Next year, with the league down to 15 teams and UConn likely to remain ineligibile, the tournament will be easier to manage. Coaches have endorsed a plan for all 18 teams, minus Syracuse and Pitt, including the newcomers, to qualify for the tournament and come to the Garden in 2014. This from a story from our sister paper, The Orlando Sentinel, from the meetings.

All funds raised in the ride go to the Cancer Center at the UConn Health Center, and Coaches Vs. Cancer.

If you’re interested in helping out, click here.

Those chances are there, depending on what Wolf makes of his opportunity. He has been working hard at it. On Thursday, I watched his 40-minute session with assistant coach Glen Miller, and then interviewed Enosch in the hallway at Gampel Pavilion.

You may remember, when Andre Drummond came to UConn last August, there was talk of Wolf transferring. It was clear there would be little playing time available, but  he did not want to give up his goals.

“I came here to play for UConn,” he said. “I came here to wear the UConn jersey and play. And I haven’t gotten there yet.”

There were nights when he would go back to his apartment and brood about the lask of playing time. Wolf would call home, and his parents would offer encouragement. In March, he was seriously hurt – and could have been hurt far worse – in a freak practice accident.

But this spring finds Wolf with a chance. Drummond, Alex Oriakhi and Roscoe Smith are gone, and there are minutes there to be earned. The coaches continue to work on getting Wolf in better shape, and toughening him up for rugged Big East play. But Wolf has skills, and a “basketball IQ,” Glen Miller says. It’s up to him to meet the opportunity halfway.

“This has to be the best summer of my life,” he says.

We’ll have more from my interview with Enosch Wolf in the Courant this weekend.

The Rebels are on the way back, and have a loaded front court, especially after getting Pitt transfer Khem Birch and landed elite power forward Anthony Bennett from nearby Findlay Prep. Smith, who would probably have to sit a year, wants to play small forward so, perhaps, he could find a comfort zone there with so many big men around. There will also be tough competition for minutes, as there was at UConn.

Anyway, wherever ‘Scoe goes, he brings a lot of fire and energy and, having played on a National Championship team, he knows how to win. … And the final 10 seconds of any half figure to be loads of fun.

Here’s a look at Smith’s possible role at UNLV from Bleacher Report. 

Today is Jim Calhoun’s 70th birthday, and he graciously sat down with me earlier this week for a lengthy interview. The finished product appears in The Courant. There was much more -  the story could have been twice as long - but there is only so much space in print. The coach told his own story, magnificently and movingly, and I’d like to share some more of it here.  …

The legacy:

“There’s a lot of sweat equity involved in the process, a lot of early-on times of saying, ‘Oh, God, what did we get into.’ … I want people to say the five best programs in the history of college basketball are North Carolina, Duke, Indiana, Kentucky and – they have a tough time saying it –Connecticut. I want that legacy very badly for UConn.”

On leaving on top:

“I guess I could have walked away in Houston [after the 2011 title], with my grandkids hugging me, and I kissed Pat, and all the great things. That was wonderful. I’m only trying to do what I think is best. If somebody came up to me and said ‘it’s time,’ that might affect me. I think I will know the exact  right time for me.”

On his future role:

“Since I came here, I got it to a point where 20 wins and NCAA Tournament is a disappointing season, then I may have best vantage point going forward. I’m not going to do anything that’s going to hurt the university. As a matter of fact,I’m here to make sure it does go for the best for the future of the school.”

Players:

“[Niels Giffey] talks about the opportunity he has to graduate from college. He spend 2 ½ hours in the weight room last night. Ryan Boatright was in there with him. Is that our influence? Maybe. But we weren’t here. It’s the [player] in the mirror who has to do it. We give them a road map, we give them travel plan, they follow that plan. I’ve never  made a player, except my two sons.

…Michael Bradley came in and said to me, ‘coach, I’m going to have a career and keep playing basketball, but I only have one grandmother and she has cancer.’ So I said, Michael, then you should go [to Western Kentucky].”

The passage of time:

“I’m here today, because that’s all God gives us. I’m not promising anything. People can speculate, but it’s pure speculation. I have a contract. I’ll know when the time is right. I’ll know. It’s going to be my choice, and Pat’s, and that’s the best way to do it. And when I close the deal, whether it’s short or long-term, I won’t have any regrets. I’ve never felt I that I don’t make mistakes.

… The way you keep young, I keep biking. I keep looking back to see if time is catching up with me, but that’s what a rearview mirror is for. And I keep biking like crazy up those hills to make sure it doesn’t.”

To read the full story on Jim Calhoun, click here.

Bradley wanted to be closer to his ailing grandmother, who was diagnosed with cancer. WKU is about a three hour drive from Chattanooga. This could allow him to get a hardship waiver from  the NCAA, and not have to sit out a year. But Bradley never played at UConn, redshirting as a freshman and missing all last season after fracturing his ankle. He was willing to give up  his scholarship for Andre Drummond last August and apply for financial aid, but Drummond ended up paying his own way.

UConn tried to work something out, coaches drew up a calendar to give Bradley as many chances as possible to visit home. He hinted, in his interview with Nooga.com, that playing time and tournament eligibility were also considerations. His quote:

“They make it to the tournament a lot, and when you’re a college basketball player, that’s all you want to go to. … When you’re younger you want to wooed, you want to be catered to. hat’s not what I wanted this time around. I wanted to see exactly how it was.”

Click here to read entire Brendan F, Quinn’s entire post on Nooga.com

The Wolfpack has a big year in 2011-12, going 24-13, losing to Kansas in the Sweet 16.

UConn and NC State have split four prior meetings, NC State winning at Gampel in 1991, the Huskies at Raleigh two years later. UConn eliminated the Wolfpack in The NCAA Tournament in 2002, NC State eliminated UConn in ’05.

The Huskies will play Washington at Gampel or XL on Dec. 29, and will also appear in the Paradise Jam in November. More non-conference opponents will be firmed up in the next few weeks.

This will be UConn’s first appearance in the Jimmy V Classic. Here are some details on the event’s history from the UConn press release:

The doubleheader will mark the 18^th annual Jimmy V Basketball Classic, which was begun in 1995 to raise money for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which has raised more than $120 million to fund cancer research grants. The V Foundation was founded by the late Jim Valvano, former head coach at North Carolina State and ESPN basketball analyst, who fell victim to the disease in 1993. This is the 10^th consecutive season that the Classic has been played at Madison Square Garden.

With Jim Calhoun turning 70 and no coach-in-waiting yet named at UConn, it would not be surprising for assistants to be looking for longer-term stability.

Here is the full story on the ProJo site.

Question: Any word on our opponents for next season? I heard Washington… Anyone else? Also, when do we find out?

Gregory

Storrs

A: Gregory, as you mentioned, UConn has formalized a home and  home series with Washington which will begin at either XL or Gampel next Dec. 29. Also, UConn is committed to the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands, with potential opponents for the three games including Quinnipiac, George Mason, New Mexico, Iona, Mercer, Illinois-Chicago (UIC), and Wake Forest.

These are the only games finalized right now, but I’m told more of the schedule will be firmed up over the next few weeks.

Paul

Enfield

A: Hi Paul. This has become a back-burner issue for the moment, especially from a basketball perspective. The possibility of UConn joining the ACC is still there, but not really within UConn’s control. The ACC, at 14 teams, would first have to decide to go to 16. Then, from everything I have heard, Notre Dame would have to go in, and then UConn would have a good chance to be invited in as the 16th team. But with ND not yet willing to give up its football independence, this is not hot right now. If a team left the ACC, perhaps UConn would be a candidate to go in as the new 14th team. Again, none of this is imminent, or inevitable. It could  happen, but like the Syracuse and Pitt defections last September, it will probably come out of left field and come together very quickly if it does.

I will be there, tweeting live and blogging, writing later, so stay with us.

Seems like a pretty good time to pull up a chair and chat UConn men’s basketball with The Courant’s Dom Amore. So that’s just what we’ll do. Join us for a special Husky chat on Friday. We’ll kick things off at 10:30 to get your comments and questions in the lineup and then Dom will join from 11 a.m. to noon. See you then!

Meetings on Monday and Tuesday were mostly devoted to hearings on various appeals, committee chairman Walter Harrison said. Harrison does not “expect any major policy discussions” until the CAP meets again in July.

UConn is hoping the committee will change its policy to allow schools to use the most recent academic years in applying new penalties. As it stands now, UConn is ineligible for the 2013 NCAA Tournament based on its scores from 2009-10 and 2010-11. UConn wants to use its scores from 2010-11 and 2011-12, by which it would be eligible.

However, the NCAA has said for weeks that this is not likely to happen.

Question: Based on the fact that transfers count against a team’s APR score, how will all  these transfers affect their APR score in the future? Is there a possibility we could see UConn ineligible for the tournament again in a few years due to the number of transfers?

Sam

Plainville

A: Sam, it’s possible but not likely. As I have pointed out in each transfer story I have written, transfers count against the APR scores only if their grade-pointaverage is below 2.6 at the time of the transfer. Though UConn is not allowed to divulge grades, the word is that Alex Oriakhi, Michael Bradley and Roscoe Smith are all in good academic shape at this point.

Mark

Chadds Ford, Pa.

A: Mark, at this point, the answer is yes. UConn is the only major basketball program in trouble for 2013. However, APR scores for 2010-11 come out in May. UConn’s score of 826 for 2009-10 means that it cannot make the necessary two- or four-year average no matter what that score is. UConn’s score is believed to be 978, we don’t know others. When the APR scores come out, it’s possible other schools could be in trouble.

Todd

CT

A: Yes, Todd, as you mention, Zag blogged on Thursday that Hayes, a 6-foot-11 center from Jacksonville has narrowed it down to four schools and UConn is one of them, and I did hear Hayes’ name at Gampel later in the day. … This would, of course, be a great get for the Huskies staff – exactly the kind of player the program needs. Hayes has missed time with injuries, so his basketball experience is limited. He needs playing time, which UConn can certainly offer at that position next year, and more than one year. After a season of growing pains in a less-pressurized setting, with no postseason, he could really be developed for 2013-14.

Here is what Hayes told Zagoria about UConn:

 “I like the history that the school has of putting big men into the league. They recently hey had Andre Drummond but everybody else they put in, like [Hasheem] Thabeet and a lot of other people. I just like their history of putting big men into the league because that’s my main goal.”

Click here to read Zag’s entire post.

Question: Do you think that UConnwill look to get a JUCO player or two for next season? Some guys who would be glad to play on national TV/Big East venues etc…even though playing in the post season is a reach right now.

Mike

Simsbury

A: Lots of you have asked similar questions; I will address this here: Mike, the UConn coaches will certainly explore every option, but this one carries some risks. The NCAA’s new academic standards include tougher requirements for JUCO transfers, so there will be only so many who carry the necessary grades to get in. Still, there would be a risk of bringing in a player who could hurt UConn’s recovering APR situation. And to find a JUCO player with good grades and impact talent who would be willing to transfer to a school that is ineligible for The NCAA Tournament in 2013 would not be easy. You do make a good point, though, that UConn will still play a tough Big East schedule, offer lots of exposure and the opportunity for playing time next season, so perhaps such an ideal fit could be found. I just wouldn’t think of it automatically as that quick fix.

Tom

San Francisco

A: It seems kind of a shame, actually, Tom, because Michael Bradley has worked extremely hard the last two years, though he has not played. One would think that next year, with the Huskies’ front court wide open, he would have the opportunity he has worked for. He has an ailing grandmother in Tennessee and has told UConn officials he would like to be able to visit her. It is still possible he could stay, though he has visited Western Kentucky and may be interested in Georgia State.

If Bradley transfers, he may have to sit out a year and have two years of eligibility instead of three, though it is possible he could be granted a hardship waiver because of the family issue and play right away. 

Jim Calhoun announced today that the 2012 Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride and Walk will be dedicated to RuthAnn Lobo, mother of Rebecca Lobo, for her courageous fight against cancer.  RuthAnn died in July 2011 at age 67 after a 17 year battle with the disease.   Throughout those years she was a strong advocate for cancer awareness and a role model for many.

“RuthAnn Lobo set an example that is an inspiration to so many fighting the scourge of cancer,” Calhoun said. “It is my hope that everyone walking or riding on June 9will carry her fighting spirit forward so that we may defeat cancer once and for all.”

The Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride and Walk is in its sixth year.  The dollars raised from the event go to benefit the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the UConn Health Center and Coaches vs. Cancer.  To date the event has raised over $1.5 million – with more than 90 percent of those dollars going to the Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The event starts and finishes in Simsbury, Connecticut with bike rides of 10, 25, 50 and 75 miles and a 5K walk.  While the 10, 25 and 50 mile rides are suitable for riders of all levels – the 75 mile ride is considered to be the toughest ride in Connecticut.  There will also be great food and live music as well.  The public is welcome.

To learn more or to register, please visit the website (click here)  or call 860-674-1500.

 Question: Hi Dom,  What’s [Jim] Calhoun’s status? Has he even hinted as to what he is doing?  It appears he is staying, contract in all, but it would be nice to actually hear it. so maybe we can land a decent big man or two.  The uncertainty can’t be helping the program.  I do [like] the the R.J. Evans signing, we need some solid leadership on the court.

David Poho

Waxhaw, N.C.

A: David, I last spoke to the coach on April 6 and at that time he gave me every indication he is going to coach next year, though he would not say 100 percent for sure. He clearly doesn’t like the idea of leaving the program in chaos. He and the new AD Warde Manuel have been having continuous discussions about the future of the program and, I was told last week they are going well. Calhoun would like to have a designated successor, to help with recruiting, since it is hard to get players to commit to the uncertainty inherent with a coach his age. However, he understands that Manuel just arrived and appears willing to give the new AD time to get to know Kevin Ollie and the rest of the staff and not force that issue just now. So my best guess is that Calhoun will coach next year, some kind of confirmation of that will come this week, and things will evolve from there.

As for recruiting and landing a “decent big man,” don’t be surprised if UConn, with no tournament eligibility next season, keeps scholarships open rather than tie them up on what could be second-tier players. Save them for next year and really get after it for 2013-14.

 …  Trying to get to some of these questions this week, folks. Keep in mind, I’m looking for short questions on one topics, not comments or rants. You can leave those yourself on the end of posts. Also, I avoid addressing questions that have already been addressed.

Tony T.

Litchfield

A: Tony, I really wouldn’t get too fired up about this, in either direction. R.J. Evans, who can play next year, is a  good, solid, experienced player who will bring some maturity and stability to the program for what figures to be a very difficult 2012-13 season, and as a grad student he can set a strong academic example. On the court, he can play a role with his varius skills. I see him as filling a void left  by Donnell Beverly, who was also really missed last season. And UConn gets the scholarship back next year. I think its a win-win situation all around, if not high impact or high risk kind of thing

Tom

San Francisco

A: Well, Tom, probably yes on the first part. Hasheem Thabeet was an second-teamer during his career. … But, as I have written here numerous times, these points are utterly irrelevant. Of course, Drummond is not ready for the NBA. Based on what we saw last year, he wasn’t ready for The Big East. Anyone can see he “could use one more season of college basketball.” He could use three more. But if an NBA team is going to draft him in the top five or six, he has to go. Why come back to college, with or without NCAA Tournament eligibility, and risk getting hurt, or having a disappointing sophomore season and perhaps slipping next year? It may make basketball sense for him to stay and improve his game, but it would make no business sense whatever.

The NBA doesn’t look for great college players, they look for pro prospects. Andre Drummond, at this point, is one of the latter, so  this was the call for him to make.

Dave

Brooklyn

A: There was some misunderstanding, and UConn has clarified it. Dave, here’s what I got: They figure to get two back for 2012-13, so they will be at 12 for next season. They will get back the scholarship lost due to NCAA violations in 2013-14. With Jeremy Lamb and Alex Oriakhi leaving, and Omar Calhoun coming, they could have three scholarships available for next year.