UConn's Big East Rival Will Be ............

[nadav]

Yeah, that sounds right. Croshere was a miss.

We were also trying to get a visit from a kid from Dalzell, SC at the time. That one worked out.

 

[Waquoit]

Yeah, that sounds right. Croshere was a miss.
We were also trying to get a visit from a kid from Dalzell, SC at the time. That one worked out.

Along those lines, does anyone remember the story with Bob Sura? Wasn't there mutual interest but it just didn't work out?

 

[ucawn]

PeeCee is a perennial NIT team. And it won’t change so long as UConn has a breathing basketball program. Players would chose UConn over PeeCee 999/1000 given that; A: Kevin Ollie is not the basketball coach, and B: UConn actually wants the player.

 

[nadav]

Along those lines, does anyone remember the story with Bob Sura? Wasn't there mutual interest but it just didn't work out?

Good one. Sura wanted to go to Uconn, actually any major D-1 would have done, because he didn’t get much attention. Leitao pushed for him, but we already had offered and gotten a commitment from Richie Ashmeade. Who was a full blown disaster!

 

[nadav]

Well I’ve got nothing to do! Let’s do it.

 

[superjohn]

Good one. Sura wanted to go to Uconn, actually any major D-1 would have done, because he didn’t get much attention. Leitao pushed for him, but we already had offered and gotten a commitment from Richie Ashmeade. Who was a full blown disaster!

Wow, never knew this. What a bummer, Sura is one of my all-time favorite college players. He'll now go right up there with Camby on the "what if" UConn guys list.

 

[nadav]

Wow, never knew this. What a bummer, Sura is one of my all-time favorite college players. He'll now go right up there with Camby on the "what if" UConn guys list.

True. But we couldn’t afford Marcus!

 

[the Q]

And of the 3 he only got Buckner to follow him.

 

[superjohn]

True. But we couldn’t afford Marcus!

I know but Camby and Ray Allen playing together for 3 years would've been insane. It would have been an all-time college basketball team and UConn would have another national championship or 2.

 

[the Q]

didn’t he start out at Florida?

 

[superjohn]

Oh yes, I knew about Duncan and Williams being Providence bound. I remember hearing Jason Williams came up for a weekend at PC and got caught with weed in the dorm. No idea if it's true but I don't think he ever would've lasted at Providence, he hated school too much and loved weed too much. It's insane the school wouldn't allow Barnes to make room for Duncan. That ended it for Duncan and Barnes at PC and set you guys back so much as a program despite making that run in '97.

It should have been Camby, Ray Allen, and Duncan all playing right next to each other in New England.

 

[superjohn]

Williams went to Marshall because of Billy Donovan.

 

[nadav]

Quite a list. Amazing.

Donnie Lewis a legend from my hometown. He played on our Class S (smallest schools) squads with Al Weston, they won a bit.

 

[superjohn]

Yep. It seems like the last conference realignment really changed things for the Catholic schools, I know it did with Providence and Seton Hall. They now know how important basketball is to the lifeblood of the school and have focused and spent the money necessary to make them good again, where for a long time things had grown stagnant and the will wasn't there. It certainly helps that all the additions take basketball so seriously.

 

[superjohn]

It's been my favorite league without UConn in it. I love everything about it, stoked for next season.