Spring Break
Oh, to erase the past four years
Marc Gauthier
Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: Husky Hoopla
The question is will Majok live up to the expectations? Better yet, will UConn live up to the expectations?
It's been a bitter and brutal four years since UConn last won the NCAA national championship and quite frankly, I don't think there's a single person who follows UConn basketball who would disagree.
But there's reason to believe that maybe, just maybe, this year's team can erase all the horrible memories of the past four years.
For the most part, everyone who played last year is back with a few exceptions. The ones who won't be missed are Doug Wiggins (who transferred to UMass) and Curtis Kelly (who transferred to Kansas State).
That leaves only Stanley Robinson, the athletic 6-foot-9 forward from Birmingham, Ala. The good news about Robinson is that he's expected to return next semester after taking a semester off of college. And as a side note, I've seen Robinson running up and down the steps in Gampel - I think he's ready to play.
The returning players are all products of three or four years in a Jim Calhoun system.
Seniors Jeff Adrien, A.J. Price and Craig Austrie were all a part of the George Mason loss, the San Diego loss and the NCAA snuff.
Coming back as juniors, Jerome Dyson, Hasheem Thabeet, Gavin Edwards and Jonathan Mandeldove now know what it's like being on the bad end of a Cinderella story.
Sophomore Donnell Beverly is, well, Donnell Beverly.
And freshmen Kemba Walker, Scottie Haralson, Charles Okwandu and Majok are just ready to start their collegiate careers.
So, when you put all the pieces together, what do you get? A winning record? A Big East championship? An NCAA championship?
I think for right now, all you can ask for is a humble conversation with Ater Majok.
It's been a bitter and brutal four years since UConn last won the NCAA national championship and quite frankly, I don't think there's a single person who follows UConn basketball who would disagree.
But there's reason to believe that maybe, just maybe, this year's team can erase all the horrible memories of the past four years.
For the most part, everyone who played last year is back with a few exceptions. The ones who won't be missed are Doug Wiggins (who transferred to UMass) and Curtis Kelly (who transferred to Kansas State).
That leaves only Stanley Robinson, the athletic 6-foot-9 forward from Birmingham, Ala. The good news about Robinson is that he's expected to return next semester after taking a semester off of college. And as a side note, I've seen Robinson running up and down the steps in Gampel - I think he's ready to play.
The returning players are all products of three or four years in a Jim Calhoun system.
Seniors Jeff Adrien, A.J. Price and Craig Austrie were all a part of the George Mason loss, the San Diego loss and the NCAA snuff.
Coming back as juniors, Jerome Dyson, Hasheem Thabeet, Gavin Edwards and Jonathan Mandeldove now know what it's like being on the bad end of a Cinderella story.
Sophomore Donnell Beverly is, well, Donnell Beverly.
And freshmen Kemba Walker, Scottie Haralson, Charles Okwandu and Majok are just ready to start their collegiate careers.
So, when you put all the pieces together, what do you get? A winning record? A Big East championship? An NCAA championship?
I think for right now, all you can ask for is a humble conversation with Ater Majok.
Be the first to comment on this story