would have to be Taliek. They played with great joy."

Calhoun also noted that he'll be back with ESPN this season and is talking about doing a lot more games -- and a lot of big-time games -- with Rece Davis and the gang.

Jim Calhoun was at the 30th annual Franciscan Sports Banquet & Silent Auction on Tuesday in Southington.

Realized that, during his tenure at UConn, he almost never took in transfers (Ed Nelson was one of the few). Yes, it was an entirely different era. But Calhoun doesn't like what's going on with the mass epidemic of transfers in college basketball these days. He stresses that it has nothing to do with the fact that UConn has been as active (and successful) in the transfer market than any program. It's simply not a good thing for the entire sport, Calhoun said, and he wishes rules would be put in to help curb the mass exodus of players.

Here's what Calhoun had to say:

"I'm not a transfer guy. It's a different age, and everybody has to do it, I think. But honestly, overall -- it's got nothing to do with UConn or anybody right now -- it's got to do with the sport. I just don't know ... it's not great for the sport. One-and-done is not particularly great, but a kid comes, is great and leaves, it's understandable."

Calhoun said about 44 percent of all players transfer these days.

"I saw the kid from Rhode Island (Kuran Iverson) just got eligible, because he and the coach didn't get along. I know there are more extenuating circumstances ... I don't think everybody's against that kind of thing. There are questions: Bringing the 3-point line out, widening the lane, putting the arc in there and, quite frankly, the one-and-done's and, at the other end, we've got to make sure that, if you transfer, you've got to sit out. I think that would change a lot of people's mind about things. Yet, if I'm sitting in that seat today, and I'm thinking about the fact that I've got to fill roster spots, I've got to fill them. So, it's not UConn, it's not anybody. It's not Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State. Our team might be close to 50 percent this year -- (Sam) Cassell, (Rodney) Purvis, the three other kids ... I will embrace those kids. I think I met the (Sterling) Gibbs kid when we were recruiting him, actually .I've met the (Shonn) Miller kid and (Terry) Larrier -- I'll welcome to the Husky family and hope that they're accepted well, and so on. But the more and more I get a chance to go different places nationally, it will affect the game."

(can you understand why Kevin Ollie would be bringing these guys in?)

"You mention Kevin, I'm not mentioning Kevin. You take it that way, then it's Coach Calhoun is knocking UConn. Of course I"m not doing that. I said, if Jim Calhoun was sitting at this seat today, and recruiting hadn't gone quite as well as I wanted to and could get two fifth-year, all-league players? No-brainer."

"The backdraft of this is that there are coaches from other teams that just had players taken away from them. How would you like to have some of our players taken away? In all honesty, I'm not (helping) Kevin Willard here, but they're pretty good players he's losing. We could look at anybody -- the Mississippi State kid, (Rodney) Hood at Duke. It's not Kevin, if you mix that up, you're trying to make something that's not there. What it is is, I think a developing problem in college athletics and college basketball."

Interesting stuff.

So ESPN is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the slam dunk, which allegedly was "invented" by Oklahoma A&M's 7-footer Bob Kurland on Dec. 16, 1944 in a game against Temple. (No YouTube or ESPN Top 10 highlights for that one).

The College GameDay crew and some current and former players and coaches had some good (and not some good) nominations for "greatest dunks/dunkers of all-time," including Clyde Drexler, Vince Carter and, for this season, Ohio State's Sam Thompson.

It got me thinking what fans consider the greatest dunks and dunkers in UConn history. In my eight years on the beat, no one's been better than Stanley Robinson. He literally looked like he was bouncing off a trampoline on some of his dunks. His most memorable, to me, came in the famous six-overtime game vs. Syracuse in 2009. Here it is, at about the :17-second mark in this clip:



I also remember watching Jim Calhoun on the sidelines as the play transpired. He popped up from his chair and was ready to pull "Sticks" out of the game had he missed. But he didn't miss, and Calhoun folded his arms, looked up in the sky and left Robinson in the game.

So I ask fans who've watched a lot more UConn basketball than me over the years: Who are the greatest dunkers in UConn history? What are the greatest dunks? And I mean in-game dunks.

Dunk contests are fun:



But in-game dunks are more impressive, in my opinion.

And we can include opponents against UConn, as well. This may not be the greatest, but it's one of the most memorable, considering how unlikely it seemed at the time:



As for the greatest dunk I've ever witnessed in person (in a game), my mind keeps going back to Julius Page of Pitt in a game against Providence in the early 2000's. I can't find it on YouTube, but here's another Page dunk that displays the type of athleticism this kid had:

Just chatted briefly by phone with Jim Calhoun, who was profoundly influenced by Dean Smith over the years.

Here's some of what Calhoun had to say about Smith, who passed away Saturday evening at age 83:

"He showed me the difference between a team and a program. A team is one year, a program -- in his case, the University of North Carolina -- continues to go on forever. He's just a special guy. To the outside world, he was about Carolina, but he was a great ambassador, much involved with civil rights. People who competed against him understood you were going against a very special guy."

"The world benefitted from what he did with Carolina basketball. He was a great gentleman, one of those clear icons."

(Early in Calhoun's tenure as head coach at Northeastern, he and his staff went to Chapel Hill to see how Smith ran his program)

"We were watching their program, the way they do business -- Eddie Fogler, Roy Williams, Bill Guthridge and, of course, Dean. The way they interacted with the program, altering things -- running, pressing, especially running -- but just the way their program was handled. It was pretty special."

(on joining, even surpassing, Smith in the college basketball record books)

"My dad said you're known by the company you keep. When my name was beside (Smith's) -- Dean Smith was great, great company."

In this new world that UConn now occupies -- no longer in the Big East, with no more annual bouts against old-time rivals like Syracuse, Georgetown, Pittsburgh or even Providence -- has a new chief rival emerged for the Huskies?

Is Cincinnati now UConn’s biggest rival?

It may not make any sense geographically, and it certainly doesn’t foster the same kind of emotion with UConn fans as the Orange or Hoyas. But no team has been involved in more heated games with the Huskies over the past few seasons than the Bearcats.

UConn holds a 10-5 all-time advantage over Cincy – 9-5 since the Bearcats joined the Big East in 2005-06. But the Huskies won the first five meetings. Since then, the teams have split the last 10 games.

In the last six meetings -- again, an even split between the two -- over the past three seasons, each game was decided by six points or less, or in overtime.

Of course, UConn has won when it’s meant the most – in the 2011 NCAA tournament’s Round-of-32 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., and in last year’s AAC tournament semifinal game in Memphis.

The Huskies also beat Cincy in another area last year, when Shabazz Napier beat out Sean Kilpatrick for AAC player of the year honors. Kilpatrick wasn't pleased about this perceived snub, and neither was Cincy coach Mick Cronin, who was heard by Connecticut Post writer Bill Paxton telling Kilpatrick and Justin Jackson that "heroes are made in March, boys. This is all (B.S.)."

And that wasn't the first time that Cronin found himself involved in a controversy involving a UConn player and conference postseason honors -- although, to be fair, this one seemed to be more a Jim Calhoun concoction than anything Cronin actually did.

Of course, Cronin won't be on the sidelines for Saturday's 11 a.m. game at the XL Center. He's out for the rest of the season, at least as head coach, due to an artery problem. Admit it, you'll miss the little devil.

Certainly, there seems to be a little healthy friction between the two programs.

A few years ago, after Syracuse had played its final game against UConn as Big East foes, Jim Boeheim (in between calling Andy Katz an "idiot" and a "dishonest person") noted that the Orange's biggest rival used to be St. Bonaventure.

Then, the Big East formed, and Syracuse hasn't even played the Bonnies in over a decade.

"Your biggest rivals are going to be the teams in your league," Boeheim said.

UConn and Cincinnati, like it or not, are in the same league. Along with Memphis, they're the most decorated programs in this league. And it's too early to call UConn-Memphis a rivalry, especially since the Huskies swept the Tigers in three games last season (twice in Memphis). Rivalries can't be too one-sided.

So, are the Bearcats now UConn's biggest rival? If you say no, it's still Syracuse or Georgetown, remember, they don't consider UConn their biggest rivals. Neither does Duke. Meanwhile, Providence would like to consider UConn its rival, but UConn fans seem to think differently.

Oh, and Cincy considers the Huskies their rivals.

"We've had such close games over the years," said associate head coach Larry Davis, who's taken over for Cronin for the season after Cronin suffered an aneurysm a couple of weeks ago. "They're gonna be a team you've got to go through to win championships every year. Hopefully, we are too. Those are your rival games."

Maybe the Huskies simply don't have a rival right now.

Let me know what you think.

With the seconds winding down in UConn's 81-48 rout of Central Connecticut on Sunday afternoon, the 13,315 at XL Center started booing.

At first, it seemed the crowd was upset that former walk-on-turned-scholarship player Pat Lenehan wasn't going to get a shot off. Perhaps that was part of it, but the bulk of the booing more likely had to do with the fact that the Huskies weren't going to get to the 82-point mark.

Any time UConn scores 82 points in a game, you see, anyone with a ticket stub to the game can get a free order of wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. So, the 13,315 wound up a point short of free wings.

“I’ve never got booed like that, at the end of the game," Kevin Ollie noted. "I didn’t even know about the Buffalo Wild Wings. I’m like, ‘Man, they love Pat this much?’ So, next time, I’ll recognize that. That was on me.”

That's kind of the lead story off an otherwise routine blowout of Howie Dickenman's Blue Devils. Actually, there were others: Kentan Facey's first career triple-double, Omar Calhoun's season-high 11 points (including his first 3-pointer since Jan. 21 against Temple last season), five players in double figures and a 37-5 run between the end of the first half and the beginning of the second that turned it into a rout.

Here's some video, notes and quotes off the game:



*** Ray Allen spoke to the CCSU team in the locker room after the game. Allen, of course, played under Dickenman when Dickenman was Jim Calhoun's assistant at UConn.

"He spoke to the players for about 10 minutes, gave some very good comments and observations," said Dickenman. "Ray has always been one of my favorites, but then he’s everybody’s favorite. Our players applauded him and we thanked him for coming in.”

“You could hear a pin drop when Ray spoke.”

Dickenman shared this story of Allen, during a Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic game at Mohegan Sun Arena a few years back, when Dickenman was "coaching" Allen's team.

“We’re getting hammered about halfway through the first half. I’m gonna ‘talk to the team,’ OK? And Ray interrupts me. The nerve of him to interrupt the coach. And all he said was, ‘I’m sick and tired of this, we have to go out and fight. We’re not here to lay down.’ It was a very brief but motivational talk, and we went out and played much better. He’s such a competitor that he would take time to say that in the huddle. When Ray speaks, everyone listens.”

*** UConn is now 19-0 against former Calhoun assistants, including 3-0 against Dickenman at CCSU. The Huskies have never lost to the Blue Devils in 13 games.

*** Omar Calhoun:

"I'm starting to get my rhythm back. I'm starting to get healthy. I'm able to be more explosive at the rim, do more off the dribble .. It was definitely tough going through that and then another injury. It's good to have something going positive so I can go forward and keep growing from it ... It was definitely tough, but I'm a strong individual. I talked to Coach all the time and he said just work through it. He has my back. So as I keep working and getting healthier and healthier, it will be better every day."

*** Ryan Boatright apparently thought the boos at the end of the game were about Lenehan, as well, and didn't know about the Buffalo Wild Wings.

“I keep telling Pat, man, just shoot the ball! He’s such a good person and a good teammate. When K.O. says don’t jack the ball, he’s not gonna jack it. But when you get in with a minute left, you only have two possessions, probably -- just shoot the ball. It’s your senior year, he’s gonna put you in the next game, you know what I mean? But Pat is Pat, he’s not gonna take ill-advised shots.”

Spoke with Howie Dickenman this afternoon. Dickenman, of course, is in his 19th season as head coach at Central Connecticut State, which faces UConn for the first time in nine years on Sunday at the XL Center.

Dickenman was an assistant at UConn from 1982-96, as you all know, and was responsible for the recruitment of numerous players who helped the Huskies establish themselves as one of the elite programs in the nation, including Donyell Marshall, Donny Marshall, Travis Knight, Jake Voskuhl, Cliff Robinson ... and Kevin Ollie.

Here's some of what Dickenman had to say:

"To tell you the truth, I really don't like to play against people like them, but this was an opportunity to play the national champs. I never played against Karl Hobbs's teams, I never play against Steve Pikiell's teams, I don't play against Dave Leitao's teams when he was a head coach. But, this presented itself to play against the national champs."

"It's a great game for us, because it's an away game, but it's right down the road. And it creates a lot of interest on Central Connecticut's part."

(on Ollie)

"I've been one of the biggest supporters of him, because I've known him for so long. He's a class act, a great motivator, a great communicator, and one heck of a great coach, too."

"Look at his loyalty. That's one person who loves his alma mater. He speaks very proudly of it when I've heard him speak at different events. I don't know what the (NBA) offered him last year, but I can give you a ballpark of $4-5 million ... and he turned that down to stay home."

"I think head coach of University of Connecticut, in basketball, is one of the toughest jobs in the country. People say, 'How about Kentucky, how about Kansas?' But the media following and the demands, time-wise, of the head coach at Connecticut. Jim had 27 years of it, now Kevin's in his second year dealing with it. It's demanding."

(what does playing CCSU get out of playing UConn)

"We get to play a team that will help us be well-prepared for our league. It gives us, public relations-wise and credibility-wise, the chance to play in front of a lot of people."

"I'd have to say we're amped up more for this game than games in the past. It's only natural when you play the national champs.

No escalators at this Old San Juan castle:

As most of you know, Ryan Boatright once committed to Bob Huggins at West Virginia. Then, a few days later (after WVU also got a commitment from Jabarie Hinds), he de-committed. And a week or so after that, he committed to UConn.

And the rest is history.

On Sunday, Boatright faces Huggins in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament title game. It's not the first time the two have met since Boatright's de-commitment: Boatright played against WVU twice his freshman season, scoring seven points in a 64-57 win on Jan. 9, 2012 (then having to sit out the next three games as the NCAA renewed its look into his eligibility), and 10 points in a Big East tournament game on March 7. 2012 -- a 71-67 UConn win in OT.

That game was not only West Virginia's final one as a member of the Big East, it was also Jim Calhoun's final victory as a head coach.

Greetings from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where UConn will be playing in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament this week, starting Thursday at 12:30 p.m. (EST) vs. College of Charleston.

A few early notes, quotes and videos from today's goings-on (we'll have many more updates later, after UConn's shootaround which ends at noon (EST):

*** This is the second season in a row Charleston will play against a defending national champion. The Cougars opened up the 2013-14 season at Louisville and were thrashed, 70-48.

“It’s always fun going out and playing some great competition like the defending national champion," said senior guard and leading scorer Anthony Stitt. "UConn has a great team, we watched some tape on them. They’re really good in transition, they’ve got some good guys. We’re looking forward to take the challenge.”

Head coach Earl Grant: “We’ve got some older guys. I’m sure they’ll look forward to the challenge. We know it’s a challenge, but that’s why you play the game -- you like to be challenged.”

*** If you remember, Grant was hired back in early September after a month-long coaching search. Also interviewed in that search? UConn assistant Karl Hobbs, who could have been coaching against UConn, not for them, on Thursday had things played out differently over the summer.

*** Along with UConn, fellow Big East expatriates West Virginia and Boston College are here. Of course, Ryan Boatright once committed to Bob Huggins at WVU, only to de-commit a short time later when he found out Jabarie Hinds had committed a day later.

Asked about the (granted, ancient history) on Wednesday, here's Huggins' classic Huggy-Bear response:



*** Charleston sophomore Canyon Barry is the son of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry. Like his dad, Canyon shoots free throws underhanded. He's yet to go to the foul line this season, but here's hoping he gets to the stripe on Thursday. I really want to see this, for some reason.

*** Boatright said he's got "about 16" family members and friends arriving for the tournament.

*** Boatright and Rodney Purvis talked about the tournament and what they expect on Thursday:



*** The court at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente features double-rims, but that won't be a big deal, according to Kevin Ollie.

“It’s alright. That’s what we had in the park. It’s fine. It’d be a problem if we just had to shoot on the double-rims, but everybody’s got to shoot on them.”

Ollie seemed interested that Boatright had mentioned the double-rims to reporters.

“I’ll make sure I note that with the guys tonight," Ollie said. "No excuses.”

*** Purvis noted that Jim Calhoun pulled him aside in practice last week and told him to slow down a little bit and "just be ready to make a play, just be ready to catch and shoot, things like that."

Noted Ollie: “That’s the luxury of having Coach there, because he knows so much about the game, and how to get to players. I’m just glad that he’s there if they need him. It’s just another that’s got my players’ backs, and I welcome it every day.”

*** Ollie on Calhoun's ESPN debut Tuesday night: “He did a real good job. He explained things very, very well, right to the point. It was real good.”

*** Omar Calhoun didn't practice on Wednesday and would appear to be unlikely to play against Charleston.

*** UConn will stay an extra day and take part in some team activities on Monday before flying back home Tuesday morning.

The excitement of a new season is upon us, as UConn kicks off its 2014-15 season on Friday at Gampel against Bryant University. Hard to know exactly what to expect from this group of Huskies, as there is plenty of talent and some championship experience, but also a lot of newcomers, a lot of youth, and no Shabazz Napier.

Either way, it should be a fun season to chronicle. But before we get too invested in this season, I want to let people know that I've written a book about UConn's run to its fourth national title, beginning with Kevin Ollie's September, 2012 hire and running right through last April's championship and the events of the ensuing summer.

The book is called Rebound!: The Incredible Story of UConn Basketball's Comeback from Defeat to Dominance, and it is available for holiday pre-orders here and here. (And yes, I get the irony that one thing the Huskies have struggled with the past two seasons has been their ability to "rebound." It's about rebounding from the NCAA tourney ban, recruiting setbacks, Jim Calhoun's retirement, etc., and responding with a title. Get it?)

There was a teleconference today for the coaches of teams participating in next week's Puerto Rico Tip-Off. UConn faces College of Charleston in its first game on Thursday, Nov. 20, then will play either Dayton or Texas A&M the following day.

With most teams beginning their seasons this Friday (including UConn, against Bryant University), and some with two games to play before heading to Puerto Rico, most head coaches haven't extensively looked at tapes of their opponents for the upcoming tourney. Still, Kevin Ollie and first-year Charleston coach Earl Grant weighed in on a few things.

OLLIE:

(on some things the Huskies need to improve on after their first two exhibition games)

"We shot free throws very, very well last year. The past two games, I think we missed nine in the second game and 11 in the first. We definitely want to correct that. When someone makes a mistake fouling us, we want to convert. We want to push the pace more, and continue to rebound."

(on Charleston)

They’re a good team. I know Coach Grant is coming in, he inherited a team and he's putting his imprint on them. We don't know what that imprint is yet, but I know they’re gonna be a defensive-minded team, the things he brought over there from Clemson. We’re gonna have to have all our hands on deck and be ready to play a full 40 minutes.”

(Ollie was asked to define one of his favorite new catchphrases, "Falling in love with the process")

So many people fall in love with the prize at the end. There’s always a process, some up’s and down’s, things you’ve got to tend to through season. But you can’t be distracted by the prize at the end. 'I’ve got to play my type of basketball, UConn type of basketball.' There’s gonna be some up’s and downs’, but if we fall in love with that, get better every day, improve and grow, and we're gonna be a successful team – not only on the floor but off it."

(on Jim Calhoun's new gig at ESPN)

"I know Coach likes to talk. He’s not a person that shies away from his opinion. That’s great for ESPN. He’s got a wealth of knowledge. Anybody that’s spent two minutes with him … I think he’s gonna do an excellent job."

(on Amida Brimah)

"He's a worker bee. You try to kick him out of the gym and he sneaks in the back door."

GRANT:

(on how things have been since taking over the program)

"It’s been great. It’s been a whirlwind. But I’ve enjoyed it. A lot of my enjoyment is from having quality people to work with and unbelievable kids that I deal with on a daily basis ... We're trying to implement a new system, but we've got to be patient."

(on UConn)

"I know UConn is a really good team. Obviously, I respect what Kevin Ollie has been able to do. My assistant coaches are looking at UConn. I'm more concerned with our first game, Furman ... I really haven't had a chance to worry about UConn at this point."