UConn sports

Yes, we’re at the Carrier Dome and no, there’s no hardwood down.

That being said, here are few basketball tidbits as we prepare for the kickoff of UConn and Syracuse.

– Point guard A.J. Price did not practice Saturday because of the left ankle (and left foot!) sprain he suffered Friday night against Western Carolina. He’s day-to-day according to a UConn official.

– Guard Jerome Dyson missed Saturday’s practice because he returned home for the funeral of a family member in Maryland.

– The 17 rebounds Hasheem Thabeet pulled down Friday were the most by a Husky in a season opener under Jim Calhoun.

The last time a UConn player opened the year with more rebounds was on Dec. 2, 1967, when Bill Corley pulled down 19 in a 70-62 win over Yale.

- Neill

A few notables before I catch some Z’s and make that lovely 4-plus hour drive to Syracuse for the football game Saturday.

It was UConn 81, Western Carolina 55 in the opener for both teams Friday night at Gampel Pavilion. Here are a few of the highlights.

– A.J. Price had a really, really tough night.

A) He didn’t score. Only the second time in his career (nine minutes and a knee injury against San Diego hardly counts, though) he’s done that.

B) He sprained his ankle after coming down from a jump shot on a Western defender’s foot.

“I sprained my ankle pretty good,” Price said. “It was hurting throughout the game and it’s pretty sore right now.”

C) He was ejected after a flagrant foul was called. Price appeared to punch Western’s Joey Parker.

“I don’t really know what I did,” Price said. “There was frustration building up through the whole game. Little things were going on the whole game. I just let something get the best of me and I guess he got the worst of it.”

– Price wasn’t the only one who thought the game got a little chippy. Hasheem Thabeet, who had 23 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks in a huge game, said he was getting abused pretty good.

The big man was actually pretty funny (though he was dead serious) when talking about the restraint he showed in not retaliating.

“Yeah, I got a lot of strength. I can do anything to hurt him but at the end of the day it’s just a game,” said Thabeet, who took particular exception to the antics of Western’s Richie Gordon. “I have to go talk to the refs. Me being kicked out is not going to be a good example for my teammates.”

– Craig Austrie had just nine points and one assist but earned high praise from coach Jim Calhoun.

“The guy who continues to play like a veteran for us is Craig Austrie,” Calhoun said. “He could have had 15 tonight. He plays great defense. From a coach’s standpoint, he’s great to have.

I hate to make Red Sox references but that’s what Calhoun did in calling Austrie something of a closer.

“In a real tight game, he’s our Papelbon,” Calhoun said. “He’s a guy we go to. He shot 96 percent (it was 91 actually last year, but a good point) in the Big East from the foul line.”

– Jerome Dyson was not only dominant on offense, he played outstanding defense, too. And he did it largely without silly fouls.

“Last year I was getting a lot of fouls because I was getting up into the player too much, and being kind of nonchalant going after loose balls,” Dyson said. “So I’ve been trying to stay solid and keep the defender in front of me.”

Dyson scored 23 points, four shy of his career high.

– No sign of Durand Scott at the game, the talented guard from Rice High in the Bronx. I’m not sure that means in regards to his school choices (UConn or Miami at this point, it appears).

- Neill

Greetings from Gampel and the meeting of Catamounts (it’s kind of like a mountain lion..or a puma…or a nittany lion…or a cowardly lion) and Huskies.

– UConn center Charles Okwandu was cleared by the NCAA Thursday night, allowing him to play Friday night against Western Carolina.

– Ater Majok is in the house again. No sign of Durand Scott yet but he’s got tickets if he wants them.

- Neill

A couple of UConn football items before I head to Storrs for basketball practice:

– More big news on the quarterback front (read: sarcastic) from coach Randy Edsall Thursday afternoon.

This is what he said in regards to his starting quarterback:

“The quarterback situation will be something that will happen before the game,” Edsall said. “That’s where it’s at. That’s where it is.”

Sounds like a real hep cat, that Edsall.

Of course, there is no information in there.

When asked if Tyler Lorenzen might be an option, Edsall said:

“I don’t know. I would say that it’s still Cody and Zach. Or Zach and Cody, however you want to put it,” Edsall said.

Well, has Lorenzen practiced this week?

“He’s been with us during practice,” Edsall said.

He’s been with us? That’s a nice euphemism.

Get ready for another game-time announcement.

– Jordan Todman will return kicks this week in place of the injured Darius Butler.

“He’s done well. I’ve been pleased with him,” Edsall said. “I know he’s looking forward to the opportunity.”

– RB Donald Brown is one of 10 finalists for the Doak Walker Award, an award for the nation’s top running back.

The three finalists for the award will be announced Nov. 24. The winner will be announced Dec. 11.

Here’s the list of semifinalists:

Donald Brown (Jr.) Connecticut

Glen Coffee (Jr.) Alabama

Tyrell Fenroy (Sr.) Louisiana-Lafayette

Shonn Greene (Jr.) Iowa

Kendall Hunter (So.) Oklahoma State

LeSean McCoy (So.) Pittsburgh

Knowshon Moreno (So.) Georgia

Javon Ringer (Sr.) Michigan State

Jacquizz Rodgers (Fr.) Oregon State

Evan Royster (So.) Penn State

– Fewer than 800 tickets remain for UConn’s final home game, a Dec. 6 game against Pittsburgh at Rentschler Field. The start time for the game has yet to be announced.

- Neill

The Big East Conference will announce who its next commissioner will be Wednesday.

I just got word that it’s going to be John Marinatto, currently the league’s senior associate commissioner.

Mike Tranghese, who is just the second man to lead the Big East, will step down in June.

Marinatto, like Tranghese and Dave Gavitt before him, has strong ties to Providence College. Marinatto is a 1979 PC grad and was the athletic director at the school for 15 years, too. Marinatto actually got his “start” in the athletic world as a manager for Gavitt’s Friars.

The league will make the formal announcement Wednesday at 11 a.m.

- Neill

UConn football coach Randy Edsall held his usual Tuesday morning meeting with the media.

Here’s the thumbnail version (updates to come):

– Your starting quarterback against Syracuse?

No idea.

“It looks to be Cody (Endres) or Zach (Frazer),” Edsall said.

How about Tyler Lorenzen, who may be ready to return from an injury?

“We’ll see what he can do,” Edsall said. “I’m not sure what his status is going to be.”

Has Lorenzen practiced?

“He’s done some things in practice,” Edsall said.

Too much information for you? Yeah, me too. (Sensing my sarcasm?)

– Robert McClain will start in place of the injured Darius Butler at cornerback. No surprise there.

“We expect him to play as good or better than Darius. That’s the object when a guy goes down,” Edsall said.

Terry Baltimore is the third cornerback right now.

– The latest Edsall-back-to-Syracuse rumors?

The coach laughed off such questions.

“The only thing I care about is UConn,” Edsall said.

Is there any nostalgia in returning to the alma mater?

“No,” Edsall said. “I’ve got work to do. We’ve got to win a game.”

- Neill

A few items from the XL Center (still not used to writing or saying that):

– Ater Majok was in the house, sitting behind the UConn bench with coach Ed Smith.

The man who is supposed to enroll at UConn any time now doesn’t know when that time will be.

“I’m still waiting for everything to be decided,” said Majok, apparently referring to an NCAA review of his transcript. “I should be up here in December.”

Majok seemed to be quoting Jim Nantz when asked if he would be able to join the team in December and contribute right away.

“At UConn you can, right?” Majok said. “It’s possible.”

– Jeff Adrien was the main man Sunday, getting 13 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks against UMass-Lowell in the 82-63 win.

“Jeff Adrien, who I’m not normally lauding on defense, played really good defense,” coach Jim Calhoun said. “He really gave great help-side defense, blocked six shots, and I think at halftime he had two points.”

– C Charles Okwandu wasn’t outstanding but he did some good things in his debut.

“Charles was in the right spot most of the time, trying to do the right thing,” Calhoun said. “That’s what we wanted.”

Okwandu played 13 minutes, didn’t score, and had two rebounds. He also had two turnovers and a foul.

– A.J. Price missed five of his nine free throws but made all three of his 3-pointers.

“I guess when you shoot so well from the outside like I did today, when you get a little closer it’s hard to make them,” Price said with a smile.

Actually he changed up his free throw shooting routine and style. Look for those changes to disappear soon.

– Best national anthem in quite some time Sunday. Young Taylor Varga (I think he was 10) belted out The Star-Spangled Banner like nobody’s business.

- Neill

A few quick-hitters from Saturday morning’s practice at Gampel Pavilion:

– Hasheem Thabeet speaks almost perfect English but with his quick wit and his deep voice, some things still get lost in translation.

The UConn center is quoted on the cover of ESPN The Magazine and the remarks appear to disparage Notre Dame center Luke Harangody and North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough.

This is how it read on the cover:

“Nobody’s better than me, only more experienced. I played Luke Harangody and he was not tough. Tyler Hansbrough? I don’t see nothing.”

Now, before even asking Hasheem what he meant I knew why the reporter thought it was a dig. When Hasheem says “I don’t see nothing” in regards to Hansbrough it’s not the American-style shot of I-don’t-see-anything-in-his-game kind of thing. It was literally he had not played against him or seen him play much.

As far as the Harangody stuff, Thabeet said Saturday it was a joke.

“It was a joke. She asked me a joke question,” Thabeet said of the reporter, Elena Bergeron.

“She asked me who the toughest players were I played this year,” Thabeet said. “What I said was, and I thought she was joking, that I played against Luke Harangody and I wouldn’t say he was the toughest player I played against last year. He was making shots, he’s a good player and a good person.

“She also asked me about Tyler Hansbrough and I was like ‘I didn’t play him so I don’t know nothing about him. He’s a good player. I think he plays his role well and he was national player of the year last year,” Thabeet continued.

When asked directly Saturday if he thought he was the best center in college basketball, Hasheem didn’t bite.

“I can’t rank myself where I am right now,” Thabeet said.

The whole affair isn’t exactly weighing heavily on Thabeet.

“I wouldn’t say it was miscommunication, it was more joking and goofing around,” Thabeet said.

– Incoming forward Ater Majok is scheduled to visit this week and the Huskies are working hard to get the Australian/Sudanese star into the fold soon.

– Kemba Walker might replace Craig Austrie in the starting lineup today against UMass-Lowell.

“I think I’ll change the lineup just to change the lineup,” coach Jim Calhoun said, “because we’ll be doing that all along anyway.”

Calhoun didn’t say the Walker-Austrie switch would be the change. He even mentioned starting Gavin Edwards.

– Center Charles Okwandu will make his debut against Lowell after being cleared by the NCAA to compete.

“I just need to be get good confidence. I’ve not played a lot of games,” Okwandu said. “I have to build up confidence by playing more and playing hard.”

More on the Nigerian prospect in Sunday’s paper.

– UConn’s opponent today, the River Hawks of UMass-Lowell, are coached by Greg Herenda. Herenda spent eight years as an assistant to George Blaney _ currently UConn’s associate head coach _ when the latter was at Holy Cross and Seton Hall. Herenda also spent two years as an assistant to Dick Kuchen at Yale.

Lowell went 12-17 last season, including 8-14 in the Northeast-10.

– Alex Hornat, a junior walk-on from South Windsor, got a chance to play in the final seconds of UConn’s exhibition win over AIC Wednesday.

Calhoun, however, was questioning that decision Saturday morning.

“I’m not going to play Alex if he falls down again,” Calhoun said with a laugh. “I said ‘Who put him in?’ ”

Hornat got his feet tangled up (with each other) while making a move in the AIC game.

“He’s one of my favorite kids but he fell down,” Calhoun said. “If Alex falls down, he’ll never play again.”

- Neill