SUPER BOWL 2012

Just talked to Andre LaFleur, the former UConn assistant coach who left last April to join Ed Cooley's staff at Providence as associate head coach.

Contrary to popular belief, LaFleur says he didn't leave UConn because he felt he had been passed over by Kevin Ollie on the UConn coaching depth chart. It all came about at last year's Final Four in Houston, when he sat down with Cooley shortly after Cooley had left Fairfield to become PC's new head coach.

"It wasn't something I was even thinking about," LaFleur said. "I was trying to position myself for a few head coaching jobs, and I talked to Ed to see if I could get in the mix for (the Fairfield) job. He told me they wanted to go with a sitting head coach, and Ed and I just started talking from there."

LaFleur left UConn shortly after the Huskies' national championship game over Butler. In fact, he missed the championship parade in Hartford as he readied to take over his new position.

"I was thinking maybe it was time for a change, for different responsibilities," LaFleur said. "I had been at UConn for a while."

Although Jim Calhoun didn't appear very happy about LaFleur's departure the day of the parade, LaFleur insists that Calhoun "understood."

"It should be the goal of every assistant coach to do your job somewhere and one day, have the opportunity to run your own program," LaFleur said. "This seemed like an opportunity to do that someday."

Popular opinion was that LaFleur felt eclipsed by Ollie, the first-year assistant coach who drew raves for his recruiting and inspirational leadership with last year's team. LaFleur insists that's not the case.

"I never felt eclipsed or pushed out by anybody," he said. "I learned a lot from Kevin and from Glen Miller (who took over LaFleur's assistant job). On the court, Kevin brought a lot to the table with drills and practice things from his NBA experience. And I thought Glen was one of the best X's and O's guys ever as a UConn assistant coach."

LaFleur said he still has the same type of recruiting responsibilities as he did at UConn, but now has a lot more responsibilities on the court, with scouting, game preparation, etc.

LaFleur, who last saw Calhoun at the Hoops Hall Classic in mid-January, says he's been rooting for UConn all year. That ends Tuesday night, however, when the Huskies face PC at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence.

"For one game, 40 minutes, we'll be trying to beat them," he said. "The atmosphere is going to be tremendous. Historically, UConn at Providence has not been an easy out."

But he added that he still hasn't counted UConn out for this season just yet.

"I still think they're capable of catching fire," he said. "There's too much talent there."

Hectic day at Big East Media Day. On the short walk over from the subway station to the New York Athletic Club, my Big East umbrella (a gift from last year’s media day) practically ripped apart from the rain and strong winds. Symbolic, I’d say, given the Big East’s current uncertain state.

Got there at 10 a.m., just as the event was getting underway. I made out better than Jim Calhoun, who didn’t arrive until about 11 a.m. after getting stuck in traffic on his drive from Storrs. He said he left Storrs at about 6:30 a.m.

Calhoun is always a bit fashionably late for his availability to the media throng at this event, but never 45 minutes tardy like today.

“A new record,” he boasted.

Obviously, he was the subject of lots of interest from the assembled media. Calhoun mostly repeated what he’s been saying all along: that he wants to stay in the Big East, but will look out for what’s best for UConn.

“We’re in the best basketball conference in America, and that’s where we want to play,” he said. “The Big East made so many things possible for Connecticut, for me and my players. We’d love to be in the Big East.”

He did note, however, that he has been and will continue to be reaching out to his connections in the ACC and Big 12.

Here are some of the more interesting quotes I gathered throughout the day:

ALEX ORIAKHI:


(on UConn’s strong frontcourt)

“The good thing with our big men, we’re not a black hole. If you throw it into us and we see an open man, we’re willing to pass. I think our wings know that.”

(on Andre Drummond)

“He’s just a crazy athlete, man. The thing about his, with all the hype around him, you’d think he’d be arrogant. But he’s not. He listens. I try to coach him out there and tell him what he’s doing wrong, and he just takes it in like sponge. That’s the greatest part about him. When you have a kid with that much talent and is willing to listen and get better … the sky’s the limit.”

(on what Drummond needs to do to improve)

“He’s definitely still raw. He has to get a better understanding of actually playing the game. He’s so athletic, he does everything off pure athleticism. But once he’s able to get a face-up jump shot or a jump-hook, he can really be unstoppable. I think he has to work on his overall skill set. Once he does that, he’s going to be real scary.”

SHABAZZ NAPIER:


(on what Drummond needs to get better at)

“He needs to improve on a lot, like we all do. The one thing he’s been working on is his post moves. That’s one thing, coming in, he wasn’t really good at. I can tell you now he’s improved a lot. His ability to get to the glass and post his man up underneath the basket is one of the best I’ve seen. He just wants to get better, and that’s one thing about the guy I like. He wants to be the best player he can be.

JEREMY LAMB:

(on whether he’s thought if this will be his last year in college)

“I haven’t been thinking about that. I’m in college right now, I’m on the team right now.”

(on his own confidence level)

“I definitely have more confidence. Just the fact that I’m going to be a sophomore this year and I know how the Big East is.”

But …

“I don’t think my confidence is where it should be right now. My shot’s been falling, but I’ve been missing too many little shots that I probably should make.”


CALHOUN

(on freshmen Drummond, DeAndre Daniels and Ryan Boatright)

“Our three freshmen are really, really good players. All three are terrific.”

(on Drummond)

“You go out on the street and find me a 6-11, 277-pound kid that can touch the top of the backboard, I’ll find a place to fit him in.

“The biggest surprise is just how athletic he is, and how he can do so many effective things right now, instinctively. I’m not gonna tell him, but he’s really talented. He doesn’t know how talented he is yet, so we’re going to keep it a secret between us.

“Now, the thing is to take this athletic, wonderful kid who listens all the time, and turn it into a terrific basketball player. He’s not that yet, he really isn’t. But he’s got some things you just can’t teach.”

PROVIDENCE COACH ED COOLEY

(on Andre LaFleur, who left UConn to become Cooley’s associate head coach)

“Andre’s been tremendous. He thought it was a different opportunity. To this day, he tells me he misses Connecticut. He loves Jim Calhoun, he’s a father figure to him … but he also thought it was a chance to spread his wings and do something different. He’s added a great element to our program, given us a good profile. We’re really, really fortunate to have Andre.”

“I didn’t ask him why he left … maybe it just was a change. I’ve never asked him that, because I really don’t care.”

(on another Andre … you guessed it – Drummond)

“Great player. I’ve watched him for two years in the summertime, obviously watched him a lot this summer with the young men we recruited who were on his team. Jim’s going to do a great job with him. He’s a tremendous talent.”

A few other tidbits:

*** In the national preseason polls for Blue Ribbon Yearbook, Athlon Sports, Sporting News, Lindy’s, ESPN.com and Yahoo ! Sports, UConn is ranked, respectively: No. 5, 4, 4, 8, 6 and 7. First AP poll of the season will be released on Friday, Oct. 28.

*** Calhoun said that Rudy Gay and Ben Gordon may be practicing with the team this weekend. Kemba Walker and Hasheem Thabeet apparently have already done so.

*** This is the ninth time that UConn has been picked to finish first in the preseason coaches’ poll.

*** Napier and Lamb are on the cover of this year’s Big East media guide, embracing after last year’s national championship victory.

Providence College hasn't won much over the past decade, though the Friars have had surprising success against UConn in recent years on the basketball court.



Now, for the first time in memory, the Friars have beaten the Huskies off the court, as well.



PC has received a commitment from Kris Dunn, the highly-touted guard out of New London High. Per this espn.com article, PC has signed just three McDonald's All-Americans in its history (though I'm not sure I'd include Delray Brooks, since he was a transfer from Indiana).



This also beats the Ryan Gomes situation, since few (including then-PC coach Tim Welsh) knew that Gomes would blossom into such a great player at the time. Jim Calhoun famously recruited Emeka Okafor and Caron Butler ("They're not bad!") instead.



Credit new PC coach Ed Cooley, who started recruiting Dunn while Cooley was still coaching at Fairfield and had never let up. Give some credit to ex-UConn assistant Andre LaFleur, too.



And the good news could keep coming for the Friars ... Ricky Ledo will make his college decision next week, according to a source, and PC appears to be in very standing for Ledo's services.

Gotta admire Ed Cooley's enthusiasm as he takes over the reins at Providence. Somehow, I could never envision Jim Calhoun doing this:

Providence College men’s basketball season tickets sales continue to be strong as more than 40 percent of season ticket holders have renewed their seats and more than 130 new accounts have been set up. New Friar Head Basketball Coach Ed Cooley has been joining in the sales process as he has been calling fans to encourage them to purchase tickets and support the Friars. Sales also have been strong for student-season tickets. Last season, the athletics department sold 688 student season tickets, so far this summer more than 550 students have purchased tickets.

“Fans are excited about Ed Cooley and the brand of basketball that he will bring to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center,” Providence College Athletic Ticket Manager Christine Flannery said. “His energy and enthusiasm is contagious. Our fans have commented that they think it is special that our head coach is willing to pick up the phone and make calls to help ticket sales. However, it is more than just selling tickets, it is believing in the product he is trying to create.”

A Providence-based web site is reporting that Andre LaFleur, who just completed his 10th season as a UConn men’s basketball assistant coach, will soon be named the associate head coach at Providence. Former Fairfield coach Ed Cooley was named PC’s new head coach last month.

GoLocalProv.com says that LaFleur will be named to the position sometime next week, possibly as soon as Monday.

A source within the Providence program told the Register that LaFleur’s hire is “very close.”

LaFleur, 46, joined Jim Calhoun’s staff at UConn in 2001 as director of basketball operations, a role he served for three seasons. Prior to the 2004-05 season, he was elevated to assistant coach. LaFleur played for Calhoun at Northeastern in the early 1980’s.

While it might seem odd that an assistant on a national championship squad would take a job at a struggling program like PC, LaFleur’s options at UConn in the future appeared limited. Kevin Ollie, just hired as an assistant last year, is a favorite to take over as head coach once Calhoun retires, according to several sources within the UConn program.

As an associate head coach at PC, LaFleur would also be a step closer to a head coaching position he has been looking for for years now. He has long been tight with Cooley, a Providence native.

LaFleur landed several top recruits for the Huskies over the years, including Kemba Walker, who went out of his way to praise LaFleur during his press conference to announce he’s going pro on Tuesday in Storrs.