Your Husky Run times:

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

(UConn)

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


Daniel Hamilton addresses the crowd prior to the run:



Kevin Ollie speaks with the media:



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




Some notes 'n quotes off the run:

KEVIN OLLIE

(on the Husky Run)

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

(on the team's newcomers)

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

(on Daniel Hamilton)

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

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

(on SMU)

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m in the best shape of my life.”

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

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

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

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

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

OMAR CALHOUN:

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

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

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

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

PURVIS:

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

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

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

A few UConn notes to get you through your weekend:

*** Kevin Ollie has been contacted by several NBA teams regarding Ryan Boatright.

"Boat is gonna create his own chance," said Ollie. "And if they're not gonna open the door, he's gonna kick it down."

"I want him to look at what team fits him the best. That's what I want him to look at, not just the guaranteed money."

*** Ollie doesn't think it'll be a challenge meshing all the new players together this season.

"I'd have a little more trepidation if we didn't have some talented players down there and I'm trying to piece things together. This group is very, very talented."

"It's a talented group. I'm not gonna sit here and lie to you guys."

*** Shonn Miller is a "rebounding magnet ... very cerebral, able to pick up on things quickly."

UConn's new guard, Sterling Gibbs, meets the media

*** Sterling Gibbs is "just a basketball player. He plays at a pace you can't get him out of, which is something I love."

"He's not a Ricky Moore, as far as pushing the ball. But he's also a very smart player throwing the ball ahead."

*** Sam Cassell is going to see a doctor on Tuesday, hoping to get a clean bill of health and can start playing the following week. He's been doing just about everything except full-out basketball in recent weeks.

*** Amida Brimah needs to "eliminate some of those foolish mistakes that he did. Some of them were trying to take charges, or illegal screens 35 feet from the basket ... It happens, but I think it happened too much for him. Freshman, sophomore year, I'll lay off, but junior year, you've got to eliminate some of those mistakes and stay on the court. I think he's heard that a lot from me, he's aggravated from me saying that -- which is a good thing."

Brimah is up to 233 pounds now, and the Huskies would like him to get to about 235-240 by October.

He will also be one of the team's captains for a second straight year. Ollie will look for one or two more players to join him as captain.

*** Omar Calhoun is out with a toe injury. He's currently sporting a boot and hasn't been able to train with the coaching staff.

*** Ollie on Terrence Samuel, Rakim Lubin transferring: "Sooner or later, it's gonna happen. They felt they had a better situation playing a little more in another program."

"I thought Terrence played a lot of minutes. I stuck with him, but he stuck with me, too. He allowed us to win a championship. He played a pivotal role. You hate to see him go, because that team was something special to me. Not because we won the national championship, but that year prior, to stick by me in the lean times, I've got a special place in my heart for that team."

*** On AAC: "I think the only significant player that left our conference is Boat ... Everybody's back. That's why I think it's gonna be a great league."

"We've got to continue to schedule out-of-conference games. A lot of our AD's and programs in the bottom half have got to start getting some guarantee games also, so they can start getting wins. We talked about that a lot in our conference meetings. That's what they're looking for -- the strength of the whole conference, and not just the top four teams."

*** Ollie on UConn's own schedule: "Early on, we're gonna really be tested and see what this team is made out of. Which is good."

*** It's still to be determined whether Nnamdi Amilo will be back on scholarship this season.

"A 7-footer might parachute in," Ollie joked. "But if we don't have that, I'm definitely gonna put him on scholarship."

*** Ollie on Terry Larrier: "Wow. Ooooooh, he is so good. Man, he is fantastic. He's long, he's athletic, he can shoot the ball, runs the court, great person to be around. His teammates love him."

Larrier is already best friends with Daniel Hamilton. But they go at it hard on the court.

"That's a nice little competition right there," said Ollie. "That's big-time right there."

*** Ollie on recruiting: "I think we've done some good things. We're not Kentucky. People want us to be Kentucky. We're not gonna just get all the All-Americans. We have to continue to establish relationships and pick the right people ... I think we've got some nice momentum. A lot of people didn't know what we were doing, and that's a good thing. I do like to move under the radar and surprise some people. A lot of people maybe were disappointing with not getting Diamond (Stone) and not getting such-and-such, but as a coaching staff, we have to have a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D to get things done."

For you uniform numbers mavens out there ... (by the way, this really is a good-looking roster. Not sure if Nnamdi Amilo is on scholarship yet, either):

Barring any NIT games, Thursday night will be the final game at Gampel for seniors Ryan Boatright and Pat Lenehan. (Also walk-on Dan Guest and managers Nicholas Blanco and Colin Oehrle).

UConn will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of the opening of Gampel at halftime. A few players from that team are expected to be there. Also, Senior Night festivities can be streamed through this site.

Obviously, Boatright and Lenehan have had divergent paths over their respective UConn careers. But for very different reasons, both have made their mark on the program. Here's what some of what they (and Kevin Ollie) had to say on Wednesday:

KEVIN OLLIE:

“It’s definitely been fast. There’s been a lot of traveling. We’re trying to play our best basketball right now. Hopefully, we can leave Gampel with a great win (Thursday) night and give the fans their money’s worth, because they’ve really given us a lot of satisfaction this year.”

(on Boatright's legacy)

“Just staying with it, never giving in. There were a couple of opportunities where he could have given up, bailed out on the program. But he stayed committed, and it was a beautiful thing to see him mature. His body language, what he was telling himself, his leadership qualities. He was always a leader, but it’s the way you go about being a leader. I think he’s really changed his ways, changed his mindset from the first day he came into Storrs until now. I think he’s got a great future ahead of him. I thank him and his family for letting me be a part of it my four years with him.”

(where Boatright ranks in UConn's pantheon of guards)

“I don’t compare guards. I don’t think another guard has been through as many ups and downs as he has. To stick with it really puts him up there with the best of them. I’m not gonna compare, but he’s done some things that he and only Shabazz ... have accomplished. Really just give him a lot of praise for sticking with us, especially when everybody was saying the program was on the brink. He and Shabazz and that crew we had two years ago, I really thank them for believing in me as a coach.”

(on Lenehan, and junior Nnamdi Amilo, balancing books with basketball. Lenehan was accepted to Harvard Medical School on Tuesday, and he's already been accepted at Johns Hopkins, Duke and Columbia)

“To do that, that’s just hard work, dedication, touching the lines on the court and off the court. They’ve meant so much to this program. Just being a selfless worker, relentless.”

“It is a lot to juggle, but I think it lets him get his mind off it, too. I know he stays up pretty late, doing whatever he’s doing. I can’t pronounce some of the things he’s doing. I know he’s getting it (done) ... He’s gonna do some great things outside of basketball, but it’s been great to have him a part of our program for four years.”

“They’ll do whatever the players want. They make sacrifices. That’s what our program is built on -- sacrifices. And those guys are right on the top of the list.”

(on how to beat Memphis)

“Get back on transition. They got, like, five or six dunks. They were flexing their muscles on us. We’ve got to get back on defense, stop Crawford and those guys from getting easy buckets. They

“They did a nice number on us. We’ve got to be ready for a great challenge. Nichols might not play, but they’ve got some great players coming in off the bench.”

“They’re a desperate team, and we’re a real, real, real desperate team. We’re gonn ahave to play like that from the tap.”

(on reminding his team how desperate it is)

“I don’t have to tell them, they already know. We don’t have to tell them that. If we have to tell them that right now, we might as well not show up.”

“Every game is different. To beat SMU, to beat ECU at their place, it’s been a tough place ... I really like our consistency on both ends. We played probably our (most complete) game against SMU, on the offensive and defensive end. Scoring 84 points agianst that team is quite a feat. I respect them so much, their defensive prowess.”

BOATRIGHT:

“Four years flew by so fast, man. I’ve learned so much up here, it’s surreal that tomorrow’s the last Gampel game.”



(on UConn, Gampel)

“Unbelievable place, best place I’ve ever played in my career. The fans, the support of the state of Connecticut, and just playing for KO. That’ll definitely be missed, also.”

(on how he's improved)

“Definitely, so many areas: the game of basketball and, more importantly, as a person. I’ve grown so much, I’ve matured so much, I’ve learned so much. I’m a totally different person than when I got here when I was 18.”

(on hardships he's been through)

“Everything happens for a reason. That was the road and the plan that God had. It worked out for me, and I’ve just walked in his faith. I’m glad I ended up here. It’s been a hell of a career.”

“It’s just made me stronger. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I’ve been through a lot, I’ve just grown from everything that I’ve been through. It’s just made me stronger.”

“This will always be my second home. I’ll always be a part of the UConn family, and they’ll always be a part of me.”

(on his mom, Tanesha, who'll be at the game)

“She’s gonna be bawling. She’s a crybaby.”

(on Lenehan)

“Pat’s one of the greatest people I’ve ever met as a person. I’m glad that he was a part of our program and a part of the team. He’s an unbelievable teammate, even better person. He made us better every day. Congratulations to Pat with medical school, everything he’s got going on. I wish him the best of luck.”

PAT LENEHAN:

“It’s hard when you’re looking from the outside in, to see what you have to do as a student-athlete, playing for a school like this. Especially this year, with the way we travel. It’s not easy. We miss classes, it’s not easy to get work done when you’re flying somewhere or on the road. You really have to be on top of your game all the time. I’m not saying it’s an excuse that we don’t get stuff done, but you really do need to have very efficient time management, in order to get done things other students get done here.”

(career highlight)

“Definitely being with the team for the national championship last year. That was just a dream come true.”

(toughest guy he faced in practice)

"Probably Shabazz. I didn’t have to guard him too much. But when I did have to guard him, I never guarded anyone like him. Obviously, he’s an unreal player.”

“It’s not easy. I’m not saying that it’s harder than being a real player. But we have to come out here every day, we’ll play defense some days for an hour straight. It’s tiring, we don’t have many subs, we don’t go through two rotations like they do. It can be tough, but the bottom line is, all of us as walk-ons, we recognize that it’s a privalege to be out here. We just have to suck it up and work through it if it’s hard.”

(on receiving a scholarship)

“It was nice, a recognition for the work that me and Nnamdi put in last year, and me the year before that. At the end of the day, it was really generous for Coach Ollie and the UConn program to do that for us. But at the same time, it didn’t change my role at all, didn’t change my mentality.”

(no plans set in stone, waiting to hear from Yale, Penn, will soon make some re-visits)

“This is the first time I actually feel like I’m being recruited for something.”

The American Athletic Conference awards won't be handed out for another four weeks or so, at the championship tournament in Hartford. Trying to figure out who the favorites to win each category is tricky. In fact, it appears we could have another similar situation as last year for player of the year, when UConn's Shabazz Napier, Cincinnati's Sean Kilpatrick and Louisville's Russ Smith were all worthy. Conventional wisdom had the award going to Kilpatrick, whose Bearcats tied with Smith's Cardinals for first place in the league.

Instead, it went to Napier, even though UConn wound up finishing in fourth place in the regular season standings. Kilpatrick and coach Mick Cronin weren't too happy about it. Of course, both blew their chance to avenge the perceived snub when Kilpatrick blew a layup in the waning seconds of the AAC semifinals, allowing UConn to win and advance to the finals to face Louisville.

UConn has frontrunners in three categories: Player of the year (Ryan Boatright), rookie of the year (Daniel Hamilton) and defensive player of the year (Amida Brimah). You could make an argument that all three deserve to win. There is no way in heck they do, however, given UConn's disappointing record this season. In fact, it's doubtful the Huskies get more than one of the awards.

Here's how I see the awards panning out -- not necessarily who I think should win, but who I think will win. (All stats referred to are for conference play only):

FIRST TEAM
Ryan Boatright, UConn
Nic Moore, SMU
Yanick Moreira, SMU
James Woodard, Tulsa
Will Cummings, Temple
Austin Nichols, Memphis

SECOND TEAM
Octavius Ellis, Cincinnati
Troy Caupain, Cincinnati
Shaquille Harrison, Tulsa
Jesse Morgan, Temple
Markus Kennedy, SMU

ALL-ROOKIE
Daniel Hamilton, UConn
B.J. Taylor, UCF
Adonys Hernandez, UCF
B.J. Tyson, ECU
Gary Clark, Cincinnati

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Two-man race between Ryan Boatright and Nic Moore. Boatright leads the league in scoring and is fifth in assists. God knows where UConn would be without him. He was also preseason player of the year, which may give him a leg up in the minds of the voters -- the league's coaches. (Of course, Russ Smith was last year's preseason POY and that didn't help him win it). Moore is the best player on the league's best team. He leads the league in assists and is sixth in scoring. Usually, the award goes to a player on a first or second-place team (obviously, that didn't happen last year).
Pick: Moore. I think the coaches will give it to him, based on SMU's success, even though Boatright has been by far the more dynamic player. Boatright says he's not concerned with individual awards, anyway.

COACH OF THE YEAR:
Another two-man race between SMU's Larry Brown and Tulsa's Frank Haith. Brown has the best team and has dealt with the loss of several key players at different points of the season. Of course, the Mustangs were picked to finish second int he league. Haith, in his first year at the helm, inherited a team that won the Conference USA tourney last year and was picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll. The Golden Hurricane is currently second in the league standings at 10-2.
Pick: Haith. This is subject to change, however, if Tulsa falters over the next few weeks -- which is entirely possible. Then, Brown will win it.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
There are a lot of good candidates. Obviously, Daniel Hamilton (the preseason pick) is a frontrunner. UCF's B.J. Taylor (12.8 ppg), ECU's B.J. Tyson (11.5), UCF's Adonys Hernandez (10.4) and Hamilton (9.8) are among the league's top scorers. Hamilton is second in rebounding, while Cincy's Gary Clark is seventh. Hamilton is also 10th in assists, the only frosh to be in all three categories.
Pick: Hamilton.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tough one. Amida Brimah is the league's leading shot-blocker and is certainly the dominant defensive force. That's usually enough to win you the award, but I don't think it will this season. My guess is that it will go to either Will Cummings of Temple or Shaquille Harrison of Tulsa, who are 1-2 in the league in steals.
Pick: Harrison.

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR
SMU's Markus Kennedy has yet to start a game since returning to the team from academic suspension. If this is Larry Brown's way of making him earn his way back in the lineup, I'd say he has by now: he's 14th in the league in scoring (11.9), ninth in rebounding (6.2) 15th in blocked shots (0.9) and even 12th in steals (1.2). Unless the coaches don't want to vote for a guy who was suspended for the first semester, Kennedy's gotta be the one.
Pick: Kennedy.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Injuries severely hampered Yanick Moreira last season, forcing him to miss four weeks in the middle of the season. This year, he's averaging 10.9 points and seven boards for the first-place Mustangs.
Pick: Moreira.

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Sean Kilpatrick got this last season in what looked like a consolation prize for not winning player of the year. So, we'll go with either Moore or Boatright, whoever doesn't win POY this season.

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD
Your guess is as good as mine, although now that they're scholarship players, either Pat Lenehan or Nnamdi Amilo are as qualified as anyone.

History was made when 7-foot sophomore Amida Brimah won the Husky Run this afternoon.

“That’s probably the first time in history a big guy won the Husky Run," Kevin Ollie noted. "That’s very impressive. Records are meant to be broken. I imagine nobody’s done that -- ever.”

Brimah certainly looked proud of his victory, accomplished in a time of 20:22.



“That’s an amazing sign," Ollie continued. "I like that. We know he can run. I think he said his forte is long distance running. He proved that. I had to ask him who’s got DeAndre’s spot. He said, ‘I got it, Coach.’”

Ollie also competed in the event, something no one can recall Jim Calhoun ever doing (though he may have done it at some point in his first couple of seasons as coach). He finished with a time o 21:25, behind only Brimah and Omar Calhoun.

Jon Gill, a Lyman Hall student, won the event with a time o 18:30. Here's how UConn's players finished:

1. Amida Brimah, 20:22.
2. Omar Calhoun, 20:51.
3. Kevin Ollie, 21:25.
4. Kentan Facey, 21:48.
5. Ryan Boatright, 21:50.
6. Terrence Samuel, 22:12.
7. Daniel Hamilton, 24:01.
8. Rodney Purvis, 25:37.
9. Sam Cassell, Jr., 25:38.
10. Phillip Nolan, 25:46.
11. Nnamdi Amilo, 26:40.
12. Rakim Lubin, 29:14.

Pat Lenehan didn't compete, due to a left foot injury.

Here's Ollie and Boatright addressing the crowd before the start of the race:

UConn is probably the only program in the nation with two former walk-ons now on scholarship who are also molecular cell biology majors.

Junior Nnamdi Amilo of New Fairfield, who spent last season as a walk-on player, has been awarded a scholarship for the 2014-15 season, men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie announced Monday. He joins Cheshire's Pat Lenehan, a walk-on the past two seasons who was granted a scholarship by Ollie a couple of months ago.

Amilo, a 6-2, 225-pound forward, saw action in two games last season, scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds. His work against the UConn big men daily in practice, however, proved invaluable as the Huskies prepared for games on their way to the 2014 national championship.

"Nnamdi is a terrific young man who we're proud to have as part of our family," Ollie said. "He's a hard worker on the court, doing whatever we need him to do to make his teammates better, he's an outstanding student in the classroom, and he's a young man of the highest character. I'm very happy to be able to give him a scholarship."

Like Lenehan, Amilo is a molecular cell biology major with plans of a career in medicine. He is also a resident adviser on the Storrs campus. He graduated from Avon Old Farms in 2012 as the top scholar in his class and a member of the Cum Laude Society. Amilo played three years of varsity basketball at Avon, under coach Tim Roller.

Amilo, Lenehan, Omar Calhoun and Leon Tolksdorf were recently selected to the American Athletic Conference's All-Academic Team for men's basketball. Tolksdorf has transferred to American University.

Amilo's scholarship bring the total number of scholarship players on the 2014-15 Huskies to 12.

More than 1,700 student-athletes have been selected to the 2013-14 American Athletic Conference All-Academic team.

To be eligible, a nominee must have competed in an AAC-sponsored sport, attained a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for the preceding academic year, and completed a minimum of two consecutive semesters or three straight quarters of academic work, with a total of 18 semester or 27 quarter credits, not including remedial courses.

Four UConn men's basketball players were honored: Omar Calhoun (economics), Leon Tolksdrof (economics), Pat Lenehan (molecular and cell biology) and Nnamdi Amilo (molecular and cell biology).

The most interesting part about this: Lenehan isn't the only molecular and cell biology major on the team. Lenehan and Amilo were both walk-ons last year, though Lenehan has been rewarded a scholarship for his upcoming senior season.

And, of course, Tolksdorf has transferred to American University.

What do you say about an 83-40 blowout (it was 45-14 at halftime) other than it's growing more and more obvious that the AAC has five very good teams ... and five very bad ones.

All 12 UConn players who dressed scored at least two points, including career-highs from Kentan Facey (12) and Terrence Samuel (eight), as well as walk-ons Pat Lenehan (four) and Nnamdi Amilo (two). It marked the first-ever points for both Lenehan and Amilo, the latter of whom dressed for the first time as Tor Watts continues to suffer from an ankle injury.

“It’s great to see Pat score, finally, and then Nnamdi," said Kevin Ollie. "Especially Pat. He does a great job for us. He’s selfless ... Sometimes, I have him on defense the whole practice, and they don’t ever give me a peep out of them. They just keep playing hard. We’ve got Pat’s name back on his jersey. I like that. My mom got on me, she said you’ve got to get the walk-ons their names on their jerseys. So, we made sure we got that done.”

*** Of course, those 12 players who scored didn't include Omar Calhoun (concussion) or Tyler Olander (flu-like symptoms). Calhoun remained on campus but is getting better every day, according to Ollie, while Olander (who was at the team's shootaround Wednesday afternoon) stayed back at the team's hotel for the game.

*** Ollie also expressed his condolences for the family of Walter "Doc" Hurley, who passed away earlier this week. A moment of silence was held prior to the game for Hurley, who did so much for local youth basketball players.

"He's a great man," said Ollie. "My wife was taking care of him at St. Francis. He was supposed to come to the Memphis game. One of his requests was to get a new Husky sweatshirt. I didn't get a chance to give him that, but I'm going to miss him a lot, just seeing him coming out of that tunnel, seeing him always here at the games. He's just a great man, and he'll be missed."

After Wednesday night's blowout, we'll just stop right there.