Kevin Ollie spoke with the media today, prior to his annual golf tournament, which supports sport and recreational opportunities for people with disabilities.

First, the lead story of the day: UConn assistant director of athletics-video services Dave Kaplan scored a hole-in-one on a the 184-yard, par-3 18th hole on Monday and won a Honda Pilot. Not bad for a self-professed "hacker."

"We can say that sets the tone for the season," Ollie quipped.

Dave Kaplan after hole-in-one #uconn pic.twitter.com/hgc3JEjJrh

— David Borges (@DaveBorges) August 3, 2015

Here's why that particular charity means so much to Ollie:

“It’s special to my heart because of (former UConn teammate) Steve Emt first. That’s why I got into the Tolland Fund. What we did for him, and what he went through in his car accident -- but he’s doing great now. Helping athletes with disabilities -- and I don’t even say disabilities. 'Disabilities' comes from your mind. These kids and young adults that we help, they’re striving for greatness. We want to give them a shot to compete -- on a national level, or just around here, recreationally.”

(on how recruiting has been going)

“It’s been going well. We’ve been making some good contacts with a lot of great players. Just sitting down and making sure your staff is getting seen -- that’s pretty much what it is. We’ve already evaluated the guys we like. It’s pretty much just making sure they see us. With social media, it’s a different environment now with recruiting. With all the different tournaments, it’s kind of hard sometimes. But that’s why we get down i the ‘situation room’ and prioritize and go after the guys we really want. Sometimes we win some, sometimes we lose some, but eventually it works out if you have the same creed in mind -- getting great UConn student-athletes, not just athletes.”

(on UConn tapping into the fifth-year senior market so successfully)

“The landscape of collegiate sports now. I believe it’s up to 700 transfers now, which is out of control. But you have to look at it in your recruiting portfolio as something that you have to do and understand and navigate. We start early, we had some great players to come to us this year. Hopefully, they play a vital role in a great season.”

“When R.J. (Evans) gets a master’s degree in one year, that pretty much helps everybody. Lasan (Kromah) did a great job, he’s gonna be finishing up. Everybody can’t be R.J. R.J. was our first fifth-year (senior) (since) I became the head coach. For him to do it in one year was really amazing. He really set a tone. Lasan came in and did a great job, helped us win a national championship but also did an amazing job in the classroom. Everything I’m getting from Sterling (Gibbs) and Shonn Miller is that they’re doing amazing in the counseling program they’re involved in. It’s going amazingly well.”

(on Amida Brimah)

“Last year he was out with the soulder injury, couldn’t really work like he wanted to work. Anybody who knows Amida, he still worked. But to the capacity he’s able to do it now is great. He just went to adidas Nation, got some great reviews on him there.”

(on whether this year we'll see "the real Sam Cassell")

"The real Sam Cassell? Yeah. I thought the real Sam Cassell was there. I touch him everyday, he’s breathing. As a player? Yeah, he got hurt, so he couldn’t really show the real Sam Cassell. But what he did do -- which was phenomonal -- was he stayed with the team. I felt like Sam was still working out, he was always around the guys, encouraging the guys. Sometimes, somebody gets an injury and they withdraw. He actually started coming in even more. That’s the real Sam for me. Everybody looks at the basketball, but I look at the totality of the man. For him to still involved himself with team activities, being hurt, really shows a lot about his character. That’s what we thought about with Sam coming in -- that he has a high character. I love him, and hopefully he has some more opportunities this year to go out and -- I guess -- show the real Sam Cassell. But I see the true man. And the true man has been there ever since.”

(on last season)

“I thought we had a season of up’s and down’s last year. But like I tell everybody, we had a character-building season. I had a character-building season as a coach. It’s not going to always be a national championship. We’re gonna have to go through some valleys. But in the valleys, that’s where you get stronger. I think we got stronger as a team, and we’re looking forward to 2015.”

(on whether UConn has definite plans for its 13th scholarship)

“Not yet. Hopefully a 7-footer parachutes down, and I’ll be right there to catch him. But I don’t know if that’s gonna happen. I look up all the time, hopefully he’s coming down soon. But if he doens’t come down, we’ll have that extra scholarship, and I’ll look at possibly a walk-on filling it. But it’s still open, there are still some activities around there. We’ve still got our antennae up, like always, checking and seeing what’s happening through the wire. So if you all hear something, make sure you put it on your Twitter account, OK?”

Shabazz Napier, Niels Giffey, Tyler Olander, Lasan Kromah and walk-on Tor Watts play their final games at Gampel Pavilion Wednesday night against Rutgers. Kevin Ollie talked about the players before Tuesday's practice:

"I think Tyler's learned in his four years being here -- national champion, starting, not playing a lot, going through the mistakes on and off the basketball court and learning. I mean, I think Tyler will be a hell of a coach, just the way he's been. I observe everything, I'm a point guard. I observe how he's treating the other guys that have pretty much taken his minutes. I've been in that role before. For him to embrace them, teach them the little nuances of the game has been great."

(has he matured?)

"Yeah, I mean, he was in Florida rappin' ... he's not doing that stuff anymore. He's grown. Even his GPA, being on time ... we know what he had to do to get reinstated, and he followed it. And what he's doing now, being a selfless leader, not getting all the accolades, not getting all the minutes. I believe in second chances. I got a lot of second chances in life. He's made the most out of his second and third chances."

"Niels is my rock. The typical UConn basketball player, ambassador for our program. Throughout the not playing or the playing, he's like, 'Coach, what do I need to do? How can I get better?' I love him for that, always."

"Bazz is just an incredible person. He's going to pass me on assists here in a little bit ... I think his name will be following Khalid's soon up in the rafters. He deserves all of the accolades that he's got. He's been a tremendous person, on and off the basketball court. He's grown as a leader. It's been great."

"His legacy's going to be great. I can't chart them 1 through 5, because that's not wise on my part. He'll be the first one to say that the only thing he wants to do is win. And he's won a lot of games here, always having his mark on the team, growing up as a person. He's done a great job understanding leadership from the inside out, going through the difficult times, which every leader does. Showing his vulnerability, showing that he doesn't know it all and (he needs) to help his teammates and (he can't) do it all (himself). All the things he's done here his four years are going to help him immensely outside of basketball."

(first memories of Napier)

"Just his confidence. Being around Kemba, him coming in and first working him out. Who as this little kid? Telling Kemba what we're doing next, this and that. Just him understanding the big moments. Even his freshman year, the Kentucky game, him turning the ball over then coming back and telling coach, 'I got it,' then making two big free throws."

"Lasan, coming in in his one year here, he's made a mark on this program. I appreciate his hard work, his dedication to the program also."

(on Napier, Giffey and Olander all being on pace to graduate on time)

"It speaks volumes on them as student-athletes. Shabazz has a big-time load. He's got two labs he's doing, but he wants to get that paper. He wants to walk across that stage, and he can say 'I graduated' to my mother."

(on the group sticking with the program through tough times)

"That loyalty, what they showed the program in the midst of adversity, the character that they showed, the leadership they showed when we were in a difficult time, it really means a lot to me."

"They won a national championship, been to two NCAA tournaments, 95 wins in their whole career and hopefully even more. Hopefully they can get that century mark, it would be tremendous. It's just been a pleasure to be around them. I came in the same time they came in. I was kind of a freshman myself in the college profession. I think all of us have grown together."

"Adversity always molds you. The character that you show in those difficult times, that's going to mold you. They're probably not going to see the benefits until after their career here, when life hits you -- how to continue to stay with it, not give in, understand and embrace pain. There was a lot of pain around here, but everybody in this program embraced it and success came. They're the beneficiaries of it."

Some notes 'n quotes from UConn today, after the Huskies practiced at UCF's practice facility:

DeAndre Daniels practiced at full-speed and felt fine. His ankle is "100 percent," and his back didn't bother him today, after getting treatment (and some medication) from trainer James Doran last night.

Of course, Daniels' back felt fine prior to the Cincinnati game and was slated to play -- until shortly before tip-off, when his back spasms flared up and he could barely move.

“We’ll see how it goes," Daniels said at the team hotel. "It’s day-to-day. But the back spasm, it comes and goes, so I have no control over it. I’m planning on getting back out there to compete with my team.”

It was tough for Daniels to have to sit and watch the loss to Cincy on Thursday.

“I feel I help in a lot of ways, defend Justin Jackson better, also rebounding, I think we got outrebounded in the second half, so I feel I could have helped with that.”

Added Shabazz Napier: “We did a lot of things well, but it was just the little mistakes ... Our best player didn’t play and we were down by two points with two minutes left. Even though we wanted to win that game badly, we understand that with DeAndre there, it’s a whole different game. I’m pretty if ended up going, we would have won that game.”

Napier's been calling Daniels the team's best player a lot lately. Daniels just smiles.

“That guy’s the best player, man," he said of Napier. "He’s a fantastic point guard, he does everything for the team, and he’s a great leader.”

Daniels noted that he had some back issues last season, but they weren't as frequent or severe.

"I’ve had it a lot more this year. Last game, I couldn’t really move, so I couldn’t really fight through it.”

*** Meanwhile, Napier was icing his left wrist after practice Saturday. It's a ligament issue, but no need to worry -- it's been bothering him for a week or two and hasn't really affected his play.

“He’s been dealing with that, but that doesn’t stop him from shooting 30-footers," Kevin Ollie joked.

As for Ryan Boatright, who's left shoulder got banged up in the Cincy game: “Boat is a warrior, you know he’s going to keep going out there fighting," said Ollie. "We need his mind and his heart in there together, especially on the defensive end … He’s learned from films, actually, and hopefully keeps going out there and getting better. That’s what we want to see. It’s about us growing, it’s about us growing and responding from that loss.”

*** As for that Cincy game, after which Ollie seemed particularly steamed: “It was just a lack of effort and communication. Those are things we can correct. I was pleased. It wasn’t like something we can’t correct. We let an opportunity slip away. That’s why I was a little snappy at the end of the game, because that was a great opportunity. I don’t care who was (playing), we let that slip away. But we’re going to get another one if we keep working and keep doing the different things that we have to do.”

Ollie on UCF's top player, Isaiah Sykes: “I know he’s going to look for different advantages. Lasan (Kromah) is going to start out on him, but we’re going to have to do it with all five guys. We’re going to have to have 10 eyes looking at him. And we’ve got to rebound.”

*** Amida Brimah had a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds in UConn's 84-61 win over UCF at Gampel on Jan. 11.

“He got on the offensive boards," said Ollie. "If you’re a real big-time rebounder and you see that ball going up, that’s a play for you and you go get it. But we have to reward him. The bigs gotta keep running, but we’ve got to reward him by getting them the basketball.”

“I’m not expecting (20 and eight) or whatever he had, but I’m expecting Level-5 and intensity.”

Let's just say Kevin Ollie wasn't pleased Thursday night's loss o Cincinnati and just leave it at that.

“They just played hard," he said of the Bearcats. "In the second half, they established themselves in the paint. Justin Jackson and (Sean) Kilpatrick just took over the game."

Did Kilpatrick take control of the AAC player of the year race with this one? Maybe, though it's still too early to start handing out awards.

“Just a hell of a performance by him," said Ollie.

As for his own team:

“We started going one-on-one, then we settled for a bunch of 3-point shots ... You give up 52 percent, that’s bad. There’s no way to sugarcoat it ... They just took it to us in the inside. Thirty-four points in the paint, that’s the game. We rebounded with them, but we can’t give up 52-percent shooting in the second half.”

As for Shabazz Napier's 5-for-19 (2-for-12 on 3-pointers) night, that included three air balls and an ill-advised 22-footer with 30 seconds left?

“Hopefully, he keeps learning," said Ollie. "But you’ve got to keep getting to the rim, put the onus on the ref in that situation.”

Lasan Kromah had 13 points and was about the only Husky to consistently take the ball to the hole aggressively.

“He was aggressive, he played like I wanted him to play. Niels (Giffey) played (well). But, other guys gotta step up.”

*** DeAndre Daniels was penciled into the starting lineup, but suffered back spasms shortly before tip-off and was a late scratch.



Daniels noted that his ankle is "fine."

Daniels' absence from the lineup came as a surprise to Napier.

“I didn’t even know until I saw him in the second half," Napier insisted. "I know his back was hurting, so I figured he wasn’t going to start. But when I saw he didn’t play in the first half, then I realized that.”

*** As for Napier's own rough night:



(on is long trey attempt with 30 seconds left)

“I was just trying to get up a shot, trying to get at least two-for-one. Myself, I think I’m gonna make the shot. I just didn’t follow through the right way, and it came up short.”

(on Kilpatrick)

“They ran a lot of plays for him, a lot of screens. He got a lot of open shots, and when you give him opens shots, he’s supposed to make them. He definitely played well in the second half.”

UConn's past academic foibles have been well-chronicled, most notably when the team's low APR scores kept it out of the 2013 postseason.

But the Huskies have rebounded academically in a big way over the past couple of years. Not only has their APR score improved dramatically, but on Tuesday at the UConn women's game against SMU, four UConn scholarship players were among the school's many student-athletes honored for achieving at least a 3.0 GPA for the spring of fall semester. Those players were: Shabazz Napier, Niels Giffey, Lasan Kromah and Leon Tolksdorf.

The Huskies also had some walk-ons who made the cut, including Cheshire's Pat Lenehan, who was one of 17 honored for a 4.0 GPA. Lenehan didn't attend Tuesday's ceremony because, naturally, he had a lab he had to be at.

I wasn't there, either, but Jim Fuller, the Register's UConn women's hoops and football beat writer was there, and he talked to Ellen Tripp, head of the school's academic counseling department.

"The men's basketball team, it was great to see them coming out," Tripp said. "We have had such great academic success with them in the last year and the last semester, which is really wonderful."

According to Kevin Ollie, it's "50-50" whether Ryan Boatright will be there for UConn's bout with Temple Tuesday night at the XL Center.

"He left and he said he wasn’t going to be back, but then we talked and he might be back," Ollie said. "I’m planning on him not being back, making sure Terrence (Samuel) is ready, Lasan (Kromah) plays a little bit of point guard. If Boatright comes back, it’d be great. But if he doesn’t, we say this all the time: next man up.”

It appears funeral services for Boatright's cousin, Arin Williams, are on Tuesday. Williams was killed by a gunshot to the head on Jan. 14. Perhaps that means he'll attend services, then try to fly back for Tuesday night's game, but that's not clear at this point.

When Boatright does return, Ollie hopes basketball will be a "sanctuary" for him.

“You go and get away from it a little bit," he said. "Hopefully, he understands that once he comes here, he has nothing but love. He has a brotherhood that’s got his back and is going to be here for him. Hopefully, it relieves him of that tension or thinking about his cousin, or the pressures of dealing with his family and the different dynamics of what’s going on. Hopefully when he gets on the basketball court, he can just think about basketball.”

*** If Boatright doesn't play Tuesday night, Samuel is ready for some more playing time. In fact, he seems to have been chomping at the bit for more PT.

“I’ve been ready to get in, show what I can do and help the team win," Samuel said. "I’ve been waiting for my time, I’ve just got to step in, make the right decisions.”

Samuel's played in just 10 of UConn's 18 games, averaging just 6.3 minutes per contest. He's played a grand total of six minutes in the Huskies' first five AAC games.

Samuel said the lack of action has been tough.

“It has, actually. At first, it kind of got to me a lot. I might have said, just stop working for a while, but I’ve still got to keep my work habits, keep working in the gym, get better, working on my shot and getting ready to play when my name’s called.”

He added: 

Said Ollie: “You never want somebody to lose or see somebody hurt, but if they go down, I’m like, ‘It’s my time, I’m ready to go.’ Hopefully Terrence, Omar (Calhoun), Lasan understand that. They might get that situation where they’re going to have the ball in their hand a little more.”

Ollie added that Samuel has been "getting better understanding the offense, the defense, the next play, not putting his head down as much, being confident in who he is. I see him being a terrific player here.”

*** Asked if he'd heard from any of his "mentors" after Saturday night's ejection, Ollie said: “I heard from my mother. She said calm down a little bit. That’s the best mentor of all.”

He hasn't heard from Jim Calhoun yet.

“Jim’s in Cabo, man," Ollie said with a smile. "He’s on a golf course. But I will hear from him. I know he’s seen the incident, but let him be on vacation. When he comes back, we’ll have our usual talks.”

He added that Kevin Freeman did a good job of escorting him back to the locker room.

“He did his job. I wasn’t going to go punch anybody. I just wanted to get my money’s worth a little bit. Kevin did a good job restraining me, so I didn’t overreact – which I did, a little bit, when I ran down the baseline. But, it happens. Hopefully, we can move on. Hopefully, (Mike) Stuart can move on from the game, and we can all be better from it. That’s what my hope is.”

Then, he reiterated: “That was a foul.”

Ryan Boatright played with a heavy heart in UConn's absolutely huge win over Memphis Thursday night. His cousin ("really my brother") was killed by a gunshot to the head in Boatright's hometown of Aurora, Ill.



Yes, DeAndre Daniels had perhaps his best game as a Husky, with 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 of 5 3-pointers, terrific drives to the hoop.

Yes, Lasan Kromah hit all five of his field goals and both of his free throws for 13 points, including six key points late in the game.

Yes, Shabazz Napier joined Daniels with a triple-double (17 points, 10 assists) despite shooting just 1-for-6 in the first half and turning the ball over four times.

Yes, Omar Calhoun snapped out of a long slump by hitting 3 of 4 shots, including a trey, for seven first-half points.

Yes, even Rodney Purvis, sitting out the season as a transfer, assisted in UConn's win. How? Ask Daniels

"Rodney Purvis challenged me, before we left in practice, we had a huddle and Rodney challenged me. He wanted me to get 10 rebounds, so I did it for him, too. He called me out in front of the coaches and players. He said, 'Get 10,' I said, 'Alright, I'll get 10.'"

Yes, this was UConn's first league road win and easily its biggest win of the season thus far (trumping the Florida win, in my eyes).

But sometimes, it's about more than just basketball. Ryan Boatright lost a "brother" on Monday night, and his other "brothers" picked him up all week, culminated by Thursday night's huge victory.

 Kevin Ollie from practice Friday, in advance of Saturday's AAC bout with Central Florida in Storrs:

(on UCF’s Isaiah Sykes)

“He’s been putting up big numbers … he’s a walking triple-double. We’ve got to limit his touches. He loves to drive left and finish left. We’re going to have to squeeze paint.”

(on what team did better against Harvard)

“We stayed connected, believed in each other. When one man was out of position, another guy had his back, playing high-level defense. Offensively, it was a challenge. They slowed the ball down, and sometimes when you come down after a 35-second possession, you want to rush a shot.”

(on The American)

“Every team is good. These teams are good. They can come and beat you at any time. If you’re not ready to play at Level-5, they’re going to beat you. That’s where I want my teams to play at … Anybody can get beat.”

(on what Amida Brimah can do to avoid foul trouble)

“Most big men get fouls on not keeping vertical … He’s learned how to be vertical … We don’t want him to hand-check, where he’s getting a lot of silly fouls. I like a foul where he’s banging on the boards and he’s called for an offensive rebound (vs. Harvard), which wasn’t an offensive foul or over-the-back. I like those type of fouls … We want him to be on the floor a lot more.”

(on Shabazz Napier playing a lot of minutes)

“He’s a competitor,he wants to play. Kemba’s played a lot of minutes, too. You’ve got to know when to pick and choose your spots. He worked out before the season started with the soccer team, so I think he’s in phenomenal shape, the best shape he’s ever been in … He’s not 41, like I am. He’s a young man, and he’s got a lot of basketball ahead of him.”

(on Omar Calhoun, Phil Nolan)

“(They’ve) just got to keep working hard, play Level-5 on the defensive end. The guys in front of them are playing well. Lasan’s playing well, Niels is playing well, Amida … they’ve got to put the hard decision on me, keep playing your game, try to improve on a lot of things people don’t see. With Phil, I think the sickness took a lot of weight off him, he didn’t have the stamina he once did. Omar’s got to play defense, stay solid.”

UConn returns home Wednesday night to try to snap its two-game losing streak, and it won't be easy against a very good Harvard team. The Crimson and Huskies each got the same amount of votes (41 apiece) in this week's AP Top 25 poll.

Been getting a lot of feedback through email and Twitter lately about how Niels Giffey isn't involved enough in the UConn offense, and that the team doesn't run enough plays for him.

Giffey leads the nation in 3-point shooting at a ridiculous 61.8 percent (21-for-34). And yet he's only taking just over four shots per game, and only 2.4 from 3-point land. So, it would make sense for him to get up more shots.

The first thing to understand is this: Giffey isn't strong off the bounce and isn't really able to create his own shot very well. Few would dispute this fact, including Kevin Ollie and Giffey himself.

"Niels is not a big guy to put it on the floor and do two crossovers and get to the lane," said Ollie. "That’s not his game. His game is spotting up."

Added Giffey: "Guys like me, Lasan (Kromah) and Omar (Calhoun), we’re never going to be the guys who just break down a guy from the top of the key."

So there's that. Now, to the point that UConn doesn't run enough plays for Giffey to get off shots, Ollie had this to say: “I’d like him to shoot 10 shots, wide-open. If I can diagram a play to get that, I’d definitely like to do that. You’ve got scouting reports, too. Scouting reports say, 'We’re not leaving Niels. If the penetration comes, we’re not leaving Niels' ... A lot of teams are switching pick-and-rolls on our pick-and-pops. We put in some different sets that can move the basketball, and hopefully that works. Hopefully, we can get more spacing, more penetration, drawing kicks for Niels to get off.”

Said Giffey: “I definitely have to use screens better … That’s also a team effort, I think ... That’s kind of like a team effort to get everybody back involved. We can’t play a slow-paced game where it’s a couple of guys who do one-on-one moves. We’ve got to play as a team, share the ball the same way we did in the beginning of the season where we really attacked the paint.”

He added: 

A couple of other quick tidbits:

*** Ollie on whether Calhoun is still not 100-percent after off-season hip surgeries: “It’s hard for me to say that, you’d have to ask him that question. Whenever I ask him, a teenager will say, ‘I’m good, I’m ready to play.’ Just like my son. Every time I ask him something, ‘I’m good.’ I think he’s fine. I think it’s more mental now. He’s getting some wide-open looks. I don’t think it’s his hips that are making him miss those shots. He’s just got to keep getting in the lab, keep shooting, keep shooting with confidence. They’re going to keep giving him those shots ‘til he starts knocking some down.”

*** Harvard has won nine straight games, since a 70-62 loss to Top 25 Colorado on the road on Nov. 24. The most impressive thing about the Crimson's win streak is that seven of those games were away from home: three in the Great Alaska Shootout (beating Denver, Green Bay and TCU), as well as at Northeastern, BU and Fordham. The Eagles also beat BC at home.

*** UConn has won nine straight over Harvard, dating back to an 80-70 loss on Dec. 22, 1972. There have been some close calls along the way, however, including a narrow, 79-73 win over the Crimson on Dec. 6, 2009 at Gampel in which Jeremy Lin scored 30 points and had this impressive dunk:

Change the score, add some praise for Lasan Kromah and you could just about cut-and-paste Tuesday night's game story from Houston with Saturday's game story from Dallas against SMU. Lack of toughness, energy, rebounding; an AWOL Shabazz Napier for the first half; a disturbingly silent DeAndre Daniels; another good effort by Ryan Boatright; more self-blame by Kevin Ollie.

Maybe it was a play late in the game, after the outcome had essentially been determined, that best summed up UConn's day: SMU had an inbounds play from underneath its own basket with just two seconds on the shot clock. Only way it could really get a good shot off was on a lob, right? No way, with Amida Brimah in the game, the Mustangs would get one, right?

Wrong. Lob pass to Markus Kennedy for an alley-oop layup. 71-58 Mustangs. Game, set, match.

UConn's in some trouble right now, and it doesn't get any easier Wednesday night against Harvard. I believe this team will figure things out, figure out a lineup that's going to hustle and work, and will still be a factor come March (though I'm just about resigned to the fact that the Huskies will never be a good rebounding team. Not this one, anyway).

But as of now, this team is clearly not a Top 25 team. Won't be getting my vote tomorrow night. And it has to start getting things together -- quick.

A few notes 'n quotes that didn't make my game story:

(Ollie, on Omar Calhoun)

“Play defense, and he’ll see more minutes. That’s a lot of guys – not just Omar Calhoun, please don’t print that – it’s a lot of guys not playing defense. I can’t have you out there. There will be some changes. We’ve got to go to the drawing board. If we can’t score, we’ll definitely play defense. That’s what I hang my hat on. We’re not doing that the last two games.”

(on the strong play of Lasan Kromah)

“He started controlling the point guard (Nic Moore). He had 15 points in the first half, we changed up and put Lasan on him and he played with effort. I think I played him the whole second half, because he was just playing with effort.”

“We’ve got to take pressure off our two guards. We’ve got to have somebody out there that’s a third player that make plays. That’s why I went with Lasan, he’s playing strong defense. We took him off (Keith) Frazier. Once we took him off Frazier, Frazier started getting going. There’s only one Lasan. Some other guys have to step up and start playing defense like he does. We need awareness, being down, being focused, paying attention to detail. In practice, we’re very detail-oriented on what we’re going over. It seemed like these last two games, all principles go out the window. Guys are scoring on offense but they’re giving up points on defense. We can’t have it like that.”

Kromah: 

“I think we’ve got to play with more intensity, re-focus on the little things, box-outs, getting the 50-50 balls, all the little stuff that adds up to having us win big games.”

(is this team tough?)

“Relating to the rebounds, we can get tougher. Our box-outs. We’ve got fast guards, so if we get a rebound and kick it out to the wing, we’ll get a lot of fast breaks.”

“Shabazz was trying to get his teammates involved, get them in the flow of the game. He never rushes his shot … he was trying to help us win.”

(can he be a leader on this team, even though it's his first season here?)

“I’m definitely trying to. We’ve got some guys who’ve been playing for a while. I’m just trying to give little tips here and there about what I know of the game, little inside scoops to the young guys, even the guys that have been here. You’re never too old to learn.”

A few notes 'n quotes from the JW Marriott in Houston, where UConn got in after a long flight from Hartford at around 7 p.m. local time. The Huskies, of course, face Houston on New Year's Eve at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

Kevin Ollie is excited about beginning play in a new conference -- and a lot of other things.



Shabazz Napier knows that, as perhaps the cream of the AAC, UConn will get the best shot from every opponent it faces from here on out:



*** Don't expect a big crowd at Hofheinz Pavilion: Houston is averaging just 2,904 per game in the 8,000-or-so seat arena, with a season-high of 3,123. And an 8 p.m. New Year's Eve game isn't likely to attract a whole lot more fans.

The days of Phi Slamma Jamma are long over.

*** DeAndre Daniels was asked about UConn dropping two spots to No. 17 in the AP poll, despite winning its lone game of the period.

“I saw someone tweet me that we went back, but I don’t really know what we are,” said Daniels. “I don’t know what it is. I guess people don’t like UConn. But we’re not trying to pay attention to that kind of stuff.”
*** Just a hunch: Ollie gets Phil Nolan and Omar Calhoun back in the starting lineup Tuesday night. Again, just a hunch.

*** Also, with Houston so heavily reliant on TaShawn Thomas, would it behoove the Huskies to throw a little box-and-one on him? Who guards him? Daniels? Nolan? Or maybe Lasan Kromah or Niels Giffey? Thomas is a 6-8 horse who dominates the boards. Tough guard for the Huskies. Worth noting, however, that he shoots barely over 50 percent from the foul line.

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.”

Kevin Ollie believes all 12 scholarship players on his team can give significant contributions on any given night. Such depth is a blessing -- but also a bit of a curse. Maybe curse is the wrong word to use, but it becomes tricky to dole out minutes to everyone, keep everybody happy. Ollie's job is not only coach, but to a degree, also psychologist.

Sometimes, established players may see their roles diminish in certain games, depending on the opponent or how the game is going.

Witness Friday night against Indiana, when Ryan Boatright and Omar Calhoun sat out the final two minutes or so of the key, close game. Lasan Kromah stayed in to guard Indiana star Yogi Ferrell, and Niels Giffey found himself out on the floor over the final two minutes, as well.

"I just thought Lasan made Yogi’s life a little difficult with his length," Ollie said on Monday. "He was playing tremendously on the pick-and-rolls, and Niels gave us another rebounder in there. Some games, it’s going to happen that way, some games it’s not. You’re going to have to accept it as a basketball player."

Asked Shabazz Napier if he felt his teammates understood that -- that there will be some games where others are asked to step up in key spots.

“I hope so," Napier said. "That’s one of the things that guys have to know. We can’t have a lot of egos. If you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing on the court … we’ve got more depth now. Lasan played tremendous defense on Yogi, so he had to get back in the game. I hope everyone knows that. I’m not gonna score a lot. There may be a game where I’m on the bench, so you’ve got to put your egos aside and realize it’s more important for us to win games.”

Asked again if he felt his team grasped that concept, Napier responded: “I hope so, I don’t know. Sometimes, it doesn’t seem that way. Hopefully, they understand that for now on.”

Added Ollie: "Everybody’s got to step up and play better. If you expect minutes at the end of the game, you’ve got to produce during the game. They understand that … it is a product of the depth we have on our bench. We have a very versatile team – we can play big, we can stay small. I thought that lineup (Friday night) gave them trouble, because every player on the court besides ‘Bazz had some length. And ‘Bazz was doing just an exceptional job on the offensive end. I couldn’t take him out of the game.”

Feel a little guilty about being a bit sarcastic the past couple of days regarding UConn's exhibition matchup with a team that went 4-21 in Division 3 last season.

Sure, it's the mother of all mismatches, but Monday's bout with Concordia of Chicago was for a good cause, as Cougars coach Tyler Jones, an East Hartford product who once coached Kevin Ollie with the Connecticut Pride of the CBA, was able to promote his cause of cancer awareness.

"It's an honor and pleasure to come back to Hartford," Jones said after his team was predictably trounced, 98-38. "My relationship with (Ollie) is why this all happened. I want to thank UConn for allowing it. The game is great, and the reason to play it is even greater. What a terrific forum to do it and allow me to come home."

As for the game itself, here's about all you need to know: walk-on Pat Lenahan (seven points) outscored Ryan Boatright (four).

In truth, there were some positive signs. Omar Calhoun knocked down four 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 16 points and seven rebounds. A recent visit from his dad helped Calhoun's confidence in coming back from his two hip surgeries last spring.

Terrence Samuel had a double-double (10 points, 12 assists) and earned Ollie's praise.

“Terrence played incredible. He’s been doing that the whole preseason. He’s always playing hard. I can get on him, he just keeps playing. He’s revealing a side of himself each and every day ... A double-double really shows his vision, really shows his patience."

I keep being impressed with Lasan Kromah, too, who hit a trio of 3-pointers and finished with nine points.

“Help the team out in any way possible -- score the ball, rebound, defense. Anything the team needs," Kromah said of his role this season.

It's worth noting that UConn won the rebounding battle 49-26, though Concordia had just one player taller than 6-foot-4. Of course, the Huskies were outrebounded by Southern Connecticut last week, though Ollie said that was somewhat misleading.

“I apologized to my big guys. They boxed out. It was the guards, lack of guards boxing out, in that first game against Southern. Then we gave up a lot of points in transition.”

Now, the Huskies get ready for their season-opener Friday night in Brooklyn against a good Maryland team.

"I'm itchin'," said Ollie. "We're ready to go."

But before a nice reunion on Monday night with his old coach, who could have cut him back in '99 but didn't, helping to pave the way not only to a CBA title that year but for Ollie's ensuing 13-year NBA career.

“(Jones) always had my back, even my rookie year when we had Rumeal (Robinson) and Tate George, there were rumors of me getting cut," Ollie recalled. "He said he was going to stick by his first-round draft pick. He’s just a great man. I believe I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for him.”

Some notes, quotes and video off UConn's 93-65 win over Southern Connecticut in Wednesday's exhibition opener. As I write in tonight's column, I like this team. Yes, it was a D2 opponent. Yes, the Huskies got outrebounded again (no excuse for that). But there's depth on this team, talent, veteran presences and a real sense of selflessness. Too much to glean from an exhibition game? Maybe. But I see real good things from this team this season.

Things like this:



KEVIN OLLIE:

"All in all I was pleased. I just wasn't pleased with the rebounding effort. Those guys are going to understand that on Friday when we come to practice."

(on Amida Brimah)

“When we first saw him in the gym, he was the best player, but not only that, he had the best passion out of everybody ... He plays with passion, energy and effort, and he is very, very long. He’s hard to shoot over, and he’s got a pretty nice jump-hook down there, too. He’s not as raw as a lot of people say.”

(on Lasan Kromah)

“He’s gonna give us some versatility, I can play him at the two, or the three. He’s a seasoned veteran, so it’s not like he’s worrying about starting. He’s just gonna come in and take care of his minutes.”

(on DeAndre Daniels becoming more vocal)

“He’s coming in the office, talking to his coaches. That’s just a beautiful thing that came in and hardly said a sentence, now you can’t shut him up. That’s maturity. I think he’s going to have an incredible year.”

(UConn gave up 27 points in transition)

“We still need to get back on transition to set up our defense, especially now that we’ve got the big guy back there now. He’s gonna alter a lot of shots and cover up a lot of mistakes on the perimeter that’s going to give us a lot of opportunity to be more aggressive.”

(Ollie was asked if the new hand-checking roles had an effect Wednesday night)

“No, not gonna use that as an excuse. That was just laziness on our part.”

DANIELS:

(on Brimah)

“That guy’s amazing. He doesn’t allow anybody to lay the ball up easy in the paint. He blocks everything, he runs hard. He’s gonna be a great player here at UConn.”

BRIMAH:



“I was always the most energetic player on the team (in high school), cheering my team on all the time.”

“I was nervous a little bit ... After I scored, I felt more comfortable.”

“I run hard all the time. That’s what I do best, shot-blocking.”

RYAN BOATRIGHT:

“Everybody’s got some improving to do. Playing a D2 team, we didn’t play as well as we should have. If that was Maryland, it would have been a tough game for us, so we’ve got to get back to the drawing board.”

“Any time you can have bench players come in and produce while your starters are on the bench getting some rest is always good. Anybody that has a good bench is a championship team.”

Happy to announce that I'll once again be one of the 65 media members voting for the Associated Press Top 25 men's basketball poll each week this season. Condolences to fans of Minnesota (they really didn't like me last year) or any other fans who are convinced I'm conspiring against their favorite team.

Here's my preseason poll, along with my five-man All-America team. (The first AP poll won't come out until Oct. 31, while the All-America team moves Nov. 4):

1.       Michigan State

2.       Kentucky

3.       Duke

4.       Kansas

5.       North Carolina

6.       Louisville

7.       Michigan

8.       Oklahoma State

9.       Florida

10.   Arizona

11.   Ohio State

12.   Syracuse

13.   UConn

14.   Memphis

15.   Gonzaga

16.   Virginia Commonwealth

17.   Marquette

18.   Creighton

19.   Tennessee

20.   Oregon

21.   Virginia

22.   Notre Dame

23.   UCLA

24.   Wichita State

25.   Georgetown

All-America team: 

Gary Harris, Michigan State

Russ Smith, Louisville

Mitch McGary, Michigan

Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

Doug McDermott, Creighton

I'm going with the Spartans at No. 1, not to be different but because I'll take experience, guard play and a great coach over what's being labeled as the greatest recruiting class in the history of the world, any day of the week. Kentucky may be the next Fab Five (or, for that matter, the next 2012 Kentucky), but I'd like to see it on the court first before I vault them to No. 1.

Same goes for the five-man All-America team we're asked to submit. No freshmen on my squad. Got burned by Harrison Barnes a few years ago and promised never to do so again. That doesn't mean a frosh can't make my end-of-the-season All-American teams, but again, prove it on the court first.

As for UConn, I've got them as a solid No. 13, higher than most preseason polls. Homerism? Nah, just someone who saw first-hand what this team did last year, largely flying under the national radar, and believes it can really do some special things this season. Kevin Ollie preaches building better men and a strong, family unit, and while some may pass that off as sports cliches, from Ollie, it's truly sincere and very evident in the way this team seems to like each other. There really seems to be something special brewing in Storrs this season, and come tourney time, I'd be shocked if this wasn't a team on a mission to make amends for last year's postseason ban.

Oh yeah, and watch out for DeAndre Daniels this season. Could be a true breakout star.

Are there concerns? Of course. Rebounding being the primary one, but here's my theory on that: the Huskies won 20 games last year despite poor rebounding, and they almost have to be better on the boards this season, right? Heck, their top five rebounders are all back (and that's not even counting Phil Nolan, who'll be better), along with freshmen Amida Brimah, Kentan Facey (pending his eligibility) and transfer Lasan Kromah. I also think Tyler Olander will be a lot better on the boards this season. Plus, how many truly dominant big men/frontcourts are there in the nation? Guard play seems to rule the land these days, and UConn certainly has that covered.

One thing I would watch for is to make sure the guards play together as a unit all season. The NBA will be on the minds of Shabazz Napier and (particularly) Ryan Boatright, so it bears watching to see if the two continue to do what's best for the team down the stretch, rather than try to do what they think will best boost their NBA stock. I don't think it'll be a problem, but you never know.

There's also this somewhat intangible point: Napier was so clutch last season, had so many last-minute heroics, you almost wonder if he should've saved some for this season -- a season that, y'know, really counts. I know, sounds silly. I guess the point is, does Napier still have plenty of late-game magic left this season? My guess: yes, indeed he does.

Here are the much-anticipated times in today's Husky Run:

1. DeAndre Daniels, 19:52
2. Pat Lenehan, 19:52.5
3. Ryan Boatright, 20:28
4. Kentan Facey, 20:52
5. Niels Giffey, 20:53
6. Leon Tolksdorf, 21:00
7. Amida Brimah, 21:35
8. Alex Enos, 22:55
9. Terrence Samuel, 23:14
10. Phil Nolan, 24:53
11. Lasan Kromah, 25:02
12. Tor Watts, 26:19
13. Rodney Purvis, 29:36

Overall winner: Derek Lockwood, a graduate student in UConn School of Physical Therapy, 17:40.3.

Here's some video of Daniels finishing as top Husky scholarship player for third straight year:



And here's Shabazz Napier addressing the runners at the start of the race:

Tyler Olander's a good kid, a good basketball player ... and not a very good rapper.

Not all of that may have been apparent last season, when he struggled through what he termed a "disappointing" junior campaign, then compounded things by being arrested down in Florida on spring break. Oh, and then there was that rap video (a little more on that later).

On Friday, Olander, DeAndre Daniels and new teammate Lasan Kromah were down at the Madison Hoop Dreams Basketball Camp, taking questions from campers and signing autographs. Afterwards, I asked Olander about the spring break incident.

"Wrong place, wrong time," he said. "Basically, all the UConn people were staying in two hotels at the same time. You needed a wrist band to get in the hotel. My girlfriend was in the hotel, I wanted to get up there with her and it was past the hour, so they wouldn't let me up."

Olander was arrested on trespassing charges. He was allowed to enter a pretrial diversionary program, and the charges were dropped.

The punishment from coach Kevin Ollie probably stung more. Olander was barred form the UConn locker room and from team activities for a month. He was also stripped of his captaincy, though Ollie told him that he could win it back.

Olander, Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright served as team captains last season.

Olander is still recovering from surgery on his broken left foot. He's been doing a lot of poolwork and was cleared a couple of weeks ago to do agility work on the basketball floor. He's probably still a few weeks away from being cleared for basketball activities, but is 100-percent confident he'll be ready once practice starts in mid-October.



As for last season: "Disappointing. Myself and the coaching staff expected a lot more of me, to have a bigger year. But that stuff happens. Sometimes, hard work doesn't pay off right away. I've just got to stick to it, hopefully my senior year will be a lot better. I really just want us to be successful. Maybe it'll be something like what we did in my freshman year. It doesn't really matter how I do, as long as our team has success like that, that would be special to me."

Olander is more of a face-up four man than a five, and perhaps he'll get to do more of that this season.

"I'd prefer that, I feel more comfortable. But, whatever the team needs. If I need to play the five, four, whatever, it's no problem. I think Amida (Brimah) will come in and help us. He's a tremendous shot-blocker, Kentan (Facey) is coming along in the weight room, getting stronger. Phil (Nolan) also will be good. I think with me and Phil in there, we can alternate between the four and the five, and depending who gets down the court first, who's in what position. We've got a lot of options."

Oh yes -- as for that video of Olander rapping that went viral (but no longer appears available anywhere, much to his delight, no doubt)? Seems he and Enosch Wolf were just having some fun on their last day in the Virgin Islands after the Paradise Jam last November, recorded the video and, somehow, it went viral.

He's caught some predictable flak from teammates.

"They just tell me, I should look for a different career option," Olander said with a smile, "and that (rapping) probably not the right path for me to take."

Had a nice chat with Ryan Boatright today for a story I'm working on regarding UConn's backcourt.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of a better backcourt in America next season. I may be forgetting a team or two, but is there anyone who could actually top Boatright, Shabazz Napier and Omar Calhoun (along with incoming grad student Lasan Kromah and freshman Terrence Samuel)?

I tend to doubt it, and so does Boatright.

"I'll take my (backcourt) against any backcourt," he said.

Maybe the best evidence is the fact that UConn was the only school with two players (Boatright and Napier) at the recent NIKE Guard Skills Academy in Union, N.J.

"It was fun, I played well," Boatright reported. "It was just fun getting a good workout in, playing against other kids from the West Coast and different conferences, the top competition in the country. It's always fun going head-up with the best."

Boatright was a teammate of Napier's on the first day of camp, then went up against him the second day. Who got the best of whom?

"Of course I'm gonna say me," Boatright said with a laugh. "We both got each other's number."

Truth is, Boatright and Napier didn't always get along swimmingly when Boatright first got to UConn two seasons ago.

"We had our differences, like everybody, but we're good friends," he said. "We get along great on the court, we know each other in and out. Back when I was a freshman, like any freshman, you're gonna bump heads. But we're all good now, we're on the same page. We just want to win."

Boatright said he's expecting more big things from Calhoun this season, and is looking forward to playing with Samuel, whom he hasn't met yet.

"He's gonna get a chance to learn from two very experienced guards, me and Shabazz, who are both ready for the NBA," Boatright said.

Boatright said he's already gained 10 pounds since March (up to 175 pounds) and that he'll be playing the point more often than Napier next season.

"In the NBA, I'm gonna be a point guard, I'm not gonna be a two," he said. "My natural position is point guard, but I'm able to score. I can score at any level."

Boatright will finish up summer courses in Storrs this week and head back home to Aurora, Ill., where he'll play in the NIKE/Jordan Brand pro-am. He'll attend Chris Paul's CP3 camp for the second year in a row in August before returning to UConn.

Once October rolls around, Boatright will be ready to join forces with what could be the best backcourt in college basketball.

"We all just play together, we're not scared of anybody, especially me and Shabazz," Boatright said. "We've got a lot of heart. Heart will take you a long way."

 

Had a great interview with Kevin Ollie this morning. His enthusiasm knows no bounds, and he is truly excited about this upcoming season. Ollie really believes this team has the chance to be very good, and it's hard to disagree.

One thing I wanted to ask him about is whether or not next year's team can keep it's "edge", so to speak. Last year, with no postseason eligibility and nothing to "play for," the team rallied around the idea that they were playing for themselves, for their university, etc. Will they maintain that next season, even though they'll now have very tangible goals to reach?

"I hope so, because that's the Level 5 team that I want, where we're playing for the love of basketball, for getting the opportunity to get out and play," said Ollie. "I call that a Stage 5 basketball team, and that's what I want. We can't be just, 'I'm good, and everybody else is bad.' If we have that mentality, we might win some games, but we're not going to be the team that I aspire our cast of players to be ... Hopefully they have that same mindset, especially with all the talent we have coming back. If everybody comes back with that level of unity, playing for one another, I think everything else will take care of itself."

Ollie broached a whole lot of other subjects. Here are some:

*** Shabazz Napier is at full-speed and is with Ryan Boatright at the Point Guard Skills Academy in Newark, N.J. UConn may well be the only program with two players at that camp.

*** Tyler Olander is getting back to full recovery and may play in one of the several summer tours set up for college basketball players, specifically the Athletes in Action Tour in South Africa.

"With Tyler, it's just mental," Ollie said. "You learn from negative things in your life, from positive things in your life. I think he's learned from this. He did help us in tremendous ways, so I wouldn't call his whole season a disappointment. He did some great things: his practice, his work ethic, trying to change his body. He's been doing great academically, also ... I wouldn't consider it a disappointment, but I think it was a learning experience for him. I know he's going to bounce back and be a great facilitator for us to go forward and be a person that we can count on, night-in, night-out."

*** Rodney Purvis showed his competitiveness while he was on campus for three weeks recently, earning three credits.

"When he was working out with Ryan, you could see the competitiveness coming out of him: Ryan was pushing him, he was pushing Ryan. It's going to be tough for him to sit out this year."

*** DeAndre Daniels leaves for Kevin Durant's camp in a couple of days.

"I'm not expecting him to come in and average 25 (next season), we're going to let the game dictate that. But I do want him to put his imprint on the game, which he is starting to do. Just being a stat-stuffer in every category. For DeAndre, just seeing Otto Porter, how he made other people around him better, is the next part of his evolution."

*** It's really looking like Enosch Wolf will not return to UConn next season as a non-scholarship player. But he's got a good reference in Ollie.

"If he decides to transfer, anybody who calls me, I'm going to give them great remarks about him as a young man and how he grew up from that situation."

*** On Amida Brimah:

"The first time I walked in the gym and saw him, I maybe got there late, they took him out and he was just clapping and showing so much passion about the game. Once he checked in, he blocked a shot from behind, made an absolutely great dunk, got a rebound, got double-teamed and passed it out. It was like, man, that's what you want a big man to do. Because he was the most passionate, but also the best player on the court. You add those two elements together, that's a recipe of a successful person. That's what we're trying to identify here -- high-character individuals."

"He's got some improvement that he's got to do skill-wise, on the blocks, which all our big men have to do -- getting in the weight room with Coach West, getting his strength up where he has confidence in his base, being able to withstand the bumps and still scoring and making plays for his teammates. I think he'll do that."

*** On Kentan Facey:

"Kentan is the same way. I'm not gonna have to coach hard work and effort with these guys. He has a relentless motor, getting up and down the court. He's an energy-giver, not an energy-taker. He's developed more on his jump shot where he's got more range now. He's probably a little bit more polished in that area going forward. I just think he's going to be a person that can come in and give us major minutes as a freshman. I think all our freshmen can."

*** On Terrence Samuel:

"From a scoring standpoint, from a leadership standpoint, from a facilitator standpoint, I think all our guards have gotten better. Then, to add Terrence Samuel - someone who has size, who's a push guard, a pass-first guard -- it's really going to help us, not only in games but in practice, too."

*** Lasan Kromah will likely arrive for the second summer session in mid-July.

"He's Mr. Versatility. I can put him at the 3, the 2, if we go small put him at the 4. He's going to give us a lot of advantages there, with his length, his defensive prowess. He's not a ball-stopper, which is great. He moves the ball. He can get the ball off the break, push it and be a facilitator. And he's a good person, too."

*** Omar Calhoun is free of crutches, braces, etc. and is rehabbing his way back, working on his strength and flexibility in his legs. Calhoun believes he'll be 100-percent by the start of classes in September.