Calhoun Has Built Foundation at UConn
It was summertime in Storrs, and University of Connecticut basketball Coach Jim Calhoun still was trying to catch his breath from an exhilarating, once-in-a-lifetime season. On this particular day, Calhoun paused to look ahead, not so much to this season but to the future in general.
“We’ve built a program here,” Calhoun said. “Now I want to sustain success. It’s the hardest thing to do, but it’s very, very important to me.”
Despite UConn’s current four-game losing streak, it can be said that the Huskies are having a successful season. It would be unfair and inaccurate to say the Huskies have been unsuccessful as they rest with a 12-5 record, 3-4 in the Big East Conference, and a No. 19 national ranking.
“A lot of guys would trade places with them right now,” Providence Coach Rick Barnes said last week.
Fair or not, when this season is over UConn’s success will be measured by one standard: whether the Huskies advanced to the NCAA Tournament. That’s the barometer in college basketball today. That’s the goal Calhoun set for his team before the season.
Back-to-back NCAA appearances would be a powerful and reinforcing statement for Calhoun’s program. A return to the National Invitation Tournament would be an invitation to the critics, who still may want to believe last season was a fluke.
Each loss makes the job more difficult for the Huskies. If they don’t experience the emotional lift of a victory soon, the pressure next month could become unbearable.
UConn has 10 regular-season games remaining. A 5-5 record would give the Huskies 17 victories, a number that places most teams on the NCAA “bubble.” In that situation, UConn might need a victory in the Big East tournament to make the NCAA field. A 6-4 finish, which translates into an 18-9 record, would probably ensure UConn of an NCAA bid.
But there aren’t five -- and certainly not six -- sure victories on the schedule. UConn has home games remaining against Syracuse, Villanova, Boston College, Georgetown, Seton Hall and nonconference opponent North Carolina State. The Huskies have road games remaining against Seton Hall, Providence, Georgetown and Pittsburgh.
“No one said it would be easy,” UConn guard Chris Smith said.
True. But 13 days ago, when the Huskies were 12-1, 3-0 in the Big East, no one dreamed it would become this hard.
Pinpointing the problem of the past four games is close to impossible. Inconsistencies have torn apart the Huskies.
On Jan. 13, St. John’s outplayed the Huskies at Gampel Pavilion. That will happen in a conference such as the Big East. With a break or two down the stretch, UConn would have defeated Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. Instead, the Huskies lost in overtime.
The most perplexing defeat came against Providence. In an uncharacteristic move, UConn let a 17-point lead get away at home. The Huskies shot 52 percent but, as Calhoun put it, forgot their “defensive roots.” That loss could haunt the Huskies, much like an 80-78 loss to the Friars in 1989. UConn finished with 16 regular-season victories that season and played in the NIT. Providence got an NCAA bid.
Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, UConn’s defense was as pesky as ever. But the Huskies couldn’t execute offensively, went 10 minutes, 24 seconds without a field goal in the second half and lost 65-62 to a St. John’s team that committed 33 turnovers. That’s not a good sign.
“We came in here and played as hard as we can, and we still lost,” UConn guard John Gwynn said. “Everybody played hard. It was a matter of us running our offense early. We couldn’t get it going. Why? I can’t tell you, but that’s something we’re going to have to work on.
“But everybody feels better with this loss than we did after losing to Providence. Everybody gave 110 percent.”
Gwynn said that because he had heard a similar statement from Calhoun. Calhoun said he would take Tuesday night’s effort any time. The only problem is that effort combined with the same execution won’t win many games.
Compounding UConn’s problems is the loss of senior forward Murray Williams, ruled academically ineligible Tuesday. Williams was averaging only 4.5 points, but his loss hurts in the key areas of depth and experience. Williams was part of 81 UConn victories in less than four seasons.
Williams’ absence puts more pressure on forwards Toraino Walker, who is shaking off the rustiness of his first-semester inactivity, and Scott Burrell, who is fighting a sore Achilles’ tendon and a shin injury suffered Tuesday.
“It gets tight quick,” Burrell said of his tendon. “When I stretch it out, it takes a little pain away, but it’s still sore.”
If Burrell is sidelined or becomes ineffective because of the injury, UConn will have problems on the front line, especially against a strong inside team such as Seton Hall, the team UConn faces Saturday.
The Huskies should not be written off. The first step in sustaining success is still within their reach. It just isn’t going to come easy.
“Things can change very fast,” Gwynn said. “The other day we were 3-0. Now we’re on a losing streak. Hopefully things can go the other way again soon.”