Will Calhoun vs. Pearl replace Geno vs. Summit as the defining rivalry between UConn and the University of Tennessee?






While the UConn-Tennessee women's basketball rivalry may be on ice, the respective men's teams may start up a rivalry of their own this season.

According to a well-placed university source, the Huskies are looking to host Pearl and his Volunteers this season, shoring up what's already a tough non-conference schedule for UConn. It would be just the second time the two programs have ever met in men's basketball. Tennessee topped UConn, 65-51, in an NCAA South Regional second round game on March 19, 2000 in Birmingham, Ala.

The game, which hasn't been finalized yet, would likely be played late in the season.

The Huskies will also play in the preseason National Invitational Tournament (where they could end up playing Duke) and will play Kentucky at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 9 as part of the third annual SEC/Big East Invitational. They will also travel to Michigan for a bout with the Wolverines.

In other UConn news:

***Little-used 7-foot senior center Jonathan Mandeldove has some academic issues, and it's "up in the air" whether he'll play for the Huskies this season, according to UConn coach Jim Calhoun.

***Calhoun said he is "95 percent" sure that Ater Majok will remain at UConn and forego heading over to Europe to play professionally. Majok would be eligible to play for the Huskies in mid-December.

***Calhoun attended Rip Hamilton's wedding in Boca Raton last week. Kevin Freeman was in the wedding party, and Khalid El-Amin was the only member of the 1999 national championship team's starting five that wasn't in attendance.

Also present: Tom Moore, Dave Leitao and Karl Hobbs, among others. (Presumably, Josh Nochimson wasn't there. Sorry, couldn't resist).

***If anyone's wondering why prized, 6-9 recruit Andre Drummond of Capital Prep hasn't been playing in the Greater Hartford Pro-Am this week, it's because he's traveling with an AAU team.

Jerome Dyson went all Bernard King on us and dropped 50 points in a Greater Hartford Pro-Am league game Wednesday night at the Sports & Medical Science Academy in Hartford.

"He's officially back!" emcee Ashon "Chewy" Avent shouted into the mic -- while also pointing out that Dyson would have had about 60 if he had made his free throws.

Dyson looked good, slashing to the hole and knocking down 3-pointers (although he missed a trey with about 2 seconds left that would have sent the game to overtime. Dyson's Next Level lost to the Mizner All-Stars, 94-81).

We've got some video evidence of Dyson's impressive night that further proves he is pretty much, indeed, "officially back" from the torn meniscus in his right knee that ended his season in mid-February.

Here is perhaps Dyson's most impressive sequence of the night. He glides in to finish off a layup. Then, after a missed shot on the other end of the floor, Dyson (No. 15) takes the ball at midcourt, drives in, makes a nice mid-air move for a layup and gets the foul. Dyson pumps his first with true emotion after making the layup and getting the whistle:





Here's a nice move in the corner by Dyson, a drive to the hoop and a foul:



Finally, here's our boy dropping a nice dime to a teammate:



Despite the above evidence, Dyson says he's not quite 100 percent yet.

"I'm still not jumping off my right leg as well as I was (before the injury)," he said. "I'm not all the way there yet, but my conditioning is getting there."

Dyson was cleared to play about 2 1/2 weeks ago. He has been spending a lot of time in the weight room, strengthening his leg. Right now, his leg is about "85-percent, strength-wise," and he's got to keep strengthening his hamstring and quad.

As for getting over a mental hurdle?

"I felt like I was over that the first day. I was going hard the first time I got on the court, so it really hasn't affected me too much ... as you saw today."

Yes, we did.

***In other news, Dyson's former UConn and current pro-am league teammate, Doug Wiggins, is still pondering his options after being booted off the team at UMass. According to Wiggins, he's considering several NAIA schools -- Campbellsvile (Ky.) and Missouri Baptist, among others. He's had some D-II and III offers, including the University of Bridgeport and Elms College, but says he needs to get away from this area and get a fresh start.

As to why he was kicked off the UMass team, Wiggins claims it was a huge misunderstanding. He said a teammate was involved in a fight with a bouncer at a bar, and that somehow Wiggins' name came up as being involved with the fracas. Wiggins claims he wasn't even there. Nevertheless, according to Wiggins, coupled with a prior infraction of breaking and entering (Wiggins said he had been drinking but thought he was going into a friend's apartment, which looked exactly like countless other apartments in a complex near campus) that was enough for his dismissal.

Here's a decent piece sent to me by Patrick Crawley, managing editor of the Basketball Fiend blog. He lists the top 10 collegiate programs in terms of sending players to the NBA, and UConn checks in at No. 1, with 12 players currently in the league (13 with Hasheem Thabeet, and maybe 14 with A.J. Price) and 14 cumulative All-Star appearances. The blog entry was written shortly before the 2009 NBA draft.

Anyway, thought you all might enjoy it:

Which College Program Has Produced the Best Current NBA Talent (A Top 10 List).

Many of the top prep players in the country -- many of whom are being recruited by UConn -- will be in Springfield, Mass. this weekend for a pair of BasketBull, LLC tournaments.

Today, the inaugural First Eight tourney will pit the best 17u and 16u travel teams not only from New England but around North America, including Canada.

Here's a small sampling of some of the 17u players who will be in action July 10th. Grassroots Canada Top Players: Tristan Thompson, 6'10 PF, Findlay Prep '10 (committed to Texas; #1 PF in 2010 Scout.com); Myck Kabonga, 6'2 PG, St. Benedict's Prep '11 (committed to Texas; #3 PG in 2011 Scout.com); Dwight Powell, 6'10 PF, IMG Academy '10 (Harvard, Stanford, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Virginia); Cory Joseph, 6'3 PG, Findlay Prep '10 (Ohio St., Georgetown. among others; #7 PG in 2010 Scout.com); JP Kambola, 6'9 PF, St. Benedict's Prep '10 (UConn, Kansas, Rutgers, among others) New England Playaz Top Players: Nate Lubick, 6'8 WF, St. Mark's School '10, (committed to Georgetown; #11 PF ESPN.com); Austin Carroll, 6'4 '10, Brewster Academy '10 (Davidson, Washington St, Fordham, among others); Naadir Tharpe, 6'1 PG, Brewster Academy '11 (Arizona, BC, UConn, Purdue, among others); Dajuan Coleman, 6'9 F/C, Jamesville-Dewitt '12 (Syracuse, UConn; #1 Player in 2012 ESPN.com); Denzel Brito, 6'1 PG, Lawrence Academy '10 (UConn, Stanford, Providence, among others) Mass Rivals Top Players: Carson Desroisers, 6'11 C, Central Catholic HS '10 (Pitt, Syracuse, Stanford, BC; #8 C ESPN.com); Evan Smotrycz, 6'9 F, New Hampton School, '10 (committed to Michigan; #12 PF ESPN.com); Matt Brown, 6'3 Combo Guard, Northfield Mount Hermon '10, (Providence, George Mason, among others); Jordan Laguerre, 6'0 PG, Trinity HS '10, (Patriot League, A-10's) Connecticut Basketball Club Top Players: Majok Majok (Ater's cousin), 6'8 PF, South Kent School '10 (Arkansas, Oklahoma, Providence, among others); Danny Lawhorn, 5'10 PG, Hartford Public HS '10 (committed to: Boston College); Chris Evans, 6'1 G, Taft School '10, (America East, NEC schools); Dominque Langston, 6'3 SG, St. Thomas Moore '10 (Penn St, Rutgers, Quinnipiac, among others New Heights (NY) Top Players: Devon Collier, 6'7 PF, St. Anthony's HS '10, (Memphis, St. John's, UConn, Villanova, among others); Ashton Pankey, 6'7 PF, St. Anthony's HS '10, (Seton Hall, St. John's, Rice, among others); Jayvaughn Pinkston, 6'5 SF, Bishop Laughlin '10, (Louisville, Tennessee, Florida, Memphis, among others); Corey Edwards, 6'0 PG, Christ the King HS '11, (Kentucky, Villanova, St. John's, among others); Hakeem Harris, 6'1 PG, Blair Academy '10, (Davidson, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Harvard, among others); Derrick Williams, 6'6 PF, St. Anthony's HS '10, (Fordham, Miami (FL), Seton Hall, among others) Florida Rams Top Players: Fabricio de Melo, 7'0 F/C, Sagemont HS '10, (UConn, Syracuse, Louisville; #4 C in 2010 ESPN.com); Damien Leonard, 6'4 SG, JL Mann HS '11, (Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida, among others); Tim Hardaway Jr., 6'4 SG, Miami Palmetto HS '10, (Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, among others); Josh Langford, 6'6 WF, J.O. Johnson HS '10, (committed to: Louisville); William Sheehay, 6'5 SG, South Fork HS '10, (Auburn, Stanford, Northeastern, among others); Khyle Marshall, 6'7 F, Flanagan HS '10, (Auburn, Miami (FL), Kansas St., among others) Expressions Elite (MA) Top Players: Billy Baron, 6'2 Combo Guard, Worcester Academy '10, (Rhode Island, A-10's and Patriot League); Tyler Olander, 6'9 F, Worcester Academy '11, (Providence, Vanderbilt, La Salle, and Fairfield); Kaleb Tarczewski, 6'10 C, St. Mark's School '12, (Boston College, Providence, among others) Team Philly Top Players: Tony Chenault, 6'1 PG, Nueman-Goretti '10, (Committed to: Wake Forest); Daniel Stewart, 6'6 WF, Nueman-Goretti '10, (Rutgers. Delaware, St. Joe's, among others); Keith Coleman, 6'8 F, Cheltenham HS '10, (Marquette, Nebraska, among others); Tyrone Garland, 6'0 PG, Bartram John HS '10, (Butler, Temple, Drexel, Nebraska, among others) For further details on the First Eight Tournament, to view the schedule and list of committed teams please follow this link to the tournament webpage: http://www.basketbull.org/tournaments/26/First-Eight.php

On Saturday and Sunday, the National Invitational will feature over 100 teams from all over the country in what's being called the strongest tournament in the northeast during the NCAA "live" period. National programs such as Florida Rams, Grassroots Canada, New Heights, Team Philly, New England Playaz, Hunting Park, Long Island Lightning and many others will converge on the birthplace of basketball for a chance to showcase their skills. Some notable players (17 & Under) participating in the event include:
* Fab Melo (ACC/BIG EAST)
* Josh Langford (Louisville) of the Florida Rams
* Tristan Thompson (Texas)
* Myck Kabongo (Texas)
* Dwight Powell (ACC/BIG EAST) of Grassroots Canada
* Nate Lubick (Georgetown)
* DaJaun Coleman (ACC/BIG EAST)
* Austin Carroll (A-10/BIG EAST)
* Nadir Tharpe (PAC-10/ACC) of NE Playaz
* Tony Chennault (Wake Forest) of Team Philly
* Evan Smotrycz (Michigan)
* Carson Desrosiers (BIG EAST) of Mass Rivals
* Majok Majok (A-10/BIG EAST)
* Andre Drummond (ACC/BIG EAST) of CBC
* Devon Collier (BIG EAST/ACC)
* Jayvaughn Pinkston (BIG EAST)
* Derrick Williams (BIG EAST/A-10) of New Heights
* Billy Baron (A-10) of Expressions
* Tyler Olander (A-10) of Expressions

For further details on the National Invitational and to view the list of committed teams please follow this link to the tournament webpage: http://www.basketbull.org/tournaments/18/Hall-of-Fame-National-Invitatio nal.php

Former UConn point guard Khalid El-Amin will be featured in this week's Sports Illustrated "Where Are They Now?" issue, which will update readers about stars from 1959, 1969, 1979, 1989 and, in El-Amin's case, 1999.

As you surely know, El-Amin lasted just 50 games in the NBA after leading the Huskies to their first NCAA tournament title in 1999. He has found success abroad, however, twice earning Turkish league MVP awards during a two-year stint with Besiktas Cola Turka. He earned the same honors in the Ukraine while carrying Azovmash Mariupol to the 2006 national championship.

Here are the opponents for each Big East team for the 2009-10 season:


CINCINNATI
Home Connecticut , DePaul, Marquette, Notre Dame , Pittsburgh, Providence, USF, Syracuse , Villanova
Away Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, USF, West Virginia

CONNECTICUT
Home Cincinnati , DePaul, Louisville , Marquette, Notre Dame , Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Seton Hall , West Virginia
Away Cincinnati , Georgetown, Louisville , Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, USF, Syracuse , Villanova

DE PAUL
Home Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette , Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, USF, Syracuse , West Virginia
Away Cincinnati, Connecticut, Marquette , Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova

GEORGETOWN
Home Cincinnati, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, USF, Syracuse , Villanova
Away DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, Syracuse, Villanova , West Virginia

LOUISVILLE
Home Cincinnati, Connecticut , Georgetown, Notre Dame, Rutgers, St. John’s , USF, Syracuse , Villanova
Away Connecticut, DePaul, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Syracuse, West Virginia

MARQUETTE
Home DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence , Rutgers, USF, Villanova
Away Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul , Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia

NOTRE DAME
Home Cincinnati , Connecticut , DePaul, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, USF, Syracuse , West Virginia
Away Cincinnati , Connecticut , Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Rutgers, Seton Hall, USF, Villanova

PITTSBURGH
Home DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s , Seton Hall, Villanova , West Virginia
Away Cincinnati, Connecticut, Marquette, Notre Dame, St. John’s, Seton Hall, USF, Syracuse, West Virginia

PROVIDENCE
Home Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette , Rutgers, Seton Hall, USF, Syracuse , West Virginia
Away Cincinnati, DePaul, Marquette , Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, USF, Syracuse , Villanova

RUTGERS
Home Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul , Georgetown , Notre Dame, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Syracuse , Villanova
Away DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall, USF, West Virginia

ST. JOHN ’S
Home Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh , Providence, Seton Hall, Villanova , West Virginia
Away Connecticut, DePaul , Georgetown, Louisville , Notre Dame, Pittsburgh , Rutgers, USF, Syracuse

SETON HALL
Home Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh , Rutgers, Syracuse , West Virginia
Away Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh , Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, USF, Villanova , West Virginia

USF
Home Cincinnati , Connecticut, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence , Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall , West Virginia
Away Cincinnati , DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, Syracuse , Villanova

SYRACUSE
Home Connecticut, Georgetown , Louisville , Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence , St. John’s , USF, Villanova
Away Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown , Louisville, Notre Dame, Providence , Rutgers, Seton Hall , West Virginia

VILLANOVA
Home Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown , Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, Seton Hall, USF, West Virginia
Away Cincinnati, Georgetown , Louisville, Marquette , Pittsburgh, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse , West Virginia

WEST VIRGINIA
Home Cincinnati, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh , Rutgers, Seton Hall, Syracuse , Villanova
Away Connecticut, DePaul, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, USF, Villanova

Each school’s three repeat opponents are in italics

Here's a story from today's Register about UConn freshman Alex Oriakhi, who is finally a UConn student after committing to the school nearly three years ago, when he was 16. Like Emeka Okafor, Oriakhi was born in the U.S., but both his parents were born in Nigeria. One of the main reasons his father wanted him to come to UConn was because of Okafor.

Also, found this story from the ProJo earlier in the week to be interesting. Like most college basketball observers, I have my questions about John Calipari and the way he runs his program(s). But this column by Bill Reynolds certainly reveals a human side to Coach Cal.

Hasheem Thabeet is back on the UConn campus for about a week before heading out to Las Vegas to play for the Memphis Grizzlies' summer league team. According to Thabeet, his summer league teammates will include former UConn teammate Jeff Adrien, as well as ex-Husky stars Marcus Williams and Kevin Ollie.

Over the next week, Thabeet will be staying with his mother, who lives in Springfield, Mass., while working out at Gampel – lifting weights under UConn strength and conditioning coach Chris West's watch. The Grizzlies will also be sending a coach out this way to supervise Thabeet's workouts.

Once summer league ends on July 18, Thabeet will fly back to his native Tanzania, where he's been invited by President Jakaya Kikwete to speak to Parliament.

"I don't even know what to say," Thabeet said. "I'm not up on politics and things like that."

Knowing Thabeet's effervescent personality, however, it says here he'll do just fine.

"I should be good," he admits.

Prior to training camp, Thabeet will have to take part in the NBA's rookie transition program in New York City.

After being drafted by the Grizzlies as the No. 2 overall pick on Thursday night, Thabeet flew to Memphis on Friday and worked out for the team over the weekend. In between workouts, Thabeet was able to do a little house-hunting. He's honing in on some five-bedroom estates which, eventually, his mother and some other family members would move into with him.

Must be nice.

Chris Smith, the all-time leading scorer in UConn men’s basketball history, has been named boys basketball coach at his alma mater, Bridgeport’s Kolbe Cathedral.

Smith graduated from Kolbe in 1988 and was coach Jim Calhoun’s first major in-state recruiting coup. In his four years with the Huskies, Smith scored 2,145 career points, still a school record. Detroit Pistons forward Richard Hamilton is second with 2,036 (in three seasons).

Smith was selected in the second round of the 1992 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and played three seasons for the team.