Huskies at a glance

COACH -- Jim Calhoun (557-205, 24th year).
2008-09 RECORD -- 31-5 (15-3, tie 2nd Big East).
POSTSEASON FINISH -- Final Four (T3)
KEY RETURNEES -- SG Jerome Dyson (13.2 ppg, 3.2 apg), PG Kemba Walker (8.9 ppg, 2.9 apg), SF Stanley Robinson (8.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg).
KEY LOSSES -- PG A.J. Price (14.7 ppg, 4.7 apg), PF Jeff Adrien (13.6 ppg, 9.9 rpg), C Hasheem Thabeet (13.6 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 152 blocks).

5 questions facing the UConn men

  1. Playing without a dominant shot-blocker for the first time in almost a decade, can the Huskies play true perimeter defense?
  2. Will UConn's bench provide enough energy, points and depth for a team that hopes to run extensively throughout the season?
  3. Now that it is "his" team, will Jerome Dyson become a star in the mold of previous Jim Calhoun standouts?
  4. Can the inexperienced-yet-beefy Alex Oriakhi and the experienced-yet-slim Gavin Edwards rebound the ball effectively?
  5. When Ater Majok becomes eligible in December, will he be as good as advertised?

UConn men's roster

No. Name Class Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School)
2 Donnell Beverly Jr. G 6-4 190

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Hawthorne, Calif. (Leuzinger)
3 Jamal Coombs-McDaniel Fr. F 6-7 210 Dorchester, Mass. (Tilton School)
5 Ater Majok Fr. F 6-11 233 Sydney, Australia (American Int'l HS)
11 Jerome Dyson Sr. G 6-4 190 Potomac, Md. (Proctor Academy)
13 Jamaal Trice Fr. G 6-5 220 Los Angeles (Mount Zion Academy)
15 Kemba Walker Soph. G 6-1 172 Bronx, N.Y. (Rice)
21 Stanley Robinson Sr. F 6-9 210 Birmingham, Ala. (Huffman)
22 Alex Hornat Sr. F 6-5 205 South Windsor (South Windsor)
24 Darius Smith Fr. G 6-1 168 Chicago (John Marshall)
32 Jonathan Mandeldove Sr. C 7-0 240 Stone Mountain, Ga. (Hargrave Military Acad.)
33 Gavin Edwards Sr. F 6-10 234 Gilbert, Ariz. (Mesquite)
34 Alex Oriakhi Fr. F/C 6-9 240 Lowell, Mass. (Tilton School)
35 Charles Okwandu Jr. C 7-0 255 Lagos, Nigeria (Harcum JC)
55 Kyle Bailey Jr. G 6-3 170 Lancaster, N.H. (White Mountains Regional)

Breaking Down The 2009-10 Huskies
The 2009-10 version of the Huskies might look a little more like the Huskies of the 90s. UConn is likely to be a team lead by its wings.

BACKCOURT

Kemba Walker (No. 15) now has the keys to coach Jim Calhoun's car and his orders are to drive as fast as he possibly can. Walker has improved his outside shot and his defense, but he'll still rely on his speedy legs and court vision for the majority of his contributions.

Jerome Dyson (11) returns from a knee injury to take over the primary scoring duties as well as a number of other jobs. It's Dyson's team now and he'll have plenty of responsibilities, but he'll have a lot more freedom than the rest of the lineup, too. Dyson has never been afraid to shoot from anywhere on the court, and now it's a little more acceptable.

Dyson's slashing, driving, transition game -- provided he cuts down on the five or six charges he is whistled for each week -- is still his bread and butter, but his jump shot has become a major weapon as well.

Darius Smith (24) is a speedy guard who Calhoun says still makes "high school plays," but one who also could contribute significantly.

Freshman Jamaal Trice (13) and junior Donnell Beverly (2) will provide depth. The latter has been ill recently but could play a key roll.

Trice's biggest problem, Calhoun joked, is that he's an ultra-conservative Republican in the style of Craig Austrie. Calhoun's political humor actually has a solid foundation in basketball: If Trice trusts himself to make big shots and big plays, he just might actually make them.

FRONTCOURT

If he plays like he did in March last season or even better, Stanley Robinson (21) can be as good as anyone in the country. His combination of size, speed and -- most impressively -- leaping ability have finally begun to translate into great basketball moves.

He's one of the team's best rebounders while playing the small forward position, and a jump shot that had been absent for long stretches of his career has apparently returned.

Gavin Edwards (33) has always been a solid contributor in his UConn career, doing so over brief stretches in games. Now he's a starter and he's expected to have a big impact. He's stronger, more confident and his 15-foot jumper appears solid.

Alex Oriakhi (34) is the team's starting center. Physically, he's ready to go despite being just a freshman. He's big and tough but with some offensive finesse to his game, too. Keeping out of foul trouble might be his biggest battle.

Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (4) is likely to be the team's sixth man, playing some small forward and maybe even a little guard. He's a versatile freshman who appears to excel on defense and in the open court.

The X-factor, just like he was supposed to be last year, seems to be Ater Majok (5). After an arduous, lengthy recruiting and clearinghouse process, the lanky forward from Sudan via Australia will be eligible in December. He seems to have the tools to be a star at this level but might take some time to adjust when he starts to play.

Charles Okwandu (35) "must" contribute early on, Calhoun insists. That appears to be a tall task, based on the center's performances in the team's two exhibitions. He's big and does have some athletic ability, but offensively hasn't been able to put the pieces together yet.

UConn men's schedule

Nov. 13 -- vs. William & Mary (Gampel Pavilion), 7:30 p.m. (Ch. 8)
Nov. 16 -- NIT vs. Colgate (Gampel Pavilion), 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
Nov. 17 -- NIT vs. Hofstra/Yale (Gampel Pavilion), 4:30 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Nov. 25 -- NIT Semifinals (Madison Square Garden), 7/9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Nov. 27 -- NIT Finals TV (Madison Square Garden), 2:30/5 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 2 -- vs. Boston University (XL Center), 7 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Dec. 6 -- vs. Harvard (Gampel Pavilion), 1 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Dec. 9 -- vs. Kentucky (Madison Square Garden), 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 20 -- vs. Central Florida (XL Center), 1 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Dec. 22 -- vs. Maine (XL Center) 7 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Dec. 27 -- vs. Iona (XL Center), 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Dec. 30 -- at Cincinnati, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Jan. 2 -- vs. Notre Dame (XL Center), 12 p.m. (ESPNU)
Jan. 6 -- vs. Seton Hall (Gampel Pavilion), 9 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Jan. 9 -- at Georgetown, 12 p.m. (ESPN)
Jan. 13 -- vs. Pittsburgh (XL Center), 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Jan. 17 -- at Michigan, 4:30 p.m. (Ch. 2, 3)
Jan. 20 -- vs. St. John's (XL Center), 7 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Jan. 23 -- vs. Texas (Gampel Pavilion), 4 p.m. (Ch. 2, 3)
Jan. 27 -- at Providence, 7 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Jan. 30 -- vs. Marquette (XL Center), 12 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Feb. 1 -- at Louisville, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 6 -- vs. DePaul (Gampel Pavilion), 8 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Feb. 10 -- at Syracuse, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 13 -- vs. Cincinnati (XL Center), 12 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Feb. 15 -- at Villanova, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 20 -- at Rutgers, 4 p.m. (Ch. 59)
Feb. 22 -- vs. West Virginia (XL Center), 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Feb. 28 -- vs. Louisville (Gampel Pavilion), 2 p.m. (Ch. 2, 3)
March 3 -- at Notre Dame, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
March 6 -- at USF, 2 p.m. (Ch. 59)
March 9-13 -- Big East Tournament at MSG, TBA