The oral history of the 1999 NCAA Championship-winning UConn men’s basketball team 20 years later
Great article. Some quotes:
"Calhoun: During my time at UConn, 26 years as the head coach, we had eight McDonald's All-Americans. Just to give you an idea, last year Kentucky had eight, Duke had eight — one team. Same as we had over 26 years. That doesn't mean good, bad or indifferent. What it does mean though... is that the pieces sometimes are more important than just pure talent."
"Freeman: The toughest game (Gonzaga) I've ever played in. It was the pressure. We never felt pressure as a group. There was so much pressure for that game, because you kept hearing about Coach Calhoun not being able to get to the Final Four, not getting over the hump. UConn can't get over the hump."
"Calhoun: Tom's up at the chalkboard going over the Duke team. About halfway through it, I walk up and say, 'hold it, hold it. Apparently our assistant, the way he's talking, thinks Duke's better than us. I'll tell you what — they aren't.' "
"Jones: They looked scared. I'm gonna say it. They looked scared. I'm looking in Shane Battier's eyes. I'm looking in Elton Brand's eyes.I played high school against him. So looking in their eyes, they had that deer-in-the-headlights look. Like, 'oh my God, is this gonna happen to us? We're the favorites.' Once we see that look, it's like a hyena. When he smells blood, he gets antsy and he wants more. That's how we were. "
"Freeman: Khalid and Rip would have these free throw competitions in practice, and they would go free throw for free throw for about 40 minutes. And it'd be a battle. Both guys talking. They didn't want to lose. It carried over into those last few moments. Khalid wasn't gonna miss those free throws. "
Great article. Some quotes:
"Calhoun: During my time at UConn, 26 years as the head coach, we had eight McDonald's All-Americans. Just to give you an idea, last year Kentucky had eight, Duke had eight — one team. Same as we had over 26 years. That doesn't mean good, bad or indifferent. What it does mean though... is that the pieces sometimes are more important than just pure talent."
"Freeman: The toughest game (Gonzaga) I've ever played in. It was the pressure. We never felt pressure as a group. There was so much pressure for that game, because you kept hearing about Coach Calhoun not being able to get to the Final Four, not getting over the hump. UConn can't get over the hump."
"Calhoun: Tom's up at the chalkboard going over the Duke team. About halfway through it, I walk up and say, 'hold it, hold it. Apparently our assistant, the way he's talking, thinks Duke's better than us. I'll tell you what — they aren't.' "
"Jones: They looked scared. I'm gonna say it. They looked scared. I'm looking in Shane Battier's eyes. I'm looking in Elton Brand's eyes.I played high school against him. So looking in their eyes, they had that deer-in-the-headlights look. Like, 'oh my God, is this gonna happen to us? We're the favorites.' Once we see that look, it's like a hyena. When he smells blood, he gets antsy and he wants more. That's how we were. "
"Freeman: Khalid and Rip would have these free throw competitions in practice, and they would go free throw for free throw for about 40 minutes. And it'd be a battle. Both guys talking. They didn't want to lose. It carried over into those last few moments. Khalid wasn't gonna miss those free throws. "
Last edited: