Martin Does Everything for Huskies
The Story: Tyrese Martin came to UConn from Rhode Island with little fanfare but has become a critical player for the Huskies during their resurgence. They have their final tune-up tomorrow at noon at the XL Center on FS1 before they head to the Bahamas to play in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: What is Martin? Is he a small forward, a guard, a power forward in sheep’s clothing? We do know this — he’s a really good basketball player. That’s the position Martin plays.
• He starts as a slashing, physical and aggressive two guard who attacks the rim in transition, can hit a 3-pointer off the catch and is one of the better offensive rebounders on the team.
• His defense? That’s the best part for the Huskies, who are decimating teams in the early season with their size, length and athleticism defensively. Martin can guard anyone but a center and is the unsung hero of the bunch.
• Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo get the glory, and rightfully so, but it is Martin who does a lot of the dirty work. Not bad from a guy we thought Dan Hurley brought to UConn from Rhode Island because he needed a character guy to fill out the roster.
MARTIN’S EVOLVING GAME: Martin is averaging 13 points per game and has been deadly efficient as he is shooting 66.7 percent (16-for-24) and is 5-for-7 from 3-point range. He does that while averaging five rebounds in only 23.7 minutes a game.
• Those numbers will go down, but Martin’s ability to attack the rim and finish with dunks or acrobatic layups is certainly a joy to watch. He is a north-south player and dribbler, and while he isn’t fancy, doesn’t waste any time attacking the basket or getting rid of the ball. That’s how basketball is supposed to be played.
• On Wednesday, Martin shut down Ty Flowers, the preseason Northeast Conference Player of the Year.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “Tyrese played one of the more mature games to see a guy playing. Tyrese went 4-for-4 from the field and knew he had the matchup with Flowers, who was preseason player of the year in the [NEC]. He knew he was going to expend a lot of energy on the defensive end, so he gave up a little bit of his offense and he played really, really smart. He did a little bit of everything.”
MORE HUSKIES ON THE WAY? Class of 2023 shooting guard Stephen Castle is expected to announce his college choice this afternoon. It is down to, reportedly, UConn and Auburn for the top-30 prospect’s services.
BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS UP NEXT: Speaking of Auburn, the Huskies will play the Tigers at the Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday.
Calhoun Finally Says Goodbye
The Story: Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun announced he has retired from coaching as he stepped aside as the men’s basketball coach at Saint Joseph after three games. This is it for one of the greatest basketball coaches who ever lived and one of the greatest program architects in college sports history.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Calhoun put his heart and soul, and as much of his body as he could, into building a Division III program in West Hartford.
• He went 42-17 in his three-plus years as the Blue Jays’ coach and is 3-0 this season. He’ll step aside for his assistant, former UConn associate head coach Glen Miller, to take over.
• Calhoun said he has no imminent health issues, though he has had multiple bouts of cancer, but rather believed it was time to call it a career.
OUR TAKE: We love that Calhoun ended his career coaching Division III games. Let’s be honest: He left UConn in 2012 at the top of his game. His body gave out and he couldn’t handle the rigors of the game. He tried to do television, but he just didn’t seem to have fun doing it. What do coaches do? He risked his name and legacy and did the hard work by starting a team at Saint Joseph, which was adding male students in an attempt to survive as a school. Three years later, enrollment has popped, and in short time, Calhoun led the Blue Jays to the NCAA tournament. Nearly a decade after leaving UConn, where he won three national titles, he was an unmitigated success in Division III. The sad part of the news is that Calhoun has no more to give to the game of basketball.
From Frozen Lakes to the Beautiful Beach
The Story: The women’s basketball team may be hitting the beach this weekend, but it’s not all sunshine and piña coladas (yet) as it takes part in the eight-team Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.
A TOUGH CHALLENGE: The field is loaded, with the No. 2-ranked Huskies joined by No. 1 South Carolina, No. 9 Oregon, No. 23 USF and Oklahoma, which is receiving votes in the Associated Press poll. Syracuse, Minnesota and Buffalo, led by one of the nation’s best point guards and a scoring machine in Dyaisha Fair, are also fighting for third place in the tournament.
• UConn opens the whole darn thing tomorrow at noon with a game against Minnesota, then will play USF or Syracuse on Sunday and, likely, South Carolina in the championship game on Monday night.
• If you’re thinking about watching the game, good luck. The tournament is being broadcast by our old nemesis, FloHoops, with only the championship game on ESPN2.
WHERE THEY LEFT OFF: Not much has changed about the Huskies this season, with nearly every contributor back from their Final Four run a year ago, but how they incorporate their new playmakers will be worth watching.
• Geno Auriemma said after the season-opening win against Arkansas on Sunday that he needs to take advantage of his depth. Paige Bueckers played all 40 minutes, Christyn Williams played 38 and Evina Westbrook played 36. Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, the other two starters, were in foul trouble and played no more than 20 minutes, and that’s the main reason why Azzi Fudd played just 19 minutes, Dorka Juhasz played just 12 and Caroline Ducharme played only four.
ABOUT MINNESOTA: Led by the former face of the Connecticut Sun, Lindsay Whalen, the Golden Gophers are 3-1. They somehow lost to Jacksonville, which was no doubt stunned by Minneapolis’ freezing November cold (even indoors!), in the season opener.
• Junior guard Sara Scalia is one of four players averaging double figures in scoring and leads Minnesota with 17.3 points per game. Junior forward Kadiatou Sissoko is averaging 10.3 points and a team-high seven rebounds a game.
• The Gophers haven’t been a perennial NCAA Tournament team since Whalen was playing for them more than a decade ago. She is 44-38 at the beginning of her four seasons.
Lamont Goes Gaga Over Mora
The Story: Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said he wants “people to be excited about UConn football” again, which means he’s setting a real high bar for new football coach Jim Mora.
A CROWDED ROOM: Lamont was (very curiously?) one of the 10 people to interview Mora, who was hired to replace Randy Edsall last week. Lamont said Mora “was amazing” and “was unbelievable” during their discussions.
• Mora, who turns 60 today, has made the rounds over the past 10 days as he gets to know key university stakeholders (like Paige Bueckers) and other people around the state.
• “When you’re a champion for the team — it starts with the team, but you take that message around the state a little bit,” Lamont said. “I want people to be excited about UConn football. It’s not going to turn around overnight, but every step in the right direction is a step in the right direction. Look, we don’t have a professional team in this state, so I want UConn football to be a star.”
NO MORE CONFLICT: UConn will head to Orlando and play UCF one final time tomorrow at 4 p.m. on ESPN+. The teams, longtime AAC “rivals,” have no more games scheduled.
• The Knights (6-4) are coming off a loss to SMU and have underperformed under first-year coach Gus Malzahn. But they’re heading to the Big 12 in the coming years, so that makes the overnight shift at the Hilton Garden Inn a little easier for UCF’s graduates to stomach.
• UCF had a good thing going with quarterback Dillon Gabriel, but he’s been unable to play since he broke a collarbone on Sept. 17. He practiced this week, though, so he could be back on the field in place of Mikey Keene.
Morning Reads
• Last weekend was tough for the women’s hockey team, which failed to win either game against Maine, but it takes on Providence this afternoon and travels to face Northeastern tomorrow night. (UConnHuskies.com)
• Setter McKayla Wuensch reached 2,000 career assists, but the volleyball team lost 3-0 to Butler yesterday afternoon in advance of tonight’s regular-season finale against Xavier at Gampel Pavilion. (UConnHuskies.com)
