Talked to Vance Jackson and his Prolific Prep coach, Billy McKnight, by phone the other night and wrote a story about how Jackson's role could be even bigger than originally anticipated next season, with the departure of Daniel Hamilton to the NBA.

No doubt, Jackson is excited to get to UConn. He's due to arrive on May 29 for summer courses, and plans to stay most of the summer.

Couple of interesting things: Jackson's prime recruiter was Karl Hobbs, who is now at Rutgers as associate head coach. One thing I neglected to mention in the article is that Jackson texts with Jalen Adams almost every day. The gist of those texts:

"We just talk about how excited we are for next year, and how we've got to come in and shock the world, because a lot of people are sleeping on UConn," Jackson said.

Also in the article, McKnight pointed out that Jackson struggled mid-season with his role on the team, and with the way shots were distributed on a team full of fellow D-1 players. Ultimately, Jackson figured it all out and ended the season with a flourish. McKnight said Jackson's biggest challenge as a freshman will be to find and accept whatever role he's asked to do in Kevin Ollie's offense.

Ah yes, Ollie. Didn't get a chance to ask Jackson or McKnight about the latest rumors that Ollie is interested in the Lakers' job, because the rumors hadn't quite surfaced yet when I spoke with the two. Plus, I highly doubt it's going to happen.

Sure, I've been told by someone within college basketball that one of the reasons Hobbs left UConn is because of the belief that Ollie will leave for the Lakers. Yes, it makes perfect sense that Ollie would want to return to his hometown of L.A. to coach one of the premiere franchises in all of sports -- particularly if he's given the autonomy he reportedly would like.

But I don't see it happening. Yet. He has a great recruiting class coming in. He has a daughter in high school in Connecticut and a son playing football at nearby Fordham. He's coaching the U18 national basketball team this summer. And plus, I don't see the Lakers giving Ollie everything he wants, or at least enough to lure him from so many of the things he loves.

Will UConn be Kevin Ollie's final coaching job? No. I don't believe it will be. But I strongly doubt that he'll be coaching the Los Angeles Lakers next season. He'll be coaching Vance Jackson & Co. at UConn.

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.

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.

UConn has bagged a few big-time recruits since Kevin Ollie took over the head coaching reins.

Daniel Hamilton was a national Top 25 recruit, as is Jalen Adams. Amida Brimah has proven to be a bit of a diamond-in-the-rough (his late-season play notwithstanding), and Steve Enoch appears to be better than some originally thought.

Still, the Huskies haven't exactly burned up the recruiting trails since their national title. They've lost out on numerous recruits, and while they're in on many of them and obviously can't get them all, it's a bit surprising that they haven't landed more.

It appears one of UConn's new recruiting pastures sits up in southern Vermont. Three of the Huskies' top targets play for Alex Popp up at Vermont Academy: Bruce Brown, a Class of 2016 (for now) combo guard; Tyrique Jones, a Class of 2016 power forward who hails from Bloomfield; and Samuel Mathias, 6-11 1/2 center from the Class of 2017.

UConn has offered all three players -- two of them (Jones and Mathias) in the same day. In fact, Kevin Ollie extended his offer to Mathias on the same day that Mathias went up against Enoch and St. Thomas More back in January.

It'll be interesting to see if UConn and Vermont Academy can establish a recruiting relationship. Popp was recruited as a player by Glen Miller when Miller coached at Brown, and he has known Miller and Karl Hobbs for several years and got to know Ollie out on the recruiting trails while he was an assistant at Holy Cross and thinks "very highly" of the Huskies' head coach.

"The opportunity to cultivate a great relationship with Vermont Academy makes a lot of sense," Popp said of UConn. "Say they miss on two of these three, or even three of three. We're gonna have a lot of great players coming forward. You're gonna go out and get other guys that can play at that level. Both parties are hoping the relationship can grow."

Here's a look at the three current VA players that UConn is recruiting:

BRUCE BROWN

"He's a leader, a guy who doesn't take days off," Popp said. "That translates to basketball."

Popp added that Brown, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard, is a multi-dimensional talent.



"We try to emphasize versatility in our program. We put him on the ball, off the ball. Defensively, ini a league where every team has rosters full of Division 1 players, he would guard four different positions in the span of a game. If LeBron James doesn't have a position, why do our guys have a position. He's somebody who really thrives at that."

Popp noted that Brown is very athletic, as well.

"He's explosive, both laterally and vertically," the coach said. "Combine that with his strength. He's a football player, with a football players' mentality. A lot of people compare him to Russell Westbrook. He just kind of overpowers the opposition."

Unprompted, Popp said that Brown would make a great backcourt mate with Jalen Adams.

"He's a power guard, he really is," the coach continued. "Looking at Jalen Adams, it's hard to ignore that. Put the two of them in the same backcourt, it would be special."

Popp said that Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan, Arizona State, UMass, VCU and UConn are working the hardest on him right now. IU's Tom Crean has been the most present of all the coaches. 

Brown hails from Boston, though his mom recently moved to Georgia. There has been lots of talk that Brown will re-classify to the Class of 2015, but Popp had no comment on that and, as of now, Brown is still '16.

"The best way I could describe Bruce Brown is he's a winner," Popp summed up. "If you're a college basketball coach, that's what puts food on your table. He's a winner. He's constant with it. It's not, 'I'm gonna mail it in today, coach, because we don't play in four days.' It doesn't matter if it's a simple drill, he wants to win every single drill in practice. It's remarkable how contagious that is when you have a guy who's as talented as Bruce Brown, because everyone in your program falls in line."

TYRIQUE JONES:

Jones is a 6-8, 240-pound jumping jack from Bloomfield.

"He grew up a big-time UConn fan," said Popp, "so they have that going for them, no doubt about it. That was his squad growing up."

Popp added that noted recruiting analyst Adam Finklestein recently named Jones the best rebounder of the Class of 2016.

"I spent time as a D-1 coach," Popp said. "For me, if you're not emphasizing rebounding in your recruiting, you're doing it wrong. Rebounding not only wins games, it wins championships at this level. He's very much a target."

Popp added that Jones has a "nose for the ball. He does a great job of winning all those 50-50's. He rebounds out of his area, above the rim. He's an underrated passer."

SAMUEL JAPHET-MATHIAS

At 6-11 1/2, 290 pounds, Mathias is a raw 16-year-old who has excellent hands and feet.

"He's a little bit of a dying breed," said Popp. "You don't have a lot of those positional, back-to-the-basket guys anymore. He knows what to do with it when the ball gets on the block."

Mathias was born in Nigeria and grew up in London. Ollie and Hobbs saw him play in some preseason open gyms and offered a scholarship after he went for 16 points and nine rebounds against St. Thomas More.

"In that game, he showed off an array of skills," said Popp. "He scored the ball on the block, pick and popped, scored with both hands, got a tip dunk. It was pretty obvious he could help UConn right away."

Of course, the Huskies would have to wait a couple of years, as the big kid is Class of 2017.

Whether UConn winds up with any of these players remains to be seen. But Popp is confident that any team that could get all three would be in very good shape.'

"You get those three guys," the coach said, "you're gonna win some national championships."

Jalen Adams was impressive at the Hoophall Classic at Springfield College on Sunday morning. He scored 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting (2-for-5 on 3-pointers) and was a bundle of energy all over the court in Brewster Academy's 100-69 win over Montverde Academy Prep (note: this was Montverde's postgrad team, not its more talented varsity team, which plays Monday and features the top-rated big man in the country, Ben Simmons).

Got a little frustrated at times when he was open and didn't get a return pass from a teammate, but overall he's a good kid, effervescent personality who can do a little of everything on the floor -- run the point, score, 'D' it up. He'll help UConn immediately next season -- and would be a help right now if he could.

Kevin Ollie and assistant coach Karl Hobbs, fresh off Saturday night's loss out in Stanford, California, were at the game to see their prized commit.

"He texted me, told me he was gonna take a red-eye, come see me play," Adams said of Ollie. "That's what I love about him, coming to support me ... I just like that about him. He's a real loyal guy."

Adams said he didn't see the Huskies' loss to Stanford.

"I couldn't watch it. I tried to get some rest."

Here's a quick snippet of Adams in action:



And here's what Adams and Brewster coach Jason Smith said afterward:

SMITH:

(on whether Adams can step right in and help next season as a freshman)



(on how Adams has progressed so far this season)

"I think that Jalen has definitely shown people that he's not just a scorer, he's able to run offense and facilitate and make great decisions to become more of a point guard. I think that's ultimately what he's gonna have to do for Coach Ollie at UConn. And he's been phenomenal doing that for us."

"I think that the fact that he knows, some games he can go off and score 25 or 30, but he's taken the mindset of, 'I have to make sure that I get others involved. I have a lot of these other pieces around me that I have to distribute the ball (to).' We're routinely six, seven guys in double figures. Very balanced."

ADAMS:



"Playing against the top talent every day is helping us a lot. Even the guys who aren't committed. The un-committed guys, they're tough, too. Every day, you're playing against tough competition, and that prepares you for the next level."

(on what Kevin Ollie has said to him lately)

"He says that at UConn, they don't have any positions. The guards all move around and shift. But I'm definitely gonna have to be a vocal leader and put guys in the right position."

(does being a vocal leader come naturally to him?)

"No, because I played on the wing growing up, so it's been tough. But last year, playing with Kaleb Joseph, he taught me a lot. And Coach Smith, he's a great coach. He's made that a big thing this year, so it's become a lot better."

(on comparisons to Shabazz Napier)

"I saw him play a couple of times at Charlestown, because that's where my father went to school. We went to a lot of games. He was unreal, shooting from halfcourt, practically. But I've never really idolized him that much or tried to compare my game to him. But, it's amazing how he went to UConn, did big things, and now he's in the NBA. And now, I have the chance to do the same thing."

DONOVAN MITCHELL, a Louisville commit and Adams' backcourt mate at Brewster:

"(Adams) might be the funniest dude I've ever met in my life. He's always making jokes, whether it's in practice ... he made Coach Smith even laugh, which last year I thought was the hardest thing possible. He manages to do it a lot."

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.

The release of UConn's 2014-15 schedule means -- never mind football -- college basketball is just around the corner. Sort of.

The Huskies can actually start practicing on Oct. 3, per NCAA rules, though they likely will start after that. Teams can get in 30 practices in the 42 days prior to their first game (in UConn's case, on Friday, Nov. 14 against Bryant).

Anyway, here's a breakdown of UConn's 2014-15 schedule, with a look at some of the Huskies' opponents:

Tuesday, Nov. 4, vs. Southern Connecticut State University (exhibition): Huskies play Owls in an exhibition for second straight season. Won 93-65 last season at Gampel.

Sunday, Nov. 9 vs. Assumption College (exhibition): Greyhounds, Huskies have never met in an official game.

Friday, Nov. 14 vs. Bryant: Just second time programs have met. UConn demolished Bulldogs 88-58 in 2008 in Hartford.

Thursday, Nov. 20 at Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 12:30 p.m.: Huskies open up against College of Charleston. Will UConn be going against current assistant Karl Hobbs, who is reportedly a candidate for the (amazingly) still vacant head coaching job?

Friday, Nov. 21 at Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan, Puerto Rico: UConn will face either Texas A&M or Dayton. Flyers beat Ohio State, Syracuse and Stanford last year en route to Elite Eight, where they finally fell to Florida.

Sunday, Nov. 23 at Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan, Puerto Rico: Huskies could face Boston College for second time in as many seasons after not playing former Big East rivals for nearly 10 years. Steve Alford's New Mexico, which beat UConn in Paradise Jam finals in 2012, and George Mason (need we remind you) are other possible foes.

Sunday, Nov. 30 vs. Texas: Longhorns return all five starters and should be a preseason Top 15 pick – until Rick Barnes finds a way to mess it all up.

Friday, Dec. 5 vs. Yale: Huskies tamed Bulldogs 80-62 last year in the teams’ first meeting in 10 years.

UConn holds a 44-22 all-time advantage. Yale won't have Stratford's Brandon Sherrod, who'll be singing somewhere across the globe with the Whiffenpoofs.

Sunday, Dec. 14 vs. Coppin State: UConn is 5-0 all-time against Eagles, who will also play at Michigan this season.

Thursday, Dec. 18 vs. Duke at IZOD Center, East Rutherford, N.J., 8 p.m.: Despite losing Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood to the NBA draft, Blue Devils will be a preseason Top 5, maybe even No. 1. Duke boasts the top-rated recruiting class in the land, led by 6-foot-10 center Jahlil Okafor. This should be a fun one, as great rivalry is renewed. Two of Huskies’ biggest wins in program history (the 1999 national championship game and the 2004 Final Four) came against Duke. The Blue Devils, of course, handed UConn a crushing, overtime loss in the 1990 Elite Eight, ending the Huskies’ “Dream Season” on a Christian Laettner buzzer-beater. Duke holds the overall series edge, 5-4, including the most recent meeting, a 68-59 win on Nov. 27, 2009 in the NIT Season Tip-Off championships at Madison Square Garden.

Monday, Dec. 22 vs. Columbia: UConn is 7-2 all-time against the Lions, most recently with a 70-57 win on Nov. 11, 2011 at Gampel.

Sunday, Dec. 28 vs. Central Connecticut: Huskies face former longtime UConn assistant Howie Dickenman’s crew for first time in nine years. UConn has never lost in 12 meeting with these Blue Devils.

Wednesday, Dec. 31 vs. Temple: For first time in three years, UConn isn’t on the road for New Year’s Eve. Huskies open up AAC play against Owls, who finished ninth in the 10-team league a year ago at 4-14.

Saturday, Jan. 3 at Florida, O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida, 2 p.m.: Gators went 36-3 last season – 36-1 against teams not named UConn. The Huskies edged Florida on Dec. 2 at Gampel, 65-64, on Shabazz Napier’s 15-foot jumper at the buzzer. Gator coach Billy Donovan called the play “luck,” and Florida had the chance to avenge the loss in the Final Four. But the Huskies’ clamped down defensively, frustrating SEC player of the year Scottie Wilbekin all night, and needed no “luck” to score a 63-53 win. This game finishes the teams’ home-and-home series.

Tuesday, Jan. 6 at South Florida, Sun Dome, Tampa, 7 p.m.: Huskies stay in the Sunshine State for an AAC bout with USF and its new head coach Orlando Antigua, the former John Calipari assistant at Kentucky. Antigua should help Bulls on recruiting trail, but that won't do them much good this season.

Saturday, Jan. 10 vs. Cincinnati, 11 a.m.: Sean Kilpatrick (the guy who was peeved he lost out to Napier for AAC player of the year honors) and Justin Jackson are both gone, but Bearcats should play their usual tough defense and be solid once again.

Tuesday, Jan. 13 at Tulsa, Reynolds Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma: Huskies’ first-ever trip to Tulsa would’ve been more fun if Danny Manning were still head coach. But he bolted for Wake Forest, and instead former Missouri, Miami head man Frank Haith is at the helm. This could be a tough game for Huskies.

Saturday, Jan. 17 at Stanford, Maples Pavilion, Palo Alto, Calif.: Cardinal handed UConn its first loss of the season last year, 53-51 on Dec. 18 in Hartford, and wound up advancing to the Sweet 16.

Thursday, Jan. 22 vs. Central Florida, 7 p.m.: Knights have lost virtually everyone from last year’s team that went 4-14 in AAC, including all-league pick Isaiah Sykes. Could be a long season in Orlando. Incidentally, this will be only time the teams play this season.

Sunday, Jan. 25 vs. South Florida, noon: Anthony Collins, a preseason all-AAC pick who missed almost all of last year due to injury, should be back at the point for Bulls. Corey Allen, Jr. and Chris Perry are also decent returnees.

Thursday, Jan. 29 at Cincinnati, Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, 8 p.m.: Are the Bearcats UConn’s biggest rival in the AAC?

Sunday, Feb. 1 at Houston, Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, 3 p.m.: Huskies return to site of their awful New Year’s Eve loss last season. Kelvin Sampson has taken over as head coach, but Ta’Shawn Thomas  (Oklahoma) and Danuel House (Texas A&M) have both transferred, leaving cupboard bare. Had those two stayed, Cougars may have been an NCAA tourney team. Now, they'll rely primarily on a bunch of JUCO's.

Wednesday, Feb. 4 vs. East Carolina, 7 p.m.: First meeting as league rivals between Huskies and Pirates. UConn actually holds a 3-1 all-time series lead, but haven’t played each other since 1978.

Saturday, Feb. 7 at Tulane, Devlin Fieldhouse, New Orleans, 6 p.m.: Green Wave will play most home games at 3,500-seat on-campus arena, but it’s possible this one could be switched to downtown arena where New Orleans Pelicans play.

Thursday, Feb. 12  vs. Tulsa, 7 p.m.: Don’t sleep on Tulsa, which went on a late-season surge and won the Conference USA tournament last season. Golden Hurricane is led by James Woodard, a do-everything guard who could warrant preseason all-AAC honors.

Saturday, Feb. 14 at SMU, Moody Coliseum, Dallas, 9 p.m.: An ESPN College GameDay presentation, should be a rowdy night. Mustangs could’ve been preseason top 15 if No. 1 national recruit Emmanuel Mudiay hadn’t bolted to play professionally in China, but they still might be the AAC favorites. After all, SMU did beat UConn both times they met last season.

Thursday, Feb. 19 at Memphis, FedExForum, Memphis, 9 p.m.: Huskies went a perfect 3-0 last year against Tigers, including twice at FedExForum – the latter game a 72-53 dismantling in an AAC tournament bout.

Sunday, Feb. 22 vs. Tulane, 4 p.m.: Green Wave return 90 percent of its offense from team that went .500 overall (17-17) and in C-USA (8-8).

Wednesday, Feb. 25 at East Carolina, Williams Arena, Greenville, North Carolina, 7 p.m.:  Four of five top scorers are back from team that went 17-17 overall.  However, top scorer Akeem Richmond is gone.

Sunday, March 1 vs. SMU, 2 p.m.: A CBS-televised affair, could be marquee game of AAC schedule. Despite no Mudiay, Mustangs have all-AAC standouts Nic Moore and Markus Kennedy back, along with talented Keith Frazier and Xavier transfer Justin Martin.

Thursday, March 5 vs. Memphis, 9 p.m.: Tigers lost Joe Jackson and other top guards to graduation, but may have league’s best frontcourt, led by all-AAC pick Shaq Goodwin and AAC rookie of the year Austin Nichols.

Saturday, March 7 at Temple, Liacouras Center, Philadelphia: Owls lost top scorer Dalton Pepper to graduation, top rebounder Anthony Lee to transfer (Ohio State). Could be another tough one for coach Fran Dunphy, who'll rely on whole slew of newcomers.

Cushing Academy coach Barry Connors seems like a real straight-shooter, not a coach prone to exaggeration and over-hyping his players.

But Connors can barely contain himself when talking about Jalen Adams, the Class of 2015 combo guard who recently led Cushing to a second straight New England Class AA Prep title.

"I'm not telling you he's the best player in the country, that's not my point, but the game comes to him easier than anyone else," Connors said. "He's just in the right spot. If there's a loose ball, it ends up in his hands. We need a rebound, he gets it. He's got that 'it' factor. He's had, like, six game-winning shots the last two years."

Sound like someone we know? In fact, Adams hails from the same Roxbury neighborhood as Shabazz Napier.

Perhaps Adams' best-known game-winner came in the New England Class AA championships a year ago, when he hit a 35-footer at the buzzer to beat St. Andrew's for the title. This past season, Adams had 20 points, 19 rebounds (remember, he's listed at 6-2, but more like 6-1) and nine assists in a semifinal win over St. Andrew's. He hit a putback with eight seconds left to give Cushing its first lead of the game.

"He's a perfect UConn guard, no doubt about it," said Connors. "Kemba, Shabazz -- he kinda plays like them. Their style and system fits him. He knows that, too. UConn's very high on his list, and that has a lot to do with it. He's mentioned he likes the guys. (Karl) Hobbs has been up here quite a bit, he likes him. He's gotten to know Kevin (Ollie) a little bit and he likes him, too. He mentioned that he likes the staff, likes the way they use their guards. He fits."

Adams has predictably received many offers. Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Providence are among those who seem to have a lot of interest. But it appears that two schools stand atop his list: UConn and Kansas.

"To be honest with you, they're the ones," said Connors. "You can tell by what he says, how he responds. They're the ones high on his list right now."

Connors said Adams will play out the summer for Mass Rivals AAU before making his decision. The coach seems like a real straight-shooter, not one prone to exaggeration. But he's coached the Pressey brothers (Matt and Phil), Syracuse-bound Kaleb Joseph and other top-notch players over the past several years, and ...

"Jalen's the best of 'em all. He's an incredible athlete, he can jump out of the gym, his arms are crazy-long. He doesn't play 6-1/6-2 at all. I've never seen anything like this kid. He's got the 'it' factor. He just makes winning plays. The ball just ends up in his hands -- loose balls, rebounds, deflections."

Khalid El-Amin and the 1999 UConn national championship team each were inducted into the Huskies of Honor at halftime Sunday. Richard Hamilton, who hasn't come back to UConn a whole lot over the last 15 years, was in the house, along with the other four starters on the title team (El-Amin, Kevin Freeman, Jake Voskuhl and Ricky Moore) as well as Souleymane Wane, Beau Archibald, coaches Karl Hobbs, Tom Moore and, of course, Jim Calhoun.

Here's what Hamilton had to say:

 “The biggest thing I remember from that game is coach’s attitude at the beginning of the game. Usually, he was always on pins and needles. That was the first game he came in and told us, just relax and play. I think that really, really was the big thing for us, beacuse we really believed we could win the game. We thought we were the best team in the country. We thought Duke was getting all the praise, but we didn’t mind that. It was something exciting for us. I think when Khalid had the ball, running, and they were playing that ‘One Shining Moment’ song, and he was running with the ball, with his hands up, I think that’s the memory that sticks in my head.”

(on seeing Duke players over the years)

“They can’t even look me in my face. That’s how I like it ... to beat them – especially now, playing in the NBA and they've got so many great players in the NBA – you played against them and competed. I’m always hard on them, like, ‘Hey, you never beat (us), regardless of all the praise y’all got, whether you got the Wooden Award or not. We got the ring at the end.'”

“We were undefeated until the game that I sat out. I got hurt, Jake got hurt, and it was good that we actually lost that game, because it kind of gave us motivation to come out and play even harder. We came out and lost on Senior Night – I think it was Miami, here in Gampel. Coach came in and said, ‘Don’t think you’re as good as you are.’ We really had to go out and finish the work and we did.”

(on possibly still hooking up with an NBA team)

“I just want to go to the right team. I want to be on a team that has an opportunity to win. I don’t just want to be out there, going through the motions or anyting like that. I want to be in a situation where I can get an opportunity to get another ring. That’s how you build your legacy.”

(on Calhoun and SMU's Larry Brown both in Gampel on Sunday)

“Isn’t that crazy? You’ve got my two favorite coaches of all time in the same building. Both guys that I got an opportunity to win a championship with. That’s crazy. It’s one of those magic moments, something that couldn’t be planned or anything like that. It’s exciting for me.”

(on why he decided to return to UConn after '98 season)

“You know what it was? I put all my eggs in coach’s basket. I had one foot on the university campus and one foot out the door, and I put all my trust into coach Calhoun. Everything he told me in his office … after that 3-4 hour conversation that day, came true. When you’re 20 years old, sometimes you think people are just talking to be talking. But everything he told me came true.”

(on this year's UConn team)

“I think that KO’s done an excellent job. It’s hard to follow coach Calhoun. That’s huge pressure. But I thought that he came in and really put his spin on things. The guys respond to him very well. You can look at his record for the last two years. One thing I can look at with UConn, we always have great guard play. The guards have been doing great, doing a tremendous job of leading the team.”

Jim Calhoun:

“Of all the things I've done in my coaching career, I’ll never forget walking into this building in 1999 – the trip over, I still describe as probably the most remarkable trip, I have no idea how many people were on 84, they stopped cars, they were on buildings. Coming up here on 195 was absolutely incredible. But still, walking into this building, after the disappointment of nine years before, and this time having the hardware in my hands, is still the highest moment of my coaching career.”

“I always thought we were better when we had to dig our way back. But I always thought we had more experience, we were tougher. (Duke) could’ve been, if they had stayed together one more year – or if they hadn’t met us – been one of the greatest teams ever.”

“If you ever look back at the teams we played, the teams we beat – pretty special. Without injuries, you could make a case for 36-0. Is it the greatest team? I don’t know. But it was the best ‘team’, in the sense that they all worked with each other. Both point guards could pass, shoot, well, not Khalid, but defend. We had great answers, with Edmund, Souley, Albert Mouring. That was just a terrific basketball team.”

“When we lost to Carolina in Carolina, they went to the Final Four, we didn’t, they stayed together and it was just one of those kind of things. We had, without knowing, our eyes on the prize in ’98 to get to ’99."

“The first one is special. It was special for UConn. I don’t know if, like anything else in life, you can’t duplicate that first time. So, that makes it special. Is it better? No. I love watching Kemba making four foul shots to win, getting 31 last night to beat the Grizzlies. Watching any kind of those great things, that’s all great stuff, too. But, you can’t duplicate walking up here and bringing back that trophy. That’s not gonna be replicated in my lifetime or anybody else’s lifetime.”

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Lasan Kromah is a very valuable player to have on a college basketball team. He's talented, versatile, experienced and unselfish. He understands his role and isn't clamoring for minutes or to be in the starting lineup (though, reading between the lines, it sounds like he wouldn't mind seeing a little more PT).

Here's what Kromah had to say afterwards:

“Any way I can help my team out – points, defense. Tonight, it was a little bit of offense and defense, so it felt good.”

(on his role)

“It’s a little different. Right now, I’m coming off the bench and I’m a guy that sparks energy and everything. I’m fine with what I’m doing right now, just improving every game, every practice.”

“I like the role. Any role that coach wants me to do, I’ll be happy to do. So, playing defense, I’m with it, whatever he needs me to do.”

“I’m just coming in, whether I play 30 minutes, 20 minutes, 10 minutes, five minutes, just come in, work hard and see where it gets me.”

“We just need to have that mentality, when we have a team down, we need to keep going, and even add more energy and really increase the lead.”

*** Oh yeah, about that last thing. Once again, the Huskies displayed a disturbing inability to put a team away after building a big lead. They led by 15 late in the first half yet by just three early in the second. They led by 17 late in the game, but Loyola had a chance to pull within six in the game's final minute.

Kevin Ollie: “When you get a 15-point lead, I want the lead to go to 25. So, no, I’m not jumping for joy, but I am jumping for joy that we’re 7-0.”

Asked if he was still happy with the win, Ollie got a little testy: “You know I’m not happy, when we give up 20 offensive rebounds. But I’m happy that we came out with a win. I’m happy that it’s Thanksgiving, and we’re 7-0. I’m very happy about that.”

*** Back to Kromah, Karl Hobbs recruited him and coached him for two years at GWU. So, it's no surprise Hobbs was instrumental in getting Kromah to UConn. 

Here's what Hobbs had to say about Kromah after the game:

“The way he played tonight, I’ve been waiting on this kind of breakout for him. That’s the type of player he’s been, the type of guy that, because of his versatility, he’s going to get three or four rebounds a game, three or four steals a game, he’s always been able to score. He’s always been a guy that makes an impact on the game. He makes an impact in a lot of different ways, even if he’s not scoring, he’s guarding the other team’s best player, or he’s getting a key rebound or a key steal. He does those little things that help you win.”

“He’s always been a tremendous defensive player. He uses his length and size, and he can guard different guys. He can guard point guards, a two-guard, the three-man. He’s starting to really show that. I think, as time goes on, as he begins to get a little more comfortable with the offense and things like that, I think he’s only going to play even better.”

“It wasn’t really a whole lot to sell (on UConn). No. 1, I recruited him and we had already established a great relationship. With Lasan, he wanted to go and be somewhere his senior year, someone he trusts, someone he felt understood him. That was the key with him coming here.”

Spent the morning at the National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College. Many college assistant coaches were there, including UConn's Glen Miller and Ricky Moore, who were taking in the Brewster-South Kent game that featured 2015 Husky recruiting targets Donovan Mitchell and Jarred Reuter, both of Brewster, as well as a potential big star down the road: South Kent freshman Tremont Waters of New Haven.

Miller was there all day Saturday, watching kids like West Haven's Mustapha Heron, who poured in 35 points on 12-for-17 shooting in Wilbraham & Monson's 89-82 loss to Elev 8. Moore was slated to stay for most of the day Sunday, ostensibly to see Cushing's Jalen Adams play the tourney's final game at 6:30 p.m. And it appears Kevin Ollie showed up Sunday night, as well.

Here are some observations:

*** Waters, who's being touted as one of the top freshmen in the nation, seems worthy of that title. He popped off the bench about five minutes into the game and immediately knocked down a 3-pointer almost as soon as he touched the ball. Hit a few more treys as the game went on and finished with 17 points. On Friday evening, Waters, a 5-foot-10, 145-pound point guard, was 8-for-14 from the floor (including five 3-pointers) to score 26 points in a 94-91 win over Elev 8.



He's a quick, smart player with remarkable poise for a freshman. Perhaps just as important, his parents, Ed and Vanessa, are very protective and won't allow him to get swallowed up by all the hype. Waters is definitely one to keep an eye on for the future.

*** Perhaps the biggest revelation of the day was South Kent's Schadrac Casimir, a 5-foot-9 guard from Stamford. Casimir was lightning-quick and athletic and draining 3's all game, finishing with 36 points on 13-for-20 shooting (4-for-6 on 3's). He had 22 points on Friday in the win over Elev 8.

Casimir, a postgrad who starred at Trinity Catholic, hasn't been getting much recruiting attention. That could very well change after Sunday, with possibly even some high majors taking a greater interest.

"It's been really quiet," said South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson. "I think what a lot of people are concerned about is his size. He's small, he's always going to be small. I love him. I saw him in high school, he was one of the top scorers, if not the top scorer, in Connecticut. I've seen him play AAU, he led his team to numerous championship games. And, I've seen him play here, and I think he's one of the best guards around. Regardless of size, all the kid does is put the ball in the basket, whoever he's playing against. I'm hoping that college coaches see what I see -- that he's a great point guard, he can put the ball in the basket, and he's got a lot of heart."

Casimir has another good guy on his side: ex-UConn guard Craig Austrie. Austrie is living in Fairfield and runs the Craig Austrie Basketball IQ Skills Academy in Stamford. Casimir is one of his prized pupils, along with several other high school kids from around the area. Austrie, who was at Sunday's game, said he'd like to get into coaching some day.

*** There are some good bloodlines on the South Kent team: Jordan Strawberry is the son of Darryl, who was also at the game. Meanwhile, guard Kalvin Hobbs is the nephew of UConn assistant Karl Hobbs.

*** Brewster won the game, despite just seven points from Mitchell and 10 from Reuter. On Saturday, Mitchell had netted 17 in a win over Kiski School.

Here, Mitchell drives to the hoop and misses, but Reuter is there for the rebound putback and foul:

Jim Calhoun's Charity Golf Classic was held Monday at The Golf Club of Avon, and it brought out plenty of sports celebrities.



Roy Williams, Billy Packer, Kevin Ollie, Scott Burrell, Sterling Sharpe, Mark Schlereth, Glen Miller, Karl Hobbs, Tom Moore, Travis Knight and Patrick Sellers were among those playing. Caught up with Williams for a few moments before he teed off, and here's what he had to say.

"We do go back a long ways. Jimmy and his staff from Northeastern came to visit with Coach (Dean) Smith when I was an assistant at North Carolina about 100 years ago, it seems like. I got to know him then, then followed his career. We've been great friends when I was at Kansas and at North Carolina. We did a tour of duty for USA Basketball in Argentina one time. I just wanted to come up here and honor him and help him do what he wants to do."

(on if Calhoun appears happy in retirement)

"You never know with Jimmy. I thought it would take a forklift to get him off that bench. I think it's great. He had health concerns, but right now he appears to be great. He still talks a different language. I can't understand most things he says, he can't understand most things that I say, so we're OK."

(on the job Ollie did this past season)

"I recruited Kevin when coaching at Kansas. Kevin really did a nice job. He's gonna be fine."

(on how Calhoun built a program from nothing to national prominence at UConn)

"I can't speak to it. I've been very fortunate. I've coached at Kansas and at North Carolina. When I got to Kansas, we were on probation, when I got to North Carolina, they had had some problems, lost 37 games the two previous years. But ... Jimmy came to Connecticut, people knew where the state was but they didn't know if they played basketball or not. The job he's done at Connecticut -- and he did well at Northeastern, too -- to put this program where it went, to win three national championships ... I can't even fathom what he did."

(on scheduling UConn in the future)

"I've played everybody. We played UConn my first two years at North Carolina, we played UConn while I was at Kansas. I'll schedule anybody and everybody."

*** Ollie remembers being recruited by Williams. He cancelled that a recruiting visit to Kansas back in the early 1990's, however, and took trips to UConn and Arizona instead. Kansas wound up with another pretty good point guard out of L.A.: Jacque Vaughn.

“He’s always been a great friend of mine," Ollie said of Williams. "When I got my first assistant coaching job, he was right there on the recruiting trails, helping me out. He’s always had a special place in my heart. Great coach, and I can learn a lot from him.”

*** Calhoun just had knee replacement surgery six weeks ago. He wanted to play the tournament, but wound up deciding to only hit shots from 150 yards and in, not wanting to put any extra torque on his new right knee. (Calhoun's no longer bow-legged with his right leg; his left still is).

Calhoun noted that it's the respect he gets from opposing coaches that he treasures as much as anything (he also dropped hints that John Thompson, Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski may have some sort of contributions to the Sept. 22 event at Gampel Pavilion that will honor Calhoun).

“I never try to get love from a lot of other coaches, I try to get respect," Calhoun said. "If you can get friendship, that’s great. I have a lot of respect for Roy Williams. I think he’d probably want that from me. You don’t go into this to make friends. You make friends with your players -- eventually -- but you go in to get respect from people that you respect. That’s the most important thing.”

Lasan Kromah grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, earned a criminal justice degree in his four years at George Washington University and loves everything about the school.

He simply wanted a change of scenery.

Kromah will get that this upcoming season at UConn, where he will spend his final season of eligibility as a basketball player enrolled in the school’s Cognitive, Instruction and Learning Technologies master’s program.

“I wanted to explore somewhere else, in a different environment, and play basketball at a higher level,” said Kromah, a 6-foot-5 wing who was second on the Colonials in scoring last season at 10.1 points per game.

Kromah missed his entire sophomore season at GWU after tearing a ligament in his left foot during a preseason scrimmage with NC State. That means he has another year of playing eligibility left, even though he graduated from GWU. He visited Indiana and Xavier, but felt most comfortable in Storrs.

“I got a good vibe, I really got a sense of family,” he said. “I have a good relationship with Coach (Karl) Hobbs. It’s an opportunity for me to develop and play.”

Indeed, Hobbs recruited and coached Kromah his freshman season at GWU. Hobbs was let go as head coach following the 2010-11 season and joined UConn’s staff.

GWU assistant coach Pete Strickland has coached Kromah the past two seasons.

“He definitely has the ability to score the ball,” Strickland said. “He has a very instinctive ability to get to the rim. He doesn’t really fit a type – he’s not a ‘classic’ anything – he just has a unique ability to get to the rim. He’s got great length to him and a nice nose for the basket.”

Strickland pointed out that Kromah has “plus-four” length – meaning his wingspan is 6-9.

“Defensively, because of his length, he’s kind of disarming,” Strickland said. “He had nine steals in a game (on Dec. 28, 2011, against UAB) that set a school record. He just kind of unfolds. You think you have a pass … now you don’t.”

Kromah whose mother hails from Liberia) insisted he had no ill will towards second-year GWU coach Mike Lonrgan or his staff. He said he doesn't really know any of the current UConn players but met Ryan Boatright, Phil Nolan, Rodney Purvis and a few others during his visit a few weeks ago.

Spoke (very) briefly to Lasan Kromah today. He said his transfer to UConn isn't official yet, but it's what he's hoping to do.

It seems Kromah's decision to transfer had as much to do with the fact that, under NCAA guidelines, he can do so without having to sit out a year as it does anything else. Obviously, he was recruited by current UConn assistant Karl Hobbs and played for Hobbs his first two years (though he sat out his sophomore season with an injury), so that figured to be an attraction.

GWU assistant coach Pete Strickland said that he hasn't been made aware of where Kromah is heading to, but hasn't spoken to him in a couple of days. (Colonials head coach Mike Lonergan is away at the A-10 meetings).

Here's what Strickland said about Kromah as a player:

"He definitely has the ability to score the ball. He has a very instinctive ability to get to the rim. He doesn't really fit a type -- he's not a 'classic' anything -- he just has a unique ability to get to the rim. He's got great length to him and a nice nose for the basket."

Strickland said that Kromah was considering transferring to UConn, Indiana and Xavier, among others. He noted that the 6-foot-5 Kromah has "plus-four" length. In other words, he's got a 6-9 wingspan.

"Defensively, because of his length, he's kind of disarming," Strickland said. "He had nine steals in a game (on Dec. 28, 2011, against UAB) that set a school record. He just kind of unfolds. You think you have a pass ... now you don't."

As for Kromah off the court: "He's an upbeat kid. I think he really likes Karl. I think that's probably a good fit."

*** Also, Rodney Purvis has been invited to attend the 2013 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Championship Team training camp. Here's the press release sent out by UConn:

Rodney Purvis (Raleigh, N.C.), who has transferred into the University of Connecticut men’s basketball program, is one of 24 players who have accepted invitations to attend the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Championship Team training camp.

Purvis, a 6-4 guard, and the rest of the invitees will travel to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., to participate in the training camp, which begins on June 14. The final 12-man team will be selected during training camp and will train in Colorado until June 19, continue training in Washington D.C., through June 22, then leave for Prague, Czech Republic, to compete in the June 27-July 7 FIBA U19 World Championship.

Purvis, a former McDonald’s All-American, played his freshman season at North Carolina State in 2012-13, appearing in 35 games, starting 23. He averaged 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, shot 44.2 percent overall and 38.5 percent from three-point range. As per NCAA transfer rules, he must sit out the 2013-14 season, although he can practice with the Huskies. Beginning with the 2014-15 season, he will have three years of eligibility remaining for UConn.

Besides Purvis, the rest of the invited players include: Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova University/Langhorne, Pa.); Bryce Alford (La Cueva H.S./Albuquerque, N.M.); Brandon Ashley (University of Arizona/San Francisco, Calif.); Robert Carter (Georgia Tech/Thomasville, Ga.); Damyean Dotson (University of Oregon/Houston, Texas); Kris Dunn (Providence College/Oakdale, Conn.); Javan Felix (University of Texas/New Orleans, La.); Michael Frazier (University of Florida/Tampa, Fla.); Marcus Georges-Hunt (Georgia Tech/College Park, Ga.); Shaq Goodwin (University of Memphis/Atlanta, Ga.); Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty H.S./San Jose, Calif.); Jerami Grant (Syracuse University/Bowie, Md.); Montrezl Harrell (University of Louisville/Tarboro, N.C.); Rondaé Hollis-Jefferson (Chester H.S./Chester, Pa.); Jahlil Okafor (Whitney Young H.S./Chicago, Ill.); James Robinson (University of Pittsburgh/Mitchellville, Md.); Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State University/Flower Mound, Texas); Jarnell Stokes (University of Tennessee/Memphis, Tenn.); Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke University/Houston, Texas); Devin Thomas (Wake Forest University/Harrisburg, Pa.); Mike Tobey (University of Virginia/Monroe, N.Y.); Nigel Williams-Goss (Findlay Prep/Happy Valley, Ore.); and Justise Winslow (St. Johns H.S./Houston, Texas).

The USA U19 World Championship Team will be led by Florida head coach Billy Donovan, who will be assisted by Virginia’s Tony Bennett and VCU’s Shaka Smart. The player selections for the team will be made by the 2013-2016 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, chaired by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.

Purvis is one of 16 of the invited players who has previous USA Basketball experience. He was a member of the 2012 U18 USA National Team that won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship and qualified the U.S. team for the FIBA U19 World Championship.

*** Finally, this from the American Athletic Conference:

In its first full meeting as the American Athletic Conference, the league made important strategic decisions and addressed many pertinent issues as its membership moves forward together in the reinvented Conference.

The Conference’s Presidents, Athletic Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, Head Football Coaches and Head Men’s and Women’s Basketball Coaches participated in the meetings.

“I am pleased and proud to be a part of a group that is dedicated, optimistic and effective,” said Commissioner Michael Aresco. “We have accomplished a great deal and are moving ahead with great confidence. We have a strong new name that has been well-received. Our soon-to-be-released new logo will support our new name. The American is going to be a prominent force in college athletics.”

Among the subjects addressed by the league’s Presidents and Athletic Directors:

Agreed on a financial distribution plan for the member institutions
Approved a new conference logo, which will be revealed in the near future
Further developed a branding, marketing and public relations strategy
Narrowed the search for men’s and women’s basketball postseason tournament venues
Discussed plans for a digital network
Met with television partners to discuss scheduling and promotional plans
Discussed The American’s position in the College Football Playoff
Agreed to pursue the creation of its own bowl game and maintain an outstanding Conference bowl lineup





























The Conference Presidents chose R. Gerald Turner, President of Southern Methodist University, as their new Chair. Susan Herbst, President of the University of Connecticut, will serve as Vice-Chair. Outgoing Chair Judy Genshaft, President of the University of South Florida, will remain on the Executive Committee, ensuring continuity in governance. Genshaft provided outstanding leadership in the transformation of the Conference.






“The American Athletic Conference has tremendous institutions that are committed to excellence in academics and athletics,” said Genshaft. “We are moving forward as a Conference with great resolve.”






“I am honored to help shape the future of the American Athletic Conference,” said Turner. “Everyone is excited about our extremely bright future and working together.”






"We are moving quickly on all fronts and I am so pleased with the progress,” said Herbst. “UConn is proud to be building this new league and thrilled to be part of all the excitement that comes with creating a bold new vision for student-athletes and our fans. Our exposure will be greater than ever, and we look forward to showing our championship ways to even broader audiences."






The American has television agreements with ESPN and CBS Sports, two of the most prestigious media organizations in sports. The contracts will provide unprecedented national coverage for the league. All football and men’s basketball conference games will be televised.

Ricky Moore has been bumped up to full-time assistant, while George Blaney remains on UConn's staff as a special assistant/advisor to head coach Kevin Ollie. Here's the press release sent out by the school:

University of Connecticut men’s basketball head coach Kevin Ollie has announced changes on his coaching staff.
Ricky Moore, who joined the UConn staff in October, 2012, and served as the assistant director of basketball administration through the 2012-13 season, has become a fulltime assistant coach and assumed all appropriate duties, including player coaching during practice and games, as well as complete recruiting status.

“I’m really excited to add Ricky to our coaching staff,” Ollie said. “When Ricky was here as a player, he epitomized what UConn stands for and I know he will do the same thing as a coach.”

George Blaney, who just completed his 12th season with UConn, remains on the staff as a special assistant/advisor to the head coach.

The rest of Ollie’s staff remains intact, with Glen Miller as associate head coach, Karl Hobbs as assistant coach, Kevin Freeman as director of basketball administration, and David Sevush as graduate assistant.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be an assistant coach on the UConn staff,” said Moore, 37. “I know firsthand what a great experience it is to be a student-athlete at UConn and to be part of the UConn basketball family. I’m looking forward to working with our players and to bringing high-caliber people and players into the program as we move forward.”

Moore, a 1999 UConn graduate with a degree in community program development, returned to Storrs last year after serving as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College for two seasons. Moore’s stint at Dartmouth followed his retirement after an 11-year career in professional basketball that spanned five countries --- Austria, Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey and Germany --- as well as stops in the Continental Basketball Association and the NBA Developmental League.

“I have a lot of faith in Ricky as a recruiter and a coach,” Ollie said. “He’s had experience on the road and I know the kind of strength and enthusiasm he has for the game and our program. I’ve already seen it in the role he had with us last year. Going into this new era of UConn basketball, I’m looking forward to having him on the road recruiting and using his coaching style to help us on and off the court.”

Moore, co-captain of the Huskies’ first NCAA national championship team in 1998-99, spent four successful years in Storrs as an undergraduate. During his tenure, UConn compiled an overall record of 114-24 and a BIG EAST mark of 55-17, winning three BIG EAST regular-season championships, three BIG EAST tournament championships, and reaching the 1996 NCAA Sweet 16, the 1998 NCAA Elite Eight, and capturing the 1999 NCAA title.

Moore was named to the 1999 Final Four and West regional All-Tournament Teams and Basketball News Magazine selected him as the National Defensive Player of the Year in 1998-99. He was a three-time UConn co-captain and in 2001, he was named to UConn’s All-Century Team. His 510 assists still rank sixth on UConn’s all-time list.

Originally from Augusta, Ga., Moore was born on April 10, 1976. He and wife Heather are the parents of two children, daughter Kendyll, 6, and son R.J., 4.

Jim Calhoun was at a lot of UConn practices this season, and most home games (other than when he went on a trip to Cancun, and possibly one or two other home contests). He only made three road trips, I believe: to Germany, to St. Thomas and to the Garden for the NC State game.

I didn't find his presence overbearing on Kevin Ollie. Maybe Ollie would beg to differ, but I doubt it. The man is truly like a father figure to Ollie. At home games, Calhoun could be seen perched at along the base line, watching rather stoically but approvingly -- indeed, like a proud father watching his son do fine work.

Here's what Calhoun had to say about Ollie's first season as head coach. One other thing to note: as good a job as Ollie did, he had some great help. Ollie was always quick and adamant in heaping praise on his assistants, going out of his way to do so at the Dec. 29 press conference announcing his new, long-term contract. Glen Miller, Karl Hobbs and George Blaney combine for 57 years of head coaching experience with 860 wins between them. They all also boast UConn NCAA championship rings, as do director basketball administration Kevin Freeman and assistant director of basketball administration Ricky Moore (both as players). They were invaluable this season.

Meanwhile, here's my penultimate AP Top 25 ballot this season. Yeah, Syracuse isn't in it. Yeah, four Atlantic 10 teams are in it. Deal with it.

1.       Gonzaga

2.       Duke

3.       Indiana

4.       Georgetown

5.       Louisville

6.       Kansas

7.       Michigan

8.       Miami

9.       Ohio State

10.   Michigan State

11.   Kansas State

12.   Florida

13.   Oklahoma State

14.   New Mexico

15.   St. Louis

16.   Arizona

17.   Memphis

18.   Marquette

19.   Pittsburgh

20.   Creighton

21.   Virginia Commonwealth

22.   St.Mary’s

23.   Colorado State

24.   Butler

25.   Temple

A little more on Amida Brimah, who is sitting behind UConn's bench tonight, along with his legal guardian, Nana Baafi, and Fairfield Prep 7-footer Paschal Chukwu:

According to Juan Hernandez, Brimah's high school coach at Archbishop Coleman Carroll in Miami, Brimah is a good student who scored about an 18 on his ACT. That score is good enough to qualify him for virtually any school, so he doesn't have to take the SAT, according to Hernandez.

“He’s just a great kid, an extremely hard worker," Hernandez said. "He’s very, very dedicated, he’s focused. I’m not surprised at all about the success he’s had … or is going to have in the future.”

Brimah's frontrunners were UConn, South Carolina, La Salle (the three schools he visited officially) and Florida International. Lately, Villanova and St. Louis had been calling frequently. Hernandez said he heard NC State was going to call, too, but never did.

So why did Brimah commit on Sunday night, so early in his official visit?

“He said he was very comfortable when he got there. He always got along very well with the coaches. They’ve got a good history with the big guys. His biggest thing is having the opportunity to play in the NBA at some point. One of the criteria was getting him prepared for that, from a playing standpoint and an exposure standpoint.”

“Two main things: having the opportunity to play right away – obviously nobody can guarantee playing time, but knowing there’s at least an opportunity. He didn’t want to be red-shirted, nor did his guardian. And, to be somewhere that prepares him to play in the NBA, hopefully. We all think he can get there.”


Glen Miller and Kevin Ollie had each been to see Brimah play once, but Karl Hobbs had been to numerous games and practices.

Brimah played AAU ball for Each 1 Teach 1, Amar'e Stoudamire's outfit.

*** It's silly to make too big a deal out of the fact that Louisville's scheduled flight to Hartford was cancelled Sunday night and the Cards didn't arrive in town until around 2 p.m. on Monday -- about seven hours before tip-off.

But it's not a stretch to say this could hurt Louisville. Teams get used to routines, and for college basketball teams, that routine includes getting into town the night before, having dinner, breaking down some film, then having a shootaround the next day.

Louisville wasn't able to do any of those things. Will it all have an affect on a bunch of elite, 19, 20-, 21-year-old athletes? Maybe not. But definitely maybe.

UConn is using this weeklong break from game action to hit the recruiting trail, and while the Huskies are scouting players of all classes, they are honing in on a big man and a guard from the Class of 2013.

Yes, the Huskies already have 6-9 shotblocker Kentan Facey in the fold. But the more the merrier.

One of their prime targets is Amida Brimah, a 6-foot-11 shot-blocker from Miami's Archbishop Coleman Carroll High. Karl Hobbs went to see Brimah play on Thursday, and Kevin Ollie attended a home game a few weeks ago.

Hobbs had to have liked what he saw Thursday, as Brimah posted his fourth triple-double of the season with 18 points, 15 rebounds and 13 blocks against Charlotte High. He's had four games of at least 10 blocks thus far.

"They definitely like him," Archbishop Carroll coach Juan Hernandez said of the Huskies. "UConn is definitely one of the schools he's seriously considering."

Meanwhile, Ollie was at Fairfield Prep's game Friday night, ostensibly to see Prep's 7-2, Class of 2014 center, Paschal Chukwu.

"For him to come down and watch me is an honor," said Chukwu, who had nine points, 11 rebounds and some foul trouble.

Brimah has made official visits to South Carolina and LaSalle, and has offers from those programs as well as Florida International. Recently, Hernandez has fielded calls from Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and St. Louis, and according to Brimah, Villanova is coming to see him play soon, as well.

Brimah, a native of Ghana who came to the States three years ago and boasts a 7-6 wingspan, has improved greatly over the past year, particularly over the past six months.

"He's got huge upside," said Hernandez. "Unlike some of the American kids who've been playing since they were little kids, he pretty much picked up the game 4-5 years ago. His ceiling is a lot higher than others. He's got a huge motor, he's an extremely enthusiastic kid. He works unbelievably hard."

Brimah could be a defensive force at the Division 1 level right now, according to those who've watched him. It's his offensive game -- particularly at the low post -- that needs seasoning.

"Offensively, he'd be a little bit limited early on," said Nick Ronda, the head coach at Miami Killilan High. "He can shoot free throws pretty well and he's got a nice mid-post, high-post shot. But his feet, he's got to keep working on."

But Hernandez noted that Brimah has already made great strides in his offensive game in recent months, and he could fit in well with UConn's offense.

"He's really good coming off ball screens," said Hernandez. "That's what Coach Hobbs mentioned early on. He said, '(Your team) runs a lot of ball screens, similar to what Coach Ollie does. He'd fit right into what we're running.'"

Brimah, who checks in at about 210-215 pounds, also needs to get stronger, "which he will do in college," Hernandez pointed out. "He's hitting the weights hard here, but he's not getting as good a nutritional program as he will in college. He'll gain 20-30 pounds once he gets to college."

And there's this: Brimah has a GPA of around 3.2-3.2, he's "very vocal, from a positive standpoint, within the team," according to Hernandez, and has no disciplinary issues off the court.

Brimah, whose parents still live in Ghana and lives with a legal guardian, is trying to schedule an official visit up to Storrs. The Huskies don't another weekend home game until the end of January, however, and it's been hard to line the Archbishop Carroll schedule up with UConn's. It might have to wait until after Carroll's season is over in late-February or early-March, but, according to Hernandez, Brimah will "definitely take a visit to UConn."

And, because people seem to like this kind of stuff, here's some video of Brimah in action. And here's some more: