UConn ended their preseason on Saturday with a 83-43 victory over the New Haven Chargers at the XL Center in Hartford.
The Huskies seemingly remedied several of the woes that befell them in their game against Tampa last weekend. They continued their excellent ball movement but added a fast-paced transition offense that resulted in 24 fastbreak points.
Amida Brimah recovered from a rough outing to post nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks in only 16 minutes. Daniel Hamilton and Rodney Purvis were ultra-aggressive; they combined for 20 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Freshman Steve Enoch was dominant at times, matching Purvis with a team-high 11 points.
“We had a real balanced attack,” coach Kevin Ollie said.
Indeed. All 11 regulars scored, and walk-on Christian Foxen nearly brought down the XL roof (too soon?) with a fastbreak dunk that earned the audience free wings for the second consecutive game.
“We played fast and we played free and I think we played physical,” Ollie added.
As part of that balance, Ollie again employed a number of different lineups. Freshman Jalen Adams ran point with the starters during a highly productive span in the first half. Later, a frontcourt of Shonn Miller and Daniel Hamilton paired with three guards to offer a high-speed change of pace.
It was another opportunity for UConn to improve both chemistry and strategy.
“We call these games ‘Us Games,'” Purvis said.
“In these types of exhibition games, we want to use it as a practice,” Enoch added. “We get used to each other but also we implement what we’ve worked on in practice.”
With the regular season set to begin on Friday night, UConn will soon see if all that practice paid off.
The Good:
- UConn shot a fantastic 51.6 percent from the floor and markedly improved its foul shooting, making 15-19 on Saturday.
- Jalen Adams looks about ready for primetime. He ran the point well, did not commit a turnover and maneuvered his way through the defense with ease. Adams ended up playing 23 minutes, tying Sterling Gibbs for the team lead.
- Omar Calhoun started slow but got on a nice hot streak in the second half.
The Bad:
- Phil Nolan was playing very well — even starting the second half in place of Brimah — before injuring his foot. Nolan will get x-rays on Monday and Ollie declared him day-to-day.
- The team shot poorly from three-point range. Hamilton and Sam Cassell each made one, but the team shot 2-13 (15.4%) from deep. It didn’t matter in this game, obviously, but consistency from beyond the arc will be a point of emphasis over the next few weeks.
- Sterling Gibbs was very quiet. He didn’t make a field goal over the game’s final 35:20, and finished with five points and one assist.
- Walk-on Mike Noyes got into the game but A Dime Back is still the only outlet using the #BringTheNoyes hashtag. C’mon, people.
- In the post-game press conference, Ollie referred to Rodney Purvis as “Hot Rod.” Asked about it afterwards, Purvis said “It’s ok… We’re gonna work on that.”
Up Next:
Real basketball! The regular season officially begins when Maine arrives at Gampel Pavilion on Friday. Tip is at 7:30 and the game can be seen on SNY.
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The new guys. #UConn A photo posted by A Dime Back (@adimeback) on
Huskies dodge chargers? Very clever Ty.
know pt gard=know goody