DECEMBER MADNESS

Finals end tomorrow at UConn and I’ll be curious to see if there are any changes in the players when we see them at practice.
It’s got to be a big adjustment from being a high school player to now balancing so much and Jim Calhoun has even hinted that some Huskies have handled it better than others. Speaking on Thursday’s Big East teleconference, he talked about the giddiness of his team at recent practices, a sign of perhaps some lingering stress.
Dealing with academics and finals was a topic of conversation for other coaches as well, including Jerry Wainwright. DePaul’s coach has it a little different though since his school is on the lesser-used quarter system.
The Blue Demons’ players actually had to push up their finals because of the team’s appearance at the Maui Invitational. With tests to worry about and practice time cut down by a week nationwide, that combination might explain part of DePaul’s unexpected 0-2 start (the team is 5-3 since).