Secret Scrimmage

[HuskyHawk]

Not sure what he said to deserve "Rickety"? Others need to stay calm too in reacting.

My sister got two cats after the 1999 championship. One was named Calhoun, the other Rickety (after Ricky Moore). So maybe it's a backhanded compliment.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I didn't say that never accomplished anything. But being a NCAA team is a pretty low accomplishment given the amount of talent on that team.

But didn't that mean it was a top 32 team at the time? When did the field go to 64?

 

[CL82]

But didn't that mean it was a top 32 team at the time? When did the field go to 64?

Good point. They went to 64 a few years after that class graduated. I still think Calhoun would have gotten a lot more out them. They were very talented and were an entertaining team to watch.

(Yes, I know that Jim Calhoun > Dom Perno, isn't exactly a newsflash.)

 

[businesslawyer]

Good point. They went to 64 a few years after that class graduated. I still think Calhoun would have gotten a lot more out them. They were very talented and were an entertaining team to watch.

(Yes, I know that Jim Calhoun > Dom Perno, isn't exactly a newsflash.)

While Dom Perno was not a good basketball coach in terms of not just game coaching but figuring out how to fit his players into a system, if we want to be fair you need guards to win basketball games and the Corny/Chuck/McKay team didn't have Big East level guards.

 

[superjohn]

Yeah, I remembered #2 PF as #2 overall. Still, not much difference between #5 and number 2. Rudy was about #5 too.

I still don't think Yell was that high, but I might be misremembering that too. Couldn't find it on a quick google. He certainly wasn't recruited by the absolute cream schools. It was like Cuse, Us, and somebody else.

Donyell was up there, Bob Gibbons all-America team was Cherokee Parks, Chris Webber, Glenn Robinson, Donyell, and Jason Kidd.

Donyell was going to go to Cuse and then Maryland. Luckily the McDonald's all-America game was in Springfield and Donyell decided to drive over to Storrs after, he committed before leaving.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I didn't say that never accomplished anything. But being a NCAA team is a pretty low accomplishment given the amount of talent on that team.

i never said making the NCAA tourney was their greatest accomplishment.
it was just a one key factor in getting us into the Big East especially since that was a team of freshman with great future expectations , Getting that call was the most important thing ever to happen to UConn basketbal’s entry into the big time.
No Big East ,no JC, no NC’s and without Corny &Company There might not have been that call.
The success of the class of 1978-1979 was huge as the Big East was formed May 1979.
(* The Tony Hanson teams just previous probably helped in recruiting that class and had some notable wins like beating Syracuse at the old Carrier Dome stopping a long home winning streak. )
I do agree that class seriously underachieved due to Perno ‘s ineptitude.
Hiring a decent coach instead of elevating Dom was a mistake that took years to rectify. That man could figure out ways to lose games sometimes in bizarre ways.

 

[CL82]

While Dom Perno was not a good basketball coach in terms of not just game coaching but figuring out how to fit his players into a system, if we want to be fair you need guards to win basketball games and the Corny/Chuck/McKay team didn't have Big East level guards.

"Businesslawyer said what?"

I agree that the front court was the strength of that team. (You can add Norm Bailey to the big three or Thompson/McKay/Aleksinas he was good for like 10 points a game.) But I think Calhoun makes them a much better team. Perno wasn't a great game coach and he had lost control of that team. (PM me if you are curious.) I believe Calhoun makes them much, much better, again, not that that is an earth shaking opinion.

 

[businesslawyer]

View attachment 47621
"Businesslawyer said what?"

I agree that the front court was the strength of that team. (You can add Norm Bailey to the big three or Thompson/McKay/Aleksinas he was good for like 10 points a game.) But I think Calhoun makes them a much better team. Perno wasn't a great game coach and he had lost control of that team. (PM me if you are curious.) I believe Calhoun makes them much, much better, again, not that that is an earth shaking opinion.

As they said at George Washington, "Run the wheel again Karl."

I have no doubt Calhoun would have made every individual and the team better. But let's be honest -- Hobbs was too small and limited as a shooter to be a good Big East point, and Giscombe was too small to be a good Big East 2. I'm not trying to knock either of them, but if you were going to win in the Big EAst they both needed to be rotation change of pace guys, not starters.

 

[CL82]

As they said at George Washington, "Run the wheel again Karl."

I have no doubt Calhoun would have made every individual and the team better. But let's be honest -- Hobbs was too small and limited as a shooter to be a good Big East point, and Giscombe was too small to be a good Big East 2. I'm not trying to knock either of them, but if you were going to win in the Big EAst they both needed to be rotation change of pace guys, not starters.

No team is perfect but that front court was pretty special.

 

[Waquoit]

While Dom Perno was not a good basketball coach in terms of not just game coaching but figuring out how to fit his players into a system, if we want to be fair you need guards to win basketball games and the Corny/Chuck/McKay team didn't have Big East level guards.

I'm pretty sure if JC coached that team the Morris Mtn would have quit. And for some reason Dom passed over Giscombe, he was good. Red Auerbach liked him.