A few observations from Connecticut’s 98-38 exhibition victory over Concordia Monday night at the XL Center:
— Freshman guard Terrence Samuel made a big impression. Ignore the level of competition (Concordia is a Division III school that won only four games last season). Samuel was making his second appearance in a UConn uniform, his first in the big building in Hartford, and demonstrated tremendous poise and basketball IQ.
Samuel was 5-for-8 from the field and finished with 10 points, 12 assists, two steals, a block, and four rebounds in 28 minutes. On a team loaded with top-notch talent and experience in the backcourt, I really thought Samuel would struggle to find playing time as a freshman. Instead, he may demand playing time and should provide valuable depth behind Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright and Omar Calhoun.
The UConn coaching staff obviously liked Samuel or they wouldn’t have signed the 6-4 guard from Brooklyn, N.Y. But word is that even the coaches have been pleasantly surprised by his progress and his quick adaptation to running the offense.
“Terrence played incredible,” coach Kevin Ollie said. “He’s been doing that the whole preseason. He’s always playing hard. I can get on him, he doesn’t change his face, he just keeps playing. Each and every day, he keeps getting better. To have a double-double, 12 assists, it really shows his patience, really shows his vision, and it’s good to have that in my back pocket.”
Of course, the competition ramps up immediately with the Huskies opening the regular season Friday night against Maryland in Brooklyn, N.Y. Samuel is a freshman and he will learn from the mistakes that every rookie makes. But by the time conference play rolls around, look for Ollie to have a lot of options in the backcourt. Samuel and transfer Lasan Kromah have shown their potential in two exhibition wins and Ollie can show different looks with so much depth.
“You can go big or you can stay small with Shabazz and Ryan,” Ollie said. “There’s a lot of versatility in the backcourt and that’s something that we wanted to have, especially with last season when we got bogged down with injuries. We really didn’t have people coming off the bench. I think our depth is one thing that we can hang our hats on. Hopefully we won’t have those injuries and we can keep filtering guys in and keep our guards fresh for the long haul.”
Napier has taken Samuel under his wing and that will pay off, especially when Napier is gone after this season. Samuel said he is working on his three-point shot, but he seems to be a natural at running the offense.
“That’s always been my strength,” he said. “If I see the lane, I’ll take it. If somebody stops me, I’ll kick it to the open guy. I like our offense and I feel comfortable with it, so it’s easy for me to run and get guys open shots.”
— Omar Calhoun is making big strides as he bounces back from offseason surgery on both hips. Against Southern Connecticut he was 3-for-7 from the field with one rebound and six points in 18 minutes. Against Concordia, he played 24 minutes, and led UConn with 16 points and seven rebounds. He was 6-for-10 from the field and 4-for-7 from three point range. He also had two steals and two assists.
Those are very good signs for UConn.
The Huskies had practice at 9:30 a.m. last Saturday. Calhoun was there at 7:30, working on his shot.
“I feel like I was able to get my game back, my flow and everything,” Calhoun said. “I feel a lot better now. …Recently, knowing I can do it now, instead of being hesitant and just going for it, I was able to make a lot more things happen,” Calhoun said.
Calhoun admits his rehabilitation has been more mental lately. He thinks he’s about 90 percent now physically. He always has his confidence. His father, Omar Calhoun, Sr., visited recently and told him he is taking steps forward now and “it’s time to start showing what I can do.”
He did that Monday night.
— Sophomore Phillip Nolan had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the two exhibition games. Could just be the tip of the iceberg. He is really improving. Ollie likes what he sees but if there’s more to come, the Huskies will really benefit up front.
“From last year to this year, it’s a whole different feeling,” Ollie said. “He had six rebounds in the first half, but now that should have been a 14-rebound game for him. We’re trying to get more consistency from him.
“I keep telling him to take his time. He’s got all these moves in his head and sometimes it’s like he’s trying to do two at the same time.”
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