“Pikiell Happy Where He Is” |
| Posted: 12 Nov 2010 05:46 PM PST STORRS — — Steve Pikiell is a Bristol native, a UConn graduate, a former captain under Jim Calhoun and a former Huskies assistant, too. Entering his sixth season at Stony Brook, he has turned around a wayward program. The Seawolves won the America East regular season title last season, reached the postseason for the first time (losing to Illinois in the first round of the NIT) and Pikiell was named conference coach of the year. Should he be part of the pool of candidates to replace Jim Calhoun, whenever that day may come? "I love my job here and we've been able to do some things," Pikiell said. "There are people here who believe in me. And I'm not so sure you want to go and follow a Hall of Fame coach. ... I'm a UConn graduate. My wife is a UConn graduate. I'm bringing my [four] kids to the game [Friday] because I want them to see Gampel and where I went to school. But I think [Calhoun] is going to coach another 20 years and I'll be too old at that time to take the job." Pikiell, 42, has pushed Stony Brook onto the national mid-major map and his program is more visible and celebrated than ever in what is largely a lacrosse town. There's also been a noticeable uptick in recruiting and more televised games this season (nine) than ever. "He's built a good program there, as I would have expected him to," Calhoun said. "He's a terrific young coach." Boatright Signs UConn received a signed national letter of intent from Ryan Boatright, a 5-foot-10 point guard from Aurora, Ill. "He reminds me of Shabazz [Napier], but he may be a better shooter, maybe not quite as a good a passer," Calhoun said. "They're actually comparable-type players. ... With the idea that — it's only an idea right now — that Kemba will be leaving, Ryan would slip right in and be able to play right away along with [Napier]." Boatright, rated the 11th best point guard in the nation by rivals.com and 16th by scout.com, made an oral commitment to attend UConn on Monday. Ollie Not On Bench UConn assistant coach Kevin Ollie, who sustained an injury to his right eye Wednesday when an elastic stretching band recoiled into his face, saw a doctor and was at Gampel Pavilion Friday but not on the bench. Ollie must rest, avoid yelling and wear a protective cover. He is considered day-to-day and, depending on how the eye heals, he might miss UConn's trip to the Maui Invitational (Nov. 22-24). … Freshman forward Tyler Olander took an elbow from Michael Bradley in practice Thursday. A dentist repaired two teeth that were bent back and Olander received three stitches. He started against Stony Brook despite swelling on the left side of his jaw. … UConn improved to 21-4 in openers under Calhoun, who is now 14-0 against former assistants (3-0 vs. Pikiell). The Huskies are now 134-14 overall and 65-4 against nonconference opponents at Gampel Pavilion, where they will play six more games this season. … Calhoun's all-time record is 824-358. He is seventh on the Division I wins list and he has coached more games (1,182) than any other active coach. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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