Top 10 UConn Players of the Jim Calhoun Era

1) Richard Hamilton - There is an admitted log jam at the top, but as Final 4 MVP and leader of the 1999 National Championship team, he paved the way for winning and gets the nod. Being the 1st UConn player to win an NBA Championship doesn't hurt either.
2) Ray Allen - The most talented player we've ever had. Look no further than the 1996 Big East Championship Allen/Allen game; Jesus walked on air in the lane. And that's a Shuttlesworth joke. That shot still gives me goosebumps. But you gotta beat Mississippi State.
3) Caron Butler - One of the easiest players to root for; how could you not love Caron? Arrested 15 times before the age of 15, Caron turned his life around and is now a two-time NBA All-Star. Oh, and his two years in Storrs weren't bad either (15.6/7.6, 20.3/7.5).
4) Emeka Okafor - A stud on and off the court, if only they were all like Emeka. But, in the biggest game of his career it was Calhoun who had the best game, keeping an angry, two foul having Okafor on the bench until the second half. And in case you didn't know, he was only a top-100 recruit.
5) Donyell Marshall - You gotta make those free throws...
6) Ben Gordon - Cold blooded killer. See: Madison Square Garden
7) Cliff Robinson - A trailblazer in many ways. Uncle Cliffy not only captains the Eric Hayward Convict All Stars, he was also a member of the 1988 NIT championship team - which was the first time people realized you could win at Connecticut. Cliff was named to the all tournament team and ranks 8th on the NBA games played list.
8) Hasheem Thabeet - A tough first year - his first shot was a baseline hook at Gampel that hit the side of the backboard - saw Hash turn into one of the best players in the nation by his junior year. A total gamechanger with room to move up this list based on results of the 08-09 season.
9) Rudy Gay - Probably the second best player in terms of athleticism to Ray. But he wasn't a winner, and only played two years. Serious points deducted.
10) VOTE in the poll on the right for the 10 spot. Here are the nominees...

Chris Smith - UConn's career scoring leader with 2,145 pts
Nadav Henefeld - Paved the way for Doron Sheffer & Uri Cohen-Mintz!, the "Israeli Larry Bird" and was huge part of the 1990 "Dream Season". If the Jewish Mafia didn't part the Atlantic to bring him back to the promised land Nadav would have been much higher on the list.
Khalid El-Amin - Helped "Shock The World!", long history of hitting big shots.
Tate George - Need we say more?

Game Blog - 2nd Half

8:13 - Stanley needs to start shooting the damn ball! He's caught it wide open a couple times and done the exaggerated white guy ball fake. Terrible. I know he hasn't made a three yet this year (tasering my balls..), but he's gotta shoot it for them to win against good teams.
8:15 - Holy shit! Dyson is on the bench and despite having surgery like 6 hours ago. He must be higher than that time him and Doug Wiggins got pulled over on campus last year.
8:18 - Channeling Bob Knight: "It's about time they called the carry!"
8:29 - Thabeet called for 4th foul with 11:20 to play. Mike Kitts = Tim Donaghy.
8:32 - My god - they just showed the replay. That's a terrible call. Bilas: "You just cannot make that call." McDonough: "Too many times this year good Big East games have been ruined by the whistles." Amazing Jimmy didn't get a T.
8:35 - UConn takes first lead since 2-0. The XL is Rockin'!
- Stanley might have broken Blair's face!
8:38 - Stanley makes a second consecutive jumper, albeit severely off board. Raftery: "Stanley, with a kiss in downtown Hartford!"
8:41 - Very worried, up five with 7:13 to play, that the Pitt guards are scoreless. Hard to keep them down all game, but great job so far.
8:55 - And Fields makes a three to go up 64-61, as I feared. AJ follows with a terrible airball from 3. 2:30 to go.
8:56 - No shit No! Fields from three again. Down 6 with 2:20 to go. Balls!
8:58 - Huge steal by Kemba and bucket, down four, 1:37 left.
9:00 - Kemba with another steal, Stanley fouled but misses front end. I hope Ruslyan Inyatkin throws a piece of scrap metal at him.
9:02 - fuck me...

Below is a clip that best expresses my feelings about this game, except the laughing at the end.



Game Blog - 1st Half

7:02 - Nice job by the fans. The XL is packed and it should be. I tried to get tickets, but anything in the lower bowl cost a kidney and $500.
7:04 - Bill Raftery: "Jay Bilas, Sean McDonough...the Huskies open up man-to-man!"
7:06 - Stanley makes a short jumper. Great sign.
7:07 - DeJuan Blair with the foul on Thabeet. Who could have seen that coming...
- McDonough mentions it's Thabeet's birthday. I heard he didn't go to any of his three parties last week. Apparently his three birthday orgies tired him out.
7:09 - Thabeet is down! What looked like a stupid foul by Thabeet was actually Blair grabbing his arm and body slamming him. Fat Bastard.
7:17 - Thabeet returns and dunks emphatically (triple word score!)
7:19 - McDonough: "McGee who's deep down the bench normally, brought in to bang Thabeet for a moment, got called for a foul." Woah, easy big fella. What do you think this is, Saturday night at Hilltop Apartments?
7:30 - I see Dove has a new haircut. I guess he felt so much like a rape victim after getting abused by Calhoun during all those practices he decided to shave his head. Doesn't want to recognize himself in the mirror...
7:34 - Going to commercial you hear Raf say, "I was so tempted on Price's three...(sound gets cut)" Noooo! tell us Billy, tell us!
7:41 - Sam Young gives it the old Antric Klaiber dunk and then fouls Edwards on the loose ball. Hehehe. By the way, did you know Edwards' father Earl played in the NFL? Sorry, but you're not allowed to say acknowledge Gavin without mentioning that fact.
7:44 - DeJuan Blair is playing great. 10 pts, 11 boards with 3:00 left in 1st half. Taking the ball at Thabeet, not good for us.
7:49 - Seeing as there's a hundred scouts in the building I thought I'd analyze the performances thus far. Blair draft stock: UP. Thabeet draft stock: DOWN
7:51 - AJ hits big three at buzzer. At the half Pitt:36, UConn:33. Blair 15+13

Hey Norm Roberts, You Can Have Doug Wiggins Now

For the second edition of Facebook updates we go to UMass, and some community service time, with Doug Wiggins. Unlike Mandeldove, who doesn't put out a lot of gold, Wiggins is full of unintentional comedy. There's some great stuff on the cutting room floor of this column.

Dec. 20th
-Doug bored as fuck at Umass!! BUM ASS SNOWSTORM...cant wait to get back to da hood..Wordd. 12:19pm
Doug doesn't like snow? I always figured he was a big snowboarder...
Dec. 22nd
-Doug is tired of bein alone..cant wait to get back to CT tomorrow...till then gettin saucy n flyin w my boy..owww. 8:12pm
Dec. 24th
-Doug fuckk diss. 9:02pm
Dec. 30th
-Doug worse year of my life is finally comin to an end..2010 everything brand new..hope yall ready!! 1:31pm
2010!?! Doug has a time machine! If only he could get it to travel backwards...
Jan. 10th
-Doug says its a BLACK CLOUD over da hood...U CANT ESCAPE IT! 1:36pm That's weed smoke Doug, you should be familiar with it
Jan. 14th
-Doug Is laughin at u haters!! mad cuz yall aint got what i got...FucK bOYzz. 3:09pm
it's true, haters, yall just mad cuz u aint got pending breaking and entering charges
Jan. 17th
-Doug Makes to many mistakes and has too many regrets! tryin to eliminate or decrease the number of both for da 09! 11:19pm
he had second thoughts on that one mid-sentence! "eliminate or decrease" hahaha. at least Doug Wiggins knows himself well
Jan. 18th
-Doug Wavyy is a languooo!!! 8:45pm
Languooo? -sounds like a terribly racist word. I'm gonna start using that!
Jan. 19th
-Doug Is celebratin MLK Day and our 1st BLACK PRES!! Owww. 5:45pm
I don't think Obama advocates spending a Monday smoking blunts and drinking cognac...
Jan. 20th
-Doug Jan 26 starts a new leaf! 12:29am
Yeah, a Garcia Vega leaf
Jan. 21st
-Doug THey lOvE yOu whEn U On top...tHEN theY dRoP u WhEN u ToUCh ROCKBOTTOM...~Real ALWAYS Recognize Real~. 7:04am
(word son)
Jan. 25th
-Doug 21st Bornday tomorrow...the official WAVE DAY! 5:13pm
(this could be my whiteness, but what is wave day?)
Jan. 27th
-Doug Is makin shit happen! 11:25am
Feb. 6th
-Doug is getting his shit str8 right now...lookin at life in a diff perspective. 8:21am
-Doug thinks half of yall couldn't walk a hour in my Nikes...lookin at life from a different perspective!
It's true. As a short person Doug has very small feet. It would indeed be difficult for, as he estimates, about half the population to walk a mile in his Nike's
Feb. 7th
-Doug got a new jack..if i fucks w u then send me ya number please.. 12:20pm (Douglas has a new "cell phone" and if you "have any dealings with him" you should send him your #. Babelfish might be a little off though.)

Slicin' Dyson

Literally...He's having his surgery today.

Gay.C.C 3.0

Another tough day for the ACC

BC 80, #5Duke 74
-Brian Zoubek and the Dookies just got owned by BC and some schlub named Joe Trapani. Remember, this BC team that lost to Harvard earlier this year the game after defeating UNC. So, using my skills of deduction Harvard must be better than Duke and UNC...

UVA 85, #11Clemson 81

#3UNC 69, Miami 65
-Two terrible possessions in the final minute cost Miami this game, but my boy Jack McClinton (patting myself on the back) had 35 of Miami's 65 points on 7/12 from 3-pt

Yup, the top of the ACC is really strong...

Majerus Misses Game

Associated Press via ESPN

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus missed Saturday's game at Rhode Island after his girlfriend was injured in a traffic accident.

According to local police she was speeding to get two dozen donuts after awaking to screams of, "Majerus hungry! Majerus want donut! Gerrrraarrrrr!"

Majerus issued a statement that said the injury was serious and added, "I feel compelled to help her at this difficult time."

Majerus added he hoped that, while staying in the hospital, the staff would hook up an I.V. of pork fat for him.

Best Of: The First 1,000 Hits

Feb. 11 - Syracuse Postgame
-Early on Stanley hit two outside shots to double his jumper total for the season. Here was the exchange.
Sean McDonough: Robinson rattles home a three!
Bill Raftery: This is gonna become his neighborhood if he keeps that up. (For you kids out there, here is a look at Mr. Robinson's neighborhood)

Feb.5 - Ramblin' Man
Speaking of the economy, did anyone else have trouble buying a Snuggie this past holiday season? Well I figured out who bought them all.

Feb. 5 - Gay.C.C Part 2
Clemson 74, Duke 47
My favorite part of this dismantling was Lance Thomas doing his best Jeff Adrien impression, getting in the face of his teammates during a timeout. Thomas went balistic, even hitting Jon Scheyer in the head! Scheyer's recoil and look of fear was hilarious - I haven't seen a white Duke athlete so afraid of a black person since those lacrosse players were taken to jail after raping that stripper.

Jan, 29 - An Open Letter to Mark Titus
Mark,
We're big fans. however, we fear that your website has a lot of Big Ten bias. Which is much different than the ACC Bias who died tragically (that's a cocaine joke).

Jan. 13 - Things to Consider
Bigger Rap Star: Ed Nelson or Shamon Tooles?

Jan. 12 - Jokes
-When Bill Raftery is having sex, do you think he repeatedly yells, "Send it in, big fella!" ??

Jan. 6 - Huggy Bear Sad
-Jeff Adrien is a poor man's Kevin Freeman. And that's only kinda an insult. K-Free was the man.
-AJ Price is the rich man's Brian Fair. And that is an insult. A cheap, easy, hilarious insult.
-Jerome Dyson was billed as a poor man's D-Wade. I would argue more a crack-addict's D-Wade, but nonetheless, he's having a nice year. What's that? D-Wade's mom was a crack addict, ohhhhh...too soon?

Stay tuned for the Best of: The First 1,000 Hits, YouTube edition on Monday

Is Erin Andrews Overrated?

It's Saturday, which means College GameDay. Because we couldn't find a video/music montage of Jay Bilas, we chose to go with the following. My favorite is the 2:40 mark with the guy doing his Dave Chappelle "Great New York Boobs" impression. Va Va Varoomski!


The video begs the question: do we over rate Erin Andrews? I mean, she does night games so we're always half in the bag or more when we see her, and she kinda seems like a bitch. The litmus test: if you're at a bar, is she anything more than a cute girl? I mean, in any decent place she shouldn't even be close to hottest girl in the place. The girls who do her makeup (I'm looking at you, Erin McParland) are hotter than her. It's an interesting question...I'm not sure how I feel.

In related ESPN hot reporter news, Stacey Dales (one of the only hot womens basketball players ever) has quit over an airline ticket dispute (Kirk and Ricky can relate...). Damn shame as I might take her straight up against Andrews, though Dales would definitely be getting points. It would be one of those 2007 Patriots lines, where everyone expects a blow out, so Vegas has to skew the line to deter heavy money flow even though the two reporters are very close.

On the topic of lines and Vegas psychology, I think they totally overreacted to the Dyson injury, as UConn is only giving 9.5 at Seton Hall today. It will be a good test of their perimeter defense though, Gause and Hazell are pretty tough on the wing - but the Fightin' Gonzalez's have nobody inside and are little depth. I like UConn to pull away in the second half- also, never bet against a Jim Calhoun team with its proverbial back to the wall.

UConn -9.5
Flier Special = Rudy Fernandez +500 to win the Slam Dunk tonight

Dyson Out for Season?

Early word through the grapevine from our sources close to the team is that Jerome Dyson's MRI didn't go well and that a Meniscus problem may shelf him for the remainder of the year. Stay tuned to 77-74dotcom for updates as I go repeatedly punch myself in the genitals.

Syracuse Post game

Notes
-with 12 minutes left in the second half Eric Devendorf bitched to ref John Cahill (Thabeet DRILLED him in the face with an elbow) to the point that Cahill had to stop the game, shut up Devo, and talk to Boeheim. After the game Devo said he was so mad that if Cahill was a woman he would have punched him in the face.

-Early on Stanley hit two outside shots to double his jumper total for the season. Here was the exchange.
Sean McDonough: Robinson rattles home a three!
Bill Raftery: This is gonna become his neighborhood if he keeps that up. (For you kids out there, here is a look at Mr. Robinson's neighborhood)

-After Dyson went down in the first half McDonough kicked it to sideline reporter Allen Hopkins for an update on Dyson. Hopkins said he didn't have any news yet. That's just lazy. Erin Andrews would have been in the locker room trading bj's for MRI results. She hustles.

77-74dotcom conducted its first guerilla advertising campaign tonight. Our car fliers had catchy slogans like, "Digger Phelps hates us, you'll love us!" and "Visit the site or the terrorists/Duke wins"

-Jonathan Mandeldove was the only player who didn't take his warm-up pants off during the game. I guess he finally gets the message. Might be time for another Jonathan Mandeldove Facebook Status Suicide Watch (JMFSSW) update...

-Calhoun is now three games from 800 wins. Roy Williams only has 582...thawhat a pussy.

-Boeheim called Thabeet the best shot blocker in the history of the Big East, and Thabeet made him look good with 8 points, 16 boards, and 7 blocks. Enjoy your three birthday parties this week Hash, you earned 'em.

-Onuwaku missed that dunk for a push! Bad news if you had the 'Cuse and 12 like me.

Paul Harris: New Height of Unintentional Comedy?

Watch out Kevin Pittsnogle, Paul Harris of Syracuse is coming for your title. Enjoy the laughs and ammunition for this evening's game; I know I have 21 questions for him.



Oh yeah, and he spent 13 days in jail when he was sixteen years old awaiting trial for intent to sell crack cocaine. Just sayin'

By: Dan

Another reason womens basketball cannot be taken seriously

From the Associated Press via ESPN
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Central Michigan and its women's basketball coach are being sued by a former player, who claims her heterosexuality was a factor in losing a scholarship after two seasons.

Brooke Heike said she fell out of favor with Sue Guevara immediately after the coach was hired in 2007. Heike said Guevara told her she wore too much makeup and was not the coach's "type." That meant she wasn't a lesbian, according to a lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Bay City.

Scissor me timbers, that sounds terrible

Eric Hayward Convict All-Stars

A variety of factors were taken into consideration when forming the starting lineup for this team of All-Stars. First, you must have actually played in a game for the Huskies to qualify. That considered, the most important factors are the transgression themselves as measured by frequency and severity. Playing ability is secondary on this team, although it is a very talented roster.

Coach: Clyde Vaughn
Aug. 18, 04: Charged with patronizing a prostitute and interfering with a police investigation.

Unfortunately this wasn't a new thing for Vaughn.

Point Guard: Doug Wiggins
2006-2008: Two failed drug tests, which were kept under wraps until....

Jan. 08: Cited for possession of alcohol by a minor and driving with a suspended license.

Nov. 22, 08: Arrested for breaking and entering to commit a misdemeanor.

Shooting Guard: Antonio Kellogg
Mar. 05: Charged with possession of marijuana
Apr. 05: Charged with assaulting & interfering with a police officer and criminal tresspassing.

Small Forward: Doug Wrenn
Oct. 98: Charged with shoplifting an $85 pair of sneakers from Bob's Store in Hamden.

Oct. 99: Issed citation for creating a public disturbance outside Cody's Diner, New Haven.

Jan. 00: Suspended in the infamous "Tickets for Tims" scandal at the Timberland Store in Westfarms Mall.

Apr. 00: Charged with breach of peace after an incident at a UConn dorm.

But in his defense: "I'm not a convict, per se" - D. Wrenn, Jan. 2002

Power Forward: (Captain) Cliff Robinson
Mar. 90: Charged with fourth-degree assault for punching a female police officer outside a Portland bar. This artile gives some details about the incident, with priceless gems from Uncle Cliffy.

Mar. 94: Charged with misdemeanor simple battery after getting into a shoving match with a truck driver outside Chicago.

Feb. 01: Charged with DUI and possession of marijuana in Scottsdale.

Failed drug test and received 5 game suspensions in 2005 and 2006 playoffs (oh, and the '97 possession charge that got droped).

Center: Eric Hayward
I'm sorry, I can't even joke about this. But here is a report from the CT Department of Public Safety.

6th Man Nominees
Brian Fair
Antric Klaiber
Rudy Johnson
Kirk King
Marcus Williams

VOTE for the sixth man in the toolbar on the right.

Some of you might be wondering why a few notable Huskies who got in trouble are not on this list. We cannot emphasize the following enough: If you win a National Championship then everything goes away. Winning cures all. So you're off the hook Ricky, Khalid, and Ben. But if AJ Price and Jerome Dyson don't want to be coming off the bench for the 2010 edition of the Eric Hayward Convict All-Stars I would suggest they handle business this year.

By: Todd & Dan

Facialization

Ok Greg, we get it. You enjoy balls on your chin.



Further, Jack McClinton had 34 points in this game. That equals 66 in the last two. Against Wake and Duke. I continue to be correct.