Sorry I’m a little late with the update. Patriots, Giants and Bears, OH MY!
Sorry to go all Dick Enberg on you. Spent some time watching the NFL and doing my print work instead of blogging. Shame on me.
Anyway, here are a few sights and sounds from basketball practice this morning at Gampel Pavilion in advance of UConn-Georgetown:
– Coach Jim Calhoun was excited Sunday. He was about the only one, though.
The players were kind of subdued and had some major troubles with free throws at the end of practice.
“It’s an exciting time of year. It’s my 23rd time going through this,” Calhoun said. “Having Georgetown come here puts an extra sparkle in the air. Hopefully our fans _ I know there’s tough economic times _ will show up and treat it the same way we are.”
– There will be plenty of interested observers Monday night. UConn has issued a total of 169 credentials to media members and scouts. (50 go to ESPN, though, and most are in the background)
There are 30 NBA scouts who have seats waiting for them. Plus two European scouts and three reps from scouting services.
You think Hasheem Thabeet, Greg Monroe and company want to have good games?
– How about this: It’s the first time UConn and Georgetown have met with both teams ranked since the 1996 Big East tournament final.
I couldn’t believe that when I read it. Has it been that long since both were good in the same year?
As we know polls are somewhat misleading and UConn was eventually ranked last season but that stat still stunned me.
UConn point guard A.J. Price watched that 1996 game on TV.
“Definitely I remember that game. That was a classic game,” Price said.
– UConn is 13-9 in Big East openers under Calhoun.
– Calhoun can tie Lefty Driesell for seventh place on the all-time wins list with a victory tonight.
– Guard Jerome Dyson was limping a bit after practice, his left knee still smarting from that spill in Seattle.
“It’s still sore,” Dyson said. “I’ve been trying to fight through it but I still have some pain.”
– UConn freshman PG Kemba Walker has played against Georgetown’s Monroe many times, mostly on the AAU circuit.
“He’s good. Greg is good,” Walker said. “He’s 6-10, he can put it on the floor, he can run the floor and he can shoot it a little bit.”
Monroe considered attending UConn for a brief moment before choosing Georgetown.
– Calhoun was asked if he thinks Stanley Robinson needs to get better in order to rejoin the starting lineup.
“I don’t care about that,” Calhoun said. “I’d like to see him get a little better.”
“In fairness to him it’s just a matter of reps, playing, shooting, et cetera,” the coach continued. “I’d like to see him get better and we need him to get better. He’s got to match up with (DaJuan) Summers and that kind of player.”
– Ater Majok and coach Ed Smith attended Sunday’s practice. Ho-hum. No word on Majok actually suiting up for the Huskies or opening a book in a UConn classroom.
– Center Jonathan Mandeldove was good. No really, he was good today.
It’s only practice and most of it came on defense, but the 7-footer actually looked like he could contribute soon. Or not, I don’t know. I’m only a part-time beat writer.
- Neill
