Rodney Purvis will not be able to play for UConn for another year and a half. But he will have a chance to play some competitive basketball. He has accepted an invitation to attend the training camp for Team USA Under-19 as it preps for the World Championships.

Purvis, from Raleigh, N.C., will be one [...]]]>  

Rodney Purvis will not be able to play for UConn for another year and a half. But he will have a chance to play some competitive basketball. He has accepted an invitation to attend the training camp for Team USA Under-19 as it preps for the World Championships.

Purvis, from Raleigh, N.C., will be one of 24 top players from around the country vying for 12 spots when camp begins in Colorado Springs on June 14. The 12 will be selected by June 19, and train in Washington, D.C. through June 22. The FIBA World Championships will be played in Prague, Czech Republic from June 27 to July 7.

Purvis, the 6-4 guard, was a McDonald’s All-American who chose NC State over UConn in the summer of 2011, but transferred to UConn this past April. He has been on campus taking classes the last two weeks, and will have to sit out next year.

Florida coach Billy Donovan will be the head coach of Team USA, with Tony Bennett of Virginia and Shaka Smart of Virginia Commonwealth assiting. The player selections  will be made by the 2013-2016 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, which is chaired by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.

Purvis was a member of the 2012 U18 USA National Team that won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship and qualified the U.S. team for the FIBA U19 World Championship.

The other players invited to the Team USA Camp:

Besides Purvis, the rest of the invited players include:  Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova University/Langhorne, Pa.); Bryce Alford (La Cueva H.S./Albuquerque, N.M.); Brandon Ashley (University of Arizona/San Francisco, Calif.); Robert Carter (Georgia Tech/Thomasville, Ga.); Damyean Dotson (University of Oregon/Houston, Texas); Kris Dunn (Providence College/Oakdale, Conn.); Javan Felix (University of Texas/New Orleans, La.); Michael Frazier (University of Florida/Tampa, Fla.); Marcus Georges-Hunt (Georgia Tech/College Park, Ga.); Shaq Goodwin (University of Memphis/Atlanta, Ga.); Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty H.S./San Jose, Calif.);  Jerami Grant (Syracuse University/Bowie, Md.); Montrezl Harrell (University of Louisville/Tarboro, N.C.); Rondaé Hollis-Jefferson  (Chester H.S./Chester, Pa.); Jahlil Okafor (Whitney Young H.S./Chicago, Ill.); James Robinson (University of Pittsburgh/Mitchellville, Md.); Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State University/Flower Mound, Texas); Jarnell Stokes (University of Tennessee/Memphis, Tenn.); Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke University/Houston, Texas); Devin Thomas (Wake Forest University/Harrisburg, Pa.); Mike Tobey (University of Virginia/Monroe, N.Y.); Nigel Williams-Goss (Findlay Prep/Happy Valley, Ore.); and Justise Winslow (St. Johns H.S./Houston, Texas).

Gregory Koch

Storrs

A: Thanks for the question, Gregory. It’s a good one. There is gray area here. I’ve run it by a [...]]]> Q: How will Enosch Wolf losing his scholarship affect APR? Do we lose the retention point no matter what? Only if he leaves the team? Or only if he leaves school altogether?

Gregory Koch

Storrs

A: Thanks for the question, Gregory. It’s a good one. There is gray area here. I’ve run it by a couple of people who know and here is what I’ve got: If Wolf signs a pro contract somewhere, anywhere, then, no, it does not cost UConn a retention point. If he does not sign a  pro contract, but his Grade Point Average is 2.6 or higher, then UConn would not be penalized no matter where he goes or what he does. I can’t say I know what Enosch’s grades are, but the impression I’ve gotten is that he is above 2.6, or very close.

So chances are, UConn will be okay on this front. It does not automatically cost them a retention point.

                                                                                                            ********

Got some more info Wednesday morning I will add here. ,,, If Wolf signs a pro contract, he would be “3 for 3,” meaning UConn got all three possible points for 2012-13. If he returns to UConn, he becomes a “4 for 4.” If he leaves the school without becoming a pro basketball player with a GPA below 2.6, UConn loses a point and he is 3 for 4. If he is above 2.6, and, it’s 3 for 3.

So UConn could lose a point if Wolf transfers, but that would likely be the only point the program loses for the academic year, so APR would still be in solid shape. Bottom line, I don’t see any worries for UConn in this area,  

It appears they found that fit in Lasan Kromah, a 6-foot-5 [...]]]> The Huskies had been looking over the list of possible fifth-year transfers for quite some time. They liked their experience with R.J. Evans and were open to the idea of another experienced player with leadership skills joining the program if a fit could be found.

It appears they found that fit in Lasan Kromah, a 6-foot-5 guard who was originally recruited for George Washington by Karl Hobbs, now a UConn assistant. Kromah is heading to UConn to take the last scholarship, as reported by CBSSports.com. He will be graduating from GW this spring, and can then play right away for the Huskies as a grad student in 2013-14.

Enosch Wolf’s suspension is lifted, but he will have to make the team as a walk-on, if he chooses to try (story here).

(FYI: I exchanged texts Tuesday with coach Kevin Ollie, who declined comment on Wolf. UConn cannot comment on Kromah until his paper work is done.)

Kromah, who turns 22 in June, missed his sophomore season with a serious foot injury, then returned as a junior but was not quite the same. He played off the bench for GW (13-17) last season and averaged 10.1 points per game and grew into a leadership role. His story, it seems, has a lot in common with Evans, who missed a year at Holy Cross and had that year of eligibility remaining. Coming from  the A-10, Kromah’s skill-level figures to be higher.

For some more info, here’s a good read on Kromah’s situation from the GW student newspaper’s Elizabeth Traynor.

With Kromah joining Omar Calhoun, Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright and freshman Terrence Samuel, UConn will have a deep cast of perimeter players – ball handlers with some size. So a strong team, once Kromah’s paper work is all signed and sealed, will get stronger.

That means the new Huskies dog will be at center court when the players practice next.

A few other tidbits during an otherwise quiet [...]]]> The sound of balls bouncing has been temporarily replaced by the sound of sanders sanding at Gampel Pavilion. The floor is being refinished, a two- to three-week process which is now underway.

That means the new Huskies dog will be at center court when the players practice next.

A few other tidbits during an otherwise quiet time …

Tyler Olander, who had surgery on his fractured left foot after the season, is now out of the walking boot, most of the time, and into his rehab process. His hope is to be able to play by the summer.

Shabazz Napier is also out of his boot. His right foot, which required surgery last summer and was re-injured during the season, appears to be okay now. Saw him walking around

Omar Calhoun, who had surgery on both hips, one in March and one in April, to alleviate discomfort from femoral acetabular impingement (FAI) is progressing normally and was walking without crutches today. (In the past, Donnell Beverly and Brendan Allen had similar procedures.) … Calhoun is expected to be 100 percent for the start of practice.

Niels Giffey, who broke a finger on his right hand, has finally been able to take off the splint. The finger is still a little swollen, but he is doing some light shooting drills. He hopes to be able to try for the national tea, in Germany in July.

The Dick Vitale Gala in Sarasota, Fla., at which Jim Calhoun was honored last Friday night, drew more than 800 people, including 70 sports celebrities. A reminder, Calhoun’s Cancer Challenge Ride-Walk in Simsbury is on for June 8. Here is the place for info, registration.

They can’t all have attitude problems.

Rodney Purvis, one [...]]]> Perhaps there used to be a stigma attached to college basketball players who transferred, the perception that there must be some problem. But with more than 400 transfers this year moving around this year alone, it would be counterproductive for schools to think that way nowadays.

They can’t all have attitude problems.

Rodney Purvis, one of the top guards in the Class of 2012, left NC State, he says, not because he was unhappy with playing time or any of the coaches or the school. He averaged 25 minutes a game, but felt he just didn’t fit in with their style of play. He transferred to UConn on April 5.

“I didn’t fit as far as the offense,” Purvis said Thursday, after a workout. “Even the coaches told me, ‘our offense is really for guys who catch and shoot.’ I had to get somewhere where I could play my game, and that’s attacking, having fun, playing in transition. It was the style of play, that’s all.”

“It was really hard for anybody to find a role on that team. We had a lot of really good guys and it was hard to find a role. If you ain’t playing so good, the next guy is pretty good, too. I accepted it as a challenge. I got down in the middle of the season, and I had a terrible stretch, but I felt like I picked it back up toward the end of the year.”

Purvis nearly chose UConn in the first place because of its history of guard play, and he saw enough of coach Kevin Ollie’s style when the Wolfpack played UConn at Madison Square Garden in December to know it’s his style, too.

“It makes sense,” he said. “All the tradition, Kemba, Ray Allen. This is a guard school. [Ollie] just told me, the ball is going to be in my hands. And he’s got nothing to lie about. It has been proven with Boatright and Shabazz [Napier] and guys like that. The ball is in my court to get better.”

UConn recruited Purvis vigorously in the summer of 2011, but they got involved late. They saw him play once, he said, and offered a scholarship, and Jim Calhoun would call.

“… I preferred to talk to coach Calhoun in person,” Purvis said, “Because over the phone, I really couldn’t understand him. He’d ask me questions, and I just said, ‘yes, yes,’ but I didn’t know what he was asking?”

They did meet in person in August 2011, and UConn nearly had Purvis. But in the end he chose to stay in his home town. He encountered some distractions there, but says he will always love Raleigh.

“I’m a Mama’s Boy,” he said. “And I wasn’t ready to leave my Mama. But now, she was like, ‘you need to get out of here and do something on your own.’ I had all my friends there and I felt I needed to be there for them, but now they understand that I need to be there, but from a distance. It’s a learning experience for everybody.”

Purvis is taking a ‘May-mester’ for three hours every afternoon, and exploring campus. On Thursday, he was taking part in “individuals,” an intense one-hour workout with Ryan Boatright and assistant coach Karl Hobbs.

“I feel like a freshman again,” Purvis said. “Just being around my new teammates, everybody’s cool. I love everybody here.”

Purvis said the new, and by perception weaker conference in which UConn will be playing, the AAC, is no factor at all for him. (That’s a good sign for UConn recruiting in the near term. Daniel Hamilton has said the same thing.)

“UConn is known for its non-conference schedule,” Purvis said, “look at last year, playing Michigan State. Always on TV. It’s like Memphis, when [John] Calipari was there. Guys started going to the NBA, it didn’t matter what conference they were in.”

Purvis walked into Calhoun’s new office to say hello this week. “First thing told me, ‘Players make plays, and that’s what we want you to do.’ And that’s the type of thing I love to hear,” Purvis said. Now, how will Purvis handle sitting out a year?

We will have that and more UConn stuff on our main website and in the Friday Courant.

The event, in its eighth year, has raised $10 million for pediatric cancer research and the Jimmy V. Foundation. This is, as one imagines, a cause near and dear [...]]]> Just chatted with Jim Calhoun, who is heading to Sarasota, Fla., for Dick Vitale Gala on Friday night, at which he will be one of the honorees …

The event, in its eighth year, has raised $10 million for pediatric cancer research and the Jimmy V. Foundation. This is, as one imagines, a cause near and dear to Calhoun’s heart, as a cancer survivor.

“Jim Valvano did a lot of great things during his life,” Calhoun was saying, “win championships, help kids, change lives. But what he did when he was losing his own life, and he knew it, to set up a situation that keeps on helping people is just incredible. Something like this means a lot to me. It inspires me, not that I’m not already inspired but we can all use more inspiration, to see what more I can do to help people.”

Valvano passed away in 1993. Calhoun first met him in the early 1970s when V. was an assistant under Dee Rowe at UConn and he was recruiting one of Calhoun’s players at Dedham (Mass.) High.

“He could motivate anybody,” Calhoun said, “he could convince of anything. If he didn’t coach, he could have been an entertainer – he was that good, and that captivating.”

The always-glittering Dickie V. Gala at the Ritz Carlton is also honoring former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden and Kansas basketball coach Bill Self, and it is sold out.

Calhoun, who turned 71 on May 10, is still a whirlwind of activity. His role at UConn going forward has not yet been finalized, but he said, again, he is not walking away any time soon.

“Warde [Manuel], between hiring a hockey coach and other things, has been busy and I have been traveling all over the place,” Calhoun said, “but there is no problem at all. Things are set up well for me at the University.”

Meanwhile, one of Calhoun’s several charity events is set to go in about three weeks: his annual Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride and Walk event in Simsbury on June 8 to raise money for the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the UConn Health Center.

… And, yes, Calhoun, who fractured his hip in a cycling accident last Aug. 4, will ride again.

“It won’t be the same bike,” he said. “I have a different bike, and I will be testing it out over the next couple of weeks.”

Here is more information on the Calhoun Ride and Walk, where to register, etc.

On coach Kevin Ollie, and his recent recruiting successes, Calhoun said, “We never lost momentum. We had two lottery picks [Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb] last year, and that’s important for recruiting. I think we’re going to be very good next year, and as good, if not better, the year after that.”

“Ya boy, just committed to Connecticut,” Hamilton tweeted [...]]]> UConn got the news it was hoping for about midnight Friday. Daniel Hamilton, a top-shelf recruit in the Class of 2014, made public his intention to join the Huskies. He told Eric Bossi and Jerry Meyer following his AAU game in Dallas, and then tweeted his commitment.

“Ya boy, just committed to Connecticut,” Hamilton tweeted at 12:06 a.m. Eastern Time. “#huskyguard can’t wait.”

Hamilton, a 6-foot-7, 175-pound swingman, is considered an elite recruit, ranked 27^th in his class by ESPN.  He played at St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, Calif., where he averaged 14.5 points, 7.1 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. He figures to fit perfectly into the small forward spot.

“Congrats to my little bro [Hamilton] committing to UConn,” tweeted DeAndre Daniels, who is also from the Los Angeles area.

UConn coaches cannot comment on a recruit until he signs his letter of intent, and that cannot come until November.

Hamilton’s brother, Jordan, plays in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets and was also recruited by UConn, but eventually chose Texas. His other brother, Isaac, plays at Texas-El Paso. Daniel Hamilton visited Storrs with his parents last weekend and program insiders felt good about the visit, anticipating he might make a quick decision.

He arrived in Dallas with his AAU team to play in the Nike EYBL tournament Friday and told reporters after his game he was going to UConn.

Hamilton will join guard Rodney Purvis, who transferred from NC State and will be eligible to play in 2014-15, to give the Huskies two very highly regarded players to form the core of the team with much of the current team finishing eligibility or expected to depart after next season.

For coach Kevin Ollie, who grew up in Los Angeles, it’s a break-through in that area as a recruiting base. All in all – a big night for the UConn program.

Evans will receive his master’s degree in educational psychology on Saturday in UConn’s graduate ceremony, having completed the 30-credit program in 12 months – as he was playing basketball for the Huskies.

“I tell coach [Kevin] Ollie, [...]]]> STORRS – R.J. Evans’ year at UConn is complete. He has reached his goals, and developed a few more.

Evans will receive his master’s degree in educational psychology on Saturday in UConn’s graduate ceremony, having completed the 30-credit program in 12 months – as he was playing basketball for the Huskies.

“I tell coach [Kevin] Ollie, ‘if R.J. were a mutual fund, I’d be buying him right now,’” says Scott Brown, Evans’ academic advisor, “because he’s going to be doing something.”

Evans, from Salem, Conn., arrived at UConn last summer with a degree in economics from Holy Cross and one year’s playing eligibility. Once he accepted a scholarship to play basketball, he asked Brown, who is UConn’s NCAA faculty representative and a professor of educational psychology, about the program.

“R.J. said he wanted to be a basketball coach,” Brown said, “and I told him a lot of famous coaches have studied educational psychology.”

Those would include former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne, who has a PHd in educational psychology.

Evans began taking courses last summer, and carried a full load during the season. It normally takes 18 months to two years, but Evans, with summer and inter-session courses, finished up in 12 months, with strong grades, Brown says. (He cannot give out a student’s GPA)

“One of his professors told me, ‘he didn’t say much in class, but he got one of the highest grades on his final exam,” Brown said. “He was the same way in my class. You’d have to call on him, but when he participates, he’s thoughtful, he’s intelligent. R.J. is very quiet, but he is very bright.”

And that is not all. Evans, who turns 23 on May 20, is working as a volunteer with a law firm in Windham, and preparing to take the law boards in June.  He is in Gampel Pavilion frequently, keeping his basketball skills sharp, too, in case there is a chance to play overseas.

“He’s so good, I am going to hire him to be a teaching assistant in one of my courses next semester,” Brown said. “He would be such a great role model for other students. I ask him, ‘how are you able to do all of this?’ and he says, “I just make the time.”

Evans, who rehabbed a shoulder injury in November, played in 27 games, averaging 15.1 minutes, 3.1 points. In one year, he set a remarkable example and carved out a unique niche in Huskies history.