Spring Break
The 'Jerome factor'
Calhoun turns to talented trio to replace Dyson's production
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 3/19/09 Section: March Madness
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He is, of course, referring to the one legitimate reason that could have kept his Huskies, who were ranked in the top five all season, from obtaining a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The numbers don't lie: With Dyson, UConn was 22-1. Without him, the Huskies are 4-3.
Ever since Dyson (13.2 points per game) was ruled out for the season with a torn meniscus in his left knee, no one has stepped up to duplicate his production.
Senior Craig Austrie was inserted into the starting line-up, a role he excelled in when Dyson was suspended for nine games last season. Austrie averaged 10.1 points per game in his place in 2008 when Dyson was suspended, but he has struggled, to say the least, since his re-insertion into the starting line-up this year.
In the seven games since Dyson went down, six of which Austrie has started, the senior shooting guard is averaging 4.7 points per game while shooting an abysmal 22 percent from the field.
"Craig's got to keep shooting," Calhoun said. "He has to. He knows that."
Fortunately for Austrie, however, UConn has other options to help alleviate the pressure of filling Dyson's shoes.
Perhaps the most important, according to Calhoun, is small forward Stanley Robinson. After a victory over South Florida on Feb. 20 - a game in which Robinson quietly registered 10 points and six rebounds - Calhoun said that he expected the 6-foot-9 small forward to step up the most out of everyone in Dyson's absence.
And of late, he has.
Robinson went off for a season-high 28 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in the third overtime of UConn's unforgettable 127-117 6-OT loss to Syracuse in last Thursday's Big East quarterfinal. He made jumpshots. He attacked the boards. He attacked the basket. Robinson played as close to a perfect game as he's ever played in a UConn uniform, and according to senior guard A.J. Price, that's just a sign of things to come.
"It's something we expect from Stanley," Price said. "And honestly, it's something we need. It's definitely not a one-time performance from him. I've been around him and I've seen him do those kinds of things before. We just have to hope he plays with that same assertiveness and brings that same passion and fire to the Tournament."
Robinson, who admitted to being a little gun-shy early in the year, knows that he can no longer defer to his teammates. He realizes that, at times, he must put the offense on his back.
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