We have officially reached the slowest part of the UConn sports year. Let’s temporarily stave off insanity with a bag full of mail.
Remember: If your question wasn’t answered or you’ve been living under a rock and are just hearing about this, you can submit your questions here or on Twitter (@ADimeBack).
Matt asks: if we can upgrade facilities through private donations as proposed, inc. Gampel), is there a financial urgency to change leagues?
Right now, UConn doesn’t have a choice but to rely heavily on donors to keep pace with the Power 5. The problem is that this is not a long-term fix. A few rich guys can donate money to fix Gampel or whatever is needed, but what happens in five years when a new problem arises? Then another the year after that? There’s no guarantee that you’re going to have the funds year after year to compete. That’s why a Power 5 invite is so important. I’m told that donors can keep the athletic department afloat for the time being. I’m going to get into this more next week, but even in terms of a strong donor base, UConn is at a tremendous disadvantage compared to other schools. Substantial donations happening now are great, but all it’s doing is buying time.
Penfield asks: If You Could Live In A Book, TV Show Or Movie, What Would It Be?
I would definitely live in the West Wing. I kind of always wanted Sam Seaborn’s job. You work for Jed Bartlet, who is the greatest of all the fictional presidents, you get to roll around in the presidential motorcade, fly around in Air Force One, and write like Aaron Sorkin before he started reusing all his good material. In this fictional world, we know that Matt Santos becomes the next president, and there’s no need to worry about an angry, melting creamsicle ever having the nuclear codes.
I also considered Harry Potter, because being able to do magic would be so dope. But then there’s the whole fighting evil and being back in school thing, and you couldn’t pay me enough to go through adolescence again. It’s a pretty miserable time. Just ask Russ.
Mike asks: what’s the scoop on Gilbert’s shoulder. Thought I saw a video where KO said recovering from surgery?
Gilbert separated his left shoulder in the Jordan Brand Classic game this spring. Gilbert is already on campus and enrolled in summer courses, but has yet to fully resume basketball activity. Kevin Ollie said that Gilbert is ahead of schedule with his recovery, but that UConn is being very cautious. This isn’t Gilbert’s first shoulder injury and Ollie also intimated that a surgery may be necessary in the future to permanently correct the issue — though no timeframe was given.
Gilbert is viewed as a critical part of UConn’s rotation this year and into the future. Getting him completely healthy, however long that may take, is critical.
