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."

As we bid adieu to Terrence Samuel and wait to see if UConn adds any new players, here's a little rundown of how UConn wound up with Shonn Miller.

Spoke with Miller's coach at Cornell, Bill Courtney. Great, affable guy who is happy to see Miller get this chance with UConn -- even if he realizes the grad transfer rules (particularly in the Ivy League) don't help programs like his.

Here's a few Cliff's Notes from the story:

*** Courtney is very familiar with UConn's coaching staff, having been an assistant under Dave Leitao at Virginia. Staff was telling him as early as last summer that they knew Miller would be a grad student and wanted him.

*** Courtney wouldn't let any schools contact Miller during this past season.

"If they talked during the season, they were gonna be out," said the coach.

Once the season ended, however, UConn was the first to call. Kevin Ollie met with Miller at his Euclid, Ohio home just before spring break.

*** Cal (as in California, not Calipari) was probably the runner-up in the Miller sweepstakes, as Cuonzo Martin recruited him hard. Rick Pitino and Billy Donovan called on him, he visited Michigan and Illinois and also heard from Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Indiana, among others.

"Duke, North Carolina and Ohio State -- surprisingly -- were the only three schools he didn't hear from," said Courtney, jokingly (I think).

*** Ollie established a great relationship with Miller's mom, which was big in his decision.

"She really valued that relationship she was able to establish with Kevin," Courtney noted.

*** Courtney on Miller: “He’s 6-7 and can guard any position on the floor, from point guard to center. He’s an elite-level defender. His offensive game has developed in his time at Cornell. He’s a terrific athlete and offensive/defensive rebounder, and he’s better than a 23-percent 3-point shooter. His driving is getting better, but his pull-up game is his strength. And his athleticism makes him strong in transition.”

"He’s a monster defensive rebounder, just goes and gets it. He's got an incredible knack. He and (Amida) Brimah should make a great combo."

*** Courtney doesn't love the Ivy League rule, or the grad transfer rules in general. But he's most interested in what's best for the players.

“Here’s a guy getting an Ivy League degree, and getting a chance to play basketball at another level. You’ve got to do what’s best for the kid. He gave me a lot, and now he’s going to play for a national-championship program. Who am I to keep him back?”

Taking a few days off this week. So, as usual, some big UConn news happens.

Terrence Samuel has decided to transfer out of the program, once he finishes classes this semester. Here's the press release issued by UConn:

Sophomore guard Terrence Samuel has requested and been granted his release from the UConn basketball program and will transfer at the end of the current semester.

In two years at UConn, Samuel appeared in 65 games, starting eight, and averaged 3.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.

"Terrence has been a player who has always given his best on the court and in the classroom," UConn Coach Kevin Ollie said. "We thank him for his contributions to the program and wish him good luck and much success in all his future endeavors."

Samuel, a 6-4 guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., averaged 4.5 points a game and provided solid defense in the six games of the 2014 NCAA Tournament as the Huskies captured the National Championship. This past season, he saw action in all 35 games, averaging 3.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.

With Jalen Adams coming in (and with the strong probability of Sterling Gibbs transferring from Seton Hall to UConn, per a source), perhaps the writing was on the wall for Samuel. Either way, he leaves the school a national champion, and should help whatever program he decides to join.

Some notes and quotes from after today's practice, as UConn prepares for its NIT bout with Arizona State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Gampel.

*** Ryan Boatright sat out of practice and is questionable for Wednesday's game. He suffered what appears to be a mild subluxation of his left shoulder after being hit coming off a screen in Sunday's loss to SMU.

“We’re just gonna treat the heck out of it," said Kevin Ollie. "Knowing him, he’ll be out there. But if he’s not, we’ll just go with the guys we’ve got.”

“Ryan’s a tough guy," Ollie added. "Hopefully, he’s back out tomorrow. If he can’t go, Terrence is gonna fill in, Rodney is gonna fill in, and we’re gonna play with the guys we’ve got.”

*** Daniel Hamilton attended his grandmother's funeral on Tuesday and was slated to fly home Tuesday night on a red-eye flight and be available for Wednesday's game (albeit, most likely, a bit tired).

*** Kentan Facey was cleared to practice on Tuesday, but only non-contact drills. If he wakes up and feels alright on Wednesday, he should be cleared to play.

*** Ollie on the lack of respect the selection committee appeared to show the AAC:



*** Ollie on Rodney Purvis's strong play lately:

“He’s getting the ball fullcourt and going down with a head of steam. It’s very, very hard to stop him when he starts doing that. And his 3-ball is going, and he’s making more of his free throws, which is gonna be a key to him if he wants to be an explosive scorer. Because he’s gonna get to the rim, he’s gonna get fouled a lot. For him to convert two free throws will really give him the momentum to keep attacking.”

“We’re seeing glimpses of what Rodney can do.”

(on Arizona State)

“Great transition team. They’ve got four JUCO transfers, they’ve got good, talented basketball players. And everybody can score. They usually play four-out, one-in, with Jacobsen in the middle. When he goes out, they bring in another shooter. There are gonna be a lot of shooters around the court.”

“They play four guards, sometimes they play (6-foot-6 Savon) Goodman at the five, so it’s gonna be a situation where I’ve got four guards out there. It’s not big deal. We’re just gonna go out there, whoever shows up and is willing to play, we’re gonna push them to play hard and we’re gonna prepare them to play the same way.”

(on Boatright ending his senior year on a down note)

“It’s tough, but he had a great senior year. Hopefully he remembers that, and hopefully the fans remember that. He had a remarkable, remarkable senior year. Yeah, it’s tough and all that stuff in the last game. But the games before that and what he was doing, there’s no way we would have been there. I was playing him 40 minutes. The guy’s not a robot, he’s a human being. It’s said that he went 1-for-12, but please don’t remember him that way.”

*** Rodney Purvis had some interesting things to say.

(is it strange practicing without Boatright, Hamilton, Facey?)

“Yeah, it is. But that’s what you have other players for, other Division 1 players for. Terrence is gonna have to step up really, really big ... I’m not sure if Daniel’s gonna come back.”

“He’s supposed to," said a reporter.

“Oh, he is? Thank God.”

(on Terrence Samuel needing to step up if Boatright is out)

“His number hasn’t been called that much this year, because of the greatness of Boatright. I just feel like he’s got to be ready to step up and be ready to make plays for us (Wednesday).”

(on how much the high ankle sprain early in the season affected him)

“It took a really, really long time. I was able to kind of plant off it, but not really have my full explosion. I can’t really gauge the time. I feel like I was able to contribute. I probably wasn’t scoring as best as I could, but I think I did a pretty good job on the defensive end, just trying to do different things.”

A reporter asked if it bothered him in his strong game at Florida.

“Florida? I kinda struggled in that game ... Oh yeah, when I came back in and hit a couple of big 3’s. I didn’t really need my ankles for that. That was mainly just catch and shoot, you know?”

*** Purvis noted that "next year is starting now" for the Huskies.

"Not only with me, but our entire team. Everybody’s confidence just has to go up a little bit. Boatright did a whole lot for us, carried us the whole season. Guys have got to start coming into themselves, because there’s gonna be no more Boatright.”

He added that he's looking forward to being more of a leader next season.

“I definitely am. This year, I kinda had to sit back a little bit and learn from Boat. Kinda waiting my turn, you know? It was kind of frustrating at times, I’ve got to be honest, because I was looking forward to coming in and being more. But I can blame some of that on myself. I wasn’t really ready to play a lot of the games. I’ve been going through a lot this whole entire season. I had a lot of things on my (plate), so I tried to put that to the side and play with a free mind.”

(on what he knows about Arizona State)

“I know they play like four guards, so this game is gonna be fun.”

(on potential for fatigue)

“We’re all 19, 20 years old, so there shouldn’t be any issues getting ready to play (Wednesday).”

Quotes, video from UConn's most impressive win of the season -- a 70-45 thrashing of Tulsa Thursday night in Hartford. Geared by a four-guard starting lineup, the Huskies got off to a fast start, then kept their foot on Tulsa's throats at the start of the second half.

KEVIN OLLIE:

“Probably our most complete game, from top to bottom -- defensively, offensively.”

“Offensively, I thought the ball moved. Daniel really spread out the court and allowed us to attack. And Boatright is just playing real great basketball.”

(the four-guard starting lineup of Ryan Boatright, Rodney Purvis, Daniel Hamilton and Terrence Samuel)

“It really gives you spacing. Nothing against Kentan (Facey), or anything like that, but with Daniel out there ... he hit two 3’s in a row, on a play that we just designed. It just gives us a lot more spacing, a lot more creativity in a package that we have offensively. I thought we did a marvelous job executing.”

“We were able to get out and press a little bit. We wanted to stop them, because their fast break is so potent. On mades, we wanted to get up and press a little bit, so they can just hesitate. I think we did a good job, just having them pause a little bit, then kind of get deep in the shot clock. They’re starting off at 22, 23 seconds.”

(on Ryan Boatright)

“He’s just getting better every day. He’s learning how to talk to his teammates. With Ryan, he says the right things, but sometimes it doesn’t come out the right way. And now, he’s really just talking to them, explaining what he wants.”

“When it’s time to take over a game, he’s starting to get that switch where, ‘Alright, it’s my time.’”

HAMILTON:



AMIDA BRIMAH:

“It opens up the game for me. The guards were playing great defense, too, it just opens up the game for all of us.”

(on going 3-for-3 on his mid-range jumpers)

“I’ll work on it a lot. I just don’t use it ‘cuz I feel like, to me, jumpers are kinda soft. So I’ll just go in the paint more. If you give me a lot of space, I’m gonna shoot it. But if I’m in the paint, I’m gonna go for a post move, a stronger move.”

(will he ever shoot a 3 in a game?)

“No.”

(why not?)

“I can shoot 3’s, but I’m not doing it.”

BOATRIGHT:

(on the small lineup)

“We get up and down the floor a lot faster. The transition speed is high. And on the defensive end, we irritate. We’re into you 94 feet.”

“The sense of urgency is there. Our destiny is in our own hands.”

(on SMU)

“They play tremendous defense, great team defense. They communicate extremely well, they’re physical, they’re balanced, they’ve got great guards. They’ve got guys in the frontcourt that can produce. They’re a tough team.”

(on Nic Moore)

“He’s just a small, firey, feisty guy. He plays hard all the time, he has a knockdown jump shot, a knockdown trey-ball. He leads his team. He’s a good player.”

(on Moore, Boatright being favorites for AAC player of the year)

“Nah, I’m worried about UConn winning the next seven games. Individual awards, I couldn’t care less. I’ll take the Final Four and the championship any day.”

PURVIS:

(on Hamilton)

“Having him at the four really helps out a lot. With Daniel, you can pick and pop. With me, Boat and T-Sam, we’re attacking guards. Once we attack, we’re drawing two people every time.”

(think Hamilton would be this good a rebounder?)

“No, I didn't. When he first got here, I thought he was skinny. I thought he was gonna get pushed around and beat up. I don’t know how he does that rebounding stuff. He’ll be stealing his teammates’ rebounds. He just likes to rebound.”

Apparently, UConn't and HurriCANe. Whatever that means.

Tough to win conference games against good teams on the road. Tougher when you shoot 8-for-18 from the foul line, play sporadic defense and don't show enough fight until it's a little too late.

That pretty much explains UConn's 66-58 loss at Tulsa Tuesday night. Once again, the Huskies got off to a slow start and had to try to claw back from a deficit. A disturbing trend. On this night, it just wasn't quite enough.

Here's what Kevin Ollie and some players had to say about it all:



How much stock can Ollie take in his team rallying from a 15-point second-half deficit to make it a two-possession game late?

“No stock. No stock. I like how they came back, but you can’t get down by 15 and keep digging that hole. They played hard, but at the end of the day, it’s easy when you’re down by 15. There’s no pressure then. We’ve got to start playing hard, and playing consistent, for 40 minutes. That’s how we’re gonna win games. We didn’t do it. We haven’t done it. We’re gonna have to start, and that starts in Stanford. I’m gonna have to find some guys that are gonna do it.”

(on whether he considered fouling Tulsa down five points with about 55 seconds left)

“I wanted to get one stop. I knew I had a timeout, and if we came down and scored, I would have fouled then.”

“There’s got to be some changes, because we come out and keep seeing the same thing. I don’t know who the changes are gonna be. I’ve got to sit down and assess the tape. There might not be any changes. I’m gonna figure that out with my coaching staff, and we’re gonna go forward.”

(on allowing Tulsa too many drives to the basket)

“We can’t rely on Amida all the time. I thought our guards didn’t do a good job controlling the dribble all night. They were running a simple three-down play that we run, too. Woodard was just coming off and getting wide-open 3’s, getting going. Our defensive principles weren’t up to our standards. Credit them, for making us move our feet. We just didn’t respond tonight the way we have responded on the defensive end. That’s been one of our staples.”

“We have to play at a Level 5, and I thought we were at a Level 3, at best.”

(on the foul shooting)

“There’s no explanation. You’ve got to go up and make free throws. I can’t sit up and make them for you. Lack of concentration, I don’t know. We’re just not making them. One game we make them, one game we don’t make them. I have them shoot free throws over and over again. We’ll try to figure that out. We need to make more free throws to win games. You can’t go 8-for-18. All our losses kind of generate around free throws, missed 3-pointers. You can’t win games in this conference, or win out-of-conference games, by missing 10 shots at the free throw line. Wide-open shots, with nobody around you. We’ve just got to do a better job.”

DANIEL HAMILTON, who had a career-high 16 points and 12 rebounds:

“It’s tough. I think we’ve just got to stop starting off slow. We’ve just got to get off to a better start. We’ve just got to be motivated from the beinning. We play like that from the beginning, the way we played at the end, we most definitely win that game.”

“We’ve just got to put our mind to it, be motivated and have that leadership of just playing tough, getting going from the beginning.”

“If we get out to a good start, it would be hard to beat us.”

“Sometimes I try to make plays that aren’t there. I’ve just got to sometimes back it out and realize that it’s not high school.”

TERRENCE SAMUEL, who scored a career-best 12 points and played hard all night:

“You’d always rather win ... we always come out slow. It showed today. We weren’t able to get the chance to come back today.”

“I feel like we’ve got to prepare better, starting from the day before the game into the hotel, right before we leave. We’ve just got to do certain things differently before the game.”

RYAN BOATRIGHT:

Pretty nondescript game for UConn. A win is a win is a win. Good production off the bench, with Rakim Lubin and Sam Cassell, Jr. making some rare contributions, along with Omar Calhoun and Terrence Samuel.

Some video and quotes:

KEVIN OLLIE



(on production from Lubin, Cassell)

“They haven’t even been getting in the game. I want them to be ready. I keep telling the guys to stay on-call, because you never know when your name is gonna get announced.”

“Rock’s been doing a fabulous job in practice, his talking, his staying engaged. Sam’s been doing the same thing, and Omar’s been coming along. It’s good to have a bench that’s deep and can come in and give us a lift. That’s what we needed in the second half. It was like we were sleep-walking out there in the first half, couldn’t make a shot. When I inserted those guys, the rhythm of the game picked up. I think it really bodes well for us in the future.”

“It was definitely a business trip for us. Now, we’ve got to come back and continue to move forward.”

“Our guards gotta do a better job of containing the ball, because we can’t keep relying on Amida back there.”

(more on Lubin)

“I mean, I haven’t played him. I see it in practice, where he’s talking and just staying engaged. Kentan went through it last year, where you’re not playing, you can get down on yourself. I see Rock continuing to work, continuing to talk to his teammates and not get down and be on-call. It gives you the trust that I can assert him when I need him. He’s not getting down on himself or pointing the finger at anybody. He’s just looking in the mirror, saying, ‘What can I do to help this team?’ To help this team now is to be in practice and push Kentan and Amida, and also push yourself. I was very proud of him coming in and giving us that lift the way he did.”

RAKIM LUBIN:

“It felt good to be home, that’s all.”

“I definitely felt like we needed a lift. We needed to pick things up intensity-wise and toughness-wise. I had to get in there, get a few boards and stuf like that.”

(on not playing at all the previous two games)

“It’s pretty difficult, but whatever it takes for the team to win. If KO wants me to sit on the bench or play 20-30 minutes, I’ll do what it takes.”

(on his jump shot late in the first half)

“I have no problem. Wide-open jumpers like that, I’ll take that. That’s what Coach wants, he wants us to play. Wide-open jumpers, you’ve got to take them.”

“It’s basketball. When you get out there, you’re still here to play basketball. You’ve just got to stay ready.”

TERRENCE SAMUEL:

“I’ve always been telling Sam, ‘Stay ready.’ I sit next to him on the bench before the game starts. We tell each other, we’ve got to prove ourselves off the bench and help the guys out. I’m just glad to see him come out and finally hit a shot, especiall an and-one.”

“We’re just playing more confident, each and every one of us. Omar, he’s coming along, he’s playing with so much confidence right now. Sam, you just tell him to stay with it. We’ve just got to produce off the bench.”

RYAN BOATRIGHT:

(on the bench players)

“They came in and did what they’re supposed to do. We came out flat, they came in and changed the game. They played hard, they picked up on the defensive end and changed the whole tempo.”

(on well-balanced effort)

“It had to be. They did a great job doubling me. I’m hurt, so I can’t really be the player I am. We needed guys to step up. They came in and took care of their minutes.”

“I was glad we were winning by that much, I didn’t have to play that much at the end.”

“We live off the defensive end. I don’t think we’re as talented scoring on the offensive end, so we’ve got to pride ourselves on the defensive end.”

Terrific win for UConn. Gotta admit, I didn't see it happening. Not that Florida's so great -- it's certainly not. But not knowing how effective Ryan Boatright was going to be (or if he'd even play at all), then seeing the Huskies down 13 early in the second half and 11 with 11:11 left -- it just didn't seem like it was in the cards.

But, as we all should have learned by now -- never question this team's heart. Especially with a leader like Boatright on the floor.



KEVIN OLLIE

"We wrote on the board: PTI: Play through it. I think they did that -- with heart, with desire. Got down by 13 and by 11 with 11 minutes to go, and they just dug in. The last eight minutes, we didn’t give up a field goal.”

“The big fella was just controlling the paint. When you have that big fella back there, and he’s not getting in foul trouble and contesting every shot, it really makes it hard from an offensive standpoint.”

“I’m very proud of the guys, because they stepped up in the second half. We made free throws -- all the things that we haven’t been doing in those situations, we did today. I’m proud of the guys.”

(on Boatright)

“I didn’t want to take him out, so it could get stiff. He still gutted it out, missed a couple of shots that he usually makes, gave us a big-time six assists. Then he stepped up to the free throw line and ma

“If I’m gonna go out, I’m gonna go out with my leaders -- from Shabazz, to Kemba, to Ryan. I just have so much trust in those guys, because we’ve been through so much together, all the up’s and down’s. I’m gonna go with my guns, and he’s the biggest gun in my holster.”

“If it wasn’t for Omar (Calhoun) making some shots, when we were down by 11, he made a big 3, made a pump-fake, one dribble step-in, a little floater on the baseline. If he didn’t make those big-time shots and those defensive stops, I don’t know where we would have been at.”

“We needed this win, and they gutted one out for UConn Nation.”

“That defense the last 11 minutes, that was some of the best defense I’ve seen here at UConn.”

(on Brimah)

“Just his presence around the basket. They were getting in our yard in the first half they were driving, driving, driving. Then, Amida started not fouling, not coming down. They were actually looking for Amida, and that throws off a player’s rhythm, when he’s coming to jump-stop and looking for Amida.”

(on free throws)

“I’m not gonna feel sorry for anybody. We lost three games, and it came down to free throws at the end, where we could have put the game away, or made it an overtime game. Our guys are stepping up now. I told them, ‘If you keep putting yourself in those positions, you’re gonna learn how to get through it, play through it, step up and have composure making those free throws.’”

“It’s reaching down in your gut. You’ve got to get stops from your gut and your heart. It’s nothing I can draw up.”

(on Rodney Purvis)

“Some guys are gonna sit on the bench. If you sulk, if you put your head down, then when you get back in the game, you’re not gonna be there mentally. I thought Rodney did a great job staying in the game, staying in the moment. He came in and made some big-time 3’s. Those were some deep 3’s, hit ‘em all net.”

TERRENCE SAMUEL:

“We never lost faith. We didn’t follow the game plan until the last, like, 11 minutes of the game. It was loud in there, we couldn’t hear the big guys calling out, which defensive play to use. We just grinded it out. We were resilient. We went down (13), we didn’t lose our heads or anything, we just kept our composure.”

“Coach Ollie, the day after the Temple game, he made us shoot a lot of free throws. Let’s just say that -- a whole bunch.”

“Coach Ollie showed us some clips about last year, how we were connected -- Bazz, me, Niels, DeAndre, Boat. We just tried to mimick the same things we watched on the film.”

(on Omar Calhoun)

“He’s real confident, he’s knocking shots down. He’s taking them with no remorse. Either it goes in or it misses. He has good muscle memory. If he misses a shot, he’s like, ‘I’m gonna make the next one.’ He’s coming along.”

AMIDA BRIMAH:

“I had to. We just needed a little bit of paint protection. After those blocks, people stopped coming in the paint. That’s what we needed.”

“I had two blocks? What the hell? Damn ... I did not get two blocks. I had, like, two in the first half! That’s crazy.”

OMAR CALHOUN:



“We all know Boat’s competitive, he’s a fighter. He was definitely hurt, but we needed him out there today. He was able to keep pushing through for us.”

“This is a big win ... We brough the intensity in the second half, we were able to fight back and win the game. It’s big.”

(on Amida Brimah)

“I told him, just keep his hands up early on in the game. He was swiping at the ball, trying to get blocks. The best defenders don’t always have to block your shots, but they’re hard to shoot over. He was big for us, down low.”

RYAN BOATRIGHT:

“It hurts really bad, but it feels way better knowing that we got out of here with a win. I think if we took an ‘L,’ it would have hurt a lot more.”

“Since the day it happened, I’ve been uncomfortable. This is definitely the worst thigh bruise I’ve ever had. I can’t jump. The little jumping I was doing out there really came from emotion and adrenaline. As soon as the game was over, it locked up on me. I think I’m gonna take a picture of the bruise, so y’all can see the bruise. It’s crazy. My leg has never been four or five different colors.”

“Heart, man. I just knew we needed to win. This game, on the road, was a huge game for us. I knew that it could save our season. There was no way I was gonna sit out and let that slip by.”

“This just saved our season, if we take care of business from here on out.”

RODNEY PURVIS:

“I just knew I had to make the impact. We were in a tough situation in the game, and I knew eventually my time would come, so I stayed with it on the bench, cheering for my teammates. Omar really gave us a huge lift off the bench. I just knew, eventually, my name was gonna get called, and I had to come in and make a play.”

“Early on in this season, I would’ve been done. He ... subbed me out that quick because I missed out on a defensive assignment. It’s just a sign of progress I’ve made, just to stay in the game, because I know I can help this team a lot. The main thing, we just stay connected. Everybody just stayed with it. I knew eventually, something good was gonna happen to me.”

(on his go-ahead trey)

“I knew the ball was coming back to me, I just had to have my feet set. I knew once I had my feet set, if I could get it off, I knew I would have a good look at the basket. I just shot it with confidence. I’ve been working on my shot the last three, four weeks -- a whole lot of different shots, things like that, for moments like that. I just try my best to prepare myself for game moments.”

Ryan Boatright spent the bulk of his New Year's Eve in his apartment with ... trainer James Doran.

Doran gave Boatright some extensive treatment after Boatright had suffered a deep thigh contusion in an overtime loss to Temple earlier in the day. In fact, he was almost there long enough to watch the New Year's Eve ball drop in Time Square with the senior guard.

Boatright's had some extensive rehab -- treadmills, etc. -- over the last couple of days, but hasn't practiced. The thought process is why risk anything in practice, just try go see if he can go in the game.

Right now, that looks like about a 50/50 proposition.

Boatright:

“I’m pretty banged up still. I’ve been getting better each day, and that’s all we can really ask for. It’s a quick turnaround, but I’m getting better every day. Rehab is helping.”

“I’ve been kneed there plenty of times in my career. I thought it was just a regular knee to the thigh. Then I was trying to stretch it out and I felt it tightening up faster than normal. At halftime, James was doing whatever he was doing, I said, ‘I’ma try to go.’ Then the first play of the second half, it was like, ‘No.’”

“My intentions are to be the best I can to play, to be out there. But, it’ll be a game time decision. I feel when I wake up, try to warm it up, stuff like that, get out there and get some shots and stuff. If I’m not able to be ‘Boat’ and be out there and put the ball in the hole, there’s no reason to be out there just to break the press.”

“The player I am, it’s just hard to tell by doing stuff like that. I’ve got to jump and plant and do all types of quick movements, versus just running steady on a treadmill.”

“It’s pretty bad. It’s a bad contusion. I’ve been kneed there plenty of times in my career, but this is the worst I’ve had.”

Asked if he'd play Boatright if he were only, say, 50 percent, Kevin Ollie responded: “I won’t play him if he’s 50 percent. But I think he’s gonna be better than that. I want his mentality to be there ... and physically, that he can jump and be explosive, like he can be. He can do his pull-ups, but if he has any limitations with that, it’s probably not worth it to put him out there. Maybe that contusion turns into something that’s gonna linger throughout the season. If he’s at 50 percent, definitely not. But if he’s 65-70 percent and he’s still got a little doubt in his mind, then I’ll listen to Boat. Because I trust him. It’s hard to take him out of games, because I know he’s not that he doesn’t want to compete. He wants to compete every time he puts that UConn jersey on, if he’s allowed to do that.”

If Boatright can't go, sophomore Terrence Samuel will have a much bigger role:

“I’ve got to run the offense better and be more vocal," Samuel said. "I’ve got to be a leader. I didn’t do that last game, so I kind of personally took it on myself. I’ve just tried to focus on that in practice, being more vocal and leading the team.”

More Ollie:

(on Daniel Hamilton)

“He bounced right back. I know it was difficult for him missing those free throws, but, it happens. If you play basketball enough, you’re gonna be in those situations. We want him to respond with courage, and I think he did that. He’s a tough young kid, and he’s gonna bounce back from it and get better from it.”

“We need another scorer. We need Rodney to play the way we know Rodney can play. It definitely opens some things up for Boat. Daniel’s in a spot where he’s trying to make every play. That’s a tough spot for a freshman. We need somebody to take the load off of him.”

Rodney Purvis didn't participate much in practice today. Omar Calhoun did, but seems unlikely to play on Sunday against Coppin State. Also, Ryan Boatright suffered a lower leg contusion a couple of days ago in practice when he was accidentally kicked by Terrence Samuel. He should be fine, however.

A few notes and quotes from after today's practice:

KEVIN OLLIE:

"They've responded great. They've got the faith, I've got the faith in them. They responded great."

(on injury status of Purvis, Calhoun, Boatright)

"It's the same. Rodney's kind of come back from that high ankle sprain. He didn't participate in practice today, but Omar went through some drills. We're trying to get him back, hopefully soon. Same ol', same ol'. Ryan was able to practice today. He had a contusion on his lower leg, so it's good to see him back on the practice court. We're just trying to get everybody healthy."

"They're not practicing, so of course it's a game-time decision."

(on Calhoun's confidence level)

"I believe he's confident, but with the sprained MCL, it's hard mentally to make sure he's able to make the cuts, (he doesn't) want to feel that sharp pain he felt six weeks ago. I think he's getting back comfortable ... Hopefully, he can string some practices together and get more comfortable."

"I think he's been sitting on the bench, seeing us struggle with shots. If we can have somebody come in, make a couple of 3's, it can really open up some things for us. Hopefully, he sees an opportunity here and takes advantage of it when he comes back healthy."

"You've got to probably ask him that question, but I know he wants to come back healthy ... The knee is 100-percent, now it's just getting the functionality, the 20-percent being on the court. Hopefully, he can work through that ... Today he was good. Hopefully, we can keep building on that ... We'll see 10 a.m., if he's able to bounce back (on Saturday). I don't think he'll be playing against Coppin State, but hopefully we can get him back for next week."

(on Coppin State)

"We've got to stop the bleeding. If it was a YMCA team coming here, we've got our antennae up. We're not looking at their record or anything, it's a game we've got to look within, work on the things we've been working on. They've got some athletic guys, they're turning teams over at a high rate, so we've got to take care of the ball at a high rate ... Coach Grant is going to go to a 2-3 zone that we haven't had particular success against, in the last couple of minutes of our last couple of games ... we worked on a lot of that today."


RYAN BOATRIGHT:

"Terrence kicked me on the side of my leg, so I've got a bad bruise. I'm just trying to protect where he kicked me.

"We're just trying to keep the team positive, keep them motivated. I've been around for a long time. I've had a lot of years where we've lost two, three straight. It's tough, keeping your head and staying confident. Especially for these young guys, they've never experienced anything like that. Everybody who was praising you, you lose three straight, they walk right past you when you're going to class. I'm just trying to keep them motivated and that we've got to get back to the basics and work hard in practice."

"We're banged up a little bit, but it's part of basketball. It comes with the game. As long as we keep doing the things we've got to do, once we get back to full-strength, we'll get on a role."

"I wouldn't say 100-percent. It's better than it was when I played against Yale. Being kicked in the same leg, the muscle that's right on top of it doesn't help. I'm going to rehab everyday, trying to get through it."

(not overlooking Coppin State)

"Not at all. We just lost to Yale. You've got to go into every game like it is Duke. We've got to get a win, we've got to get back on the winning side of things. Dropping four would be devastating. It's a must-win for us."

RODNEY PURVIS:

"It's OK. I did shooting drills with the guards today, I didn't do much contact. The main thing is just letting it heal now, because I feel like I keep trying to come back and play and I may delay (the healing) a little bit."

(on whether he could have played in the second half of the Yale game)

"Mentally, yeah, I felt like I could. I just tried to keep myself upbeat. That's the main thing, because once it stiffens up, it's kinda hard. I kept myself loose just in case my number was called. I felt like I could have gone in the second half."

(on whether he understands why Ollie didn't put him back in)

"Definitely. He said I was limping. If I'm limping, I'm not really helping the team. I'm really hurting the team. That's the main thing. I focus all on the team at this point. If I've got to sit out because I can't help the team, that's what it is. But if I can play, I'm definitely going to try to play and help some team."

Not trying to take anything out of context (or, as Roger Clemens would say, content) here, but I think Kevin Ollie was taking a not-so-subtle jab at Omar Calhoun with this quote following Yale's stunning, 45-44 win over UConn on Friday night at Gampel:

Asked about Ryan Boatright's effort, Ollie reponded:

“Ryan’s got to do a better job with the four turnovers, just careless turnovers. But I applaud his effort out there, because a lot of people are sitting on that bench, hurt. I know his ankle hurts, but he got up there and played. I’ve got to applaud that.”

Calhoun, of course, has yet to play this season after suffering a preseason right knee sprain. Meanwhile, Purvis -- who missed Sunday's Texas loss with a high ankle sprain -- gave it a go. He came off the bench but missed all three shots in eight first-half minutes and never returned to the floor.

“He’s limping around, I just didn’t think he was effective,” said Ollie. “I just thought our energy picked up in the second half and I was going with the guys that were playing hard. Not saying Rodney wasn’t playing hard, but that group in there -- Sam (Cassell) starting, (Terrence Samuel) coming in -- got us back in the game.”



On Jack Montague's game-winning shot:

Ollie: “(Ryan) Boatright had Montague. He was pointing for the switch and Sam took a couple of steps in. Montague just came off and got open, then Sam was late to retreat. It was just a communication (breakdown) again, things that we went over in practice to stop. We’ve just got to do a better job reacting to late-game situations, and switching. Boat called the switch, but we just didn’t react fast enough -- kind of like in the Texas game.”

“That corner’s not my favorite corner."

Ollie was accountable: “I know I’m not playing, but I’ve got to do a better job in those last (second) situations, finding the guys that are going to communicate and follow the game plan.”

Confessed Cassell: “(Boatright) called a switch. I thought I saw a guy come through the middle. The guy went to the corner. It was my fault.”

“Both shots hit me to the heart, just seeing both of those shots go in the same way. It’s just crazy.”

With Javier Duren inbounding from near the opposite corner with 3.5 seconds left, the plan was for Duren to hit Justin Sears with a lob pass.

“The design was for me to cross from one side of the 3-point line to the other, and I guess the man who was guarding me must have got caught up in traffic, and I felt like I was open,” Montague said. “Javier found me out of bounds, and I let it loose from there.”

Maybe not option No. 1, but not a surprise to Yale coach James Jones.

“I told (Montague) some time during the game that he’s going to make a big shot. I was just waiting for it all night, and it finally came.”

It wasn't perfect, but this was definitely UConn's best game of the young season. Came against a good team, in a somewhat hostile environment (Dayton fans probably outnumbered UConn fans by about two-to-one).

Ryan Boatright continues to be a leader and scored 20 points (but had the audacity to miss his first two free throws of the season). Rodney Purvis officially became a Husky, with 19 points in a terrific performance. Daniel Hamilton was strong again, with 14 points.

Amida Brimah finished with just six points and as many rebounds as fouls (three). But he had five blocks, three of them on one head-spinning sequence that absolutely changed the entire complexion of the game.

Some notes, quotes and video:

KEVIN OLLIE:

“I was very proud of my team. They focused and played very hard in the second half. To hold a great team like Dayton to 23 points and 28 percent shooting, it shows the focus that they have.”

(on Brimah getting into foul trouble)

“Sometimes on those drives, he tries to block everything. Sometimes, with those little guys, he needs to just stay vertical and let them shoot over him. Sometimes when he gets in trouble, he comes down and gets those cheap fouls. But he’s understanding to get use his length. I thought he did an amazing job the second half controlling the paint. We call the paint the ‘yard.’ He was a dominant force in the ‘yard.’”

(on whether the offense slows down when Boatright isn't in the game)

“I wouldn’t say that. Ryan’s got to sit down. Terrence comes in, and we’re just missing shots, and then we’re not getting back on defense. If we can get stops, we’ll keep the lead. I know good offense translates to good defense, but I think we have to come off the bench and be aggressive, understand what I want to do as a coach.”

BOATRIGHT:

(on Brimah's block party)



(on snapping a streak of 18 straight free throws to start this season)

“I know, man. I couldn’t believe I missed those two free throws! I hate missing free throws. It’s basketball, it happens. I just had to make the next one. I’m trying to shoot in the 90-percent range this year.”

“I shoot a lot of free throws when I go back to the gym every night. I make 10 in a row every day before I leave practice. Some days, I knock them out real quick. Some days, I’ll be there for about 20 minutes. I’ve got to hit 10 in a row before I leave, though.”

(on Purvis)

“I’ve been standing on him since preseason. He’s been a little down, he hasn’t been playing well. He’s been second-guessing his shot. I tell him, ‘You’re All-American, man. I can’t do it all myself, they’re gonna double me sometimes, I’m gonna need you to step up.’”

(on whether he sees the offense sputtering when he's on the bench)

“A little bit, at times. I think it’s just from K.O. with these NBA sets, and I don’t think they’ve run those type of sets in those situations, well enough yet. It’s loud, some people can’t hear. I think it just comes with maturity and my veteran (status). Terrence will get it. He’s trying his best, but it takes time.”

(on his de-commitment from West Virginia -- which is also in this tournament -- four years ago)

“No regrets, I don’t think about it at all. I’m glad I came to UConn. UConn made me the person that I am today. I became a man at Connecticut. All the respect to Coach Harris and Coach Huggins. I’ll shake their hand when I see them, but once we step between the lines, it’s all business.”

BRIMAH:

“When I get into foul trouble, like in the first half, I always get a little bit worried. In the second half, I’m very comfortable and ready to play defense.”

Boatright interjected, regarding Brimah's foul troubles:

“That’s our fault, though. We’d be getting beat off the dribble too much, and he’d be trying to save us and getting into foul trouble. That’s our fault, we’ve got to help him out there.”

PURVIS:

(on staying positive through some early-season struggles)

“I thank Boat for that, he just stayed on me. So did all my teammates. He just told me to stay patient and everything was going to come. I never try to force anything. I’m just happy to be on this team, and happy we got this win today.”

And now, it's on to West Virginia and old friend Bob Huggins, for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tourney title on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Here's what Huggy Bear had to say about UConn on Friday after his team's win over Boston College:

Some notes, quotes and video from UConn's practice, prior to Friday night's season-opener vs. Bryant.

As you likely know by now, Rodney Purvis must sit out the game after having played in more than one summer league this past summer.

"He's just got to wait 40 more minutes, and he’ll be alright," said Kevin Ollie.

Ryan Boatright, who had to sit out nine games as a freshman due to eligibility issues, had perhaps the best line.

“I tell him, ‘You’re lucky it’s only one game. I sat out, like, 13.’ So, he’ll be alright," Boatright said.

Yes, nine, not 13, but still a good line.




More:

OLLIE:

“We’re playing a real good team. They have a lot of shooters on the court, they shoot a lot of 3’s, they do a lot of ball screens. We’ve got to be great on our ball pressure, we’ve got to communicate very, very well, and we’ve got to attack on offense.”

(on whether Omar Calhoun will play)

“(No), unless James (Doran) did a miracle back there. But he is progressing. I don’t think he’ll be ready to play, but you never know. He’s been shooting, he’s been looking real good ... but the way I got the word today, he probably won’t play.”

“You play with the guys that you’ve got. Those guys work hard all summer, they look at it as an opportunity to play more minutes. Hopefully, they stay hungry and they have the attitude to go out there and take care of that opportunity. We want a win, whether we play with five guys, eight or 10.”

“We’ve got a lot of guards. Take Rodney out, we’ve got another guard. You know the roster. There’s no adjustment. All our guys are interchangable. Everybody can play the 1, everybody can play the 2, play the 3, Daniel (Hamilton) can play even the four.”

“He’s here, he’ll deal with it, and he’ll be ready to play in Puerto Rico. He’s gonna come out and have a great season.

(on the purpose of the NCAA rule)

“I have no idea. Your guess is better than mine. I guess to keep guys out from playing three or four of them, but I have no idea.”

(on Terrence Samuel)

“I’ve seen some good things, and I’ve seen some things he needs to work on. He definitely needs to keep his man in front of him a little better. He’s been able to get broken down too easy. We’ve been working on that, watching a lot of film. I think he did a better job the second game. Last year, he changed the pace. He came in and got steals, defensive pressure, pushed the ball. So, we need him to play that way. He’s definitely improved on his shot, but he has to be a force out there when he gets in the game. The tempo’s got to change. Hopefully, he understands that. If he’s in the starting lineup or coming off the bench, his mentality should not ever change.”

“We’ve got eight guys, so everybody’s got more minutes. That’s what it is. You look at it as an opportunity. I think he’s going to come out there and play hard, gotta stay out of

BOATRIGHT:

“I’m probably gonna have a few more shot attempts than I normally do."

“We’ve been waiting on this day for a long time, to be able to beat up on somebody else rather than on each other. I’m excited, and I think the team is excited.”

"Winning a national championship, you’re gonna get everybody’s best shot. But just going to UConn, you’re gonna get everybody’s best shot. I think whatever school you go to, when you see UConn on the schedule, you’re like, ‘That’s UConn.’ You’re gonna get everybody’s best shot.”

Happy to be an Associated Press Top 25 voter again this season. Our preseason Top 25 and five-man All-American team is due by Friday. The first AP Top 25 will be released on Oct. 31, with the All-America team moving on Nov. 3.

Here's what I'll be submitting:

1.       Wisconsin

2.       Kentucky

3.       Arizona

4.       Duke

5.       Kansas

6.       North Carolina

7.       Louisville

8.       Texas

9.       Wichita State

10.   Iowa State

11.   Villanova

12.   UConn

13.   Florida

14.   Gonzaga

15.   Virginia

16.   SMU

17.   San Diego State

18.   Michigan State

19.   Virginia Commonwealth

20.   Michigan

21.   Harvard

22.   Ohio State

23.   Stanford

24.   Syracuse

25.  Memphis

All-America:
Montrezl Harrell, Louisville
Sam Dekker, Wisconsin
Georges Niang, Iowa State
Marcus Paige, North Carolina
Fred Van Vleet, Wichita State

I’ve never particularly liked the Wisconsin men’s basketball team. Just hasn’t been very aesthetically pleasing over the years, a bit too … boring, we’ll say. Yeah, boring.

But the Badgers won me over last season, led by big Frank Kaminsky and dynamic Sam Dekker (who’s anything but boring). Now, pretty much everyone’s back from last year’s Final Four team that fell a few points short of a date with UConn in the national championship game. That’s why I’m picking them as my preseason No. 1.

It seems most people are going with Kentucky, the team that beat the Badgers in last year’s Final Four, after all. The Wildcats have a record nine McDonald’s All-Americans on their roster, including key players from last year’s runners-up like the Harrison twins (Aaron and Andrew) as well as Willie Cauley-Stein (whose injury for the national championship game undoubtedly helped UConn).

But Kentucky also loses key players like Julius Randle and James Young. They’ve got great freshmen coming in, led by Karl Towns, but so often we’ve seen teams with great newcomers have trouble jelling and, ultimately, disappointing. 

I'll side with teams like Wisconsin -- veteran, experienced teams who truly love being in college and value their entire collegiate experience -- over teams stacked with talent but, too often, have too many guys with one eye on the next level and perhaps aren't buying into the whole team concept.

Sure, every now and then there’s a team like 2012 Kentucky, which rolled to a national title behind freshmen and sophomores, led by Anthony Davis. But look no further than 2014 Kentucky. Remember, some pundits were predicting an undefeated season for a team led largely by freshmen? The Wildcats wound up disappointing through much of the season and were a No. 8 seed for the NCAA tournament. Kentucky started to come together at just the right time, of course (John Calipari deserves a lot of credit there) and wound up in the national title game … where it fell to UConn.

Ah yes, UConn. What to do with the Huskies? It’s funny to look at the preseason coaches’ poll and see four of the teams UConn beat in last year’s NCAA tournament (Kentucky, Florida, Villanova and Iowa State) all ranked ahead of the Huskies. But it’s somewhat understandable.

The graduation of Shabazz Napier is huge. Yes, Ryan Boatright is a terrific player who really matured last season – particularly in the postseason – as a true point guard, a leader and a defensive whiz. Yes, Amida Brimah should be one of the best shot-blockers in the nation. Yes, Rodney Purvis, Daniel Hamilton and Sam Cassell, Jr. are outstanding additions. Yes, Terrence Samuel boasts championship pedigree, and if Omar Calhoun can turn things around … watch out!

But it’s hard to quantify just how much Shabazz meant to this program that past couple of seasons. There were so many games in which his late heroics saved the Huskies from defeat. Never mind the obvious ones like Florida and Indiana last season; don’t forget South Florida on the road, where Napier delivered an inspirational halftime speech (after the Huskies had played their worst half of the season and trailed by six), then scored 11 of UConn’s final 14 points in a 61-56 win. Or how about against Quinnipiac in the 2012 Paradise Jam, when he scored 23 of his 29 points in the game’s final 3 ½ minutes of regulation and two overtimes? Those are just two of too many other examples to list.

I like UConn this season. There’s a lot of talent, but I see it taking a while for it all to jell together. It’s going to take a couple of months for guys like Hamilton, Purvis and Cassell, Jr. to learn how to play together, share the ball and do what’s best for the team. I don’t worry about Boatright – I think he knows he’s got to prove to NBA scouts that he’s a distributor and that he can make his teammates better. He’ll do that. But there are a lot of shots to go around, and it’ll be interesting to see how everybody co-exists. It’ll also be interesting to see if UConn still has some long-distance threats now that Napier, DeAndre Daniels and Niels Giffey are gone. Early returns are that Cassell may just be that guy.

So, I like the Huskies more than some (for instance, Lindy’s magazine has them ranked No. 36. Even though I did the UConn and AAC season previews for this edition, I’ll take no blame for that low ranking. Wasn’t me). However, it wouldn’t shock me at all if SMU beats out UConn for the AAC championship. If Emmanuel Mudiay had stayed at SMU rather than zipped off to China, that might be a no-brainer. Even without Mudiay, however, the Mustangs return just about everyone from last year’s 27-10, NIT runners-up, including all-AAC picks Nic Moore and Markus Kennedy, former McDonald’s All-American Keith Frazier and talented Xavier transfer Justin Martin. And, let’s not forget, SMU beat UConn last season both times they met. This Larry Brown guy can coach a little bit.

In fact, I was prepared to rank SMU even higher and pick it to win the AAC until reports the other day that Kennedy may be sidelined for at least the early part of the season due to academic issues. If Kennedy misses part (or all) of the season, it’s a big blow to the Mustangs.

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:

Daniel Hamilton and Rakim Lubin are on campus, joining Sam Cassell, Jr. as all three of UConn's newcomers are enrolled in (or about to enroll in) summer courses.

Here's a story I did on Cassell, Jr. and his father, shortly after he committed to UConn.

And here's a piece on Daniel Hamilton, after while he was in Springfield, Mass. at the Hoop Hall Classic in January.

*** Had a chance to sit down with Kevin Ollie and two other reporters in Ollie's office at Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday afternoon to take a look ahead to the upcoming season. Here's some of what Ollie had to day:

(on Ryan Boatright taking over leadership role from Shabazz Napier)

“It’s a must. He has to do that. Not only for UConn, but for his basketball future. He has to take over that leadership role … I think Boat is going to do that. I see a lot of great qualities in Ryan. A lot of attention was given to Shabazz, but Ryan wants it. He has a great competitiveness about him. He competes at everything, and he wants to be great. He’s not going to settle for good. That’s the one thing I love about Boat. He’s never missed a practice. The guy just wants it. If a guy has a vision and he wants it that bad, yeah, we have to mold and change his approach sometimes, and he has to change his approach sometimes. But I think he’s going to get it. I think he’s already got it already. It’s for me to bring that out a little bit more, but it’s for him to give that gift away everyday – that leadership gift he’s got.”

(on how tough a decision it was for Boatright to return, rather than go pro)

“I know he reached out to a lot of people to get different advice for his decision. I know he and DeAndre are very, very close. It’s been well-documented, ‘We came in together, we’re leaving together.’ But I’m glad he thought about it and (realized), ‘What’s good for DeAndre, might not be good for me.’ DeAndre’s a different person. I’m glad he came back. I think he saw the model in Shabazz, who could have gone out last year and who knows if he would have been drafted, maybe in the second round. You just never know. Then he came in and won a national championship, now getting invited to the Green Room, got his degree, had a phenomenal year, Bob Cousy Award.”

(on some of the differences next year's team will have from this year's team)

“We’re not going to have DeAndre, Niels – that stretch forward we had last year. I think Amida’s going to be a tremendous asset for us. I think Kentan’s going to give us a different dynamic, where he can shoot the ball. Probably not off the 3 like Niels and DeAndre did – I know he’s working toward it, but those guys were exceptional shooters for us. Kentan brings us a guy running and jumping and getting rebounds. He’s working on his game very, very hard.”

“Phil is up to 230-235 lbs. now. That gives me the opportunity to play two bigs, that I haven’t been able to do the last two years … I’m excited to see Phil and Amida probably play together a little bit more.”

(on Omar Calhoun bouncing back)

“He’s a highly-motivated person before this happened. I think this is not going to destroy him, I think it’s going to open up room for him to get to the next level. I just believe in the kid, believe in the hard work he puts in. Results follow hard work. For him, last year was tough. But he grasped that, he embraced that, he was like a coach on the bench for me. That spoke volumes, because a lot of kids say, ‘I’m not in the spotlight,’ and they go away from team-oriented stuff. But he involved himself even more. I was like, ‘Wow.’ That shows me something, the growth in him. That’s what special people do.”

(on Brimah

’s rehab from shoulder surgery)

“Unbelievable. That kid is just working. This is no exaggeration – he’s in here at midnight, working on his game. He can’t do contact yet, but man, he is doing an unbelievable job, doing some things on the court with Coach (Glen) Miller … He’s just so self-motivated.”

Ollie noted that it will probably be another month or so before Brimah is cleared for contact.

(on Rodney Purvis)

“He’s working. Just having his leadership, too – I have to push him out of his comfort zone with that a little bit, and I’m willing to do that. Once he gets that aspect of being a more vocal leader, with his talents, I think he’s just going to explode. I needed him to be a leader last year, I wanted him to talk more. He started doing that. He resisted a little bit, he’d say, ‘I’m not playing.’ But you are playing. You’ve got to envision yourself in this role, because I knew losing Shabazz, we’re losing a lot. (He) has to step into that leadership role – him, Boat, all the guys that are going to have the ball in their hand.”

(on Purvis's role)

“Versatile player, being able to do multiple things on the basketball court. He can score on a high level. He definitely gives us a little different … he’s more explosive in transition, where he can go up and get over the rim. Power, big body, that we haven’t had. Terrence was kind of close to that, but Rodney has more explosiveness to the rim. He shot very well from the 3-point line at NC State, and I think he’s working towards improving that. I think he’s a good shooter, I think he can get better with his shot, get it off quicker. These are the different things we’re working on this summer to allow him to improve.”

(Is Sam Cassell, Jr. more a shooter, a ballhandler ... or both?)

“Sam can handle the basketball. I was very, very pleased with him. He’s been up here, working. His attitude, his leadership, he’s in phenomenal condition. He’s been around pros his whole life, so he knows how to conduct himself. He’s not afraid of competition. Actually, he relishes it. He can shoot the basketball. You want your two’s to dribble, shoot and pass. He does all that well. He’s going to be a player for us. Terrence (Samuel) is going to be a player for us. We’ve got some talent, we’ve got to pull it together.”

(on Samuel)

“You’ve got to take active steps to make your weaknesses your strengths. And shooting the ball is No. 1. He’s got to come in here and shoot the right way, and don’t be afraid to do it. Sometimes, you’ve got to take one step back and do it badly to get to that next level. I think he’s understanding that.”

(on Daniel Hamilton)

“I know he has great expectations for himself, which is great. I heard something that came out, somebody said he’s the eighth-rated small forward in the country already as a freshman. That don’t matter. You’ve really got to show, each and every day, that you can play on this level, that you compete on this level, and that you can be a separator on this level. We don’t want him to come and blend in. We want him to be an outstanding player on our team and make an impact. We’re going to need it, because we lost a lot.”

“He’s position-less. Even the four. There are situations this year where I’m going to have four guards … we might have five.”

(on Rakim Lubin)

“Just kind of like Amida last year. We found him. He’s definitely going to give us a different look running out the tunnel. He’s a little bit bigger than our guys … He’s not 7 feet, he’s 6-7, but we’ve got a guy walking around on our coaching staff who’s 6-7, 6-8, and he did pretty damn well. It’s all about heart. I think he’s got heart, he’s got a confidence about himself. He’s not shy or timid. He walks around and he knows he’s good. He knows he belongs. We’re going to have to temper that down a little bit, make him humble a little bit on that first day of practice. But I like that. I’d rather have that than have a guy that’s timid and not sure of himself. He has a lot of confidence. He has a chip on his shoulder. He wasn’t ranked in the Top-200, or whatever that stuff is. He’s going to come out here and prove that he belongs, and I think he’s going to give us a different dynamic that we didn’t have. One of those guys that can take a bump and also give a bump, too.”

(Will next year's team rebound better than last year's?)

“I hope so. I hope our point guard doesn’t lead us in rebounding, until the second half of the last game when DeAndre got those last two rebounds to beat him out. I hope that’s not the case. I hope Amida steps up, I hope Phil steps up … I think Daniel’s going to be a great rebounder. He’s had great rebounding games in high school. We’re going to have bigger guards out there – Rodney, Sam, Terrence, Omar. Hopefully, Rakim can come in and give us a life on the backboards.”

(on Shabazz)

“We sat at this table and we said, ‘These things can happen if you come back. This is where you’re putting yourself. You can do something that nobody else was ever able to do in the NCAA.’”

(on Shabazz's coursework this past season)

“He wasn’t taking electives, he was taking real required stories. He had big-time classes: labs, sciences, biology, chemistry. It was big-time stuff. And for him to do that, and lead his team … he is remarkable.”

(on Napier's draft prospects)

“He’s doing great in every one of his workouts. Now, it’s what team needs a point guard. There are a couple of teams outside the lottery that need a point guard. He might slip into the lottery, who knows? I just know it takes one guy to love you. I think he has a lot of people that love him.”

“I was very fortunate, when I got the job, that he stood by my side. I wouldn’t be here without Shabazz.”

Ollie noted that DeAndre Daniels had a workout on Wednesday with Detroit, who supposedly like him a lot. It was one of 14 workouts Daniels had slated over the past two weeks.

(on next year's schedule)

“We’ve got a tough schedule. Which is fine, that’s how I like it. We’re playing some top-notch teams: going down to Florida, playing Duke. Texas is going to be top-10 … It’s going to get us prepared for a nice tournament run, hopefully. We wanted to keep our RPI the same. Losing Louisville hurts our RPI a little bit, but we’re playing a great out-of-conference schedule that’s going to boost our RPI up.”

(on the AAC)

“I like the conference, I like the coaches. Tulsa is going to be great – I know we lost Danny Manning, but Frank Haith has done a great job at Miami and Missouri. Getting Orlando Antigua … the conference as a whole is going to be great. We’ve got some great freshmen coming in, the No. 1 point guard coming into our conference, Emmanuel Mudiay down at SMU, so it’s going to be exciting.”

Ollie said the new basketball practice facility should be completed in another 1 1/2-2 months. Here's how it looks right now:

UConn and Duke will square off at the IZOD Center in New Jersey on Thursday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday.

Here's the press release sent out by UConn:

The Duke Blue Devils will face the National Champion UConn Huskies December 18th at IZOD Center (Meadowlands Sports Complex) in East Rutherford, N.J. Game time is 8:00 pm (ET).

UConn and Duke have met just nine times on the basketball court with Duke leading the series 5-4, but the Huskies have won four of the last five. One of their most memorable games took place at the Meadowlands in the 1990 NCAA East Regional Final with Duke winning 79-78 in overtime. UConn defeated Duke, 77-74, to capture the 1999 National Championship and the Huskies nipped the Blue Devils, 79-78, in the 2004 National Semifinals on their way to their second national crown. UConn and Duke last met in the 2009 NIT Tip-Off Championship Game at Madison Square Garden which Duke won, 68-59. The Blue Devils are 20-1 all-time (10-0 in NCAA Tournament games) at the Meadowlands, while UConn is 12-8 at the venue, 1-1 in the 1990 NCAA East Regional and 11-7 vs. former Big East rival Seton Hall.

Tickets will go on sale Friday, June 20 at 10:00 am (ET) through Ticketmaster and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com<http://www.ticketmaster.com> or by phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets will be available at the IZOD Center Box Office beginning Monday, June 23 at 11:00 am. For more information, visit izodcenter.com<http://www.izodcenter.com>.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to play Connecticut at the IZOD Center next season," said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. "We have a strong fan base in the New York / New Jersey area and I am sure Connecticut will have great fan support as well. It is always special to play in front of terrific crowds and it should be an outstanding game between two talented teams. Connecticut is obviously coming off a championship season and has excellent personnel returning. Coach Ollie has done a terrific job running the program and we look forward to the challenge."

Duke, coming off a 26-9 campaign last season, returns three players with extensive starting experience and seven letterwinners overall. Senior Quinn Cook and junior Rasheed Sulaimon provide a veteran presence in the backcourt, while Amile Jefferson is coming off a solid sophomore season in 2013-14. Cook and Sulaimon combined to average 21.5 points and 6.8 assists per game a year ago, while shooting 38.6 percent (108-of-280) from three-point range and 79.1 percent (163-of-206) from the charity stripe. Jefferson shot a team-best 64.4 percent (94-of-146) from the field and averaged 6.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Junior Marshall Plumlee (1.3 points / 2.2 rebounds per game) along with sophomores Matt Jones and Semi Ojeleye are prepared to take on larger roles this season after gaining valuable experience a year ago.

Duke's veteran group will be complimented in 2014-15 by the top ranked recruiting class in the country. Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow were each named to the McDonald's All-America team with all four players ranking among the top 35 recruits in the country by the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. Allen is a talented guard out of Florida that showcased his athleticism by winning the Powerade Jam Fest Dunk Contest. Jones, the top-rated point guard in the class, was a three-time Minnesota State Player of the Year and closed out his career with 2,909 points, 1,131 assists and 369 steals. Okafor, the No. 1 player overall by most recruiting outlets, was named the National High School Player of the Year after averaging 24.1 points and 11.3 rebounds while leading Whitney Young, to a 28-5 record and a 4A state title in Illinois. Winslow is a two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year out of Texas and one of the most versatile two-way players in the country. He averaged 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.8 steals per game as a senior at Saint John's [Houston]. Jones, Okafor and Winslow also have extensive USA Basketball experience with each player winning a pair of gold medals as well as participating in the 2014 Nike Hoop Summit.

The UConn men's basketball team won the national championship in 2014 - its fourth since 1999. The Huskies began the tournament as a No. 7 seed and along their NCAA run beat a who's who of programs including Florida and Kentucky in the Final Four. The Huskies became the first no. 7 seed in the history of the NCAA tournament to win the national championship.

The 2014-15 Huskies will be led by senior guard Ryan Boatright, who was named to the NCAA All-Final Four team and averaged 12.1 points per game last year to go along with 3.4 assists. Junior Phil Nolan started 19 games last year - including all six in the NCAA tournament - returns at center. Junior guard Terrence Samuel, a Brooklyn product, scored 11 points in UConn's NCAA third round win vs. Villanova and showed great improvement as the season went on. Sophomore center Amida Brimah led UConn with 92 blocks and was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie team.

The Huskies will be bolstered by the addition of former McDonald's All-American guard and North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year Rodney Purvis, eligible after sitting out last season following his transfer from North Carolina State. Purvis averaged 8.3 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Wolfpack in 35 games in 2012-13 and was an ACC Rookie of the Week selection. Also joining the Huskies will be freshman forward Daniel Hamilton, who averaged 20.5 points, 9 rebounds and 5.2 assists as he led St. John Bosco High to the California Division II state championship; Junior College First Team All-American Sam Cassell Jr., who averaged 18.7 points and 3.7 assists for Chipola College (Florida); and Rakim Lubin, the Georgia 3A Player of the Year, who averaged 20.2 points and 12.1 rebounds at Buford High School.

"We are very much looking forward to playing against Duke at the IZOD Center this December," said UConn head coach Kevin Ollie. "Our series against Duke includes some of the most exciting and most meaningful games in UConn basketball history and we have the utmost respect for Coach Krzyzewski and his program. Plus, it will be wonderful to return to the IZOD Center, where UConn has a long history. It not only gives our fans in the New York-New Jersey area a chance to watch us play, but is close enough to allow our great fans from Connecticut to come and support us."

The last time UConn faced Michigan State, a special tradition built on team unity developed. The entire team, at Kevin Ollie's urging, crowded behind Ollie during his postgame ESPN interview with Andy Katz. The Huskies have continued doing it ever since, and that's the the focus of my story for Sunday's Register in advance of their Elite Eight bout with the Spartans on Sunday at 2:20 p.m.

Meantime, here's some video of UConn players talking about that special win over Michigan State on Nov. 9, 2012, and the tradition that started afterwards:





*** A few more odds and ends:

LeBron James sent out this tweet supporting his former Cleveland Cavalier teammate, Kevin Ollie, on Saturday:

Wanna send a HUGE S/O to my former teammate Kevin Ollie and UCONN on advancing to the Elite 8. Keep it going K.O. #StriveForGreatness
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 29, 2014

*** Ollie was asked about the playful slap to the face he gave Terrence Samuel during his postgame interview on Friday night.

"We were just goofing around," Ollie said. "It wasn't (a) big deal. So we were just goofing around and they play a game, and they were putting bunny ears behind me. It just wasn't (anything)."

In case you haven't heard, UConn is back in a New York groove for Friday's Sweet Sixteen bout with Iowa State. Huskies might just have a bit of a home court advantage.

It's not just the sights and sounds of New York that make it special to those who grew up in the Big Apple. It's the smells, too.

“When we got here on the bus, all the people from New York were like, ‘Man, it smells different here,'" Brooklyn native Omar Calhoun said on Thursday ."It’s definitely good to be home."

Calhoun is one of four Husky players on the UConn roster with New York roots, along with fellow Brooklynites Terrence Samuel and walk-on Tor Watts, as well as Kentan Facey, who grew up in Jamaica but moved to Long Island about four years ago.

“As a kid growing up in New York, playing basketball, you always dream of playing in Madison Square Garden," Calhoun said. "There’s nothing better than this.”

Of course, Calhoun has had better times on the basketball floor than this season. The sophomore guard hasn't scored a point since Feb. 6, and played exactly one minute in the Huskies' first two NCAA tournament games against St. Joe's and Villanova last week (one minute vs. the Hawks, DNP vs. the Wildcats). The few times he has touched the ball in recent weeks, it seems something always goes wrong.

Calhoun, who averaged 11.1 points per game as a freshman, attributes his woes to off-season surgery on both hips and the inability to work out over the summer at all.

“It’s been tough for me, coming off off-season surgery, not having time to work on my game," he said. "But I’m trying to stay team-oriented, helping guys, because I’ve still got knowledge for the game, even though I’m not all the way back where I need to be. I’m just trying to do what I can to help the team out.”

There has been plenty of speculation that Calhoun may want to transfer after this season. But that doesn't appear to be in his plans right now. Asked if he believes his future is at UConn, Calhoun said: “Yeah, yeah, definitely. Coach Ollie’s a great guy, he definitely knows what kind of player I am. He’s going to keep working with me. Off-season, I’m definitely going to put a lot of work in and build in to be the kind of player I’m supposed to be.”

But it's not the off-season yet. Just imagine what a great story it would be if Omar Calhoun, the New York kid, broke out of his season-long slump and made some sort of big contribution for the Huskies Friday night at the Garden.

“That’s definitely what I’m looking to do," he said. "Playing at home, if I get the opportunity to make big plays to help this team win … everyone knows I can do that, so that’s definitely what my mind’s still focused on.”

*** Here's UConn at its open practice on Thursday at the Garden. The practice was open to the public, though not much of a crowd showed. Probably had something to do with the fact that it was at noon on a Thursday:

*** Facey's freshman season has been marked by inconsistent playing time, as well. There have been highlights (10 points against USF, seven points and seven boards vs. Cincinnati), but for the most part, the PT hasn't been there. He's played exactly one minute in UConn's last four games (in garbage of time of the Round of 32 win over 'Nova).

He's not complaining.

“Being in the Sweet Sixteen kind of covers up for a lot," he said. "Not playing a lot, you know you’re on a good team so you‘ve got a good chance to learn from guys who are seniors or experienced vets. I don’t mind not playing, because I get to learn from them each day.”

He's happy to see fellow frosh Terrence Samuel getting some productive run lately.

“Terrence needs to go out there and take charge of this team. ‘Bazz being a senior, he needs to learn as much as he can from him right now.”

*** With the recent NLRB ruling stating that Northwestern football players (and, by extension, college athletes at private institutions) can unionize, Shabazz Napier was asked whether he feels like an "employee" at UConn.

“I don’t see myself as so much as an employee," Napier said. "But when you see your jersey getting sold, it may not have your last name on it, but to some (degree), you want something in return. Sometimes it feels that way. But I don’t think student-athletes should get hundreds of thousands of dollars. But there are hungry nights, when I go to bed starving. Something can change, something should change. But if it doesn’t, at the end of the day, we’ve been doing it this way so long …”