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."

Here's my AP Top 25 ballot this week. Washington's out, after losing at home to Steve Pikiell's Stony Brook Seawolves. In its place is Georgetown, which notched an impressive neutral-court win over Indiana at Madison Square Garden.

1. Kentucky

2. Duke

3. Wisconsin

4. Louisville

5. Arizona

6. Villanova

7. Virginia

8. Gonzaga

9. Iowa State

10. Texas

11. Utah

12. West Virginia

13. Wichita State

14. Kansas

15. Ohio State

16. Maryland

17. Notre Dame

18. Texas Christian

19. St. John's

20. Georgetown

21. Oklahoma

22. San Diego State

23. North Carolina

24. Northern Iowa

25. Old Dominion

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.

Jim Calhoun did an in-game interview with Andy Katz on Thursday night in which he seemed to insinuate he'd consider getting back into coaching at some point. Apparently, it created quite a stir on Twitter and message boards, but after talking to Calhoun this evening, there doesn't seem much to it all.

Here's how Calhoun described the Katz interview:

“Andy asked me if I was going to get back into coaching, I said, ‘No, I don’t think anyway possible.’ He said, ‘What are you doing here?’ I like to follow the ball. As long as I can keep hearing it bounce, I’m going to keep following it. He said something to the effect of, ‘What about Larry Brown?’ I said, ‘He’s my hero, he’s three years older, maybe I’ll follow him. Maybe I’ll be his assistant next year.’ He said, ‘So you definitely will coach?’ I said, ‘No.’ ‘You definitely won’t coach?’ I said, ‘If something great came along.’ Anything in life’s possible, I told him.”

“It was a 22-point game … I got some phone calls, and it was kind of funny.”

Calhoun said he's had some opportunities to coach at the international level, but really nothing too intriguing has been presented to him since his retirement 18 months ago. He's offered advice to friends and colleagues in the business, most recently Steve Pikiell, whose Stony Brook squad plays a big game on Saturday.

“With all that said, the only thing I know right now is that I miss the game. A lot of the other stuff I really don’t miss.”

Like recruiting?

"I know coaches like to sit and complain about that. Some of the things that happened, you don’t like. But recruiting itself? I love that. I think we were pretty good at getting good players. We got good players long before we should have got good players.”

How about practices?

“That was like my 2 ½ hours at Mass. You could do a lot more at practice. I love practice. I love the kids. I don’t mind traveling to games … Bottom line is, right now, watching Kevin’s team I’m proud as hell."

Then, as only Jim Calhoun can do, he added a little something that keeps the door open -- just a little -- to him coaching again one day.

“The good thing is, I’m a free agent. And yet, I have a lot of things in my life that I’ll continue to do, but I’d be foolish to say to anybody, ‘You don’t miss the game?’ I miss it terribly. It’s been my whole life. Of course you’re going to miss it.”

Kevin Ollie spoke a little bit today about Friday night's opponent, Maine, which is 1-6 and lost to NJIT Wednesday night.

"They're gonna play with their backs against the wall. They need a good win, a good performance. They've got some capable players over there, four guys in double digits. We've got to guard the 3-point line."

Obviously, the possibility exists of a letdown for UConn, coming off Monday night's dramatic, emotional, one-point win over nationally-ranked Florida at Gampel.

"I've told (the team), 'Don’t get drunk off success, don’t start reading press clippings. You're a great team, but you're just that far from being a bad team. You've gotta keep working hard, prepare like you’re playing Florida again. I don’t care who’s coming in XL Center, you've gotta play against that imaginary champion every single day."

Maine coach Ted Woodward is a former UConn assistant under Jim Calhoun. He left UConn before Ollie arrived as a player, but the two have maintained a good friendship over the years.

"He's a great man, I spent a lot of time with him recruiting when I was an assistant. Coach (Calhoun) is very fond of him. Hearing stories of them together, it’s great. Anybody that’s been at this beautiful school, he’s part of the family. He’s on the other side now, but he's part of family, just like Coach Pikiell, Coach Moore. Hopefully he can turn this around -- after Friday, though."

*** Spoke briefly today with Melvin Swift, a Class of 2014 forward who cut his final list down to UConn, UMass and SMU today. The Houston native says he'll be visiting UConn (and the other schools) "real soon."

Asked what he likes about UConn, Swift said: "It's a good school and it has good people there ... and I know they have a great basketball team and coaches."

It was Niels Giffey Appreciation Day in Storrs on Sunday. Giffey finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and a heaping of praise from Kevin Ollie after UConn's 73-62 win over Stony Brook.

“Niels Giffey was my MVP, and he’s been my MVP this whole year. Not just playing time, but doing all the things that epitomize UConn basketball – doing his thing academically, playing great basketball in practice. He got rewarded tonight.”


“He plays every possession," Ollie continued. "He goes through every drill. Every cut is hard. Every drill, there’s never any moaning, ‘Coach is practicing too long,’ never any of that stuff. It’s, ‘What do I need to do? Once I do it, what else you got for me, Coach? What assignments you got for me? Let me play the toughest offensive man.’ If it’s two minutes, if it’s 40 minutes, I get the same thing from him. I get the effort, the enthusiasm and the energy. That’s every day, whether we practice at 7 a.m. or after Thanksgiving, I get the same thing from him. That’s what I love about him … You get rewarded in life if you act like that.”

And here's what Giffey had to say for himself after his big day:



*** UConn missed 11 of its first 12 shots on Sunday. Then, midway through the latter half, it became the "Rainbow Coalition" at Gampel. UConn hit 8 of 9 3-pointers during one stretch starting midway through the second half to salt the game away. The Huskies hit 10 from Trey Land in the game, their most in a contest in almost exactly a year (Nov. 26, 2011 vs. Florida State in the Battle 4 Atlantis).

*** There was a also mutual admiration society between Kevin Ollie and Steve Pikiell on Sunday.

Pikiell on Ollie: “He’s first-class, he’s a UConn guy, he bleeds blue. He’s a good coach. Hopefully, he’ll have the opportunity to stay here and coach for a long time, continue the legacy here that’s been built. And he’s got a great staff – Karl Hobbs can coach anywhere, Glen Miller is one of my mentors, he can coach anywhere, I love Rickey Moore. You’ve got three point guards. Boy, if they don’t see what’s going on out on the floor, you’re really in trouble. Point guards see the game a little bit differently. Kevin’s a great person, first and foremost.”

Ollie on Pikiell: "I came in right when he left, I know how hard-nosed, I know how dedicated he is. Steve Pikiell is his own man. He’s a hell of a damn coach, and I respect those guys very much for giving us a hard game.”

Stony Brook may be a bit tired, having played a game yesterday (an 82-75 win over Canisius) and ferried to Connecticut this morning. But the Seawolves don't figure to be a pushover for the Huskies.

Stony Brook is looking to go 5-1 for the first time since November, 2009, and just the second time in program history. The Seawolves are a fierce rebounding team, beating Canisius on the boards 47-32 on Saturday. They also hit 27 of 31 free throw attempts.


A win today would give Stony Brook its first-ever victory over a nationally-ranked opponent. It would also give Steve Pikiell his 100th win as Stony Brook’s head coach.


Elsewhere:

*** As expected, R.J. Evans and Leon Tolksdorf are both out today. UConn associate head coach Glen Miller told The Day's Gavin Keefe that Evans is hoping to be back by the Huskies' Dec. 4 battle with N.C. State at Madison Square Garden.

*** Trying to think of the last time, before Brandon Austin, that UConn lost a much-coveted recruit to Providence. Not Kris Dunn, whom UConn backed off on late in the recruiting process. Not Ryan Gomes, whom UConn obviously didn't think much of. Geoff McDermott, who the Huskies liked after getting in on his recruitment late, might be the best (and only) answer.

R.J. Evans suffered a sterno-clavicular (collar bone) sprain in practice on Thursday and will likely be out for at least a couple of weeks. Nothing’s broken, which means he won't likely be out for six weeks or so, which is obviously good news for UConn.

Still, this is a tough blow for the Huskies. Evans is averaging 5.8 points off the bench, but his contributions go beyond the stats. He gives the Huskies hustle and hard-nosed play, always the most likely to dive for (and come up with) a loose ball, always one to mix things up physically. He’s the proverbial “glue” player for UConn, and while he’ll be back at some point this season, his absence will be greatly missed.

“Everybody’s gotta step up," said coach Kevin Ollie. "He’s doing a lot of key things for us that don’t show up in the stats. You can’t be R.J., but you can be yourself, grow and evolved. There are going to be some roles that are going to be different. Omar’s going to have to play some point if one of the guys get hurt or in foul trouble.”

Ryan Boatright echoed those sentiments:

“Me and Bazz are going to have to rebound a little more, somebody else is going to have to step up scoring. It’s got to be a collective effort, because he does so much. Everybody’s got to step up.”

 
And here's what Shabazz Napier had to say:



*** Leon Tolksdorf, who has played sparingly thus far, also suffered a mild left knee sprain and will miss the Stony Brook game.

*** After beating Tom Moore’s Quinnipiac squad in double-OT in St. Thomas Sunday night, the Huskies will look to go 17-0 all-time against former Jim Calhoun assistants when they face Steve Pikiell’s Stony Brook Seawolves on Sunday at 4 p.m.

Pikiell played at UConn from 1987-91 and was a two-time captain. After graduating, he spent one season as Jim Calhoun’s assistant before playing for the New Haven Skyhawks for a season, then joining Yale’s staff as an assistant.

He has other ties to UConn’s current staff: Pikiell was an assistant on Karl Hobbs’ staff at George Washington for four seasons.

*** The 4-1 Seawolves, for some reason, played Cainisius on Saturday (winning the game, 82-75), so they’ll be playing their second game in as many days on Sunday at Gampel.

Who was that masked man?

Alex Oriakhi sure didn't look like the player who was often a bit overmatched a year ago as a freshman, kicking off his sophomore campaign in style on Friday night.

For one, there's that protective face mask he has to wear after getting his nose broken by a Charles Okwandu elbow in a pick-up game over a month ago.

Then there's the fact that the Big O snared a career-high 18 rebounds to go with 11 points in UConn's season-opening 79-52 trouncing of Stony Brook. Granted, the Seawolves' leading rebounder from a year ago (Tommy Brenton) is out for the season, and they feature only a couple of players taller than 6-foot-7.

But 18 rebounds is 18 rebounds, especially with Oriakhi playing with a bit more of an edge.

"Last year Alex, unlike his coach, was a terrific person to be around, jovial," said UConn coach Jim Calhoun. "I told him that's great on bus trips, etc., but not when you're going for a rebound."

So Oriakhi has made it a point to be a bit meaner this season.

"You can't be a nice guy in this game," said the 6-foot-9, 240-pound center. "I'm just trying to listen to what (Calhoun) says and follow guys like Jeff Adrien. He was real mean on the court. I'm just trying to change my demeanor on the court, because it's only going to help me.

"You've got to tell yourself, whoever you're going against can't outwork you."

And no one outworked Oriakhi on Friday night.

"If he's a double-double guy, which I believe he can be ... then we're a different team," said Calhoun.

Oriakhi's tip-in of a Donnell Beverly missed jumper at the first-half buzzer gave UConn a 39-31 lead entering the break. He kicked off a game-breaking, 12-0 run early in the latter half with a dunk off a Kemba Walker feed. Oriakhi also blocked a pair of shots and did his damage despite sitting out the final 8:18, as the Huskies had things well in hand.

Oh, and as for that face mask? Oriakhi has been cleared to shed it after Wednesday's bout with Vermont. Maybe.

"I might keep it," he quipped.

Some other opening night observations:

***UConn started three freshmen (Tyler Olander, Niels Giffey and Jeremy Lamb), believed to be the first time ever under Calhoun in a season-opener. Hasheem Thabeet, Jerome Dyson and A.J. Price each made their collegiate debuts in the Huskies' season-opener in 2006, but Price was technically a sophomore.

***Shabazz Napier scored 12 points in his collegiate debut and hit 4 of 6 3-pointers, including one from about 25 feet out and another seemingly ill-advised trey that banked in.

"That was a tough shot, I was kind of lucky, I guess. If I didn't bank that shot, I would have gotten yelled at, but I felt like it was coming off my fingers (well). I got a shooter's role, I guess."

Clearly, the kid's not afraid to put the ball up.

"That's what they want me to do. They offered me a scholarship to shoot the ball, so I'm going to shoot the ball. They're tough shots, but that's what I'm here for, to make tough shots."

***Lamb hoisted up 14 shots, making only five of them, but had a good all-around debut with 11 points, five boards, two blocks and two steals. He's a keeper.

***Olander got into early foul trouble and played just 10 minutes, scoring just four points. It was a better night than fellow frosh Niels Giffey, who went scoreless with one rebound in 12 minutes.

"Niels had just the worst night a guy could possibly have in every imaginable way," Calhoun said, as only Calhoun could.

***Jamal Coombs-McDaniel chipped in with nine points and seven boards and looked better after failing to graze the rim with his first few shots of the night. Kemba Walker led the way with 18 points.

***The Huskies held Stony Brook to a measly 15 percent (5-for-33) from the floor in the latter half.

"Fifteen percent is a pretty good half (defensively) for anybody," Calhoun noted.

***Seawolves coach Steve Pikiell, the former UConn guard and assistant coach, likes what he saw from the young Huskies.

"They play well together, they're a better passing team," Pikiell said. "You can tell (Calhoun is) excited about these guys. They've got good size, they play hard, they're kind of intriguing. I think people are going to be surprised. Coach will do a good job of coaching 'em up."

A few things we've been hearing through the grapevine lately:

***UConn has one official visit left to offer, and it appears it will be getting one from a recruit from Germany in the near future. (Sorry, no name to offer).

***The Huskies expect two players to transfer out of the program. It's looking like Jamaal Trice and Darius Smith, though nothing's official. Jon Mandeldove? Still a question mark for next season, as well.

***Beau Archibald to BYU? Maybe.

***Looks like the Huskies will open next season against Steve Pikiell and his Stony Brook Sea Wolves.

More later ...

Jim Calhoun was asked today if he will have any voice in who his successor will be once he finally decides to call it a day -- thought to be a sticking point at one time in the negotiations.

"I've got 24 years of sweat-equity in UConn ... The world is changing. As the world continues to change, I would love to be able to bring what we consider to be UConn (people), and keep UConn going as what we know it. That's not going to be my decision.

"Would I like to have something to say? That's not my position, not my place. But certainly I would like something to say (about) who (will be) the next coach here. But I don't have the authority to do that, but I certainly would like to do that."

Hathaway indicated that he would certainly listen to Calhoun's suggestion, calling him "my primary advisor for anything about basketball", and seemed to hint that some of the former UConn assistants (Tom Moore, Steve Pikiell, etc.) would receive strong consideration.

But that's for another day, far in the future.

"I think it's important to note that this contract provides for Jim to be at the University of Connecticut the next nine years," Hathaway said. "I don't think he's going anywhere, and I'm glad for that.

"I think the last thing we should be talking about is the end of the line. In some ways, this is the beginning of a new line, a new round of years."