Great Read on NIT Champ Team

[Chin Diesel]

Didn't see this elsewhere on the board.

Great read about the coach, the players, the team and the season.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn... HUSKIES MEN)&utm_source=feedburner&track=rss

"Cliff and I were called to meet with Coach Calhoun in the old Fieldhouse," Gamble remembers, "and he said, 'I'm going to build this team around you two.' When he finished talking, I said, 'OK, man,' and he said, 'Son, don't ever call me 'man' again. Call me Coach, or Jim Calhoun, but never man again. That set the tone right there. We walked out, and Cliff said, 'I'm not transferring.' I said, 'I'm not transferring.' "

 

[Waquoit]

Beat me by a minute, Chin. That was an epic run. UConn was 5 or 6 point dogs in the first game. The VCU game was an absolute ambush. The best game I ever attended in Storrs (Gampel included).

And I love that photo. I was so happy for Jeff King. He made a bad pass earlier in the year and he really took it hard. But he played a huge role in the tourney. He was the difference maker in the VCU game. I remember the coach saying words to the effect of "Who was that 40 guy"? It was so sad for him to die so young from the same disease that claimed his dad.

The article also has some scoop I never read before, particularly about Phil and Cliff. Nice job, Dom.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Thanks.

Many nice memories, including, I think, listening to the NIT Final on the radio and wishing so much for an outcome that would lead Ohio State's Perry Carter to forever regret not having attended UConn. As I recall it, he spurned recruiting efforts that repeatedly brought UConn coaches to Maine Central where he prepped.

At the time, it really did feel like a beginning, but never did I dream the magnitude.

 

[businesslawyer]

The most vivid memory I have of that run is the start of the second half against BC. The article says that they moved DePriest to guard Barros, but what it doesn't say was how he shut him down. Barros spent the first half running around screens and creating room for open jumpers. On BC's first possession of the 2d half DePriest, a thicker version of Trevardo Williams, was chasing him around and just went through the first screen. Literally ran the poor man down, making him look like a flat Wile E Coyote after the Roadrunner did something to him, and kept chasing Barros. DePriest was (rightly) whistled for a foul, but from that moment on all of BC's screeners started flinching and opening up room when DePriest was running at them. There went Barros's space, and there went BC's offense.

I'd love to know if that intentional foul was planned, or just happened. But it totally changed the game on a dime.

 

[BugsyCT]

The run that started it all. Already been a quarter century. Incredible how time flies.

 

[ZenConn]

Awesome article. Brought back memories from 25 years ago.

 

[superjohn]

Wow, that was a great read. So sad that Jeff King died from Marfan's just like his father.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Great article. I was at all of those NIT games except the semi's vs BC because I was saving thunder for the final & expected a win. Was really worried when Barros went off in the first half, but once Lyman was on him I knew it'd change.

I don't remember the screen runover that businesslawyer described, but I do remember Lyman's dunk at the opening of the Ohio State game that sent the tone. In a halfcourt set, the usually non-offensive DePriest suddenly drove and threw down a vicious two-hander.

In Courant's rankings they had you rank it either first, 4th, top-10 or outside that. I'd go:
1. 1999 NC
2. 2004 NC
3. 2011 NC
4. 1990 Big East Championship/Clemson W
5. NIT Title