Gift Giving

While we are all still in the gift giving spirit, I would like to give some of the Huskies a few presents.

Jerome Dyson. A mid-range shooting gallery. I’d like to see him up-fake his man and take the 12-footer. It would be a potent weapon in his already lethal game.

Jeff Adrien. A trampoline. If Adrien had great leaping ability, he would be a first round draft pick. It is the only hole in his game. Imagine the rebounding numbers he would put up if he played above the rim.

Hasheem Thabeet. A hook. At seven feet three inches and even taller when he raises his arm, a hook shot would be unstoppable. Two dribbles into the lane and a quick hook and Thabeet would be a legitimate offensive threat.

A.J. Price. A drivers license. If he would drive into the lane and collapse defenses more, the offense would run fluidly. He has been doing a great job but at times he dishes the ball before making a move on his defender. Take the ball and make the defense react.

Jim Calhoun. A longer leash. He needs to let his starters make some mistakes without pulling them from the game. In the games that they have struggled in, the young pups are thinking to much and not using their instinct. At times they look like they aren’t having fun.

Doug Wiggins. A dagger. He needs to be the man who drains the three when open. I just don’t feel like it is going to go in when it leaves his hands. If he gets a consistent outside shot then he will be a dominating player.

Craig Austrie. Some high octane fuel. He needs some jet fuel and turn up the tempo of his game. He is a great floor general and a good outside shooter but doesn’t run the break well and that’s not going to get you much playing time at UConn.

Stanley Robinson. Charity work. Robinson has turned his game around so far in this short season but the one flaw that has carried over is his poor free throw shooting. He has been doing much better but his numbers are still is horrendous and for a person who plays aggressive, he will be getting plenty of opportunities at the charity stripe.

Curtis Kelly. A smaller basketball. The ball seems to roll around the rim without dropping in for Kelly. If he finished off strong around the rim, then he would have supplanted himself as the second off the bench.

Gavin Edwards. Boxing gloves. Gavin needs to get more involved in boxing out and rebounding more. He has shown flourishes of post play but isn’t putting up the numbers in the rebounding department.

Jonathan Mandeldove. A watch. He needs more minutes. Its tough when you put effort into practice but get to ride the pine during games. He has talent but there are just to many bodies in front of him.

Donnell Beverly. A rifle. He has seen more minutes lately but hasn’t shown his shooting ability. I’d like to see his range more. He hasn’t caused any needless turnovers or put any off balance shots up but he needs to take the shot when left open.