Malan or Mellin

[Improviser]

Remember those guys?

Which one was better?

Which one was friendlier?

Which helped the team more?

 

[Fishy]

We’re no closer to getting to the bottom of this than we were yesterday.

 

[Improviser]

We’re no closer to getting to the bottom of this than we were yesterday.

I did not realize when I made the thread that I misspelled Jack' s last name which should have been Melen. And Fred Malan is the other guy. Both played from 1965-69. And, their stories as of 2004 or so are in the UConn Hoops Legends.

When I went to UConn, some students writing to the Daily Campus speculated because the names sounded sort of similar, whether they were friends or liked each other. Sort of a humor thing.

They did not look at all similar, and did not get a lot of press. Hard working players who did their best.

I don't know who was better or worse. The last year they played, the team went 5-19, but probably a collective fault not on any one or two players.

 

[jdb50]

I was 12 in 1969 and do remember Malan playing for us but have no memories so to speak of those players. I do remember Al Vaughn and Gary Custick for what that's worth. And then there is Ron Hrubala. Most games in those days were followed by listening to George Erlich on radio. "Rebound no good, another rebound no good, rebound Hrubala lays it up and in!"

 

[cohenzone]

Malan was better.

 

[mauconnfan]

I was 12 in 1969 and do remember Malan playing for us but have no memories so to speak of those players. I do remember Al Vaughn and Gary Custick for what that's worth. And then there is Ron Hrubala. Most games in those days were followed by listening to George Erlich on radio. "Rebound no good, another rebound no good, rebound Hrubala lays it up and in!"

Yep same here. Cal Chapman too nice player. Hrubala was tough. Those were my first real solid memories with my transistor under my pillow listening to George. Freddie Malon was a scorer wasn’t he?

 

[ucp990411]

I was 12 in 1969 and do remember Malan playing for us but have no memories so to speak of those players. I do remember Al Vaughn and Gary Custick for what that's worth. And then there is Ron Hrubala. Most games in those days were followed by listening to George Erlich on radio. "Rebound no good, another rebound no good, rebound Hrubala lays it up and in!"

Ron Hrubala went to Penney HS in East Hartford and I went to East Catholic so I disliked him initially. But I forgave him and he grew on me because he hustled his butt off.

 

[Old school]

I believe both played baseball as well. I know Malan did because i played against him. He was very good.

 

[gtcam]

These guys followed Wes B and Malon thought he was Wes Jr. Not close. I remember sitting in the fieldhouse with my father and my Dad cursing these guys out. When Bill Corley and Wes left there were some uneventful seasons until Tony Hansen decided to head to Storrs.
Boyhood memories of UConn hoops on my transistor hanging from my bunk bed for weeknight games and going to all the weekend games at the fieldhouse and gyms throughout NE

 

[uconnfan68]

Yep same here. Cal Chapman too nice player. Hrubala was tough. Those were my first real solid memories with my transistor under my pillow listening to George. Freddie Malon was a scorer wasn’t he?

Cal was probably stoned. He played intramurals for Colt House when I was a freshman. They were beaten by a frat team that we played in the finals. The frat squeaked out a win. We did pretty good for having no one over 6’1”. He was a baseball player, and we had 2 golfers (both later pros). One of them was possibly the best guard at UConn at that time. The kid was that good. Much better than the freshman team guards.

 

[Old school]

Greg Economo the former soccer goalie who joined the team midyear . Got playing time and played ok

 

[jdb50]

One of the great UConn wins of the past was when Cliff Robinson and Phil Gamble were declared academically ineligible in Calhoun's first season and we went to the old Boston Garden for the next game and faced BCU and won 66-60. Economou a walk on baseball player, Besselink, Tate George, Steve Pikiell, and Spider Ursery were the starters. Economou had 9 points. Jeff King came off the bench with 10. Besselink 13 points and 13 rebounds. That game was Jim Calhoun.