Wes Bialosuknia

[chapwilvaug72]

you evaluate a small sample size/I watched all wes games on tv from his soph, jr, sr yrs.

you may not want to hear it but wes shot from anywhere within the offensive end of the half court line/only rick mount of purdue was even close to wes' drop of the rainmaker

 

[sdhusky]

I watched the whole thing and kept pausing and rewinding and marking where he was shooting from. Truth is, only like 2 shots were clearly 20 plus feet. He wasn't shooting from Jimmer range. The illusion is created by there being no 3pt line. When he is out there in a sea of wood floor with no lines, the shots look longer because the floor looks bigger.

You have to consider if there was a 3 point line, he would have taken those 17-20 foot shots from 3 point land.

Maybe he would have shot a tiny bit lower a % (maybe) but he would have scored a ton more points.

The guy clearly could shoot with the best of them.

 

[UConnLen]

I just read that Burr Carlson set the bball program back ? I feel a need to defend him. It was mainly due to a lack of ADM. support,andd as Pink Floyd says, "MONEY!" And,as Wes told me many times. Tom Penders would hold the title Most Assists if records had been kept back then.

I met Tom Penders several years ago while he was recruiting at a CT HS game. We sat and talked about that 64-65 team, Toby, Wes, Spider, Bill Hollowaty etc. Nice guy. Thank You Maurbia44 for your insight on one of the greatest players to wear the UConn uniform. We are happy to know that as great a basketball player he was, he was a better husband and person!

 

[UConnLen]

Whenever anyone told Wes that he wasn't strong enough to play in today's game,his answer was,"I'd find a way." He was smart and quick. We watched an old tape with Jane (daughter) last summer. She was in awe at how fast her Dad ran and shot.

Living in SECT, I remember going to a benefit game I think sponsored by the Norwich Bulletin featuring Wes on an all star team vs Jimmy Walker [PC] team. Wes more than held his own against the great Walker at that game in Norwich that might!

 

[Hoophound]

He would have hit lots of 3s at the current distance of 20'9". All I'm saying is that the barrage of 30-40 footers seems a bit exaggerated. I just can't imagine that even being considered sane in any day and age. My father has always told me Wes took a lot of 18-22 footers and made them at a high clip. That video supports his recollection.

Lebron James can stroke one perfect J after another from half court in warmups, but you'll never see it in a game unless it is a buzzer beater. It's just not practical. Shooting from that distance usually means your teammates aren't in rebounding position and neither are you.

 

[maurbia44]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and critiques of Wes' game, but in the end,that's all it is ......a game!!! He was my "Wonderful Wes" and I'll miss him every day for the rest of my life! He liked Ricky Nelson's "Garden Party" song (his all time favorite court...on Earth....MSG!) "If memories are all I have,I'd rather drive a truck"

 

[Nostical]

"If memories are all I have, I'd rather drive a truck"

Ricky Nelson was one of my favorites, too!

http://www.tubechop.com/watch/2903423

 

[Hoophound]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and critiques of Wes' game, but in the end,that's all it is .a game!!! He was my "Wonderful Wes" and I'll miss him every day for the rest of my life! He liked Ricky Nelson's "Garden Party" song (his all time favorite court...on Earth....MSG!) "If memories are all I have,I'd rather drive a truck"

I hope this thread keeps going. It is interesting because my parents always talked about Wes and Toby when I was a kid in the 70's and 80's. They were the franchise while they were at UConn in the 60's. It is really cool to watch that game film knowing my father was probably there. There is something special about that. I've really enjoyed getting to know Wes a little bit and getting to see him play for the first time in my life. I'm not much of a sports history buff but I love basketball, UConn and shooting jump shots and Wes is a legend for a guy like me.

 

[Nostical]

Hoop, I agree. I was at just about every game Wes played in, as a bunch of us used to drive to the away games as well. The silent video, while memorable, really doesn't do justice to the many bombs Wes would swish through the nets. And while I read the comments about whether they were 30 ft shots, I can assure you that many of them were. He had a very quick release and would often shoot soon after crossing midcourt. He would also circle under the basket and head back way behind the key where Penders would find him for a quick dagger. He was the very definition of a star, yet he never carried himself that way. He was humble, with none of those "look at me" gestures. Class act all the way.

 

[chapwilvaug72]

TO: Mrs. Wes

It is more than just a game. It is the evolution of a vast underdog all the way to top dog. Wes was at the inception of the slow climb that gained momentum with the many sweet 16 and elite 8 flops of the 90's to the 5 final fours and quarto titles, with a sprinkling of Corny, Hanson et al in between. As someone said after title 4-it's a morality play. It's the eventual spanking of the elitists by the paddle of the blue collar work ethic. It is the story of the hungry huskies who are never satiated due to their ongoing fight for truth, justice and the American way.

 

[maurbia44]

TO: Mrs. Wes

It is more than just a game. It is the evolution of a vast underdog all the way to top dog. Wes was at the inception of the slow climb that gained momentum with the many sweet 16 and elite 8 flops of the 90's to the 5 final fours and quarto titles, with a sprinkling of Corny, Hanson et al in between. As someone said after title 4-it's a morality play. It's the eventual spanking of the elitists by the paddle of the blue collar work ethic. It is the story of the hungry huskies who are never satiated due to their ongoing fight for truth, justice and the American way.

You are so right! Our Huskies were/are Supermen......from the Beginning !

 

[uconnfan68]

He would have hit lots of 3s at the current distance of 20'9". All I'm saying is that the barrage of 30-40 footers seems a bit exaggerated. I just can't imagine that even being considered sane in any day and age. My father has always told me Wes took a lot of 18-22 footers and made them at a high clip. That video supports his recollection.

Lebron James can stroke one perfect J after another from half court in warmups, but you'll never see it in a game unless it is a buzzer beater. It's just not practical. Shooting from that distance usually means your teammates aren't in rebounding position and neither are you.

From what I remember they were a few feet past the top of the key, ie. current NBA 3-pt range. Bob Staak did it too.

 

[tcf15]

Here's some more footage of him from a recent CPTV broadcast:

 

[maurbia44]

I must live under a rock,to quote my father! I've never seen this video. Seeing Wes so young and healthy brings me to tears...but happy ones! Toby was "a man among boys" as Wes often said,and Tom must have averaged 16 assists per game...easily.
When I first met George Ehrlich,he called me Mrs. Wonderful Wes...now Wayne Norman,who was as close to Wes as a brother over the past several years, calls me Mrs. Popper. I love it!!!
Thank you Boneyard members for allowing me to share memories of our life. Although Wes put basketball aside to pursue other interests,he'd always stop at courts,seek them out....wherever we went,from Acadia Nat'l Park,Watch Hill,RI., even after climbing mountains. He'd pop open the trunk, grab his ball and shoot a few.

 

[hthusky74]

I must live under a rock,to quote my father! I've never seen this video. Seeing Wes so young and healthy brings me to tears...but happy ones! Toby was "a man among boys" as Wes often said,and Tom must have averaged 16 assists per game...easily.
When I first met George Ehrlich,he called me Mrs. Wonderful Wes...now Wayne Norman,who was as close to Wes as a brother over the past several years, calls me Mrs. Popper. I love it!!!
Thank you Boneyard members for allowing me to share memories of our life. Although Wes put basketball aside to pursue other interests,he'd always stop at courts,seek them out....wherever we went,from Acadia Nat'l Park,Watch Hill,RI., even after climbing mountains. He'd pop open the trunk, grab his ball and shoot a few.

Your husband brought a lot of joy to the UConn family and the state at large. I'm sure the responses you've received on this site and elsewhere as regards the high regard Wes was held in reinforce that. I know I will always remember and have educated my kids (2 are in UConn) as to the legend of the Poughkeepsie Popper! Or as me and my contemporaries like to call him the Popper. At Gampel our seats were right across the court from you (when you sat behind the UConn bench). If you and Wes were at the game, sooner or later one of us would spot you and make note to the rest of us that "The Popper" is in the house. Somehow it made the game feel that much better. Thank you for providing all the stories and clips, and I hope you keep it up.

 

[Mattydog7]

I must live under a rock,to quote my father! I've never seen this video. Seeing Wes so young and healthy brings me to tears...but happy ones! Toby was "a man among boys" as Wes often said,and Tom must have averaged 16 assists per game...easily.
When I first met George Ehrlich,he called me Mrs. Wonderful Wes...now Wayne Norman,who was as close to Wes as a brother over the past several years, calls me Mrs. Popper. I love it!!!
Thank you Boneyard members for allowing me to share memories of our life. Although Wes put basketball aside to pursue other interests,he'd always stop at courts,seek them out....wherever we went,from Acadia Nat'l Park,Watch Hill,RI., even after climbing mountains. He'd pop open the trunk, grab his ball and shoot a few.

Great stuff.

 

[maurbia44]

While going through Wes' UConn memorabilia,I found pictures of the North/South All-star team. He roomed with Jimmy Walker out in New Mexico...told me some funny stories,fun & crazy stuff they did. But,Wes never told me that he earned the MVP award. I'm going to frame it!Wondrous Wes? Where did CPTV get that....