Upon taking over as school president in June, Susan Herbst created a President’s Athletic Advisory Committee, comprised by some of the university’s most well-respected faculty members. The committee implemented a plan aimed to improve UConn’s APR in men’s basketball – and, indeed, for all sports – moving forward.
While it's obviously still very early to see the fruits of this plan, all signs point to UConn being on the right track. Nothing will be official until the spring, but we're told that the Huskies' APR for the 2010-11 team should be 975. Donnell Beverly and Charles Okwandu have both graduated, and while Kemba Walker hasn’t earned his degree yet, he left the program in good academic standing.
The only point UConn will likely loss will be for Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who didn’t have a high enough grade-point average before transferring to Hofstra, according to a source.
(UConn in the clear for this season's NCAA tourney)
Even with this improved APR, however, it won’t be enough to lift the Huskies’ four-year rolling average above 900. Don't forget: while adding the 975 score, UConn will lose a decent 946 APR from the 2006-07 team.
Here are the five aims of UConn's APR plan, and what UConn has already done (or not done) to make strides on each point:
* Ensure that student-athletes who leave to pursue professionally opportunities are academically eligible as they depart the University. (Kemba Walker left in good academic standing)
* Actively encourage former student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility to return to the Institution to complete their degree programs by utilizing the National Consortium for Academic and Sport Degree Completion program. (It doesn't appear any recent players have come back to complete their degree. That Scott Burrell finally earned his diploma a few years ago and Ray Allen has apparently talked about doing the same is something the university is happy about and wholeheartedly encourages -- and may even earn them some "bonus points" -- but doesn't have much if any effect on the APR)
* In order to make significant progress toward graduation, continuing student-athletes will be required to enroll in a minimum of nine credit hours during summer school.
* Provide enhanced academic support services (Study Skill techniques, Freshman Year Experience classes, etc.) in the summer prior to initial full-time enrollment and the fall semester of the student-athletes freshman year.
* Decrease the number of student-athletes who transfer from the institution with eligibility remaining. (Coombs-McDaniel still earned the program three out of four points)
Showing posts with label Donnell Beverly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donnell Beverly. Show all posts
A couple of UConn tidbits this evening:
*** Worried about the leadership vacuum created by the departure of Kemba Walker and Donnell Beverly? Don't be. At least for now. Alex Oriakhi and Shabazz Napier have been named de facto captains this summer, and both are showing tremendous leadership skills, according to Jim Calhoun and George Blaney.
*** Kevin Ollie did a tremendous job in leading the charge in recruiting DeAndre Daniels. It involved a lot of footwork, a lot of work overall, but it has obviously paid off. Now's as good a time as any to remind you all of what a great hire Ollie was for the program.
*** Jim Calhoun attended a two-day NCAA seminar down in Tampa earlier this week, with college coaches from across the land. He said he spent much of his time with Rich Rodriguez, talking about "life in general."
"It was semi-interesting, semi-boring," he said of the seminars, which lasted eight hours the first day and five the second and had to do mostly with rule changes and things like that.
*** As of right now, Calhoun doesn't believe there will be any more departures from the roster. Of course, that could always change by the end of the summer.
*** With Walker gone, Calhoun noted, the team had the choice of going with more size or more offense. It has chosen the latter.
Running out of adjectives here to describe UConn's incredible run to the Final Four. Let's let Jim Calhoun try:
“I don’t know where it stands in NCAA postseason play, but it’s got to stand somewhere, these nine games, because I’ve never seen a team do what these kids have done.”
He later added:
"Emeka Okafor is in our locker room right now, and his team was a powerful, older team that rolled through. We had one tough game, against Duke, but won a national championship and that was special, and the first one (1999) was obviously very special.
“But this – our march in the past nine games, I haven’t experienced anything like this and the resiliency we’ve had.”
Ah yes, Okafor. He was in town, with his New Orleans Hornets playing the Lakers on Sunday night, and he is thoroughly impressed with this year's UConn team.
“They’re a strong, tough group who doesn’t understand the definition of ‘can’t,’” he said. “‘Can’t’ is not in their vocabulary. From the five games in the Big East to coming out here, basically on a road game against San Diego (State) and here, and getting the job done.”
One other interesting tidbit: Kemba Walker and Donnell Beverly are now the only UConn players ever to advance to two Final Four. It is, of course, the Huskies' fourth trip to the Final Four and second in three years.
We'll have some video of Emeka Okafor talking UConn and Jim Calhoun cutting down the nets a little later. For now, here is the game story and notebook from tonight's 65-63 UConn victory.
“I don’t know where it stands in NCAA postseason play, but it’s got to stand somewhere, these nine games, because I’ve never seen a team do what these kids have done.”
He later added:
"Emeka Okafor is in our locker room right now, and his team was a powerful, older team that rolled through. We had one tough game, against Duke, but won a national championship and that was special, and the first one (1999) was obviously very special.
“But this – our march in the past nine games, I haven’t experienced anything like this and the resiliency we’ve had.”
Ah yes, Okafor. He was in town, with his New Orleans Hornets playing the Lakers on Sunday night, and he is thoroughly impressed with this year's UConn team.
“They’re a strong, tough group who doesn’t understand the definition of ‘can’t,’” he said. “‘Can’t’ is not in their vocabulary. From the five games in the Big East to coming out here, basically on a road game against San Diego (State) and here, and getting the job done.”
One other interesting tidbit: Kemba Walker and Donnell Beverly are now the only UConn players ever to advance to two Final Four. It is, of course, the Huskies' fourth trip to the Final Four and second in three years.
We'll have some video of Emeka Okafor talking UConn and Jim Calhoun cutting down the nets a little later. For now, here is the game story and notebook from tonight's 65-63 UConn victory.
A Jim Calhoun quote:
"No matter how this season ends up, it's going to end up as a wonderful season. I guarantee that, it will ... I've enjoyed being around these kids. It's been a fun year."
So when did Calhoun utter these words? Last week, after UConn's miracle run through the Big East tourney? Saturday night, after its win over Cincinnati that put the Huskies into the Sweet 16 later this week in Anaheim?
Neither. Calhoun made this statement back on Feb. 9, the day before UConn's game against St. John's and on the heels of two losses in its prior three games.
The Huskies would, of course, get blown out by the Red Storm at the Garden the following night, as well. But you really get the sense that Calhoun meant those words then just as much as he did on Saturday night when he said the following:
“This has been an incredible journey with these kids, and I would have said this had things turned the other way. We can’t wait to get out to California and keep playing and keep being with this group. This is such a special team for me, certainly.”
Really? Would Calhoun, one of sports’ most tenacious competitors, really still have felt this way if UConn had, say, lost to Georgetown in the second round of the Big East tournament, then been knocked out of the first weekend of the Big Dance?
Honestly, I believe so. Oh, he'd be a grump for a day or two, but upon reflection, he'd truly treasure everything this team has brought him.
Because this is an extremely close-knit bunch of kids who are likeable and fun to be around. They truly seem to enjoy each other’s company, none of the egos or petty jealousies that may have fueled last year’s bitterly disappointing season. As much publicity as Kemba Walker has rightfully earned, his teammates don’t appear to begrudge him at all and, in fact, speak of him in the glowing terms reserved for players they idolize – or even greater influences.
“We’re going to go as far as God lets us,” freshman guard Shabazz Napier said Saturday night.
“God and Kemba,” a reporter quipped.
Napier had to pause for a moment and smile before admitting, “There’s God … and Kemba’s nowhere near God.”
Tell that to a UConn fan. But we digress ...
It's clear that this group has helped Calhoun through another trying season. Last month, the program was punished by the NCAA for violations in the recruitment of Nate Miles. Calhoun was suspended for the first three Big East games of next season, a sanction he clearly disagreed with but eventually opted not to appeal. A few days later, Calhoun’s sister-in-law passed away. He missed a game while attending the funeral and talked about how there are “more important things in life” than basketball.
But watching this group enjoy each other’s company, as well as improve on the basketball court, seems to be therapeutic to Calhoun. There’s really not a bad story in the group: the emergence of Walker as perhaps the very best player in the nation and Jeremy Lamb as a star on the rise; the improved inside play and toughness of Alex Oriakhi, the boundless athleticism of Roscoe Smith and the enthusiasm and leadership-beyond-his years of Napier; the steady leadership of senior Donnell Beverly and the surprising recent contributions from a senior (Charles Okwandu) and a freshman (Tyler Olander).
And there don’t seem to be any malcontents in this bunch. Sure, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel may pout a bit after getting a tongue-lashing from Calhoun and riding the pine for a while. But a half hour later, he’s the first off the bench to mob walk-on Benjamin Stewart for scoring his first-ever basket, and the next night he’s in for Smith 14 seconds into the game and scoring 10 first-half points against the Bearcats.
Calhoun’s perspective on this season is enough to make one wonder whether he’s pondering retirement whenever this run ends. With most of the key players back next season, UConn could be strong again. But with Walker almost certainly heading to the NBA, and with blue-chip recruit Andre Drummond likely to opt for another year of prep school, the Huskies probably won't be national championship contenders.
Whether UConn’s season ends at the hands of San Diego State on Thursday in Anaheim, Calif., or two days later against – be still CBS’s beating hearts – Duke, or if the Huskies complete their miracle mission and reach Calhoun’s fourth Final Four or, somehow, capture his third national championship, would it all be enough on which to ride off into the sunset?
It certainly all bears watching. But one thing is certain: this team and this season was as special to Jim Calhoun back in the middling days of early February as it is right now.
The trip to Anaheim to face San Diego State in the Sweet 16 will be a sort of homecoming for senior guard Donnell Beverly, who grew up about 45 minutes away in Los Angeles. It’ll be the closest Beverly has played to home in his four years at UConn.
“It’s a blessing,” Beverly said. “When I saw the bracket, I was hoping we’d get this far, and we did it. We’re in the Sweet 16, and it’s a real accomplishment to get this far.”
He expects numerous friends and family to want to attend the game.
“I’m going to need everybody on the team’s tickets,” Beverly added. “Hopefully, I can show some guys around, get them some In-N-Out burgers and some things they haven’t had before.”
Alex Oriakhi says the Huskies have a motto.
"'Maui in Manhattan,'" he said after Friday night's overtime win over Syracuse. "We're all having fun. It feels like Maui again."
Minus a few degrees on the thermometer, it certainly must. At the Maui Invitational back just before Thanksgiving, the Huskies won three games in three days to cop the title. They beat some good teams, too: Wichita State, Michigan State and Kentucky.
Now, UConn has one-upped that performance with four wins in four days at the Big East tournament. OK, DePaul stinks, but Georgetown, Pittsburgh and now the 'Cuse are all NCAA tourney teams.
So what is it about this team in game-a-day, tournament play? Heck if they know.
"I don't know," Kemba Walker shrugged. "I guess you could say, the bright lights are on, it's our time to shine. Everybody said we couldn't do this, and we're shocking the world."
"I don't know what's going on right now," Alex Oriakhi added, "but we're all just playing together. We all were unhappy with the way we played in the past, losing four out of five. But we're not looking back. Everybody's playing together and helping Kemba out."
There's no reason for the Huskies to stop and think why they play so well in this type of format, but here's my theory: they have a great player in Walker, who can (and has) put the team on his back while it gains momentum through a tournament, builds confidence with each win and gets other players to start believing in themselves.
Look no further than Tyler Olander tonight. Just about every player on UConn's roster has had a highlight game somewhere along the line this season: Jamal Coombs-McDaniel has had a few, Niels Giffey, Charles Okwandu, even Donnell Beverly. Not Olander ... until Friday night.
He scored seven points (matching his season-high), grabbed six rebounds and doled out a pair of assists in 27 minutes of action. He was aggressive, taking nine shots and really crashing the boards, and even managed to commit only one two fouls (a frequent bugaboo of his).
"This feels great, just because we've all been working hard all year, we've all had our struggles," Olander said. "To come into this game (and contribute), it's crazy."
The Mansfield resident admits he doubted himself at times this season when the minutes weren't there and, when they were, the production wasn't.
"A little bit, because at the beginning I struggled a lot, things weren't going right, I was missing easy shots. For this game to (come) on this night, it's pretty special."
His teammates were happy for him, too.
"I was so happy for him," said Oriakhi. "I know how he felt, not playing sometimes, not even playing good sometimes. I told him I know exactly what you're going through. But I told him, you never know when your number's called, and he performed tonight."
Added Walker: "I was extremely happy. He was confident, he came in, hit a big jump shot. He showed poise out there. It's good to see him gain some confidence, because he's a really good player and he doesn't know it."
*** Oh yeah, Walker: 33 points, 12 rebounds (!), six steals, five assists. He'll be the tourney MVP, even if UConn loses Saturday night. He's the national player of the year in my book, as I stated yesterday. What more can you say at this point?
*** A pair of apparent goaltending calls against both teams weren't called, essentially nullifying each other. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel appeared to swipe a Syracuse shot right off the rim with under three minutes left in regulation. It certainly appeared to be basket inteference.
"You think?" Jim Boeheim asked, rhetorically, afterwards.
"What do you think?" Boeheim was asked.
"Nothing. No comment."
WIth less than a minute left in OT, however, it appeared Jeremy Lamb's shot was goaltended by Syracuse's C.J. Fair. Again, no call.
"'Maui in Manhattan,'" he said after Friday night's overtime win over Syracuse. "We're all having fun. It feels like Maui again."
Minus a few degrees on the thermometer, it certainly must. At the Maui Invitational back just before Thanksgiving, the Huskies won three games in three days to cop the title. They beat some good teams, too: Wichita State, Michigan State and Kentucky.
Now, UConn has one-upped that performance with four wins in four days at the Big East tournament. OK, DePaul stinks, but Georgetown, Pittsburgh and now the 'Cuse are all NCAA tourney teams.
So what is it about this team in game-a-day, tournament play? Heck if they know.
"I don't know," Kemba Walker shrugged. "I guess you could say, the bright lights are on, it's our time to shine. Everybody said we couldn't do this, and we're shocking the world."
"I don't know what's going on right now," Alex Oriakhi added, "but we're all just playing together. We all were unhappy with the way we played in the past, losing four out of five. But we're not looking back. Everybody's playing together and helping Kemba out."
There's no reason for the Huskies to stop and think why they play so well in this type of format, but here's my theory: they have a great player in Walker, who can (and has) put the team on his back while it gains momentum through a tournament, builds confidence with each win and gets other players to start believing in themselves.
Look no further than Tyler Olander tonight. Just about every player on UConn's roster has had a highlight game somewhere along the line this season: Jamal Coombs-McDaniel has had a few, Niels Giffey, Charles Okwandu, even Donnell Beverly. Not Olander ... until Friday night.
He scored seven points (matching his season-high), grabbed six rebounds and doled out a pair of assists in 27 minutes of action. He was aggressive, taking nine shots and really crashing the boards, and even managed to commit only one two fouls (a frequent bugaboo of his).
"This feels great, just because we've all been working hard all year, we've all had our struggles," Olander said. "To come into this game (and contribute), it's crazy."
The Mansfield resident admits he doubted himself at times this season when the minutes weren't there and, when they were, the production wasn't.
"A little bit, because at the beginning I struggled a lot, things weren't going right, I was missing easy shots. For this game to (come) on this night, it's pretty special."
His teammates were happy for him, too.
"I was so happy for him," said Oriakhi. "I know how he felt, not playing sometimes, not even playing good sometimes. I told him I know exactly what you're going through. But I told him, you never know when your number's called, and he performed tonight."
Added Walker: "I was extremely happy. He was confident, he came in, hit a big jump shot. He showed poise out there. It's good to see him gain some confidence, because he's a really good player and he doesn't know it."
*** Oh yeah, Walker: 33 points, 12 rebounds (!), six steals, five assists. He'll be the tourney MVP, even if UConn loses Saturday night. He's the national player of the year in my book, as I stated yesterday. What more can you say at this point?
*** A pair of apparent goaltending calls against both teams weren't called, essentially nullifying each other. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel appeared to swipe a Syracuse shot right off the rim with under three minutes left in regulation. It certainly appeared to be basket inteference.
"You think?" Jim Boeheim asked, rhetorically, afterwards.
"What do you think?" Boeheim was asked.
"Nothing. No comment."
WIth less than a minute left in OT, however, it appeared Jeremy Lamb's shot was goaltended by Syracuse's C.J. Fair. Again, no call.
If there was any doubt that Kemba Walker appears certain to declare for this year's NBA draft, the fact that he'll be participating in Saturday's Senior Day festivities at Gampel Pavilion should erase that doubt.
Walker, a junior, along with seniors Charles Okwandu and Donnell Beverly and head manager Jordan Rich will participate. Walk-on Kyle Bailey is planning to return for another year, and can do so since he did not see any game action in 2007-08.
Walker, a junior, along with seniors Charles Okwandu and Donnell Beverly and head manager Jordan Rich will participate. Walk-on Kyle Bailey is planning to return for another year, and can do so since he did not see any game action in 2007-08.
Three words sum it all up: No postseason ban.
Isn't that what it's really all about? Sure, the NCAA's sanctions against UConn are everything from minor to embarassing to legitimately hurtful. But when it's all said and done, the lack of a postseason ban is really what Husky fans care about the most.
And if you listen to committee of infractions chairman Dr. Dennis Thomas, a postseason ban could have happened.
“There are a lot of options the committee has in its quiver,”
said Thomas, who is the commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. “Based upon all of those options, which is inclusive of a postseason ban, we decided to implement the penalties as said forth in the public release.”
Let’s break down what each of the NCAA’s sanctions against UConn means to the program and to Jim Calhoun, and how everything that transpired today affects the program going forward.
Public reprimand and censure.
Little more than public embarrassment. Jim Calhoun takes his image, legacy and place in the history of the game seriously, so I’m sure he’s not happy about it. But it is what it is. Does anybody even remember that Charles Rangel was publicly censured a few months ago? Didn’t think so.
Three years of probation from February 22, 2011, through February 21, 2014. The public infractions report further details the conditions of this probation.
The NCAA adds a year to what UConn already self-imposed. Hardly the end of the world.
The head coach must be suspended from all coaching duties for the first three conference games of the 2011-12 season. He cannot be present in the arena where the games are played and cannot have contact with the coaching staff or student-athletes during the games.
Embarassing, no doubt. A little surprising, too, that the long arm of the NCAA extends into specifically suspending a coach from conference play. Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl was suspended for the first eight SEC games this season for misleading NCAA investigators (sound familiar?), but that was levied by the SEC itself. The NCAA has yet to punish Pearl (who, ironically, coached against UConn, a non-conference foe, in the middle of that suspension last month).
Two-year show-cause order for the former operations director (February 22, 2011, through February 21, 2013). The public report further details the conditions of this penalty.
This obviously only affects Beau Archibald. According to a source, Archibald will appeal this decision.
Permanent disassociation of the involved booster. The public infractions report includes further details.
Did you really think the program would ever associated itself with Josh Nochimson again?
Reduction of men's basketball athletics scholarships from 13 to 12 for the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.
NCAA adds one more year to UConn’s self-imposed two-year sanctions. Not a shock, and certainly not a back-breaker. Consider: UConn has 12 scholarship players this season (per its own self-imposed sanctions). Seniors Donnell Beverly and Charles Okwandu are gone after this year, and in all likelihood, so is Kemba Walker to the NBA. That’s three spots open for next year, maybe more if there are any of the usual transfers, etc. One spot has been filled by Chicago point guard Ryan Boatright. The Huskies will have at least two spots open for next year and the year after, since everyone else on this year’s roster is a sophomore or freshman. That’s enough.
I’m going to lump these next four together:
Ban on men’s basketball recruiting calls during the 2011-12 academic year until 30 days after the first day that phone calls are allowed.
Reduction in the number of men’s basketball coaches allowed to make phone calls from three to two, not including the head basketball coach, for six months after the university’s response to the notice of allegations (self-imposed by the university).
Reduction of the number of men’s basketball off-campus recruiting days by 40, from 130 to 90, for the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 recruiting periods.
Limit of five official paid visits for men’s basketball for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.
None of these are good for the Huskies, particularly the reduction of off-campus recruiting days. But again, UConn has a host of good, young players already in stock, and it’s a good bet the Huskies will still be able to get good players despite these sanctions.
The head coach, assistant coach and all members of the compliance staff must attend the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar.
Whatever.
Bottom line: Jim Calhoun says he is “very disappointed” in the NCAA’s findings. I’m sure there is a part of him – the extremely prideful part, the part that will never go down without a fight, the part that is very protective of his place in the history of the game – that is disappointed.
But there almost has to be another part of Calhoun that is a bit relieved that the sanctions weren’t worse. There is no postseason ban, which is about the only thing that most UConn fans really, truly cared about. The lack of a postseason ban and the cloud finally being lifted off the program should be enough to satisfy prospective recruits and limit any more negative recruiting that may be going around.
If nothing else, Calhoun is guilty of his overzealous pursuit of Nate Miles. Now, he’s paying the piper – but the price could have been a lot worse. UConn is going to the NCAA tournament this season and can for seasons to come, as well, provided it deserves a bid.
Isn't that what it's really all about? Sure, the NCAA's sanctions against UConn are everything from minor to embarassing to legitimately hurtful. But when it's all said and done, the lack of a postseason ban is really what Husky fans care about the most.
And if you listen to committee of infractions chairman Dr. Dennis Thomas, a postseason ban could have happened.
“There are a lot of options the committee has in its quiver,”
said Thomas, who is the commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. “Based upon all of those options, which is inclusive of a postseason ban, we decided to implement the penalties as said forth in the public release.”
Let’s break down what each of the NCAA’s sanctions against UConn means to the program and to Jim Calhoun, and how everything that transpired today affects the program going forward.
Public reprimand and censure.
Little more than public embarrassment. Jim Calhoun takes his image, legacy and place in the history of the game seriously, so I’m sure he’s not happy about it. But it is what it is. Does anybody even remember that Charles Rangel was publicly censured a few months ago? Didn’t think so.
Three years of probation from February 22, 2011, through February 21, 2014. The public infractions report further details the conditions of this probation.
The NCAA adds a year to what UConn already self-imposed. Hardly the end of the world.
The head coach must be suspended from all coaching duties for the first three conference games of the 2011-12 season. He cannot be present in the arena where the games are played and cannot have contact with the coaching staff or student-athletes during the games.
Embarassing, no doubt. A little surprising, too, that the long arm of the NCAA extends into specifically suspending a coach from conference play. Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl was suspended for the first eight SEC games this season for misleading NCAA investigators (sound familiar?), but that was levied by the SEC itself. The NCAA has yet to punish Pearl (who, ironically, coached against UConn, a non-conference foe, in the middle of that suspension last month).
Two-year show-cause order for the former operations director (February 22, 2011, through February 21, 2013). The public report further details the conditions of this penalty.
This obviously only affects Beau Archibald. According to a source, Archibald will appeal this decision.
Permanent disassociation of the involved booster. The public infractions report includes further details.
Did you really think the program would ever associated itself with Josh Nochimson again?
Reduction of men's basketball athletics scholarships from 13 to 12 for the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.
NCAA adds one more year to UConn’s self-imposed two-year sanctions. Not a shock, and certainly not a back-breaker. Consider: UConn has 12 scholarship players this season (per its own self-imposed sanctions). Seniors Donnell Beverly and Charles Okwandu are gone after this year, and in all likelihood, so is Kemba Walker to the NBA. That’s three spots open for next year, maybe more if there are any of the usual transfers, etc. One spot has been filled by Chicago point guard Ryan Boatright. The Huskies will have at least two spots open for next year and the year after, since everyone else on this year’s roster is a sophomore or freshman. That’s enough.
I’m going to lump these next four together:
Ban on men’s basketball recruiting calls during the 2011-12 academic year until 30 days after the first day that phone calls are allowed.
Reduction in the number of men’s basketball coaches allowed to make phone calls from three to two, not including the head basketball coach, for six months after the university’s response to the notice of allegations (self-imposed by the university).
Reduction of the number of men’s basketball off-campus recruiting days by 40, from 130 to 90, for the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 recruiting periods.
Limit of five official paid visits for men’s basketball for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.
None of these are good for the Huskies, particularly the reduction of off-campus recruiting days. But again, UConn has a host of good, young players already in stock, and it’s a good bet the Huskies will still be able to get good players despite these sanctions.
The head coach, assistant coach and all members of the compliance staff must attend the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar.
Whatever.
Bottom line: Jim Calhoun says he is “very disappointed” in the NCAA’s findings. I’m sure there is a part of him – the extremely prideful part, the part that will never go down without a fight, the part that is very protective of his place in the history of the game – that is disappointed.
But there almost has to be another part of Calhoun that is a bit relieved that the sanctions weren’t worse. There is no postseason ban, which is about the only thing that most UConn fans really, truly cared about. The lack of a postseason ban and the cloud finally being lifted off the program should be enough to satisfy prospective recruits and limit any more negative recruiting that may be going around.
If nothing else, Calhoun is guilty of his overzealous pursuit of Nate Miles. Now, he’s paying the piper – but the price could have been a lot worse. UConn is going to the NCAA tournament this season and can for seasons to come, as well, provided it deserves a bid.
There's one play, in my mind, that best summarizes UConn's 75-57 romp over PC on Sunday night.
With 4:41 left the Friars still in it (trailing 63-55), Kemba Walker got the ball near the top of the key with the shot clock running down. He took a couple of dribbles and seemed primed to hurl up a 3-pointer.
Walker leapt in the air like he was taking a jumper, but instead fired a bullet down low to a wide-open Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who it a reverse layup with about a second left on the shot clock. That kicked off a 12-0 Husky run that shut the door and gave them the victory.
It also represented everything that was right for the Huskies on Sunday. Walker, rather than forcing up a tough shot, distributed the ball beautifully. He did it all night, racking up seven assists while taking just 10 shots -- a season-low. He hit seven of them (including a trio of 3-pointers), to snap out of a seven-game shooting slump (during which he was 38-for-123, 31 percent overall).
And, of course, Coombs-McDaniel had by far his best night as a Husky, with career highs in points (25), rebounds (eight), minutes (31), praises from Jim Calhoun (who labeled his relationship with the player as "stormy") and postgame questions from the media.
"I'd love to ask him, 'Do you think, in the midst of playing six minutes, say, in Hawaii, did you really think you'd come here and score 25 in a game?'" Calhoun said. "He'd say yes, by the way. His ego would say. But I really wondered that. And yet, in the last couple of games, the one thing he does is comes in and plays hard."
Has Calhoun seen frustration from Coombs-McDaniel?
"I did last year. I don't think I saw frustration. The thing he is, he's probably 15, 20 pounds heavier, worked like crazy on weights. Roscoe (Smith) comes in, Niels (Giffey) was great, and then he kind of got stuck. When you win 11, 12 games in a row and you're 17-2, you're not going to make too many changes. But during his struggle, every time we put him in, he gives us a spark. He did that against Seton Hall, as a matter of fact."
Said Coombs: "It's definitely been tough, but I'm just trying to stick with it. Last year, I would sulk and stuff, and that's not doing me any good. I'm just trying to continue to play hard, get better and earn some minutes on the court."
Fittingly, that 12-0 UConn run was also capped by a pass from Walker out on the perimeter to Coombs-McDaniel, who buried a 3-pointer.
Charles Okwandu (six points, career-high 11 rebounds, four loud blocks) played terrific, and Donnell Beverly (five assists) was as steady as ever. But this game was all about Kemba Walker getting back to being Kemba Walker and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (who'll be in the starting lineup Wednesday against Georgetown) having a breakout game.
Kemba's tired.
And frustrated. And upset that he's not getting a consistent whistle. And perhaps simply not as great a shooter as he appeared in the first 15 or so games this season.
But as much as anything, he's tired -- physically and mentally. He's played too many minutes, too often with two or three defenders swarmed over him, preventing him from getting much of anything uncontested. Combine that with the mental fatigue of feeling he has to be "The Man" every night (which is ironic, since Jeremy Lamb has been "The Man" at least the last three games and others have stepped up in recent games, as well), and there's a legit reason why Walker is shooting 31 percent (27-for-88) from the floor in his last five games and 19 percent (4-for-26) from 3-point range in his last four.
In UConn's last five contests, Walker has played 39, 40, 39, 47 and 38 minutes. That's about a combined seven minutes of rest in five games. Couldn't Shabazz Napier be seeing a few more of those minutes? We'd say Donnell Beverly, too, but tonight's performance was about as bad as it gets for that usually steady senior.
In a way, it's hard to say this wasn't expected. Did anyone really think that Walker, all 6-foot-1 (yeah, right), 172 pounds of him, was going to continue to put up 30-point games through the rigors of the Big East schedule? I certainly didn't.
Will Walker -- who scored a season-low eight points on 3-for-14 shooting Wednesday night -- get his groove back? Most likely. But he needs to take some pressure off himself, and Jim Calhoun should try to find a few more minutes here and there for Walker to rest.
*** There was one positive from tonight's 66-58 loss to Syracuse: UConn freshman Niels Giffey saw his most playing time (seven minutes) in the last five games and made the most of it, hitting Charles Okwandu for the assist on a game-tying hoop in the latter half and draining a 3-pointer with 8:35 left to get UConn to within three (48-45). He soon followed with a bad turnover, however, and found himself on the bench the rest of the way.
Okwandu had a trick-or-treat game with eight points and also eight rebounds, but also three turnovers and some misses on easy inside baskets.
After Tuesday night's misleading 67-53 win over Rutgers (it wasn't anywhere near even that close), Jim Calhoun planned to go to his Pomfret home, get the fireplace going and enjoy his first day off in over a week.
The Huskies won't practice Wednesday, enjoying a well-earned day off after a whirlwind prior couple of weeks that saw lots of travel, a marquee road win and Tuesday night's rather blase victory over the woeful Scarlet Knights.
Here's some notes and quotes coming off the Rutgers game:
***UConn (13-2, 2-2 Big East) blitzed out of halftime on a 12-0 run as Rutgers misfired on its first nine shots. Mike Poole ended the Scarlet Knights' drought with a driving layup with 14:45 left, but UConn countered with an 8-0 run and the rout was on.
"Coach really got on us," sophomore forward Alex Oriakhi said. "He said they're showing more energy than we are, they're playing full-speed and we're not. We told each other we've definitely got to pick it up in the second half, at least defensively. The offense is going to come."
Added Kemba Walker: "I thought we came out with a lot of intensity and we just played hard. We played with a lot of effort. That's all it was."
Rutgers (10-6, 1-3) missed 12 of its first 13 to start the latter half, wound up shooting just 35 percent from the floor (including just 3-for-17 on 3-pointers) and earned a verbal lashing from its first-year coach, Mike Rice.
"The mental softness of this team is unbelievable," Rice said, "so you can't expect it to be successful on the road. To do what they did in that six-minute stretch … we'll have to figure it out, that's for sure."
"You've got to fight back," Rice continued, "and, boy, we took a standing eight-count."
***Calhoun sported a Band-Aid on his left cheek during the game, but shrugged it off as a cut while shaving.
"If I could handle that Gillette, I'd be an awful lot better," he said.
*** Roscoe Smith turned his ankle while going in for a layup with 13:17 left in the first half. He made the shot and was fouled, but left the game favoring his ankle and Oriakhi took the free throw (and missed). Smith returned a little less than two minutes later.
***The crowd of 12,527 was fairly impressive, considering that Rutgers is hardly a big draw, and that blizzard-like conditions were in the forecast later in the night.
***Napier is such a sparkplug for this team, whether he's scoring (33 points in two games last week) or distributing (seven assists on Tuesday).
He's also the closest thing I've seen to John Linehan since the little guard was setting Big East steals records at Providence a decade ago. Now, Napier is no John Linehan -- not yet. But his pesky ability to poke away steals, without getting called for reach-ins, is quite Linehanesque.
(For the record, Napier said he's never heard of Linehan but promises to look him up on the Internet to see what I'm talking about).
***Mike Rice on Kemba Walker: "I thought he had it on cruise control all night. Once Oriakhi got it going, he just fed the big fella a little bit."
***Calhoun on:
Oriakhi: "Him touching the ball gives him a boost."
Charles Okwandu, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Napier and Donnell Beverly: "It doesn't show in the stats, but (Charles) is a factor in the middle. Jamal gave us a very good lift. Shabazz was very good again, Donnell Beverly was very good off the bench."
And, on the flip side, on Jeremy Lamb: "I still think Jeremy Lamb has a lot more to show us. He's a terrific offensive player, an incredible kid, he works so hard. He's going to have to work to overcome that he's probably the weakest kid on our team, and he can't keep getting banged on screens."
The Huskies won't practice Wednesday, enjoying a well-earned day off after a whirlwind prior couple of weeks that saw lots of travel, a marquee road win and Tuesday night's rather blase victory over the woeful Scarlet Knights.
Here's some notes and quotes coming off the Rutgers game:
***UConn (13-2, 2-2 Big East) blitzed out of halftime on a 12-0 run as Rutgers misfired on its first nine shots. Mike Poole ended the Scarlet Knights' drought with a driving layup with 14:45 left, but UConn countered with an 8-0 run and the rout was on.
"Coach really got on us," sophomore forward Alex Oriakhi said. "He said they're showing more energy than we are, they're playing full-speed and we're not. We told each other we've definitely got to pick it up in the second half, at least defensively. The offense is going to come."
Added Kemba Walker: "I thought we came out with a lot of intensity and we just played hard. We played with a lot of effort. That's all it was."
Rutgers (10-6, 1-3) missed 12 of its first 13 to start the latter half, wound up shooting just 35 percent from the floor (including just 3-for-17 on 3-pointers) and earned a verbal lashing from its first-year coach, Mike Rice.
"The mental softness of this team is unbelievable," Rice said, "so you can't expect it to be successful on the road. To do what they did in that six-minute stretch … we'll have to figure it out, that's for sure."
"You've got to fight back," Rice continued, "and, boy, we took a standing eight-count."
***Calhoun sported a Band-Aid on his left cheek during the game, but shrugged it off as a cut while shaving.
"If I could handle that Gillette, I'd be an awful lot better," he said.
*** Roscoe Smith turned his ankle while going in for a layup with 13:17 left in the first half. He made the shot and was fouled, but left the game favoring his ankle and Oriakhi took the free throw (and missed). Smith returned a little less than two minutes later.
***The crowd of 12,527 was fairly impressive, considering that Rutgers is hardly a big draw, and that blizzard-like conditions were in the forecast later in the night.
***Napier is such a sparkplug for this team, whether he's scoring (33 points in two games last week) or distributing (seven assists on Tuesday).
He's also the closest thing I've seen to John Linehan since the little guard was setting Big East steals records at Providence a decade ago. Now, Napier is no John Linehan -- not yet. But his pesky ability to poke away steals, without getting called for reach-ins, is quite Linehanesque.
(For the record, Napier said he's never heard of Linehan but promises to look him up on the Internet to see what I'm talking about).
***Mike Rice on Kemba Walker: "I thought he had it on cruise control all night. Once Oriakhi got it going, he just fed the big fella a little bit."
***Calhoun on:
Oriakhi: "Him touching the ball gives him a boost."
Charles Okwandu, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Napier and Donnell Beverly: "It doesn't show in the stats, but (Charles) is a factor in the middle. Jamal gave us a very good lift. Shabazz was very good again, Donnell Beverly was very good off the bench."
And, on the flip side, on Jeremy Lamb: "I still think Jeremy Lamb has a lot more to show us. He's a terrific offensive player, an incredible kid, he works so hard. He's going to have to work to overcome that he's probably the weakest kid on our team, and he can't keep getting banged on screens."
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