Episode 6 - The Season Tips Off

The 1989-90 UConn men's basketball season gets underway with a trip to Anchorage, Alaska for the Great Alaska Shootout. Episode 6 of the Dream Season Podcast covers the three game in Alaska, as well as home games against Yale and Howard.

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Transcript

Hi and welcome to The Dream Season Podcast, an oral history of the 1989-90 UConn men’s basketball season, also known as, The Dream Season.

This Episode 6, The Season Tips Off

On Tuesday, November 21, 1989, the UConn Huskies boarded a plane at Bradley International Airport, with a final destination of Anchorage, Alaska, to participate in the Great Alaska Shootout.

The Great Alaska Shootout was one of three early season tournaments in 1989. (The Maui Invitational and the preseason NIT were the other two.) Compare that to the 2022-23 season, where there were 73 such events.

College basketball teams in 1989 were limited to a maximum of 27 regular season games. However, games played outside of the continental United States did not count towards that number. 

The Great Alaska Shootout began in 1978 and was the only preseason tournament until the Maui Invitational began in 1984. The Great Alaska Shootout was referred to as the “Tournament of NCAA Champions”. Four out of the previous seven NCAA champs kicked off their season in Anchorage and another three teams reached the Final Four.

The Great Alaska Shootout would continue through the 2017 season before pulling the plug. With the growing number of preseason tournaments being held in much warmer locales, it became too difficult for organizers to recruit top teams to Alaska.

The 1989 tournament field was considered wide open, as none of the participating teams were currently ranked.

Michigan State and Kansas State were considered the favorites, with Auburn, Florida State, UConn and Texas A&M in the mix, while Hawaii and the host school, Division II Alaska-Anchorage, were considered long-shots.

Former Norwich Bulletin UConn beat reporter Pete Abraham, who now covers the Boston Red Sox for the Boston Globe, recalls the journey to the Last Frontier

INSERT PETE ABE CLIP 

The Huskies arrived in Anchorage early on Wednesday, November 22nd. After getting some rest, Coach Calhoun ran them through not one, but two practices.

One Husky who did not participate in those Wednesday workouts was Nadav Henefeld. A few days after the game against the Soviet Union National Team, Henefeld flew back to Israel. The NCAA allowed Nadav to play for the Israeli National Team in a European Championship qualifying game against France, on that same Wednesday.

The Blue and Whites defeated France 99 to 93, with Nadav scoring 23 points.

After the game, Henefeld embarked on a 26 hour odyssey that would take him from Israel to Alaska, via New York and Seattle. Nadav arrived in Anchorage on Thursday, less than 24 hours before tip-off against Texas A&M.

Here’s Henefeld, recalling the whirlwind journey from Tel Aviv to Anchorage:

INSERT NADAV 

The Huskies drew Texas A&M for the opening round matchup. Sports Illustrated predicted the Aggies to finish fourth in the 9 team Southwest Conference. 

The Aggies were dealt a blow to their roster just before leaving for Alaska. As the team was waiting to depart at the airport in Houston, Texas A&M coach Shelby Metcalf was informed that senior guard David Williams, who was a starter, was being suspended for the season for violating team rules.

Junior Lynn Suber would slide into the starting lineup, but Texas A&M’s thin bench was now severely depleted.

Coach Metcalf, surely in a sour mood thanks to the news of Williams’ suspension, was also irritated by one Jim Calhoun on the day before the game against UConn. Calhoun happened to be in Sullivan Arena recording a TV interview while the Aggies were practicing, which Metcalf did not find to his liking.

Coach Calhoun was optimistic about the Huskies chances in their opening game of the season. The win over the Soviet National Team had instilled the squad with confidence.

Aside from the obvious implications of starting off the season with a win, the game against Texas A&M was important for another reason, national exposure. If the Huskies could win on Friday, their next two games would be televised by ESPN on Saturday and Monday. A loss would result in games being played on three consecutive days, with no television at all. WTNH Channel 8, was televising the Texas A&M game locally in Connecticut.

The UConn starting lineup consisted of Chris Smith and Tate George in the backcourt, Scott Burrell and Rod Sellers at the forward spots and Dan Cyrulik at center.

The Huskies started the game off strong, as did the Aggies. In the first 13 minutes of action, there were 7 lead changes and 3 ties.

Texas A&M’s quickness neutralized UConn’s man to man defense, so they switched to a 1-3-1 zone. The Aggie’s Lynn Suber made the Huskies pay.

Suber went off, scoring 26 points in the first half while going 6 for 6 from 3 point range, including a three minute stretch where he hit four of them.

When the horn sounded ending the first half, UConn trailed, 51-37. The Aggies shot nearly 55% from the floor in the first half.

The second half didn’t go much better for the Huskies. After falling down by 16 points, they clawed back to climb to within 7 at 58-51 However, the combination of Suber and fellow guard Tony Milton were too much for UConn to overcome.

Suber finished with 33 points, making 7 of 8 3 pointers and Milton had 26, including 12 trips to the foul line, where he made 9.

Said Calhoun after the game, [QUOTE] “I thought we could get beat, but never in my wildest dreams did I think we would get beat as bad on the perimeter as we did. What happened defensively? Better guards beat our guards. If I had an answer to why Milton kept going down the middle, I’d sell it to somebody. Maybe their guards are just that dominating.’’ [END QUOTE]

Dan Cyrulik was a bright spot for the Huskies, scoring a career high 18 points and pulling down 9 rebounds. Chris Smith led the Huskies with 19 points and John Gwynn added 14 off the bench.

UConn turned the ball over 15 times and no other players aside from Cyrulik, Smith & Gwynn topped 8 points. The Huskies did manage 9 steals, including 4 from Nadav Henefeld.

Rod Sellers recalls how quickly things turned sour for the Huskies that night:

INSERT ROD CLIP

Longtime UConn radio color analyst Wayne Norman also remembers how incredible Suber’s performance was:

INSERT WAYNO CLIP 

In an interesting aside, as of the 2022-23 season, the all-time record for the highest opponent 3 point percentage against UConn, is Texas A&M’s 64.7% from this game. 

So the Huskies found themselves in the losers bracket and would be squaring off with Auburn on Saturday, who had lost by 13 to the eventual Shootout champs Michigan State.

Calhoun went with the same starting lineup as the Texas A&M game of Smith, George, Cyrulik, Burrell and Sellers.

The first half of this game was the inverse of the first half against Texas A&M. UConn forced 19 turnovers in the half and held the Tigers to 30% shooting. 

After trailing 7 to 6, the Huskies went on an 18-2 run to take control of the game. In the middle of that run, Auburn had six consecutive offensive possessions where they did not attempt a field goal. The Huskies forced turnovers on all six of those possessions. 

Although UConn led 48-27 at halftime, the news was not all good. Murray Williams hyperextended his left leg after colliding with Auburn’s Derrick Dennision and had to be carried off the court. In addition, Chris Smith sprained his right ankle and left the game with 1:07 left in the first half.

Neither player joined the team on the court in the second half, but Smith did return to the game with just under 10 minutes left in the game.

The Huskies pushed their lead to 70 to 40 with 12:11 left after consecutive 3 pointers from Nadav Henefeld, Steve Pikiell and Scott Burrell. Although Auburn chipped away at the lead, making 9 of 12 3 point shots in the second half, they never came closer than 10 points and that didn't happen until there were 22 seconds left in the game. The final score was UConn 95, Auburn 81.

UConn turned the ball over 25 times but that stat and the injuries to Smith and Williams were the only negatives. The Huskies outrebounded the Tigers 43 to 31, shot 51.7% for the game and set a school record for 3 pointers made, making 10 of 18. 

Five Huskies scored in double figures, led by Rod Sellers’ career-high 19 points and 9 rebounds. Chris Smith had 17, Henefeld had 16 points and 6 steals, and Scott Burrell filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals.

Said Calhoun after the game, [QUOTE] “I wasn’t ready to rip up the blueprint after last night, but I was thinking about jumping off a mountain someplace. We’re an outside perimeter team, that’s the key. Tonight, the ball moved the way it’s supposed to. We are learning. It was really, really important for us to get a win tonight.” [END QUOTE]

Unfortunately for one Husky, this game marked a low point for his entire college career.

Sophomore center Marc Suhr saw the court for the first time this season. It came with less than a second remaining, with the outcome already decided.

Here’s Suhr recalling how he felt that night, as well as remembering his teammates who supported him:

INSERT SUHR CLIP

The final matchup for the Huskies in Alaska would be against Florida State. The winner would finish in fourth place for the tournament.

The Seminoles were led by New Haven native and former UConn recruit, senior guard Tharon Mayes.

UConn would be without the services of Murray Williams after his injury in the Auburn game. UConn officials feared that he may have suffered ligament damage in his left knee, but wouldn’t know more until he’s examined after returning to Connecticut.

The Huskies used the same starting lineup as the first two games and continued the positive momentum they had built in the Auburn game.

UConn hit 10 of their first 15 shots, forced 10 first half turnovers and at one point in the first half, had built a 19 point lead.

However, the Huskies went cold just before halftime, failing to make a field goal in the final four minutes of the half. They still had a 38-26 lead heading into the break.

The cold finish to the first half continued into the second half, as UConn did not make their first field goal until the 17:13 mark. A Tharon Mayes 3 pointer brought the Seminoles to within 7 points with 15:16 remaining, but the Huskies pushed the lead back to 12, 49 to 37, with 12:54 left in the game.

At that point, Florida State roared to life. Over the next 8 minutes, the Seminoles went on a 21 to 6 run, eventually taking a 58-55 lead with 4:40 remaining in the game.

Then Nadav took over. Henefeld scored a layup on a pretty assist from Smith, cutting the deficit to one. He then stole a pass from Mayes and took it coast to coast for another layup to give the Huskies the lead, 59-58.

Florida State regained the lead on a 19 foot jump shot by Aubry Boyd with 2:27 left. Boyd then fouled Henefeld, who converted both ends of a one and one, to give UConn the lead 61-60, with 1:44 left.

But Henefeld turned the ball over with just 54 seconds on the clock, giving the ball back to Florida State with a chance to take the lead. After an FSU timeout with 28 seconds left, the Seminoles Irving Thomas missed a 14 foot jumper and Scott Burrell corralled the rebound.

Mayes fouled Burrell to stop the clock with 3 seconds left, sending Scott to the line for another one and one.

The freshman calmly sank both free throws and the Huskies held on for a 63-60 victory and a fourth place finish in the tournament.

Calhoun was pleased after the game. Said Coach, “I think we played with character tonight, especially to have a good team make a run at us and for us to suffer the way we did. For a young team to go on the road like this, a 2 and 1 record is good for us.”

Chris Smith once again led the Huskies in scoring, with 14 points and was the only Husky named to the all-tournament team. Burrell finished with 13 points and three, 3 pointers, while Henefeld added 8 points, 6 boards and 3 steals. Nadav collected 13 total steals in the tournament. Rod Sellers continued to be a presence down low, with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

Chris Smith recalls playing against Tharon Mayes and how the team felt after their experience in Alaska:

INSERT SMITTY CLIP

Here’s UConn’s longtime director of athletic communications, Tim Tolokan, on the importance of finishing the tournament on a high note:

INSERT TOLOKAN CLIP 

UConn radio play by play announcer Bob Huessler recalls the mood of UConn fans in Connecticut after returning from Alaska:

INSERT HUESSLER CLIP 

The Huskies returned from Alaska with a lot of positives to build on, although there were also plenty of negatives. Poor free throw shooting (64.8% in the final two games) and subpar rebounding (they were outrebounded by 8 for the tournament) and the injury to Murray Williams were all reasons for concern.

But Calhoun chose to focus on the positives. They included:

• Resilience. The comeback against Florida State after being up by 19 points really impressed Calhoun. “I’d rather win games on courage and heart,” said Calhoun. It’s a real good sign to come back. That’s something you usually need time to work on.”

Consistency. The Huskies used the same starting lineup for all three games and John Gwynn had emerged as the first player off the bench. Said Gwynn, [QUOTE] “I’d rather start, but if this helps the team, that’s what I’ll do. As long as we win, that’s what matters. I never got an NIT ring. I want an NCAA ring.” [END QUOTE]

Four Huskies were averaging double figures in scoring (Smith, Burrell, Gwynn & Sellers) and the two freshmen playing substantial minutes, Burrell and Henefeld, were playing like veterans.

Here’s Coach Calhoun on how he felt after the Shootout:

INSERT CALHOUN CLIP 

BREAK

Next up, the Huskies would host Yale at the Field House on Thursday, November 30.

Earlier that afternoon, Murray Williams underwent an MRI on his injured left knee. The results revealed a partial tear of his ACL. The options for Murray were either to have surgery to repair the tear or to rehabilitate and see if the stability improved. Either way, Calhoun wasn’t expecting him back in action until January at the earliest.

There was less drama on the court against the Bulldogs.

UConn jumped out to a 33-21 halftime lead, but Calhoun wasn’t pleased with the way they finished the half. Looking for a spark, he inserted John Gwynn into the lineup coming out of the break. Gwynn stayed on the court for the next 8 and half minutes as the Huskies started the half with a 15-2 run.

After the run to start the half, Yale never came closer than 17 points. The final score was UConn 76, Yale 50, earning Jim Calhoun his 300th career coaching victory.

The freshmen tandem of Scott Burrell and Nadav Henefeld continued to impress, as each player scored 15 points. John Gwynn also added 15 off the bench.

Chris Smith uncharacteristically struggled, managing only 7 points on 3 of 11 shooting.

As a team, UConn outrebounded Yale 39 to 27 and shot 51% from the field. Still, Calhoun was not happy. [QUOTE] “We had no rhythm offensively or defensively. I didn’t feel we were really sharp but we’re 3-1. Three weeks from now, nobody is going to ask how we played on November 30th.” [END QUOTE]

UConn’s next opponent was Howard University, on Saturday, December 2. This would be the first meeting between the two schools.

One key Husky who has struggled after the first four games was Tate George. George, while averaging 5 assists per game, had only managed 29 points on the season. It didn’t take Tate long against Howard to break out.

George scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half, as the Huskies went on a 19-2 run early in the half to stake a 42-24 halftime lead.

After a brief power outage that left the lights in the old Field House dimmer than normal, UConn went on a 21-7 run to push the lead to 63-31 with 8:43 left in the game.

Every member of the Huskies managed to see action, with the exception of freshman Marte Smith, who Calhoun was considering redshirting. Every player who played scored, except for both Pikiell brothers.

Dan Cyrulik recorded a career high 15 rebounds, John Gwynn added 13 points and Rod Sellers chipped in with 11.

Unlike the Yale game, Calhoun was pleased after this one. [QUOTE] “Normally, the kids don’t know what to expect when I go into the locker room after the game. I think tonight they were surprised how happy I was. I really thought we played well.” [END QUOTE]

After two weaker opponents, the road would soon become more difficult for the Huskies.

Coming up on the next episode of The Dream Season Podcast, the month of December brings a UConn road game at the Hartford Civic Center as well as their first Big East matchup of the season.

The Dream Season Podcast is researched, written & produced by me, Matt Edwards. 

Written sources for this episode are the Hartford Courant archives and Google News Archives.

You can connect with the show via Twitter and Instagram at DREAMSEASONPOD

If you have any memories to share about anything I just mentioned, want to correct me on something I screwed up or just have general feedback to give, send me an email at dreamseasonpodATgmail.com or call and leave me a message at (903) 884 - EIGHTY NINE NINETY. 

After I’m done with the regular episodes of the show, I’d love to have an episode that consists entirely of your memories of the Dream Season. Either leave a message at the above number or email me with your recollections, along with your name and location, and I will include them in that episode.

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As always, thank you so much for listening!!