By David Borges, Register Staff

STORRS — Jim Calhoun, author and subject of several books, decided to get all literary at practice on Monday at Gampel Pavilion.

“We wrote our script for the season, and it’s certainly not an acclaimed novel, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is the script we’ve written,” Calhoun said of his UConn men’s basketball team. “There have been some terrific wins, some terrific efforts, and some not-so-good basketball and efforts by us. But, starting (today) ... a new season starts.”

Certainly, the Huskies (17-15, 7-11 Big East) can begin to turn the page when they take on St. John’s at 2 p.m. in their Big East tournament first-round game at Madison Square Garden. No doubt, they’d like to white-out their last two games, potentially the worst two among UConn’s “not-so-good” efforts this season.

A lackluster, 58-50 loss at Notre Dame on Wednesday was followed by Saturday’s 75-68 defeat at South Florida. In the latter, Calhoun took out his three stalwart seniors — Jerome Dyson, Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards — with 16 minutes, 4 seconds to play and never put them back in.

Paced by the efforts of little-used players like Darius Smith and Charles Okwandu, the Huskies managed to slice a 13-point deficit down to two in the final minute, only to come up short. Calhoun said immediately afterward that the same five players who finished that game would also start in the conference tourney opener, but on Monday he seemed to back off that proclamation.

“We kept changing it (Monday), based on what guys are doing in different drills, (and) I’m sure we’ll change it by (today), as I think more through it,” Calhoun said. “I think it’s more important how we play the game, whoever’s on the floor. That will be determined by watching how they’re playing, quite frankly.”

Calhoun said the three seniors who were benched have handled the situation well. Edwards said the three haven’t sat down for a heart-to-heart talk, “because I think we all kind of knew what we all had to do, and we knew the reason for what happened.”

When was asked if he felt the team had given up on Calhoun, or vice versa, Edwards said: “I don’t think so. Coach isn’t one to give up on anybody. He’s going to keep doing the best that he can. I don’t think anybody has given up on the season, either. Everybody wants to play in the postseason and hopefully make the (NCAA) tournament, but, if not, just keep playing somehow.”

Dyson wasn’t made available to the media after practice Monday, but sophomore point guard Kemba Walker believes Dyson will be a changed man this afternoon.

“I think he realizes what he’s got to do,” Walker said. “He’s been real positive in practice, he’s been talking, been going hard. Hopefully, he can transfer it to the game and be the leader that he is.” Continued...

• 1
• 2
• See Full Story

UConn may have to win at least three games in New York to have a chance to hear its name called on Selection Sunday. If the Huskies get by St. John’s (16-14, 6-12), they would play fifth-seeded Marquette on Wednesday at 2 p.m. A win in that game would bring on fourth-seeded Villanova on Thursday, again at 2 p.m.

The Huskies defeated St. John’s 75-59 on Jan. 20 in Hartford behind 21 points from Dyson, 18 from Robinson and 17 from Walker. It was the first of seven games UConn played without Calhoun as he took a medical leave of absence.

The Red Storm have a few good wins this season — beating Louisville at home and both Notre Dame and South Florida on the road — but, for the most part, have been an enigma. Not unlike their opponents this afternoon.

“If I could ever figure this team out,” Calhoun said of his charges, “then I probably wouldn’t be losing my mind.”

David Borges can be reached at dborges@newhavenregister.com.

• 1
• 2
• See Full Story

• 1
• 2
• 3
• See Full Story

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• See Full Story

• Return to Paging Mode