| | By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
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Friday, Oct. 13
Connecticut has to replace talent, heart and experience from last year's team -- and must do it primarily with young
talent. The Huskies will be good, because Jim Calhoun can coach, but the
Huskies will be hard pressed to remain the dominant program in the Big East
this season.
If Taliek Brown can emerge as the point guard everyone thinks he can be, UConn will get there more quickly. Behind Brown, UConn will be able to run and press. And with the havoc that the Huskies can create defensively, they will
win 20-plus games again.
However, UConn will need to have several players raise the levels of their games to make up for the departed Kevin Freeman, Jake Voskuhl and Khalid El-Amin.
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Frontcourt
The Huskies have quality players up front, but without Jake Voskuhl and Kevin Freeman, UConn is in need of consistent and reliable
scorers, rebounders and interior defenders.
Souleymane Wane, who remains an interesting prospect because of his size and athleticism, continued to have
consistency issues last season. If Wane (4.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg) can mimic what
Jamaal Magliore did at Kentucky last year -- just keep his game simple -- he can
be an impact player.
Edmund Saunders is the most aggressive of the big men, and can play all three positions up front. Saunders (7.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) likes to run the floor, looks to finish, and has a nice turnaround jumper in the post. He's effective from 15 feet in, and is a good rebounder. Although criticized sometimes for his demeanor, Saunders has a competitive mean
streak that makes him a great guy to have on your team.
Ajou Deng, the 6-foot-11 swing forward that was hyped by everyone who had never seen him play,
showed flashes last season, but was not a consistent performer. Deng (4.5
ppg 3.5 rpg, 48 percent 3pt) is a good athlete that has the potential to handle the ball, shoot with range, and pass the ball. He can block shots, but often makes poor decisions.
As he learns the game, and as he tries to live up to some unrealistic expectations, Deng can be very good.
The new 7-footer asked to fill Voskuhl's role is sophomore Justin Brown. He'll add size up front, and he is a quick jumper. As a freshman, however, he had a tough time mentally adjusting to the college game.
The keys, aside from the improvement of Wane and Deng, will be the impact of newcomers Caron Butler and Johnnie
Selvie.
Butler is an athletic small forward who can shoot from the outside, or put the ball on the floor. He has shown an ability to score in a variety of ways, and has a good idea of what plays to make out on the floor. Butler will
make an immediate impact, and could even start.
Selvie was the only junior college player who could have made the cut for the U.S. Under 20 team this summer. But he was left off the team because of a bad back, and USA Basketball was reluctant to risk further injury. Selvie is very tough mentally, defends on the perimeter and in the post, and can rebound. He will be a very effective player with
his combination of size and quickness.
Freshman Scott Hazelton is a 6-8 McDonald's All-American who should be a contributor. But he too has been battling injuries.
|  | | Albert Mouring will be asked to carry more of a load on both offense and defense this season. |
The newcomers have great promise, and the battle for playing time in practice will be fierce. At least Calhoun has some depth up front.
Backcourt
UConn got a preview of coming attractions when Khalid El-Amin went down in the NCAA Tournament with an injury. The Huskies lost the only player that could get them into any type of offensive flow, and
bowed out earlier than their talent level dictated.
While El-Amin's handling, scoring and presence will be missed, freshman Taliek Brown should
get an opportunity to take over the leadership of the point. He'll at least battle sophomore Marcus Cox for the job.
Cox, after struggling with the adjustment of college ball, could emerge as a real player this season. He is a true point guard who has gotten stronger -- both mentally and physically. While last year may have been a struggle, Cox is a very good athlete who can take the ball to the basket hard and finish. He has the ability to run the break, penetrate, and he passes like a point guard.
The key for Cox remains his confidence level. If he plays like he can -- and works like Calhoun wants him to -- he could be the starting point guard.
Brown is a physical point guard who penetrated well and finished plays in high school. He has a good feel for what is going on out on the court, and was arguably the most complete point guard coming out of high
school last year.
Brown is a pass-first playmaker who gets his teammates shots. He has good range on his jump shot, but needs to improve his shooting consistency.
The sharp-shooting Albert Mouring will again be the Huskies' top scoring threat after shooting over 50 percent on threes in Big East play. Mouring is athletic, plays hard, and is an outstanding shooter when he spots up in a catch-and-shoot mode or comes off screens. Mouring (13.9 ppg, 48 percent 3pt) will have to carry even more of a scoring and leadership load
this season after his breakout year. Oh, and he'll have to assume the role of defensive stopper as well.
Too much? Well, he is one of the top 3-point
shooters in the country, and should be able to work off of Brown's
penetrating ability even better than he did with El-Amin.
Tony Robertson (6.8 ppg) is a hard-nosed combo guard who can play some point for Calhoun because of his good ball-handling skills and quick feet. Robertson works hard, can shoot the ball with range, and scores off his dribble.
With those four, UConn has a quality quartet of guards with plenty of talent, but nowhere near the experience of the past two years.
Bottom Line
The Huskies will be more of a full-court team this season with an ability to run and press. As in the past, a strength will
remain the ability to change ends, and to get the ball up and down the floor quickly. Calhoun will have 10 players to shuttle in and out, and that style will suit this team well. This is an NCAA Tournament team that will challenge again for the Big East title. | |
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