UConn capped off its exhibition schedule on Monday with a massive blow out against a hugely overmatched Concordia, winning 98-38. The Huskies faced a Concordia team that was more notable for the brightness of its uniforms than its play last night at the Civic XL Center. The match-up against a D-III school didn’t bring out the big crowds. But we did get some useful information going into the first regular season game against Maryland at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Friday.
Tyler Olander was a last minute scratch from the starting line-up, and was replaced by Philip Nolan. This move isn’t a shock to anybody, but Olander was listed as the starter and actively participated in the warm-ups. After the game Coach Kevin Ollie said that Olander isn’t in basketball shape yet, and needs to work on his conditioning. Ollie demurred on Olander’s lack of playing time, saying only that it was due to the flow of the game, and not anything Olander did or didn’t do.
We got a good look at Terrence Samuel, who recorded six assists in 10 minutes of first half play, finishing the night with 12 assists and 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor. He seemed very confident running the offense. Samuel also had no problem driving to the basket himself. He looks like an excellent guard option off the bench. And, god forbid, we have any injuries to Bazz or Boat, Samuel looks able to step in. “Terrence played incredible,” Ollie said.
Omar Calhoun led the team with 16 points and 7 rebounds, which was a big step in the right direction given Calhoun is coming off an injury that kept him out of the gym this summer. “He had to shake the rust off,” Ollie said.
With Nolan getting the start, you can expect to see him getting more playing time going forward. Ollie said he wants Nolan to work more on consistency, but that he’s much improved from last season. “He’s got all his moves in his head,” Ollie said. “And sometimes he tries to do two at the same time.”
For those (like us) wondering why a D-III school no one has ever heard of schlepped from Chicago to get trounced, the answer is the long-standing relationship between Kevin Ollie and Concordia Coach Tyler Jones. Jones, a Connecticut native who played at Trinity College, was the GM for the Connecticut Pride when they drafted Ollie in the first round out of college.
Both coaches spoke fondly of each other after the game, specifically mentioning how Jones would work out with Ollie and helped prepare him for his NBA career. “A lot of people counted him out,” Jones said. “I was never one of them.”
“He always had my back,” Ollie said of Jones. “He’s just a great man.”
Going into the regular season, we learned that Amida Brimah is not as raw as advertised. The backcourt is insanely deep. We actually have some big men. Ollie played around with two bigs (Brimah/Nolan and Brimah/Olander) and Giffey at the four spot. This bench is deep, and it won’t just be up to Bazz, Boat and Daniels to win every game. Mark my words: this is going to be a really fun season to watch.
Great article! Keep up the great work. 🙂
Marked!