NCAA Championship - UConn Huskies

Ray Allen Named to 8th NBA All-Star Game;
Joins Hamilton and Butler as UConn’s 2008 All-Stars
Ray Allen (UConn, 1993-96) of the Boston Celtics was named as an
injury replacement to the Eastern Conference All-Star roster, marking
his eighth All-Star game selection. On Sunday, February 17, Allen
joined Richard Hamilton (UConn, 1996-99) of the Detroit Pistons
and Caron Butler (UConn, 2000-02) of the Washington Wizards in
the game in New Orleans. Hamilton and Butler were named to the
initial rosters and Allen replaced Butler, who is injured. UConn is
the only college in the nation represented by three players
on the All-Star rosters. This is the third straight season the University of Connecticut was
represented in the NBA All-Star game by multiple former Husky standouts and the second year
in a row that Allen, Butler and Hamilton were all named. Hamilton made his third straight All-Star
game appearance and Butler was named an All-Star for the second straight season. UConn was
also represented at All-Star weekend by Rudy Gay (UConn 2004-06) who competed in the Dunk
Contest and also the Rookie Challenge game, featuring first-year vs. second-year performers.
Hamilton was also in the Three-Point Shootout.
win at USF, the third 20-point game of his career, all off the bench. He had ten
points in each of the wins over Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. He missed the
games against Indiana and Louisville after being suspended indefinitely by coach
Jim Calhoun for violation of team rules. He returned to action in the win over
Pittsburgh.
Jerome Dyson is averaging 12.4 points per contest from the shooting guard
spot and has reached double figures 13 times on the year. He returned to action
at Rutgers after missing nine games after being suspended indefinitely on January
25 by coach Jim Calhoun for violation of team rules. He returned to practice on
February 24. He had 20 points in the win at Cincinnati, including ten points in the
last 5:44 to help erase a 12-point deficit. He had a school-record tying nine steals
in the win over St. John’s and had a career-high tying 27 points in the BIG EAST
opening win at Seton Hall.
Gavin Edwards has seen action in the frontcourt in 30 games off the bench,
averaging 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds. He had nine points in the win over
Cincinnati. He had seven points, three rebounds and two blocks in the win over
West Virginia. He had eight points, three rebounds and a huge block in the win over
Notre Dame. Edwards had seven points in each of the first two BIG EAST contests
at Seton Hall and at Notre Dame.
20 WINS AGAIN: With a record of 24-8 entering the NCAA Tournament,
UConn has reached the 20-win plateau once again. This marks the 22nd time in
his career and 17th time in 22 seasons at UConn that head coach Jim Calhoun has
reached the 20-win mark. It is the 16th time in the last 19 years UConn has won
20 or more times. UConn had compiled eight 20-win seasons in 84 seasons before
Coach Calhoun came to Storrs.
10 WINS AGAIN: UConn finished 13-5 in the BIG EAST and reached the tenwin
plateau in the BIG EAST for the 14th time in Jim Calhoun’s 22 seasons at
Connecticut. Coach Calhoun is now alone with the second highest total of ten-win
BIG EAST seasons ever among league coaches. Syracuse has reached the ten-win
mark 20 times in 28 seasons under Jim Boeheim. Georgetown hit ten wins in league
play 13 of 20 seasons under John Thompson.
13 WINS IN THE LEAGUE: UConn reached the 13-win mark in BIG EAST play
for the ninth time in school history, extending a league standard for single season
THE CALHOUN
COACHING TREE
UConn and head coach Jim Calhoun
proudly boast of seven former
Calhoun/Husky assistants now
serving as head coaches at
Division I schools in 2007-
08. Howie Dickenman, a
Jim Calhoun assistant at UConn
for 10 seasons, is the head coach of
basketball at Central Connecticut State
University. Dave Leitao, who played
for Jim Calhoun at Northeastern
and was on Calhoun-staffs at both
Northeastern and Connecticut for
18 years, is the head coach of
basketball at the University of
Virginia. Karl Hobbs, a former
UConn basketball captain who
assisted Jim Calhoun at
Connecticut for eight seasons, is
the head coach of basketball at
George Washington University.
Glen Miller, who was a Jim
Calhoun assistant at UConn
for six years, is the head coach
of basketball at the University
of Pennsylvania. Steve Pikiell,
who captained UConn’s 1989-90
“Dream Team” for Coach Jim Calhoun
and was a Husky assistant coach in
1991-92, is head coach of
basketball at Stony Brook
University. Ted Woodward,
an assistant coach in Jim
Calhoun’s first three years at
Connecticut, is head coach of
basketball at the University of
Maine. Tom Moore spent 13
seasons working with Jim Calhoun
after coming to UConn in 1994.
Tom was named the head coach at
Quinnipiac University in March and
became the seventh Jim Calhoun-
UConn assistant to become a head
coach. In 2007, four of these coaches
advanced to the NCAA Tournament
(Leitao, Dickenman, Hobbs, Miller).
NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT SIGNEE
Kemba Walker, Point Guard, 6-1, 175, Bronx, N.Y., Rice H.S.;
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH JIM CALHOUN
“We are very excited about Kemba signing a letter of intent to come to UConn. He comes from such a great high school program led by
legendary coach Mo Hicks, a program that has produced so many super players through the years. Kemba is a young man who knows
about winning and performing at the highest scholastic level possible. He has had tremendous experiences with his Gauchos AAU team
as well, helping them to win five national tournament championships, and showing us what we have to look forward to at UConn. Kemba
has great character, charisma and leadership qualities to go along with an infectious personality that will be of outstanding benefit to our
program and to the entire University.”
University of Connecticut Basketball
2008 NCAA Championship Media Notes
First/Second Rounds, St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Fla.