'GREAT WALL' OF KENTUCKY HOLDS OFF UCONN

The headline match-up of the 2009 SEC/Big East Invitational did not disappiont as John Calipari's Cats Hold off Huskies (NY Post) at Madison Square Garden in Kentucky's 64-61 win over Connecticut.

Highly touted freshman John Wall, a near lock for the #1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, matched the hype that has been bestowed upon him by scoring 25 points and harassing UConn with six steals. Wall Was the Difference in an Amazing Game (Hartford Courant) as Jim Calhoun's No. 14 Huskies Fall Short to No. 4 Kentucky in a Thriller (TheDay.com).

Wall got UK off and running, thrilling the crowd with an end-to-end lay-up and finishing an alley-oop on a break as he scored six of the Wildcats' 12 points in an opening 12-0 spurt to start the game in the first three minutes. After using two timeouts, including one 33 seconds into the game where Calhoun pulled senior Jerome Dyson from the game, UConn responded with a 20-6 run to take the lead. UConn led by as many as eight points in the first half and took a 29-23 lead at the half as UK was slowed by foul trouble.

In the second half UConn Crashed into the Wall (New Haven Register) full bore as the star frosh scored 11 of UK's 14 points to pull out the victory.

“He’s all of that, whatever that is,” Jim Calhoun said of Wall after the game. “He’s a tremendous, tremendous player. He’s no freshman.”

Wall scored one big basket after another over the final 7 1/2 minutes, including a conventional three-point play with 30.8 seconds left that put Kentucky (9-0) ahead for good, 63-61. The Huskies could not come up with a big score of their own in the final seconds and a Ramone Harris free throw provided the final margin of victory.

Dyson led UConn with 17 points, Gavin Edwards had 16 points, 8 rebounds and three blocked shots, Kemba Walker scored 12 and Stanley Robinson added 10 points and 9 rebounds. Connecticut, which turned the ball over 19 times and missed 10 of 24 free throw attempts, falls to 6-2 on the regular season with both losses come on the Madison Square Garden floor. The also lost to Duke last month at MSG in the finals of the NIT Tip-off Tournament.

The Huskies are now off until December 20th when they wrap up the pre-conference schedule with UCF, Maine and Iona before starting Big East play at Cincinnati on December 30th.

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UCONN FENDS OFF PESKY HARVARD IN COLLEGE HOOPS

Jerome Dyson filled the stat sheet on Sunday afternoon and Connecticut needed just about every ounce of his big day as the Huskies Get Away With Another Inconsistent Performance (TheDay.com), edging Tommy Amakers' Harvard club 79-73 in Storrs.

Dyson finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks as Inconsistent UConn Holds off Harvard (Hartford Courant) and Crimson senior guard Jeremy Lin, who torched UConn for 30 points.

The Huskies saw a 16-point lead whittled to four as Lin (22 of his 30 in the second half) led the charge. However, the experienced players for UConn stepped up and secured the victory. Kemba Walker added 10 points, Stanley Robinson provided 18 points and 12 rebounds with Gavin Edwards scored 12 and blocking 6 shots as the quartet, with Dyson, scored 74 of the 79 points scored by Jom Calhoun's club.

Coming up this week for UConn is a date with Kentucky on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden in the SEC/Big East Invitational.

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AFTER BRIEF SCARE, DYSON TEARS TERRIERS

by ZACH SMART


HARTFORD--The sight was alarmingly familiar, and that's what made it all the more frightening for the Connecticut Huskies.

Jerome Dyson, the Huskies' best player--Jim Calhoun's description after the Huskies' 92-64 blowout of Boston University--landed awkwardly during the opening moments of the second half.

"I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous seeing that," said UConn forward Gavin Edwards, who scored 12 points and ripped down nine rebounds.

Dyson stayed down for a few minutes, and it was tremendously similar to the scene that played out last February against Syracuse.

That's when Dyson, who's averaging over 20 points to lead the No.13-ranked Huskies, knocked knees with Syracuse's then-forward Kristof Ongeneat.

An MRI later revealed Dyson had a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee, an injury which sidelined him for the season.

"We were just hoping 'rome would come back," said point guard Kemba Walker of the tense few minutes when Dyson was down on the floor.

"We can't afford that (loss) this season. Everybody was just praying that he would come back."

That Dyson did, emerging from the bench four minutes later to a standing ovation at the XL Center.

"I knew when I rolled over that nothing was wrong," Dyson said.

"I knew initially that it was my groin area, but when everybody ran out, they thought it was my (knee) again."

Dyson was dominant Wednesday night, scoring 22 points and dishing out four assists as the Huskies (5-1) overcame a sloppy start.

Dyson scored the rock in a variety of ways. He was burying mid-range jumpers, knifing to the basket, and hitting from beyond the arc.

After shooting 3-for-9 from the free throw line in a nightmare of a performance during a loss to Duke, Dyson bounced back. He knocked down all but two of his nine free throws.

The UConn backcourt bludgeoned the injury-plagued Terriers, who were forced to play with just six scholarship players.

The Terriers (2-6) were without star guard Corey Lowe (inflammation in the right knee) and 6-foot-9 forward Scott Brittain (concussion).

Walker scored 15 points and doled out a career-high 10 assists.

The New York City native was also impressive defensively, with three steals. He ran the show, setting up fast breaks. Walker got just about everyone open looks, including freshman Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (12 points, 7 rebounds in 20 minutes).

"Kemba clearly could have had 15-16 assists if some of the big guys didn't drop the ball," said Calhoun.

Calhoun was most impressed with the Huskies' work on the glass. The Huskies outrebounded the undermanned Terriers to the tune of 54-29.

"When you beat a team on the backboard by 25, that's a significant number," said Calhoun.

"I think the stat sheet is starting to look a little more normal for us. I do understand that BU was down a couple players. But you know what, we played an 0-6 Colgate team and certainly didn't put up the kind of numbers we did tonight."

Edwards, Stanley Robinson, and hulking freshman Alex Oriakhi each tore down nine boards apiece.

Edwards said that with the Huskies' notably thin frontline (6-10 freshman Ater Majok is eligible in just under three weeks) and the results from the first five games, UConn made a concentrated effort to hit the boards harder.

"Every UConn team has been known for being able to rebound and then get out on the fast break and we haven't really been doing that," Edwards said.

The high-flying Robinson, who scored 16 points, was having a quiet night until he erupted for four gravity-defying dunks in the second half.

His eye-popping alley-oop slam from Walker's lob kick-started a 10-2 surge that gave UConn an insurmountable 68-39 lead.

A washout ensued.

The Huskies reeled off a 10-1 run to seize a 25-16 lead early on.

Walker buried a trey to kick-start the run. BU forward John Holland, who had a game-high 23 points, thwarted the spurt with a layup.

Early on, it looked as if UConn was going to put together another lackluster performance at home.

BU guard Tyler Morris, a three-point sniper who played at Indiana powerhouse Lawrence North HS (see Oden, Greg or Conley, Mike, or Louisville-commits for more on Lawrence North) nailed a trey and a jumper on back-to-back possessions, giving the Terriers an 8-7 edge 4:42 into the game.

The Terriers, or the walking wounded, seized an 11-9 lead on a four-point play from Holland.

The Huskies continued to trail, 13-9, before Robinson crushed home a two-handed dunk plus the foul at 12:19. This lit a fire underneath the Huskies.

One way or the other, Dyson was the story Wednesday.

"When he feels it, he's just so tough," said Calhoun of the Huskies' top dog.

"If he pulled a groin, it would have been some time. Certainly he would have missed a few games or may have been out 2-3 weeks. The way he's playing and starting our season, we can't afford that."

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DYSON LEADS UCONN IN EXHIBITION ROMP PAST UMASS-LOWELL

Courtesy of NBE Basketball Report


After a brief delay as the NCAA was awaiting some documentation from Connecticut guards Donnell Beverly and Jerome Dyson, who were both held out of UConn's exhibition win over American International College last week, Compliance Clears Dyson and Beverly (ESPN) for the 2009-2010 season and a Patched-up Dyson Scores 32 in UConn's Final Preseason Tune-up (Stamford Advocate) on Sunday.

Dyson, who was chomping at the bit to see his first game action since suffering a season-ending knee injury last February 11th and being held out of the opening exhibition game for compliance matters, almost missed his opportunity on Sunday, too. A couple hours prior to the game Dyson Rips Apart his Big Toe Entering Gampel Pavilion (Hartford Courant) and had to get the nail stiched back on, a shot to numb the pain and have the toe heavily bandaged just to play. The result, 32 points, 6 assists and 4 steals in 27 minutes in an 88-50 win over UMass-Lowell.

Point guard Kemba Walker added 15 points and 7 assists and freshman Alex Oriakhi continues to put his stamp on the starting center position by scoring nine points and grabbing 14 rebounds in 32 minutes. UConn will open their season Friday night against William & Mary at Gampel Pavilion.

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BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: CONNECTICUT

September 15, 2009


VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Jeremy Lamb, 6'4 SG from Norcross (GA) High School

Connecticut and head coach Jim Calhoun pick up their first verbal commitment for the 2010 recruiting class when Peach State sniper Jeremy Lamb made a commitment earlier today. Lamb is Headed to the Big East (D1 Spects) and UConn sealed the deal with an in-home visit today.



Projected 2009-2010 Roster:


Seniors: Jerome Dyson (G), Jonathan Mandeldove (C), Stanley Robinson (F), Gavin Edwards (PF/C)
Juniors: Donnell Beverly (G), Chukwuma "Charles" Okwandu (C)
Sophomores: Kemba Walker (PG)
Freshmen: Alex Oriakhi (C), Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (F), Jamaal Trice (SG), Darius Smith (PG), Ater Majok (F)
2010 Commitments: Jeremy Lamb (SG)



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It might have taken a little longer than their fans expected, but Connecticut is on the board for the class of 2010 as Jeremy Lamb chose the Huskies over Texas, Georgia and others.

Lamb exploded on the scene in July with a big-time performance at the Nike Peach Jam with the Georgia Stars. When the July evaluation period got back underway later in July, the following for Lamb grew tremendously as many coaches made sure they were seen following him at the Orlando Super Showcase. The UConn staff was front and center.

According to a high school coach in Georgia at the Peach Jam, Lamb “killed” them twice during the season and is only getting better. He is long and athletic and can score in a variety of ways. He had several strong takes to the basket and was effective finishing in a content NBE's Jeff Borzello watched at the Peach Jam. Lamb can also shoot mid-range and three-point jumpers, and he played well on the glass and defensively, too.

UConn is also very much in the mix for elite point guard prospects Josh Selby and Brandon Knight. A common belief in recruiting circles has UConn and Kentucky vying for both players with the Huskies likely to land one or the other. Other point guards in the mix with UConn include Cory Joseph of Findlay Prep and Kyrie Irving of St. Patrick's in Elizabeth (NJ).

At the foward position, UConn has been making an aggressive move for Roscoe Smith of Oak Hill Academy and Tobias Harris of Long Island. UConn has conducted in-home visits with each recently.

The Huskies could have at least five scholarships available for the class of 2010. With Lamb in the fold, expect some additional dominos to begin falling in the recruiting landscape and seeing UConn benefiting again in the near future would not be a surprise.

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Majok Declares For Draft, Doesn't Hire Agent

April 29, 2009

by Zach Smart


He's yet to play in an NCAA game, but UConn forward Ater Majok will be testing the NBA waters this summer.

The athletic 6-foot-10 forward was supposed to be part of a formidable frontline also featuring projected top-three pick Hasheem Thabeet and muscle-bound, workhorse forward Jeff Adrien.

Majok, however, never passed NCAA clearinghouse rules and therefore relegated to the bench. According to NCAA regulations, Majok cannot suit up until December of 2009.

Perhaps the 22-year-old freshman was fed up with the fact that he had to wait again. Or the YouTube sensation jumped at the idea of getting picked up in a draft that--beyond the first 2-3 picks--is as wide as the Sargasso Sea.

Stephen Curry, the Davidson star and son of former NBA shootist Dell Curry, declared for the draft yesterday.

A five-star recruit, Majok has opted not to hire an agent.

This leaves the door open for Majok if he's not selected on the fateful evening of June 25, 2009.

"After meeting with my family, I have decided that it is in my best interest to enter the NBA Draft," said Majok in a statement released by UConn.

Read rest of Zach's Article HERE!!

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UCONN PUSHING HARD FOR HARTFORD PREP SOPH

Andre Drummond getting attention from UConn staff and other top schools

by Zach Smart


The past few months, Andre Drummond's high major Division-I stock has shot up like his towering 6-foot-9 frame.

Drummond, an interior presence with a soft jumper and a will to win, has suddenly become a hotly pursued product on the recruiting marketplace.

The big fella from Capitol Prep in Hartford (CT) is receiving plenty of interest from Connecticut, Georgetown, Providence, Rutgers, West Virginia and the 2009 national champs, North Carolina.



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The wiry sophomore has added some pounds to his spindly 220-plus frame, but Drummond is still developing into his body.

He hasn't dug to deep into his decision yet. The uncommitted young gun who hung 26 points and tore down 18 rebounds in a game (and turned in similar titanic performances this season) appears to favor UConn.

"UConn is definitely showing me the most love right now," said Drummond, he of the will to win and ability to alter the trajectory of shots in the paint.

"But as of right now, I'm undecided."

Thus far, Drummond has taken unofficial visits to the campuses of UConn and Rutgers.

When he was playing in the Bob Gibbobs tournament last spring, he stopped by to check out the campus of UNC.

On the surface, Drummond seems like the prototype Jim Calhoun recruit.

He's a big who plays with passion and is a major presence on the defensive side of the house. He can score and has shown flashes of the aggression that coaches expect night in and night out in the Big East.

Of course, Drummond still needs to shore up some holes in his game. He needs to kick the habit of drifting away from the paint when the ball is not in his hands.

He still needs to get more physical, go stronger to the rack and develop refined post up moves.

Drummond ran with an IS8 AAU team at Saturday's HoopHall Classic at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

The behemoth showed his athletic enough to be a factor in a system that places strong emphasis on an uptempo, speedball brand of basketball.

While the skills of Ater Majok (who sat out this season due to NCAA clearing house rules) won't be tested until December, UConn may need to upgrade its frontline in the future.

Charles "Chuck" Okwandu's academic issues kept him off the floor for much of the Huskies run to the 2009 final four.

The 7-foot-1, 255-pound center is very much a work in progress and seemed offensivley inept at times.

Jonathan Mandeldove, a 7-foot, 240-pound center from Georgia, never progressed. He hasn't shown the promise they saw out of the skinny kid from Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy four years ago.

So, UConn will look to keep the tradition of beastly bigs (see Okafor, Emeka or Thabeet, Hasheem for more on this one) intact with their recruitment of Drummond.

Will the new kid on the blocks respect tradition and go to UConn?

I'm not for certain, but what I do know is this:

If he continues to work hard and show a Jeff Adrien-like will to win, more and more teams will compete for Drummond's services.

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