A BIG STEP FORWARD

Jim Calhoun has often said it's important for his team to take steps forward. Well, consider Wednesday's game a big one.
It has to be considered the Huskies' most complete performance, with something else showing through. Former Vermont coach Tom Brennan was doing color for TV and he spoke with Calhoun afterward. His message was how much the players seems to genuinely like each other.
It's a point well taken, especially considering they figure to be here together for a while since the roster is so young. What makes the relationships so unique is that these same players are competing each day for playing time.
That combination is something any coach can appreciate.

THE COACH HAS ARRIVED

The hallways beneath Gampel Pavilion were filled with people and noise this afternoon as us reporters tried to conduct interviews before the players hit the court for practice.
There was chatter, balls bouncing and doors opening and closing. All that noise suddenly came to a halt when Jim Calhoun and held court for a few minutes of interviews. Eventually, the noise did return, but it was kind of eerie when virtual silence briefly came over so many people.

In other news, Jerome Dyson said his right elbow is fine despite falling on it late in Sunday’s game against Albany. The elbow has been banged up throughout the season, evidenced by the sleeve he’s worn each game.
Also, the Stewie slippers made a return on the feet of Stanley Robinson. Jeff Adrien had a little costume as well, wearing his practice jersey around his neck so it draped over his back like a cape. Adrien then jokingly said he was trying to be like Superman.

CREEPING UP

Up three spots to No. 15 in the newest ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll, UConn is inching closer to a Top-10 ranking, which I felt prior to the season they’d achieve before opening Big East play Dec. 30.
Are the Huskies the 15th best team in the country? Who knows?
These words aren’t new. I’ve never been a fan of these early rankings because they basically say nothing. I figured UConn would keep moving up because wins and no losses — regardless of the opponent — are the key to this equation.
For evidence as to why I find some of these results ridiculous, take the examples of Florida and Kansas. The Gators are slotted fourth, one spot ahead of the Jayhawks, who won their Saturday meeting on a neutral court in overtime.
Yes, Kansas does have a loss to Oral Roberts, but if you beat a team so close in the rankings, how can you end up behind them? Even stranger is that Florida, the defending national champion, still got two first-place votes and Kansas received none.
As for the Huskies, expect a similar rise when the AP poll comes out shortly.

KID AT HEART

Stanley Robinson made a fashion statement when he arrived a bit early to Friday's practice wearing a pair of slippers with the likeness of Stewie from the TV show "Family Guy." The footwear, featuring an oversized version of the character's head over the toes, was a big hit as the freshman greeted reporters in the hallway downstairs in Gampel Pavilion.
Robinson, always good for a smile, eventually found his way into basketball gear and said his right knee, which was hyperextended in practice last week, is feeling better.

In other news, Jim Calhoun doesn't seem to keen on the idea of Sunday's game with Albany being a rematch from last season's NCAA tournament contest. Many names have changed on both sides and the coach didn't seem too interested in talking much about the Huskies' 12-point deficit and eventual first-round comeback.
Also, when practice started at around 2 p.m., UConn was still without two players. A.J. Price, who grew up on Long Island, was stuck in traffic and Buffalo's Rob Garrison had yet to arrive by plane.

WORTHY OF A COUNTDOWN

So maybe I’m getting a little too excited. But I’ve got a good feeling about this Sunday’s game.
UConn welcomes Albany to Gampel Pavilion in a rematch of last season’s NCAA tournament thriller. I think this could be a pivotal game for the Huskies, since the Great Danes are not a bad team.
Revenge could obviously play a factor, on both sides. If UConn struggles it will show the growth still required. Another convincing win like the trio over the weekend in Hartford could signal the team’s continued improvement.
The key matchup will be A.J. Price vs. Albany’s Jamar Wilson, a player worthy of being put in a Loren Stokes-type category as one of the better players under the national radar.
Plus, being an America East graduate — Binghamton — it’s always fun to see some of the old faces. I’ll also to be interested to see what type of student presence there is with Thanksgiving being this week and how much the undergrads want to see a little revenge from last March’s scare.

BIG HANDS

Although it came a few days ago, I finally got a chance to glance at my Sports Illustrated college basketball preview addition last night. For those of you who haven't seen it, SI put together a nice package, which includes a look at some of the country's most intriguing freshman.
Among that list of newcomers is UConn's Hasheem Thabeet, who is displayed with larger-than-life hands —— even though his real ones are big enough — in a short capsule mentioning the type of impact he could have. The look at each freshman was my favorite part otheeh preview, probably because each photo incorporated an interesting take as to what makes them special.

Here at the Civic Center, Fairfield is up 24-17 at the half and looking as if that first win will finally arrive.

A QUICK LOOK BACK

Back here at the Civic Center for the second of the Hispanic College Fund Classic’s three days. Here’s some quick extra notes from last night that went unmentioned in my coverage in the paper and this site.

Jim Calhoun was in a pretty good mood in his postgame press conference, which began with some humor. After starting by saying he’d keep things short because the reporters were all on deadline, he then elaborated on his desire to be quick.
“And we’ve got to meet about Fairfield,” the coach said drawing laughs. “That’s closer to the truth.”
When the topic of playing the Stags came up, Calhoun also pointed out something many of the reporters had been talking about earlier. Like most of us, he enjoyed the close finish in Fairfield’s loss to Mississippi.
“A heck of a game by the way,” Calhoun said. “Unfortunately, there weren’t that many people to see it except for you and me, really.”

THE STORM BEFORE THE CALM

Since the nightcap doesn't figure to bring much suspense, at least Fairfield and Ole Miss provided a little drama.
The Stags, still searching for their first win this season, almost overcame a six-point deficit in the final 23.9 seconds, but a 3-pointer to tie from Danny Oglesby was an air-ball just before the final horn sounded in a 70-67 loss.
I'm just thankful overtime was required. With UConn and Central Arkansas set for 8 p.m. — never a fun starting time when deadlines are factored in — an extra 5 minutes would have pushed back the Huskies' opening tip.

GOOD SEATS STILL AVAILABLE

We’re past the midway point of the first half between Ole Miss and Fairfield, the prelude to tonight’s UConn-Central Arkansas game in the Hispanic College Fund Classic.
After holding small leads, the Stags are trailing 28-25, although there’s almost no one here to see it. There can’t be more than 250 people in their seats at the Hartford Civic Center, a relatively embarrassing turnout considering there’s an in-state school playing.
There are some bonuses to an empty cavernous building since almost every word from coaches and players alike can be heard. The highlight so far has to be Fairfield coach Ed Cooley confronting Stags forward Anthony Johnson after a turnover.
“Thank God you’re a freshman,” Cooley said, drawing chuckles from a sparse press row.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW

So, you’re on a first-year Division I team entering the season’s third game. And now you’re playing a game against UConn at the Hartford Civic Center.
How, exactly, does one go about preparing for such an experience?
“You probably don’t,” Central Arkansas coach Rand Chappell said Thursday. “It was good for us to get in here today and shoot so you’re not just awed by the size of the building; you’ve at least seen it before you walk in to it.
“We’re going to visit them about what we think it’s going to be like and may have a little bit of tape to show them from some time when things have happened. But as we all know in any situation, when you’ve (never) been into it, you probably don’t know exactly how you’re going to react.”
Either way, this will certainly be a highlight for the Bears’ players, most of whom are holdovers from Division II.

On the UConn front, injuries were the word of the day. A.J. Price rolled his right ankle and spent the previous two days in a boot before returning to practice Thursday. Doug Wiggins was held out of the Huskies’ final practice before Friday’s game with back spasms and his status is still undetermined.
Stanley Robinson was also a little banged up (knee) and Hasheem Thabeet was apparently under the weather earlier this week. That being said, I doubt any of this will make a difference against the Bears. As for Fairfield and Mississippi — the other two opponents in this three-day tournament — UConn’s health would be figure to play a larger role.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

It’s always interesting to see how someone responds to you the first time an interview situation is shared. I’ve grown comfortable with meeting and speaking with people for the first time — above all else, this is the most important skill a journalist needs — but I’m still anxious to see how that first encounter goes.
For example, I spent about 10 minutes on the phone today with an athletic director from a Connecticut university — I’d prefer to keep the person anonymous on the offshoot chance someone who frequents this page happens to also be their friend — and then revisited our conversation when I transcribed it.
The one thing that caught me is how often this person used my name during answers. We had never spoke prior to today — who knows if we’ll ever meet fact-to-face? — but this AD found it important to make a point of using my name. The funny thing is, I did the same.
Too often, there is a perception of journalists as being cold, only motivated by self-interests and willing to do anything and everything to get their story. The truth is, that’s probably not that far off plenty of times. But if you can maintain a personable nature to how you interact with interview subjects — that’s the way to truly get the story.
I once had a managing editor tell me the key to conducting a good interview is to spend more time listening and less time questioning. How true that is.

As for UConn-related issues, the Huskies will hold practice at the Civic Center a few hours from now in preparation for this weekend’s four-team, three-day, round-robin tournament.
I’m curious to see Jim Calhoun’s decision for the starting lineup, if in fact anyone in the top five changes. Although the coach showed obvious frustration with A.J. Price in the opener, he’s still got to be the guy at point guard and anyone else at that position would come as a big surprise to this reporter.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to update these thoughts this evening.

BIG TROUBLE?

DePaul was thought to be an up-and-comer this season in the Big East. Picked eighth in the league's preseason coaches' poll, the Blue Demons return four players coming off seasons with double-digit scoring averages and are a team expected to make some noise.
Perhaps that explains the thud — it's not the sound of good noise — after DePaul dropped to 0-2 Tuesday with a loss at Northwestern. That's the same Northwestern team that lost at home to Cornell, never a program known as an Ivy League power, or any power for that matter.
The Blue Demons opened with a 20-point loss to Bradley and return to action Friday at home against Eastern Illinois. How big is that next game: DePaul follows it with dates against Kentucky and fashionable Final Four pick Kansas.
Could it be an 0-5 start for the boys of Chicago? That's a question no one in the Big East thought would come up.

HUSKIES DROP

UConn dropped one place to No. 19 in Monday's release of the latest ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, not much of a surprise after a disheartening win last week over Quinnipiac.
I kind of wish these early-season polls didn't exist, since no one really knows that much about any team at this point, but they are a necessary evil. That being said, the Huskies figure to hover around that 15-20 range for another week or two, assuming they remain unbeaten.
As we get into December. when plenty of ranked schools begin facing each other in high-profile games outside the conference schedule, expect to see UConn rise a bit, again assuming it can remian unbeaten. Should they start 11-0, I fully expect the Huskies to be ranked in the nation's Top 10 entering the Big East opener at West Virginia.
Will they really be one of the country's 10 best teams? Probably not. But their record and name will warrant enough attention, further deomonstrating how misleading these polls can really be.

SOME NERVE

Expectedly, Joe DeSantis was flooded with interview requests in preparation for the season opener against UConn. The 11th year coach of Quinnipiac took the time to answer reporters’ questions, and wasn’t shy to say his team wouldn’t try to alter its game.
Speaking only based on my conversation with DeSantis, I got the impression the Bobcats had no plans to be shy on offense. Perhaps a different impression was given to other reporters, which is turn led to Jim Calhoun reading too much into those written words.
In his postgame comments, Calhoun became somewhat defensive when a question about Quinnipiac’s progress came up.
“He said that he wasn’t going to change anything,” said Calhoun, referring to the intentions of DeSantis in defensive planning. “All he did was go 1-3-1, 2-3, match-up and zone. That’s fine. Gamesmanship is played; I just wouldn’t do it in the papers.
“I just think it’s a (expletive) thing to do, to be honest with you. And I love Joey DeSantis. But don’t do that.”
The reaction was unexpected, but showed Calhoun’s level of frustration.
“I’m just making one point,” he continued, “that I would just say in the future, it’s not a great idea to do with fellow coaches, especially if you want to try to play them two years from now or three.”
Apparently winning isn’t part of the agreement when the Huskies let you open their season.

GIRASOLI BOWL

I've nicknamed tonight's game for my co-worker Brian Girasoli, a UConn grad and current graduate student at Quinnipiac. That might be the only compelling storyline for the actual matchup, since all of UConn's concerns and goals wouldn't change regardless of the opponent.
The Huskies' first 11 games are an opportunity for this young lineup to find itself, with changes already taking shape as Jerome Dyson joins the starting lineup. I'll be most interested to see how effective Stanley Robinson can be. The highly-touted recruit will begin the season as a spark off the bench and his offense will be needed on a team still lacking on that end of the floor.
Another to watch is Jeff Adrien. After two exhibition games in which he did little to impress coach Jim Calhoum, I'm thinking the sophomore power forward bounces back nicely against Quinnipiac.

CALLING IN THE CODE

Out of the 'Where Did This Come From?' department, Duke opponents can breathe easy. The fire marshall in Durham, N.C., has said students at Cameron Indoor will have to move a little further back from the court, thereby reducing part of the Blue Devils' home-court advantage, arguably the country's best.
Making this stranger is how the code is apparently not a new one, but suddenly is being reinforced. Something tells me the kids at Chapel Hill won't mind, but I find this to be a disappointment for college basketball.

SIGN OF THINGS TO COME

In the coming weeks, readers of the Bulletin will grow familar with an addition to our Sunday newspaper — a weekly page devoted to college basketball. The page will feature a notebook focusing on Big East and national happenings, a variety of UConn-related information, along with notes focusing on the state's other Division I schools.
To prepare for this I've started contacting coaches from around the Nutmeg State, recently sitting down with new Hartford coach Dan Leibovitz. Among the country's youngest head coaches, Leibovitz got his big break in 1996 by taking a job to work under Temple's John Chaney. Basketball fans might remember seeing Leibovitz, 33, man the Temple sideline at the end of the 2004-05 season when Chaney was under both self-imposed and university suspension.
For more on the rebuilding process at Hartford and what's going on at other state programs, keep an eye out for this new Sunday page, which should make its debut later this month.

ONE MORE POLL

The release of The Associated Press preseason poll had UConn at No. 18, the same spot as the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.
Florida opened at No. 1, again, followed closely by North Carolina and Kansas. Pittsburgh, which tied for fifth in the coaches' vote, was fourth and LSU fifth.
Can't say I'm too surprised by any of the projections. I guess it wouldn't have been a shock to see the Huskies a few spots higher since Hasheem Thabeet's eligibility is all taken care of, but since these early projections really mean nothing, I don't think there's too much to get caught up in.
I'm off to the Civic Center in a few hours and expecting to see a much better performance than last Wednesday.

SPEAKING HIS MIND

Less than a week before the season begins, I know one thing for sure: Jeff Adrien is a go-to quote after a game or practice. The sophomore forward is very accessable to the media and I find his answers to be insightful, which makes you want to come back for me.
After we spoke today following practice at Gampel, I was reminded of an interesting line delivered when talking about tomorrow's exhibition game against Bryant. He said UConn didn't want to be a team that lost to a Division II school, a sign that perhaps there is a slight amount of fear motivating the Huskies.
These exhibition games are always a mixed bag, especially when one school is all fired up and another is just waiting for the regular season to begin. But for those of you who think it can't happen — and I know this example is a bit of a stretch because the programs being compared really bear no similarities — my alma mater, Binghamton, lost to the same D-II school in an exhibition game for the second time in three years. So it can be done.

RUDY SHINES

His team may have lost to the lowly Knicks to begin the season, but Rudy Gay had to have the Memphis Grizzlies brass pleased after the former UConn star debued with 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in Wednesday's triple-overtime contest.
ESPN.com's Insider (see link: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/news/story?page=nbalocal/061102) focused its Memphis coverage on Gay, the No. 8 pick in this past NBA Draft. If you're not a member of Insider, just go to commercialappeal.com, the Memphis newspaper ESPN linked to.

AND NOW ...

Well, that was interesting. I can't say I, nor anyone else following UConn, expected to see AIC clinging to a one-point halftime lead last night at Gampel. It served as a reminder of how young the Huskies are and how much of a growing process this is going to be.
The overwhelming sense I got from Coach Calhoun last night was disappointment in the performance of the sophomore class, the team's veterans. Jeff Adrien's lackluster effort was among Calhoun's biggest surprises, something i'm sure the bruising power forward will want to correct.
Although the exhibition opener shouldn't sound any alarms, it might help Husky Nation get a sense of what to expect in the early stretch. Talent aside, age and experience are very valuable in the game of basketball, and it's going to take time for UConn.

THREE POINTS WORTH MAKING

We’re about 90 from opening tip for UConn’s first exhibition game.
Here are a few thoughts to chew on before the first glimpse of the Huskies this season:

How long will it take Hasheem Thabeet to pick up his first foul? Ditto for Nos. 2-5, because you’d have to figure he’s going to foul out. It’s his debut and, in many ways, playing a Division II opponent is a good half-step toward what will be required come the season opener and later in Big East play. As for why I say he’ll likely foul out, it’s because I think Jim Calhoun will play him until the fifth whistle comes — and being 7-foot-3, his size makes foul trouble a very easy scenario.

Watch for the smile from A.J. Price and his family — mother, father and sister are all expected to be in the crowd. This moment is so overdue for Price, who finally gets to play after arriving here as a hot-shot prospect two years ago. He’s slated to start and expect loud cheers when his first basket drops.

Lastly, keep an eye on which players Calhoun chooses to feature on the court together. The lineups figure to change throughout much of the early season and it’ll be interesting to see if any chemistry becomes evident between certain players.