Jim Calhoun is back to calling him “a player.”
One day after mentioning Jerome Dyson by name, the UConn coach on Tuesday discussed Dyson without actually naming him. That’s been his general rule since Dyson was suspended for violating the school’s drug policy a second time.
Calhoun was asked if Craig Austrie, who was again strong down the stretch for the Huskies Tuesday, had earned himself a starting job for the rest of the season.
“I don’t know what’s going to change that,” Calhoun said. “We’ve won 10 in a row. I’m not going to fool with that.
“If we go on a couple-game losing streak I might think about changing that, but otherwise there’s no sense to change.”
Dyson is expected to return in time for the Huskies’ Feb. 26 game against Rutgers, though Calhoun has not confirmed that timeline. Dyson must pass another drug test before returning.
Speaking about Austrie’s starting roll on Tuesday, Calhoun said: “We have a player coming back…who will have to earn his way into the rotation like everybody else.”
The coach then quickly changed the subject.
“That’s the least of my concerns,” Calhoun said. “My concern (Tuesday) was beating DePaul.”
The taboo question around the Huskies is “Are they better without Dyson in the lineup?”
The easy answer is yes but show me a coach (or a fan, for that matter) who would turn away the addition of a talented guard with obvious skills to a team that is clearly in need of a body or two.
The real question is “How do they incorporate Dyson back into what is essentially a different team than the one he left?”
DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright, whose team absorbed a rather painful 65-60 loss to the Huskies Tuesday night, says the Huskies are playing quite well right now whatever their lineup is.
“I don’t mean this with any disrespect to the youngster that was disciplined _ all kids make mistakes _ but sometimes there is addition through subtraction,” Wainwright said. “What’s happened is they’ve gotten into a really good rhythm.
“Kids like Doug Wiggins and Craig Austrie are very good players, but getting more minutes and having to play through mistakes early on during the streak has given them a lot of confidence.”
