Spring Break
Adrien, seniors ready for last chance
Justin Verrier
Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: Husky Hoopla
Every time Kemba Walker steps on the court for the No. 2 Huskies and sees all-conference players and future pros all around him, he can't contain his excitement.
Walker's big, schoolboy grin never left his face in the postgame interviews following his first preseason game in a UConn uniform.
"It was exciting," Walker said after UConn's 83-58 exhibition win over AIC. "I came out, and the student section was saying my name. I just couldn't wait to get out there. "
But for seniors Jeff Adrien, A.J. Price and Craig Austrie, the excitement - if there was any - was contained.
Sure, there were a few smiles flashed and jokes thrown around as, for the fourth - in Price's case, fifth - year, they began the grind of sitting around the UConn weightroom for half-hour fielding questions from a horde of reporters.
But while Walker's joy comes as a product of the start of something new, something exciting, Adrien, Price and Austrie are all looking to finish something that slipped through their grasps in the past - a trip to the Final Four.
"We've been waiting six or seven months for this to start," Adrien said in a calm, monotone voice last week. "We ready."
Forgive Adrien if he doesn't share the same youthful exuberance as Walker.
He's now been through four summers filled with weights and pick-up, played in nearly 100 games, felt the highs of being on top of the standings and the lows of being left sitting at home during Selection Sunday.
So while a No. 2 ranking in a preseason is a nice honor, Adrien knows not to get too far ahead of himself.
"We're ready to have one of the great years like we had our freshman year," Adrien said. "But get even further than that."
For Adrien, Price and Austrie, their final seasons not only mark their last go-round after three years of hard work and sacrifice, but a shot at redemption as well.
After being forced to wade through two seasons of rebuilding, the Huskies are finally players on the national scene and this is their only chance - and most likely the team's only window for a few years - to bring home a national title.
Walker's big, schoolboy grin never left his face in the postgame interviews following his first preseason game in a UConn uniform.
"It was exciting," Walker said after UConn's 83-58 exhibition win over AIC. "I came out, and the student section was saying my name. I just couldn't wait to get out there. "
But for seniors Jeff Adrien, A.J. Price and Craig Austrie, the excitement - if there was any - was contained.
Sure, there were a few smiles flashed and jokes thrown around as, for the fourth - in Price's case, fifth - year, they began the grind of sitting around the UConn weightroom for half-hour fielding questions from a horde of reporters.
But while Walker's joy comes as a product of the start of something new, something exciting, Adrien, Price and Austrie are all looking to finish something that slipped through their grasps in the past - a trip to the Final Four.
"We've been waiting six or seven months for this to start," Adrien said in a calm, monotone voice last week. "We ready."
Forgive Adrien if he doesn't share the same youthful exuberance as Walker.
He's now been through four summers filled with weights and pick-up, played in nearly 100 games, felt the highs of being on top of the standings and the lows of being left sitting at home during Selection Sunday.
So while a No. 2 ranking in a preseason is a nice honor, Adrien knows not to get too far ahead of himself.
"We're ready to have one of the great years like we had our freshman year," Adrien said. "But get even further than that."
For Adrien, Price and Austrie, their final seasons not only mark their last go-round after three years of hard work and sacrifice, but a shot at redemption as well.
After being forced to wade through two seasons of rebuilding, the Huskies are finally players on the national scene and this is their only chance - and most likely the team's only window for a few years - to bring home a national title.
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