Dec. 29, 2005
Jim Calhoun has got to be excited about his Huskies. Right after the New Year, Connecticut gets Marcus Williams back into the lineup. Williams had off-court problems, involved in stealing laptops from a dorm room. He sat out the first semester as punishment, and now he is ready to play starting Jan. 3 at Marquette in Connecticut's Big East opener.
Calhoun now has three major options on offense with Josh Boone, Rudy Gay and Williams. Then throw in Rashad Anderson, who provides instant offense and long range shooting when he comes off the bench, and the Huskies are flat-out explosive.Connecticut has a number of others contributing -- Ed Nelson, freshman Jeff Adrien and Hilton Armstrong help out up front. With Williams out, newcomers like Craig Austrie, Marcus Johnson and Rob Garrison have logged valuable minutes. When healthy, Denham Brown can be a factor too; he has recently been bothered by a sprained knee. There is no doubt that Calhoun sports a lot of depth, and that is so important come March Madness time.
The return of Williams gives Calhoun a player who can run the offense and also score. He makes the team much better in transition. It may take some time for Williams to return to form, but this club will be so dangerous come tourney time thanks to his return.
Things will not be easy in the Big East. Villanova has been playing well. Teams like Syracuse, Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Georgetown and Notre Dame will be challenging. The Huskies also face LSU and have to travel to Indiana in early February, so they will be battle tested come tournament time.
Imagine if Charlie Villanueva didn't enter the NBA draft early? Or if Andrew Bynum came to Storrs instead of going early and ending up with the Lakers? The bottom-line is, with Marcus Williams returning, Connecticut has a legit shot to make another run at the Final Four. Fans in Storrs have a lot to be excited about.
Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.
