Spring Break
Start Walker, not Austrie
Kevin Meacham
Issue date: 2/19/09 Section: Sports
Unlike the idiot in the student section who loudly cursed out Stanley Robinson after he missed a key free throw late in Monday's loss - you know who you are - I'm not quite ready to turn on the UConn men's basketball team just yet.
At 24-2, even minus Jerome Dyson, there is still considerable evidence that the Huskies are one of the best teams in the country. Certainly, being tied with 3:00 left against talented, red-hot No. 4 Pittsburgh does nothing to change my mind.
If a couple calls or bounces go the other way, maybe UConn pulls that game out and ESPN genuflects at Jim Calhoun's feet instead of Jamie Dixon's.
Nevertheless, there are issues that UConn faces in the next four to six weeks (other than playing without its starting shooting guard):
Hasheem Thabeet needs to get his confidence back (DeJuan Blair took it away when he flipped Thabeet onto the ground like a hamburger), A.J. Price needs to carry the team for 40 minutes against the top teams and Jeff Adrien needs to stop shooting the mythical Fadeaway Jumper That Never Goes In and get back to being a warrior on the block.
I'm confident, as I'm sure Calhoun is, that UConn will figure these things out Saturday against lowly South Florida.
But there's one other thing that Calhoun can do, which will pay off Saturday, pay off in March and pay off next season (and beyond): start Kemba Walker.
With the caveat that Calhoun has 798 more coaching wins than I do, starting the freshman sensation (and giving him more than 30 minutes a night) from the Bronx, N.Y. will give UConn three obvious benefits:
-Walker can replace a few of Dyson's abilities on offense, and just about replicate his defensive prowess;
-Walker is playing better than Craig Austrie right now;
-Mixing in Walker and letting him adjust now rather than later will be crucial at tournament time.
Walker played outstandingly against Pittsburgh Monday, creating shots, driving into the lane and locking down Pittsburgh point guard Levance "Mrs." Fields. True, Fields hit the game's two biggest shots on back-to-back possessions, but for the sake of argument, we'll assume Calhoun will be yelling until Walker fights through screens while sleepwalking.
At 24-2, even minus Jerome Dyson, there is still considerable evidence that the Huskies are one of the best teams in the country. Certainly, being tied with 3:00 left against talented, red-hot No. 4 Pittsburgh does nothing to change my mind.
If a couple calls or bounces go the other way, maybe UConn pulls that game out and ESPN genuflects at Jim Calhoun's feet instead of Jamie Dixon's.
Nevertheless, there are issues that UConn faces in the next four to six weeks (other than playing without its starting shooting guard):
Hasheem Thabeet needs to get his confidence back (DeJuan Blair took it away when he flipped Thabeet onto the ground like a hamburger), A.J. Price needs to carry the team for 40 minutes against the top teams and Jeff Adrien needs to stop shooting the mythical Fadeaway Jumper That Never Goes In and get back to being a warrior on the block.
I'm confident, as I'm sure Calhoun is, that UConn will figure these things out Saturday against lowly South Florida.
But there's one other thing that Calhoun can do, which will pay off Saturday, pay off in March and pay off next season (and beyond): start Kemba Walker.
With the caveat that Calhoun has 798 more coaching wins than I do, starting the freshman sensation (and giving him more than 30 minutes a night) from the Bronx, N.Y. will give UConn three obvious benefits:
-Walker can replace a few of Dyson's abilities on offense, and just about replicate his defensive prowess;
-Walker is playing better than Craig Austrie right now;
-Mixing in Walker and letting him adjust now rather than later will be crucial at tournament time.
Walker played outstandingly against Pittsburgh Monday, creating shots, driving into the lane and locking down Pittsburgh point guard Levance "Mrs." Fields. True, Fields hit the game's two biggest shots on back-to-back possessions, but for the sake of argument, we'll assume Calhoun will be yelling until Walker fights through screens while sleepwalking.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Kurt
posted 2/19/09 @ 6:17 PM EST
I agree with you that Walker is more of an offensive threat (especially on the fast break) and the only one on the team that will drive to the basket with a demeanor that even comes close to resembling Dyson. (Continued…)
tony
posted 2/20/09 @ 8:30 AM EST
Nice article and I agree that Kemba is playing better than Craig. BTW, not every sentence needs to be a new paragraph. It's not a shopping list.
Jose Quiles
posted 2/20/09 @ 8:51 AM EST
Does it really matter who starts in place of Dyson? At the end of the day, what really matters this year is that AJ Price plays like an All-American. (Continued…)
jeff
posted 2/20/09 @ 9:24 PM EST
Yea I also have to disagree with Walker starting over Austrie. I agree that Walker will probably be the more important player of the two, getting the little runs going when he comes off the bench. (Continued…)
Post a Comment