In UConn’s first game of the season, a matchup with a tough Michigan St. team halfway around the world, freshman Omar Calhoun earned a start. He looked timid, occasionally overmatched, and generally overwhelmed with the task at hand. Although UConn pulled off an improbable victory, Calhoun finished with a lone point. He missed both shots he took in 25 minutes – hitting one of his two free throws.
The first game of Omar Calhoun’s collegiate career – although uninspiring – set a benchmark for the progress he was about to make.
With two games left in the season, Calhoun has emerged as one of UConn’s most dependable players. The Huskies have four players who average double-figure scoring. Two are expected in star guards Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright. The third is developing sophomore and emerging star DeAndre Daniels. The last is Calhoun.
The points are great, but the timing of Calhoun’s scoring is what has garnered the most attention. Down three against Georgetown on Wednesday night, Calhoun found the ball in his hands with two seconds left. His three-pointer dropped in. Many were thrilled but few were surprised. Hitting big shots has become a trend for the freshman, who is quick to praise his teammates for having confidence in him before assuming credit for himself.
However, when asked about Calhoun’s progress on offense this season, head coach Kevin Ollie said it is Calhoun’s defense that has truly impressed the coaching staff. Calhoun is relatively lengthy for a 2-guard. He stands 6’5” with long arms. He is stronger than your average freshman. It would seem strong defense would be a given – only Calhoun’s defensive performance has come with him playing out of position to accommodate the two point guard tandem of Napier and Boatright. Calhoun has been matched up against bigger, stronger swingmen and small forwards. It’s a challenge he has handled with aplomb, setting a trend where UConn has contained their opponents with speed and tenacity in lieu of size and strength.
To round out the full package, Calhoun has also emerged as one of the team’s best rebounders. For much of the season, as UConn’s big men struggled to hold their own on the glass, the Huskies lacked any player averaging over five rebounds per game. Calhoun has grabbed five or more in the past eight games, bringing his average to four per game on the season – good for third on the team behind Daniels and Napier, go figure.
In the four months since Calhoun took the court in Germany, he has developed into the player UConn needed him to be. He has filled multiple holes in a team rife with them. Despite battling a sore wrist the past few games that has hampered his jump shot, he has adapted, again changing into the player that helps the team the most – one game, one moment at a time.
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As the season comes to a close next Saturday, attention will turn to another offseason of uncertainty. There will be a mass exodus of teams out of the conference. Shabazz Napier will have to make a decision about his future. Coach Kevin Ollie will have to prove he can develop talent, not just manage it. The roster will see changes regardless, with new recruits coming in, RJ Evans graduating, and the questions surrounding embattled center Enosch Wolf.
That is what makes Omar Calhoun’s season so important and so encouraging. The first game of next season, even if it’s half a world away, will mark the start of a new chapter where Calhoun can continue developing. Only, instead of developing into the problem-solver – the answer to the myriad of questions that arise on a flawed roster – Calhoun can begin his development into a star he seems destined to become.
