UConn Men's Notebook: Enoch, Durham Still Not Ready

As expected, Steven Enoch and Juwan Durham had to watch another game in street clothes, the fourth in a row for Enoch and third for Durham.

Though both have been spending more time out of their walking boots and making some progress, they weren't ready to test their injured feet vs. Tulane at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday night.

Enoch has a stress reaction in his right foot, a precursor to a stress fracture, so there is risk of a more serious injury if he plays. Durham has a sprained left foot — it was stepped on at SMU on Jan. 19 — and is probably more likely to return sooner.

The Huskies get a break in the schedule, a full week before playing their next game, at Cincinnati next Saturday, so perhaps the rest will help get one or both back to play the best team in the conference on the road.

"This week off definitely comes at a great time," coach Kevin Ollie said after the 78-68 win over Tulane. "Hopefully, we can get some guys healthy, get Steve back or Juwan back, somebody who's a healthy body, because we know it's going to be a war at Cincinnati."

Vital Growing, Adams Assisting

… In addition to his improved shooting, freshman Christian Vital had seven rebounds vs. East Carolina and five steals at South Florida. He had 10 more rebounds against Tulane, with five assists and no turnovers in 34 minutes. Which meant more?

"I'd say the zero turnovers and the five assists," Vital said. "In the beginning, I didn't know how to attack well, how to read defenses well. It shows I'm becoming more confident out on the court to be able to make a play." … As play began Saturday, Jalen Adams remained seventh in NCAA Division I with 6.7 assists per game, behind Creighton's Maurice Watson Jr. (8.5), Lonzo Ball of UCLA (8.0), Austin Luke of Belmont (7.4), Jaaron Simmons of Ohio (7.1), Erick Neal of Texas-Arlington (7.0) and Kyron Cartwright of Providence (6.9). He had six assists against Tulane. ...UConn signee Tyler Polley had 22 points and five steals in Sagemont School's win over Boyd Anderson last Tuesday, with Ollie and UConn assistant Dwayne Killings watching. "He's a versatile kid," Killings said. "He does a lot of things for them, understands who he is." ... Mike Noyes, a walk-on guard from Granby on scholarship this year, got into the game in the first half, and with 2 minutes to go after Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey both fouled out. He scored a point and had three fouls in three minutes. "The kid showed some toughness to me," Ollie said. "I just appreciate him every day, his selfless work. He really gives us a boost. That's why I felt it was the right thing to do, to give him a scholarship. He's a model student athlete for us."

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-mens...story.html

"we know it's going to be a war at Cincinnati." Good stuff. Thanks ctip!

Huskies Face Tough Road Test at No. 14 Cincinnati
Three-Game Winning Streak in Conference Play
Feb. 2, 2017

STORRS, Conn. – The UConn men’s basketball team heads into Saturday’s matchup with No. 14 Cincinnati on a three-game winning streak, as it looks to continue its recent success in American Athletic Conference play.

The Huskies (10-11, 5-4 American) tip-off with the Bearcats at 4 p.m. on ESPN2 and it can be heard on the UConn/IMG Radio Network. UConn is 3-5 all-time playing in the Fifth Third Arena.

Three different players have recorded double-doubles in the current winning streak, with senior Kentan Facey averaging 15 points and nine rebounds in that stretch. Facey, along with freshman Christian Vital, each had a double-double against Tulane on Saturday.

On Monday, Vital won AAC Rookie of the Week after a 14-point, career-high 10-rebound night against the Green Wave in Gampel Pavilion. It marks the third-straight week UConn has earned the honor (Vance Jackson – Jan. 16, 23).

In the last three games, five UConn players are averaging double-figures – including Adams’ 15.7 points per contest. The Huskies have a +12.7 scoring and +7.7 rebounding margin in the winning streak.

UConn lost two of three games to Cincinnati in 2015-16, but won when it mattered most in a four-overtime classic, 104-97, in the AAC quarterfinals. Adams hit a three-quarter court shot at the buzzer of the third overtime to extend the game.

SCOUTING CINCINNATI

After wins over ECU, USF and Tulane, the Huskies get a big test on Saturday against Cincinnati (20-2, 9-0 American) – the first-place team in the AAC. The Huskies are 13-8 all-time against the Bearcats.

Cincinnati currently has a 13-game winning streak and has won 21 straight at home. Three players are scoring in double-figures – Jacob Evans (14.1), Kyle Washington (13.1) and Troy Caupain (10.9).

The Bearcats lead the American in points per game (77.5), scoring margin (+16.1), field goal percentage (47.6) and steals (7.5). Cincinnati’s last loss was to Butler on Dec. 10.

BY THE NUMBERS

4-0: UConn’s record when seniors Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey both score double-digits in a game. Against Tulane, the pair combined for 38 points and 20 rebounds.

81.6%: UConn’s free throw percentage in the past three games, the best three-game stretch all season for the Huskies at the charity stripe.

11 of 12: Previous meetings with Cincinnati have been decided by seven points or fewer. The series is tied, 6-6, in those 12 games.

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-bas...17aab.html

(02-03-2017 08:56 AM)ctipton Wrote:  81.6%: UConn’s free throw percentage in the past three games, the best three-game stretch all season for the Huskies at the charity stripe.

Must be nice.

How about the Bearcats leading the AAC in points per game.

(02-03-2017 10:18 AM)CincyBro Wrote:  How about the Bearcats leading the AAC in points per game.

Feels good, man.

Jeff Jacobs: With Other UConn Freshmen Out, Jackson And Vital Pile Up Minutes, Gain Experience

Contact ReporterJeff Jacobs

Vance Jackson began in the left corner and methodically worked his way around the three-point arc. A pass from an assistant coach. Shoot. Swish. He would take a half-dozen shots from one spot before he'd slide over a few feet and repeat the process.

This was after UConn's practice Friday at Gampel Pavilion, and the 6-foot-8 freshman from Southern California was singularly focused. He must have hit 85 percent of his threes, sometimes making 10 in a row without so much as a blink of satisfaction. Pass. Shoot. Swish.

Jackson's dad was the one who taught him how to shoot. If you're missing, he'd say, it's probably because your shot is flat. On this day, his son's ball rose in a sweet arc and kept splashing through the net like soft summer rain.

Jackson arrived in Storrs with the reputation as a terrific long-range shooter. Through his first 13 games, he did not live up to that reputation. He hit only 14 of 54 threes, barely 25 percent. There were 0-for-4 games. There was a 1-for-8 game. There was coach Kevin Ollie bemoaning that his team was settling for too many shots behind the arc.

Young, exuberant, fun, the freshmen class hyped themselves as the Top Five. Then Jackson couldn't even make it through the first practice, a demanding rite of passage for UConn basketball players. If Terry Larrier doesn't get hurt, if Alterique Gilbert doesn't get hurt, if Mamadou Diarra doesn't even get on the floor because of bad knees, who knows? Maybe Jackson doesn't get such an opportunity to play so many minutes and step free of his early shadows.

This is much is sure. In the past seven games, Jackson isn't a 25 percent three-point shooter. He has hit 17 of 29 and you know how many coaches would take 58.6 percent from behind the arc? All of them.

"What he is doing as a player is he is taking it serious," Ollie said as his Huskies aim for their first three-game winning streak of the season Saturday night against Tulane. "He's coming in early and working. After practice, he's working. He's not playing around. He's confident.

"Jalen [Adams] is doing a great job, really finding him in spots and really trusting him. That's what a great point guard does. He elevates everyone around him. Vance is getting his feet set, being prepared before the ball gets to him. He's making hard cuts. And he's doing it in practice which I'm very impressed with."

Yes, Jackson is serious, but not too serious. He steps over to a small group of reporters, rubs his head and says, "Excuse the haircut." He breaks into a large smile. His much tighter trim matches his much tighter game.

"I think it's my commitment in the gym, getting up shots before and after games and practices," said Jackson, the AAC rookie of the week the last two weeks. "Jalen and I know each other's sweet spots."

Moments later, after Jackson and he had finished talking, here was Christian Vital edging behind mid-court.

"Watch this!" the freshman guard yelled. "I did this junior year [at St. Thomas More]. Ask coach [Jere] Quinn."

Vital stepped back to nearly three-quarters court, close to where Adams hit his miracle three-point buzzer beater against Cincinnati in the 2016 AAC Tournament. Vital let it fly. Bank. Good!

Vital ran off the court. He knew there was no topping that one. He had scored a career-high 17 points Wednesday at USF, hitting five of seven threes. Maybe it's his turn to supplant Jackson as conference rookie of the week.

"He's playing within himself," Ollie said. "He's not doing a lot of stuff off the dribble. Jalen is setting him up. Once again, [Adams] is the common thread. Christian is catching and shooting."

Vital is a very bright guy. He's an excellent chess player. He's also a New Yorker.

"It's in my blood," Vital said. "He says something to me about every game [about his celebrations]. That's me, my energy, that's what gets me going. I think he kind of understands it now, like 'I just got to let him do it.'

"USF was my career night. Hopefully I can keep it up. I played defense, too. That's what I need to bring to the team."

But …. there's always a "but" with freshmen.

"We want him to be coachable," Ollie said. "That's one thing we try with our freshman to understand is there's going to be difficult times, but don't keep making the same mistake over and over again. Earlier in the season, he was making the same mistake over and over again, taking contested shots, not playing good defense. I see improvement from both of our freshmen."

The Huskies had 19 assists on 26 baskets against USF. They hit 12 of 20 on threes. They only had 11 turnovers. You know what that screams? Jalen Adams. And a good inside out game. Adams' continued growth as a star and keeping big men Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey out of foul trouble are most crucial.

After those two factors, the rise of the two freshmen is, yes, vital. The Huskies have a week off after Tulane, so we'll see if injured Juwan Durham or Steven Enoch return or hold off until Cincinnati on Feb. 4.

"Two freshmen getting a lot of minutes, it's not always going to be perfect," Vital said. "Vance and I have taken a different approach to understand our game plan more, how much the team needs us with only six players. It's helped the older guys, and the older guys have been great talking to us, explaining 'this is what you need to do and where you need to be.' We said all right and we're executing it."

Rashad Anderson hit the most three pointers in school history with 276. Shabazz Napier is second at 260. Remember the 2004 NCAA Tournament in the regional at Phoenix? Anderson hit six threes. He couldn't miss. He hit one falling out of bounds, turned around to the press table and simply smiled. The great shooter has no a conscience.

Asked if he doubted himself after his weak start, Jackson said, "Not at all. It happened to me middle of my senior year in high school. I went on a drought. I couldn't buy a basket. But I never doubted my shot."

At 44.8 percent, Ray Allen had the best UConn career percentage. At 48.3 percent, Niels Giffey had the best single-season percentage. Ben Gordon averaged 2.32 a game in his career, while Allen hit 2.31 and Richard Hamilton hit 2.3, a dead heat among greats who played three collegiate seasons.

Jackson has 33 as a freshman. He keeps stroking, he stays for four years, he'll join the list of only five guys to hit 200 threes. Opposing fans will see his jersey No. 5 under his surname. Jackson 5 is ripe with possibilities for hecklers. "Hey, where's Tito?"

But, no, the younger fans see his Instagram name, "ygvance," Jackson says, and yell some pretty cool things at him.

"Things like Vantastic or Vanimal," he said.

They don't yell, "A B C, it's easy as 1 2 3?"

"No, it's more like, 'I'm sorry Ms. Jackson.'"

Wait. That's an Outkast lyric.

These freshmen keep getting younger every year.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-mens...olumn.html

lets beat em' like a red headed step husky

(02-03-2017 03:42 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  lets beat em' like a red headed step husky

Like this one?

(02-03-2017 03:11 PM)ctipton Wrote:  Jeff Jacobs: With Other UConn Freshmen Out, Jackson And Vital Pile Up Minutes, Gain Experience

Contact ReporterJeff Jacobs

Vance Jackson began in the left corner and methodically worked his way around the three-point arc. A pass from an assistant coach. Shoot. Swish. He would take a half-dozen shots from one spot before he'd slide over a few feet and repeat the process.

This was after UConn's practice Friday at Gampel Pavilion, and the 6-foot-8 freshman from Southern California was singularly focused. He must have hit 85 percent of his threes, sometimes making 10 in a row without so much as a blink of satisfaction. Pass. Shoot. Swish.

Jackson's dad was the one who taught him how to shoot. If you're missing, he'd say, it's probably because your shot is flat. On this day, his son's ball rose in a sweet arc and kept splashing through the net like soft summer rain.

Jackson arrived in Storrs with the reputation as a terrific long-range shooter. Through his first 13 games, he did not live up to that reputation. He hit only 14 of 54 threes, barely 25 percent. There were 0-for-4 games. There was a 1-for-8 game. There was coach Kevin Ollie bemoaning that his team was settling for too many shots behind the arc.

Young, exuberant, fun, the freshmen class hyped themselves as the Top Five. Then Jackson couldn't even make it through the first practice, a demanding rite of passage for UConn basketball players. If Terry Larrier doesn't get hurt, if Alterique Gilbert doesn't get hurt, if Mamadou Diarra doesn't even get on the floor because of bad knees, who knows? Maybe Jackson doesn't get such an opportunity to play so many minutes and step free of his early shadows.

This is much is sure. In the past seven games, Jackson isn't a 25 percent three-point shooter. He has hit 17 of 29 and you know how many coaches would take 58.6 percent from behind the arc? All of them.

"What he is doing as a player is he is taking it serious," Ollie said as his Huskies aim for their first three-game winning streak of the season Saturday night against Tulane. "He's coming in early and working. After practice, he's working. He's not playing around. He's confident.

"Jalen [Adams] is doing a great job, really finding him in spots and really trusting him. That's what a great point guard does. He elevates everyone around him. Vance is getting his feet set, being prepared before the ball gets to him. He's making hard cuts. And he's doing it in practice which I'm very impressed with."

Yes, Jackson is serious, but not too serious. He steps over to a small group of reporters, rubs his head and says, "Excuse the haircut." He breaks into a large smile. His much tighter trim matches his much tighter game.

"I think it's my commitment in the gym, getting up shots before and after games and practices," said Jackson, the AAC rookie of the week the last two weeks. "Jalen and I know each other's sweet spots."

Moments later, after Jackson and he had finished talking, here was Christian Vital edging behind mid-court.

"Watch this!" the freshman guard yelled. "I did this junior year [at St. Thomas More]. Ask coach [Jere] Quinn."

Vital stepped back to nearly three-quarters court, close to where Adams hit his miracle three-point buzzer beater against Cincinnati in the 2016 AAC Tournament. Vital let it fly. Bank. Good!

Vital ran off the court. He knew there was no topping that one. He had scored a career-high 17 points Wednesday at USF, hitting five of seven threes. Maybe it's his turn to supplant Jackson as conference rookie of the week.

"He's playing within himself," Ollie said. "He's not doing a lot of stuff off the dribble. Jalen is setting him up. Once again, [Adams] is the common thread. Christian is catching and shooting."

Vital is a very bright guy. He's an excellent chess player. He's also a New Yorker.

"It's in my blood," Vital said. "He says something to me about every game [about his celebrations]. That's me, my energy, that's what gets me going. I think he kind of understands it now, like 'I just got to let him do it.'

"USF was my career night. Hopefully I can keep it up. I played defense, too. That's what I need to bring to the team."

But …. there's always a "but" with freshmen.

"We want him to be coachable," Ollie said. "That's one thing we try with our freshman to understand is there's going to be difficult times, but don't keep making the same mistake over and over again. Earlier in the season, he was making the same mistake over and over again, taking contested shots, not playing good defense. I see improvement from both of our freshmen."

The Huskies had 19 assists on 26 baskets against USF. They hit 12 of 20 on threes. They only had 11 turnovers. You know what that screams? Jalen Adams. And a good inside out game. Adams' continued growth as a star and keeping big men Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey out of foul trouble are most crucial.

After those two factors, the rise of the two freshmen is, yes, vital. The Huskies have a week off after Tulane, so we'll see if injured Juwan Durham or Steven Enoch return or hold off until Cincinnati on Feb. 4.

"Two freshmen getting a lot of minutes, it's not always going to be perfect," Vital said. "Vance and I have taken a different approach to understand our game plan more, how much the team needs us with only six players. It's helped the older guys, and the older guys have been great talking to us, explaining 'this is what you need to do and where you need to be.' We said all right and we're executing it."

Rashad Anderson hit the most three pointers in school history with 276. Shabazz Napier is second at 260. Remember the 2004 NCAA Tournament in the regional at Phoenix? Anderson hit six threes. He couldn't miss. He hit one falling out of bounds, turned around to the press table and simply smiled. The great shooter has no a conscience.

Asked if he doubted himself after his weak start, Jackson said, "Not at all. It happened to me middle of my senior year in high school. I went on a drought. I couldn't buy a basket. But I never doubted my shot."

At 44.8 percent, Ray Allen had the best UConn career percentage. At 48.3 percent, Niels Giffey had the best single-season percentage. Ben Gordon averaged 2.32 a game in his career, while Allen hit 2.31 and Richard Hamilton hit 2.3, a dead heat among greats who played three collegiate seasons.

Jackson has 33 as a freshman. He keeps stroking, he stays for four years, he'll join the list of only five guys to hit 200 threes. Opposing fans will see his jersey No. 5 under his surname. Jackson 5 is ripe with possibilities for hecklers. "Hey, where's Tito?"

But, no, the younger fans see his Instagram name, "ygvance," Jackson says, and yell some pretty cool things at him.

"Things like Vantastic or Vanimal," he said.

They don't yell, "A B C, it's easy as 1 2 3?"

"No, it's more like, 'I'm sorry Ms. Jackson.'"

Wait. That's an Outkast lyric.

These freshmen keep getting younger every year.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-mens...olumn.html

This article reads like they are a top 5 team with 20 wins.

Jackson is at home with the corner 3 so don't be shocked to see him knock down a few.

I haven't seen enough of UConn to know, but who is Jackson going to guard when he is on the court? Do they expect him to chase Evans around the court?

Cincinnati (20-2) Could Be UConn's Toughest Opponent So Far

Dom Amore Contact Reporter

No. 14 Bearcats, unbeaten in AAC play, post huge challenge for UConn

When Mick Cronin looks for players to sustain his program, he goes looking for the ones who are prepared to stick around.

"We're all trying to get the best players we can get," Cronin said before the Bearcats' practice Friday. "But when you get it down to the nuts and bolts of maybe two or three guys, the most important thing in this day and age is, 'Is this guy going to cut bait and run the first time he doesn't play, the first time he's not the best player anymore? Does he understand that this is going to be a process?"

Cincinnati, a lock to make the NCAA Tournament for the seventh year in a row, always seems to field a veteran team, and this year is right in the lineage. The Bearcats (20-2, 9-0 American Athletic Conference), ranked 14th in the AP poll, will be depending heavily on names familiar to Connecticut fans — Troy Caupain, Kevin Johnson, Gary Clark, Jacob Evans III — as they play UConn on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena. Cincinnati is 13-0 at home.

After arriving in 2006, it took Cronin four years to get his machinery in place. His teams averaged 24.3 wins between 2010 and last season, and the Bearcats figure to surpass that number with a month to go in this season. Since joining the AAC, Cincinnati is 49-14 in regular season conference games.

"Recruiting is so much more than talent evaluating," Cronin said, "because to be consistent, you've got to have returning players. If Troy and Kevin bailed after their freshman year, then you're constantly out there trying to put your finger in the dike.

"So we try very hard in our evaluation process to evaluate, what's going to happen when we get the player. They're all going to struggle. Is he going to fight through it? Is he going to let us help him, or is he going to think we're hurting him? Are we going to get support from his camp, from his family and his coaches, when times are hard? I just try to think that through before we get the guy."

And over the years, as their hard-fought games with the Huskies have attested, Cincinnati gets and develops tough, determined kids.

"You can develop your game," said Caupain, a senior who will be facing UConn for the 10th time. "You're playing against guys that are older, and when you come in as a freshman, you may not be ready to make it right away. So you develop your game. You grow. You get to play against the physicality of the other players, the toughness of other players. As the years go and you do stay, you grow, you slow down the game and understand more."

UConn (10-11, 5-4) has shown its share of grit and determination, winning three games last week with only six healthy scholarship players. This, however, is the toughest game remaining in the regular season, a chance to see how the Huskies measure up. The last time these teams played, in the AAC Tournament last March, Caupain scored 37 points, but UConn prevailed in four overtimes 104-97, staying alive on Jalen Adams' 70-foot shot.

"People around campus were saying all week, 'Be ready. They're out there gunning for you,'" Adams said. "We can't let them out-tough us. We've got to get out there and just hit them first. … I think we've grown a lot, shown ourselves what we're capable of. We needed that."

Both teams have changed. The Bearcats are much improved offensively, shooting 47.6 percent, and more diverse, with 6-foot-9 Kyle Washington, a transfer from N.C. State, providing an inside scoring option. Caupain, who hit a winning shot at Tulsa this week, is the focus of the offense.

"If you come out and have a bunch of silly turnovers or missed assignments," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said, "they're going to capitalize on it more than other teams would. They're that good. … [Cronin] has put in a lot of different sets, a lot of motion. Kyle Washington gives them the opportunity to do that. They're passing the ball, and then they've got Troy Caupain at the end of the shot clock. They've got a real balanced attack."

Two of UConn's injured players, Juwan Durham (left foot) and Steven Enoch (right foot) have been participating in light workouts this week and could be available Saturday, though Ollie wants them only if the Huskies get into serious foul trouble. Cronin was focusing his team on the Huskies' recent improvement, a 5-2 record since Jan. 8.

"You've got to throw out a lot of stuff when you look at them," Cronin said.

"It all starts with Jalen Adams. If you don't control him, you're going to have problems. And you have to throw his numbers out, because he's the focal point of everyone's game plan against UConn."

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-mens...story.html