Uconn tops AIC
11/6/08
The Huskies opened their Hoops season with a 83-58 exhibition-game victory over AIC last night night. Calhoun afterwards categorized the effort as, "OK", nobody really did all that much with the exception of freshman Kemba Walker and Thabeet -- I am not going to elaborate on how great it was to see Hasheem dominate players a foot shorter than he, but he did reportedly play well (9 for 9 field).
Walker, the story of the night (10 points, eight rebounds and four assists in his debut), pushed the ball up the floor frequently and was able to find open teammates for some easy hoops. He hooked up with Hasheem for a couple of alley-oops, one of them on a no-look pass that thrilled the crowd of 9,500. Calhoun was excited about his energy and enthusiasm after his first game, "He'll make more shots in a game than in drills, because he's a gamer. He knows how to win."
Uconn ends its exhibition on Sunday against
Notes
Neat stuff regarding some Uconn and AIC history from Dave Borges' blog..."On Dec. 4, 1963 – just a couple of weeks after John F. Kennedy was assassinated...Jim Calhoun played against the team he would eventually lead to a pair of national championships. Calhoun, a forward for American International College, scored nine points against the Huskies that day in a 95-49 UConn victory...Tony Kimball led a well-balanced UConn attack with 19 points, while another familiar name – future UConn head coach Dom Perno – added 14. Calhoun rebounded a year later, however. On Dec. 1, 1964, Calhoun poured in 27 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the floor, and also pulled down six rebounds. The results weren't much better for AIC, however – a 98-67 loss. Kimball again led UConn with 30 points, followed by 20 from Wes Bialosuknia. Future URI and Texas coach Tom Penders netted two."
Ater Majok...is on campus and is still awaiting word from the NCAA clearinghouse as to whether he'll be able to enroll at UConn for the second semester...Calhoun on the # 2 ranking..."It is obviously a nice honor, one that I am not sure we are quite deserving of at this point but certainly something we hope to develop into as the season moves on."...Uconn is apparently showing interest in Rico Pickett, a 6-4 guard from Miami-Dade Junior College. Pickett originally attended Alabama but quickly transferred and will begin his second season in Miami this year...Durand Scott (the highly ranked 2009 2 guard) has his list down to Uconn, Miami and Pitt and is in no hurry to make his decision...the early signing period begins Nov. 12