Huskies All-Access host Emily Noonan recaps the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team’s 91-52 rout of the St. Joseph’s Hawks on Tuesday night at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT.
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By Bob Crawford
Hartford Wolf Pack veteran defenseman Danny Syvret is the quarterback of a Wolf Pack power-play unit that was 0-for-17 in four games, and 1-for-31 in a span of seven games, going into Saturday night’s visit to Adirondack.
The power play exploded in that contest, though, going 3-for-5 against a Phantom penalty kill that entered the game second overall in the league, at 86.6%. Syvret, who had two assists in Saturday’s win, pointed to a subtle change in the Pack’s power-play setup as a key to its outburst.
“We sort of changed up our strategy a little bit,” he said, “into a power-play called a 1-3-1, which means there’s one defenseman, me, guarding the whole blue line. We have one forward in front of the net, which was (Ryan) Bourque, and then we have three forwards sort of across the offensive zone, one being (Jesper) Fast, in the middle was (Danny) Kristo and to my right, looking at the net, would have been (J.T.) Miller. It actually works really well, because for a team that pressures the puck on the penalty-kill, there’s options everywhere on the ice. We were able to move the puck quicker than they could skate, and in return we got a lot of scoring opportunities from it, and scored as well.”
While the effects were hard to miss, the shift in formation was barely noticeable, as lately the Wolf Pack had been going largely with an “umbrella” look on the man-advantage. That also featured Syvret as the only real point man, with forwards fanned out on either side.
“Our structure’s sort of the same,” Syvret said, “but we usually have two guys sort of near the net, one being a guy that’s on the goal line, and we since then have moved that player to the middle of the ice, which actually makes a lot more sense because every player on the ice has two, or three, passing options. And they (the opposing penalty killers) just don’t have enough bodies to cover passing lanes and shooting lanes.”
In either scenario, Syvret is usually the only individual stationed high in the offensive zone, giving him the opportunity to be the true “field general”, looking over all of the available options and selecting the best one to exploit. It also makes him responsible for ensuring that the opponents aren’t able to break the other way with speed, but that obligation is fine with Syvret.
“We have very creative players on the ice, smart guys that can read plays quickly and adjust to different scenarios,” the ninth-year pro said. “So as long as we have options for each other, I trust that the other guys on the ice, as well as myself, will make smart decisions in moving the puck, like it happened at Adirondack. We had plenty of chances and we actually scored on quite a few of them.”
As by far the most experienced player on the first power-play unit, and the only defenseman in a four-forward alignment, Syvret sees his role as being most prominently to help direct traffic.
“Just sort of keep things composed I think, for the most part,” is how Syvret described it, “but in saying that, Millsie (Miller) does a pretty good job on the half-wall of doing the same thing. And we’ve been distributing the puck very well, it’s not been the traditional one or two guys always getting the goals or setting up plays. Especially at Adirondack, I think everyone on the ice had a point for us on the power play and created chances. Hopefully we’ll keep being able to do that and continue our success.”
Two of the Wolf Pack’s team season-high three power-play goals Sunday were scored by Fast, who also added an assist for his first career three-point outing in North America. Both goals by the right-handed-shooting Fast were from the left circle, one on a one-timer and the other on a perfectly-placed slap shot.
“He’s obviously a really good player, a real smart player, good with the puck and intelligent,” Syvret said of Fast. “And I think a big part of being in your first year is confidence, and if you look at our standings obviously he’s been scoring, but then if you look at his shots on net, they’re really low. So I think part of it for him is having confidence in himself to shoot the puck, because I think 25 percent of all of his shots go in, and that’s a high percentage. So hopefully he continues playing confident and shooting the puck, and they seem to go in for him.”
Saturday’s game was the last in a ten-game season series between the Wolf Pack and Phantoms, with whom Syvret played for most of three of the past four seasons, before being traded to the Ranger organization last summer for Kris Newbury. The fans at the Glens Falls Civic Center seemed jilted that Syvret was no longer wearing their team’s jersey, as his every touch on the puck Saturday was met with a chorus of boos.
“It was fun,” a smiling Syvret said of hearing the catcalls. “Their fans are pretty animated, and it didn’t really help that last game when we were in there I scored an empty-netter, and I was getting heckled the entire game, and it was sort of out of character for me, but after I scored an empty-net goal which would have put us up by two, I sort of celebrated to the crowd in the section where the hecklers were giving it to me the entire game.
“I knew coming in that they were going to be all over me, and it was actually pretty comical to listen to them pretty much the entire game when I’m on the bench. I think they wasted a lot of energy on me, which is fine. I got a kick out of it, and then obviously any time I touched the puck, they were for sure booing me. It was fun, it was a good atmosphere to play in, and obviously winning helped, for sure.”
There has been much more winning than losing for the Wolf Pack over the past two months, after the frustration that marked November, and much of December and early January. The team has not given up on a miracle run for a playoff berth, and Syvret feels that, on balance, it has been a reasonably positive year for him.
“It seems consistent with my last few years,” he analyzed. “I think the last four or five years I’ve finished with forty points or more, and I’m trying to get to that 40-point threshold. I’ve felt offensively I’ve been playing well, and defensively my plus/minus, which, as an offensive guy, is sometimes in the negative, that’s sort of your knock against you, has been in the positive sector for the year. So, I’ll keep playing the way I have been and hopefully the numbers will keep falling, as will the wins.”
Syvret has also made a significant contribution to the organization’s development this season, spending substantial time partnered with both Dylan McIlrath and Tommy Hughes, two very young, but very promising Ranger defensive prospects.
“I really like it,” Syvret said in reference to skating alongside either of those two big young horses. “It doesn’t really matter who I play with. I feel like I just try to support my partner and make it as easy as possible for them to play the game. And obviously having two big bodies beside me helps in the defensive portion of the game, and any time they’re in trouble, hopefully I’m there to support and try and break out the puck for them. I really enjoy playing with both of them, and I feel like we have pretty good chemistry. It’s easy for us to transition from one player to the other throughout the game, so it makes life on the coaching staff pretty easy.”
As does having a player like Syvret to help choreograph the power play, and to lend a calming veteran presence to the locker room.
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photo credit: chris rutsch
NEW YORK, March 26, 2014 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has recalled forward J.T. Miller from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Miller, 20, has recorded 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in nine games with Hartford since returning to the team on March 5th. He has established AHL career-highs with 12 goals, 25 assists, 37 points, and a plus-13 rating in 35 games with the Wolf Pack this season. He ranks second on the team in points, third in assists, fifth in goals, and is tied for first in plus/minus rating. Miller, who represented the Eastern Conference as an AHL All-Star on January 28th, tallied a four-game assist/point streak from March 7th vs. Springfield to March 14th vs. Adirondack (two goals, seven assists over the span), and matched career-bests with three assists and four points, along with a career-high, plus-four rating, on March 8th vs. Albany.
The East Palestine, Ohio native returns to the Rangers where he has registered three goals and three assists for six points, along with 16 penalty minutes in 28 games this season. Miller has registered three points (one goal, two assists) in his last five games with the Rangers.
Miller was originally selected by the Rangers as a first round choice, 15th overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
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KANSAS CITY – UConn senior Shabazz Napier (Roxbury, Mass.), who will lead the Huskies into the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 this weekend at Madison Square Garden, has been named a Division I first team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Napier, who also was named a first team All-American by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, has led the Huskies to a 28-8 record this season, including two victories in the NCAA tourney. UConn faces Iowa State in the Sweet 16 game Friday night at 7:27 p.m.
Napier — who was joined on the first team by Creighton senior forward Doug McDermott, Arizona junior guard Nick Johnson, Michigan sophomore guard Nik Stauskas, and Duke freshman forward Jabari Parker — leads UConn in scoring (17.8), rebounding (5.9), assists (4.9), steals (1.8), minutes played (34.8), and numerous other categories. He is about to tie the record for most games ever played in a UConn uniform (140).
The 6-1 guard was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was a unanimous choice on the all-conference first team. He is on the final watch lists for the John Wooden Award, the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the Senior CLASS Award, and the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year award.
The NABC All-American teams are selected by a vote of member coaches of the NABC, which includes more than 5,000 coaches, and represent the finest college basketball players across the country.
2014 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM
Nick Johnson, Arizona, 6-3, 200, Junior, Guard, Gilbert, Ariz.
Doug McDermott, Creighton, 6-8, 225, Senior, Forward, Ames, Iowa
Shabazz Napier, Connecticut, 6-1, 180, Senior, Guard, Roxbury, Mass.
Jabari Parker, Duke, 6-8, 235, Freshman, Forward, Chicago, Ill.
Nik Stauskas, Michigan, 6-6, 205, Sophomore, Guard, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
2014 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM
Cleanthony Early, Wichita State, 6-8, 219, Senior, Forward, Middletown, N.Y.
C.J. Fair, Syracuse, 6-8, 215, Senior, Forward, Baltimore, Md.
Sean Kilpatrick, Cincinnati, 6-4, 210, Senior, Guard, Yonkers, N.Y.
Russ Smith, Louisville, 6-0, 165, Senior, Guard, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Andrew Wiggins, Kansas, 6-8, 200, Freshman, Guard, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
2014 NABC COACHES’ DIVISION I ALL-AMERICA THIRD TEAM
Julius Randle, Kentucky, 6-9, 250, Freshman, Forward, Dallas, Texas
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State, 6-4, 220, Sophomore, Guard, Flower Mound, Texas
Fred VanVleet, Wichita State, 5-11, 194, Sophomore, Guard, Rockford, Ill.
T.J. Warren, North Carolina State, 6-8, 215, Sophomore, Forward, Durham, N.C.
Scottie Wilbekin, Florida, 6-2, 176, Senior, Guard, Winter Haven, Fla.
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Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis.
Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
UConn Women’s Basketball links
UConn’s Dolson, Hartley and Stewart Named to All-Region 1 Team by WBCA [sox & dawgs]
Video: KML’s Triple-Double Leads UConn Women Into Sweet 16 [sox & dawgs]
KML’s triple-double lifts UConn to Sweet 16 [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]
Hartley, Dolson leave Gampel Pavilion in style [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]
A Little Taste From Geno Auriemma [john altavilla – hartford courant]
Notes From UConn’s Second-Round Win [john altavilla – hartford courant]
Beating UConn Not As Simple As It May Seem [john altavilla – hartford courant]
Mosqueda-Lewis Makes History With Triple-Double [rich elliott – ct post]
Dolson, Hartley Leave Gampel In Style [rich elliott – ct post]
Mosqueda-Lewis’ triple-double leads UConn into Sweet 16 [jim fuller – new haven register]
Ticket and Travel Information for the Lincoln Regional [uconnhuskies.com]
Game report: UConn women cruise into Sweet 16 [ct post]
UConn’s Mosqueda-Lewis rises again to top of her game [ct post]
KML Scores Triple-Double In Huskies’ Win Over St. Joseph’s [hartford courant]
Dolson, Hartley Make Final UConn Home Game A Sweet Farewell [hartford courant]
Dolson Finishes Gampel Career In Royal Fashion [hartford courant]
Mosqueda-Lewis powers No. 1 UConn into the Sweet 16 [new haven register]
Unbeaten UConn women make quick work of Saint Joseph’s 91-52 [the day]
UConn Men’s Basketball links
Jim Calhoun to Chris Russo: ‘Not Interested’ in BC Job [dom amore – hartford courant]
Assessing Kevin Ollie’s First Two Years at UConn’s Helm [david borges – new haven register]
ISU’s Hoiberg praises Ollie, ready for Garden crowd [william paxton – ct post]
MetroNorth to run a UConn train on Friday to MSG [john silver – snyuconn.com]
Calhoun ‘not interested’ in Boston College [john silver – snyuconn.com]
Iowa State’s Hoiberg heaps praise on UConn’s Napier [ct post]
Hoiberg: UConn Better Than Team Iowa State Beat In 2012 [hartford courant]
Kevin Ollie thriving in the footsteps of a legend [new haven register]
Napier, Huskies have full attention of Hoiberg, Cyclones [the day]
Other UConn related links
M. Track. Field Athletes Shine as UConn Opens Outdoor Season at Disney World Open [uconnhuskies.com]
W. Lacrosse. Shannon Nee Earns Conference Defensive Player Of The Week Honors [uconnhuskies.com]
W. Track. Bill Morgan To Step Down As UConn Women’s Track & Field Coach [uconnhuskies.com]
Baseball. UConn Drops Midweek Contest At Hartford, 3-2 [uconnhuskies.com]
Baseball. UConn Baseball Vs. CCSU Postponed To April 21 [uconnhuskies.com]
Like UConn? Let Ken Davis tell the story [register citizen]
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If there was any doubt as to whether or not Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was fully recovered from her bout with mono, she put that to rest on Tuesday night.
KML had a triple-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team past the St. Joseph’s Hawks 91-52 in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT.
UConn improves to 36-0 while St. Joes finishes up their season at 23-10.
KML’s triple-double is just the third in UConn history, the second this season and the 14th overall in the history of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Breanna Stewart led the Huskies in scoring with 21 points and added 10 rebounds for a double-double. She also had five blocked shots. Bria Hartley added 20 points of her own while Stefanie Dolson had 17 points and six rebounds in the duo’s final game at Gampel.
Moriah Jefferson rounded out the Huskies in double digits with 11 points. Brianna Banks had UConn’s only points off the bench with two.
Sarah Fairbanks and Erin Shields led the Hawks with 12 points each. Natasha Cloud had 10 points and six assists while Ilze Gotfrida also had 10 points. Ashley Robinson and Fairbanks led St. Joe’s with five rebounds each.
The Huskies once again got out of the gates quickly as they opened up the game with a 10-0 run. The Hawks would keep it around single digits for about six minutes or so.
A 14-2 run by UConn pushed the lead to 25 points and it was smooth sailing from there.
The Huskies now head to Lincoln, NE for the Sweet 16 where they’ll take on the BYU Cougars on Saturday. Tip is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Here’s the UConn Huskies vs St. Joseph Hawks 2014 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament 2nd round box score, which you could have bet online at Paddy Power to win some money while enjoying the game.
photo credit: cloe poisson – hartford courant
STORRS, Conn. – Senior center Stefanie Dolson, senior guard Bria Hartley and sophomore forward Breanna Stewart have each been selected to the All-Region 1 Team as announced by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) on Tuesday, March 25. This marks the second selection for both Dolson (2013) and Hartley (2012) and the first for Stewart
The WBCA All-America selection committee will select the 10-member WBCA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team from these 52 All-Region picks.
Dolson, a 2013-14 All-American Athletic Conference First Team pick, is averaging 12.3 points and leads the squad at 9.1 rebounds per contest. She is seventh nationally in field goal percentage and recently became only the fifth Husky all-time, along with Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Rebecca Lobo, and Jamelle Elliott, to register at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. The 2013-14 American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Sportsmanship Award winner, Dolson is a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award.
Hartley, a 2013-14 All-American Conference First Team selection, is second on the team with 16.4 points per game and 154 assists. She is in the league’s top-five in scoring, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, steals and three-point field goal percentage and has scored 20 or more points 11 times this year. The USBWA National Player of the Week on January 20, Hartley is only the second Husky all-time, along with Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi, to post at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
Stewart, who was recently selected as the 2013-14 American Athletic Conference and espnW Player of the Year, is leading the top-ranked Huskies at 19.7 points per game and is second on the squad at 8.1 rebounds per contest. She ranks in the league’s top-10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, blocks and free throw percentage.
The North Syracuse, N.Y. native was honored as the 2014 American Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 21.7 points per game en route to leading UConn to the inaugural title. The 2013-14 American Conference Preseason Player of the Year has been selected as the USBWA National Player of the Week and is a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award.
UConn sports a perfect 35-0 record as it heads into its NCAA Tournament second round matchup against No. 9 seed Saint Joseph’s on Tuesday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. in Storrs and the contest will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
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HARTFORD, March 25, 2014: Global Spectrum, operators of the XL Center and Hartford Wolf Pack, today announced that the Wolf Pack’s home game this Friday night, March 28 vs. the Springfield Falcons will feature the inaugural “Sonar Saves” dog adoption night.
Sonar, the Wolf Pack’s lovable and cuddly mascot, will be welcoming to the XL Center atrium on Friday a number of his canine friends, who are earnestly looking for their forever home. Two animal-rescue organizations, The Simon Foundation of Bloomfield, CT (www.thesimonfoundation.org) and Manchester, CT’s Our Companions (www.ourcompanions.org), will be on hand in the atrium from 6:00-7:00 PM, illustrating all of the joys of providing a much-needed loving home to a friendly pooch.
The Simon Group will have dogs at the XL Center that are available for adoption. No adoptions will be completed at the game, but fans can fill out adoption paperwork if they find a dog they would like to adopt. Our Companions will not have dogs at the game, but will have pictures of furry friends that they have available for adoption, as well as paperwork associated with the adoption process.
“Dogs” will be the key word of the night on Friday, as all Friday-night Wolf Pack home games are “Dogs and Drafts” nights, with $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period, presented by Marc’s Appliance Warehouse, located at 75 Prospect Ave., Hartford, CT.
Tickets for the March 28 game, and all Wolf Pack 2013-14 home games, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger. To speak with a representative about season or group tickets, call (855) 762-6451.
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Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis.
Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.
It’s game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they’ll take on the St. Joseph’s Hawks for the right to advance to the Sweet 16 in Lincoln, NE at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. You can also catch the game online or your mobile device at WatchESPN. If you live locally in Connecticut and can’t catch the game on television or online, you can always listen to Bob Joyce and Debbie Fiske on the UConn IMG Radio Network.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
UConn Women’s Basketball links
Video: Huskies All-Access Looks at UConn Women’s Win Over Prairie View [sox & dawgs]
Saint Joseph’s special to Philly native Auriemma [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]
For Dolson, big numbers but one regret [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]
Happy To Be A Hawk [john altavilla – hartford courant]
Almost Time To Say Goodbye To Dolson And Hartley [john altavilla – hartford courant]
Preview: Saint Joseph’s next in line for Huskies (analysis) [roger cleaveland – waterbury republican-american]
Huskies Made Video To Honor Auriemma [rich elliott – ct post]
Great Pass By Jefferson, No Dunk For Stewart [rich elliott – ct post]
From Recruit To Head Coach, Griffin and Auriemma Go Way Back [rich elliott – ct post]
Auriemma’s Ties To Gardler Span More Than 20 Years [rich elliott – ct post]
Shields family no strangers to UConn’s Auriemma [jim fuller – new haven register]
Chaos rules in Lincoln bracket [jim fuller – new haven register]
Balanced Attack Helps UConn Shake Off Rust in NCAA Tournament Opener [uconnhuskies.com]
Women’s Hoops Hosts Saint Joseph’s in Second Round Action on Tuesday [uconnhuskies.com]
St. Joe’s relishes challenge of playing No. 1 UConn [ct post]
In Geno’s Mind, Ollie Is No. 1 When It Comes To Seeding [hartford courant]
Picture Perfect: Auriemma Likes UConn’s Maturity Level [hartford courant]
Notebook: A Fond Farewell To Gampel For Dolson, Hartley [hartford courant]
Ties that bind [journal inquirer]
UConn seniors Dolson, Hartley to play one final game at Gampel [new haven register]
Auriemma knows Saint Joseph’s Shields family well [new haven register]
UConn women play for spot in Sweet 16 tonight [the day]
Huskies better when they go through Dolson [waterbury republican-american]
UConn Men’s Basketball links
Want To Attend UConn’s Garden Party? It’s Going To Cost You … [dom amore – hartford courant]
Tickets for UConn’s Sweet 16 Game are Expensive — And Going Fast [david borges – new haven register]
MSG is UConn Country [john silver – snyuconn.com]
Men’s Basketball NCAA East Regional Tickets Sold Out [uconnhuskies.com]
Boatright steps up to push UConn to Sweet 16 [ct post]
Thanks To UConn, NCAA Regionals At Madison Square Garden Now More Expensive Than Final Four Tickets [forbes]
In Geno’s Mind, Ollie Is No. 1 When It Comes To Seeding [hartford courant]
MSG tickets in high demand [new haven register]
UConn men can’t wait to return to Garden [the day]
Unlikely heroes step forward for Huskies [waterbury republican-american]
What I Learned From Buffalo: UConn Huskies and Dayton Flyers [si.com]
UConn last remaining hope for Eastern teams [providence journal]
Cyclones’ Sweet 16 foe knows Garden intimately [the gazette]
UConn Football links
UConn Football Springs Back Into Practice [sox & dawgs]
Video: UConn Football 2014 Spring Practice No. 4 Highlights [sox & dawgs]
Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco Talks About Spring Practice No. 4 [sox & dawgs]
Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco on What He Wants To Accomplish [sox & dawgs]
Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco Talks About The Different Position Groups [sox & dawgs]
Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco Talks About Where Team Is [sox & dawgs]
Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco Talks About His Offensive Line [sox & dawgs]
No Real Scrimmages Outside Blue-White, Practices Too Valuable; News, Notes [desmond conner – hartford courant]
McClain, Griffin lead UConn products in NFL pay distribution [jim fuller – new haven register]
Some continuity in offensive line [jim fuller – new haven register]
UConn Football Returns To Practice [uconnhuskies.com]
UConn football back to work after spring break [ct post]
Diaco: Huskies Had No Trouble Shaking Off Spring Break Rust [hartford courant]
Other UConn related links
Baseball. As Cubs look at third, Olt says defense won’t be an issue [csn chicago]
Baseball. UConn Baseball vs. Hartford Moved [uconnhuskies.com]
Softball. Tuesday’s Softball Game vs. Sacred Heart Rescheduled to May 1 [uconnhuskies.com]
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The UConn Huskies football team returned to the practice field for the first time since March 14 and as you might expect, there was a little rust to be removed and maybe a post spring break hangover.
Early on during the media portion of practice, the players were going through a conditioning drill and Diaco wasn’t happy. He made sure to let his team know. They did it again. He was still not happy. Finally, after doing it a third time, he was pleased.
Before the team broke off into individual drills, he spoke to the team and told them to “raise the level of your intensity, raise the level of your focus”.
After practice, he seemed pleased that his charges had done just that especially given the situation of practicing the day after spring break ended.
“A Monday after a spring break always could be a hairy situation for teams across the country but I feel like the team went and handled practice four well, ” Diaco said. “It wasn’t anything that was extraordinary but, I know and the coaches know what it feels like as a player to go on spring break and come back and spring break ends Sunday and to come back on Monday and be electric, it’s just not realistic.”
It did help that he and his staff set up practice to scrape that rust off and get back to the focus of UConn football.
We really set up practice today to not ask the players to have to do that, to really acclimatize a bit and they handled that well,” said Diaco. “They [the players] would be the first to tell you that shaking off the spring break rust took a little bit of time but they did. So it fit the model that the coaches were expecting and we were pleased to have a successful practice four.”
Diaco has a plan in place of where he’d like to see the team after Saturday’s practice where high school coaches from around the state and region will be in attendance.
“I’d like to see the team begin to transition from survival to, for lack of a better word, attack,” Diaco said. “A physical assault and a mental attack, where they’re not just surviving. So by design, we’ll have smart installation. Today was virtually no installation, offense, defense and special teams. It was a shining and polishing, a re-engagement of the first three practices.
“We’ll do the same thing at the end of the week. By Saturday there will be more guys that know what to do and can cut it loose and are cutting it loose. Right now we’ve got a lot of guys that are trying, expending a lot of energy, in a haphazard way. We’d like that to begin more directed and more controlled where we can have guys cutting it loose in a play they clearly know. I’d like to think we can accomplish that by the end of the week.”
There’s definitely a different vibe around this team then the one that was felt in the fall. But like Diaco has, we can’t look back to the past.
We can only look forward, forward to a solid UConn football team.
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photo credit: ian bethune – sox & dawgs