|
Volume CXXXIII, Number 8 |
 |
UConn basketball is a way of life for fans
NICK LAROCQUE
STAFF WRITER
For sports fans in Connecticut, college basketball rules. When winter hits, the neighbors, who have spent the rest of the year playing an everyday watered-down version of the famed Boston/New York rivalry, declare a temporary ceasefire that is symbolized by the "UCONN Huskies" flags that appear outside their homes.
When winter hits, these fans who watched helplessly as their beloved Hartford Whalers fell victim to big-market sharks in 1997, join together to celebrate the one thing they have left. No self-respecting Whaler fan will ever spend his or her winter months rooting for the hated Boston Bruins or New York Rangers.
All over the state, there is still talk about the first National Championship in 1999. We don't care what anyone says now. There was not a single person outside the state of Connecticut who thought we were going to beat Duke that night, but we did. In Connecticut, the names Ricky Moore, Kevin Freeman, and Richard Hamilton carry the same prominence that the names Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, and Larry Bird might in Beantown. Welcome to wintertime in Connecticut. This is the only thing that matters.
Fans in the Nutmeg state have even more incentive than usual to be excited this season, as the recently released pre-season polls have the Huskies ranked number one overall, just ahead of the Duke Blue Devils. In college basketball, pre-season rankings often mean nothing. The season is long, and the field always seems to level itself out come tournament time. However, this year's poll is significant because it confirms what fans in Connecticut have been thinking about ever since May: This could be the best team in the history of UCONN men's basketball.
Let's start with Emeka Okafor, who has been named the consensus preseason national player of the year. Okafor enters this season, his junior year, as the biggest man in college basketball this year. After only two seasons, he already holds the UCONN record for blocked shots with 294.
His career 4.38 blocks per game average is the highest in the history of the Big East, a conference that has known the likes of dominant players as Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning. At 6 foot 9, 252 pounds, Okafor provides an imposing physical presence with a soft touch around the basket. In fact, his field goal percentage of 58.3 is the best all-time percentage for a UCONN player.
While these numbers are certainly astounding, there is much more to Okafor than just basketball. He is a model student athlete and a prospective Rhodes Scholar. This guy has been the most exciting player for UCONN fans over the last two years. This is a far cry from Travis Knight or Jake Voskuhl. This guy is a whole new breed, with a future as a bright star in the NBA.
Junior shooting guard Ben Gordon, a pre-season candidate for player of the year, will be the Huskies' main scoring threat, among a myriad of other young offensive talent. Gordon's career three-point field goal percentage (41.6%) is the second best in UCONN history behind only Ray Allen, another hero of the Connecticut hardwood. Gordon led UCONN in scoring as a sophomore last year, averaging 19.5 points per game. Look for him to improve on that number this year.
Also watch for sophomores Marcus White, Denham Brown, and Rashad Anderson to make additional contributions on offense. Anderson proved himself to be the real deal last year, coming off the bench to do a lot of long-range damage - most notable was his 21 point effort against Syracuse in the Big East Semi-final game. The Huskies also expect to get high production from highly touted freshman forward Charlie Villanueva.
Despite the tremendous talent that the Huskies have at all positions, there is no question about who is the most vital part to the success of this year's team. This is Taliek Brown's fourth year as UCONN's starting point guard. He is Jim Calhoun's floor general, and all of the Huskies' offense flows from him. It's not always pretty, but it is always effective. Brown's importance to the team can be likened to the important role that Ricky Moore played on UCONN's 1999 national championship team.
Brown brings all of the intangibles to the table. He is a stingy defender, a smart passer, and a fearless leader. Taliek brown is an animal. He is the engine that makes this UCONN team run. His energy is infectious and seemingly endless. Like Ricky Moore, Brown will probably never materialize into an everyday NBA player. Like Ricky Moore, Brown's efforts will probably be overlooked if UCONN wins the national championship, while players like Gordon and Okafor will be showered with awards and accolades. However, to a guy like Taliek Brown, none of this matters. Make no mistake about it: this is his team, and anything less than a national championship will be a failure.
|
FastCounter by bCentral |