Spring Break
Column: Playing in a world of question marks
Marc Gauthier
Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Husky Hoopla
When I sat down to write this column last year, I started by talking about my first encounter with Ater Majok.
A year has gone by and yet, here I am, in very much the same position.
We don't know anything about Majok. He still hasn't suited up in a game for us and he won't suit up until the end of this semester.
There's no doubt that Majok is the biggest question mark of the team, but the troubling thing is that he is just one of many question marks this year.
Who's going to fill in Hasheem Thabeet's presence in the paint? Freshman Alex Oriakhi looks better than Thabeet did when he first got to UConn as a freshman, but will Oriakhi be able to hold his own against some of the big men of the Big East?
There's Charles Okwandu, the 7-footer from Nigeria, who might be able to mimic some of Thabeet's defensive presence. But if the preseason is any indication, it's going to be a long, frustrating season for those waiting for his emergence as a reliable center.
And then there's freshman Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who as of Tuesday finally revieved full clearance to practice and play by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Supposedly, he's a tremendously talented scorer - or at least that's what Jim Calhoun keeps saying - but he didn't get a chance to see any minutes in the exhibition season.
What about the other two freshmen: Darius Smith and Jamaal Trice? As of right now, I'm very optimistic about their futures, especially Smith, who was ranked the second best defensive point guard in the 2009 recruiting class according to Rivals.com. But will Calhoun give them a chance to make an impact this season?
Only when we look at the returning players, do we get a sense of some stability on this team.
Kemba Walker bigger, quicker and more lethal than he was last season. Somehow, Stanley Robinson seems to have managed to add a few more inches to his freakish jumping ability. Gavin Edwards is in a prime position to continue his solid career at UConn. And Jerome Dyson is looking like the fearless Jerome Dyson that UConn fans have come to love.
A year has gone by and yet, here I am, in very much the same position.
We don't know anything about Majok. He still hasn't suited up in a game for us and he won't suit up until the end of this semester.
There's no doubt that Majok is the biggest question mark of the team, but the troubling thing is that he is just one of many question marks this year.
Who's going to fill in Hasheem Thabeet's presence in the paint? Freshman Alex Oriakhi looks better than Thabeet did when he first got to UConn as a freshman, but will Oriakhi be able to hold his own against some of the big men of the Big East?
There's Charles Okwandu, the 7-footer from Nigeria, who might be able to mimic some of Thabeet's defensive presence. But if the preseason is any indication, it's going to be a long, frustrating season for those waiting for his emergence as a reliable center.
And then there's freshman Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who as of Tuesday finally revieved full clearance to practice and play by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Supposedly, he's a tremendously talented scorer - or at least that's what Jim Calhoun keeps saying - but he didn't get a chance to see any minutes in the exhibition season.
What about the other two freshmen: Darius Smith and Jamaal Trice? As of right now, I'm very optimistic about their futures, especially Smith, who was ranked the second best defensive point guard in the 2009 recruiting class according to Rivals.com. But will Calhoun give them a chance to make an impact this season?
Only when we look at the returning players, do we get a sense of some stability on this team.
Kemba Walker bigger, quicker and more lethal than he was last season. Somehow, Stanley Robinson seems to have managed to add a few more inches to his freakish jumping ability. Gavin Edwards is in a prime position to continue his solid career at UConn. And Jerome Dyson is looking like the fearless Jerome Dyson that UConn fans have come to love.
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