Episode 8 - The Turning Point

UConn begins the 90's with a road trip to #16 St. John's, which results in an examination of the Huskies defensive strategy and if changes are needed.

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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 8, The Turning Point

Jim Calhoun and the Huskies thought they had turned the corner after stumbling in their first Big East game of the season against Villanova. After that 64-57 loss at home, UConn cruised to wins over three non-conference opponents. Their ferocious 2-2-1 full court press, dubbed The Steal Curtain, continued to overwhelm opponents while the halfcourt offense, a focus for Coach Calhoun, had shown improvements.

The next test awaited the Huskies on Tuesday, January 2, when they traveled to Queens, NY to take on St. John’s at Alumni Hall. Alumni Hall, which would eventually be re-christened Carnesecca Arena in honor of St. John’s legendary coach Lou Carnesecca, was the on-campus home for St. John’s. This would be the final time that UConn would play at Alumni Hall, as all future matchups would be held at Madison Square Garden.

Since entering the Big East, UConn has struggled mightily against St. John’s, sporting a 2-18 record in their matchups, including 0-10 at Alumni Hall. UConn’s win the previous season at the Hartford Civic Center ended a 17 game losing streak, dating back to the 1980-81 season.

St. John’s entered the game with a record of 12-2, 1-0 in the Big East, and ranked #16 nationally. They were led by point guard Boo Harvey and a formidable front court of Jayson Williams, Malik Sealy and Robert Werdann.

For the third consecutive game, Nadav Henefeld started in place of Dan Cyrulik, joining Scott Burrell, Rod Sellers, Chris Smith and Tate George on the court to start the game.

The Huskies jumped out to a 6-4 lead with 17:40 left in the first half.

And then the wheels came off. I mean, REALLY came off.

Over the next three minutes, St. John’s went on a 15-2 run to lead 19-8 with 14:06 left in the half.

The lead stretched to 35-17 with 7 minutes remaining in the half. UConn trimmed the deficit to 13 points at 44-30 with a 1:24 left, before going down 48-32 at halftime.

Point guard Boo Harvey decimated UConn’s 2-2-1 full court press, often leading to 3 on 2 or 2 on 1 fast-break opportunities.

The Johnnies also didn’t miss much, making 20 of 29 shots, for 68.9%, in the first half. UConn on the other hand, took 12 more shots and made six fewer than St. John’s, going 14 of 41, for 34.1%.

After falling behind by so much, so early, the Huskies looked to make up the deficit by shooting 3 pointers. They were 1 of 10 in the first half, while St. John’s was 3 of 5.

Against Villanova in mid-December, UConn was down 15 at halftime and came out of the locker room energized, eventually cutting the Nova lead to just 4 after the first 8 minutes of the second half.

History would not repeat itself on this night.

St. John’s started the second half on a 10-0 run. Calhoun attempted to stop the onslaught by using his timeouts, but to no avail. The lead ballooned to as much as 36 points before the game mercifully ended with a 93-62 St. John’s victory.

The post-mortem analysis was as bad as you might expect.

UConn entered the game holding opponents to a field goal percentage of 39.2%. St. John’s shot 68.6%.

The Huskies shot even worse than the Villanova game, going 26 of 80 for 32.5%, including 2 of 16 from 3 point range.

The 31 point margin of defeat was the largest for a Calhoun-coached UConn team and UConn’s worst Big East loss since the 1984-85 season, a 97-64 loss to, you guessed it, St. John’s.

Boo Harvey finished with 20 points and 10 assists, while the trio of St. John’s big men of Williams, Sealy & Werdann scored a combined 54 points on 23 of 29 shooting.

Only three Huskies scored in double figures. Tate George had 12, Rod Sellers had 11 and Chris Smith had 10, while going 3 of 14 from the floor.

Scott Burrell was playing with a sore left knee after twisting it against St. Joseph’s in the opener of the Connecticut Mutual Classic. He managed 2 points on 1 of 6 shooting, but more importantly, struggled to keep up with Malik Sealy defensively.

Burrell refused to blame his balky knee, saying after the game, “I just played bad. I felt slow. Malik kept going by me. But he’s just a quicker player.”

Coach Calhoun was not exactly at a loss for words following the game, but he was perplexed. Said Calhoun [QUOTE], “They’re the 16th ranked basketball team in the country. Obviously they’re a terrific basketball team. We realize that. But did I expect this to happen? No. Did I think it could happen? No. Did I, in my wildest dreams, think it could happen? No. Did it happen? Yes. And I don’t have an explanation for it.” [END QUOTE]

UConn’s strength coach Jay Hoffman recalls what it was like sitting on the bench that night:

INSERT HOFFMAN CLIP 29:33

Before the Huskies could begin the long trek back to Storrs, Assistant Coach Howie Dickenman remembers Coach Calhoun enacting some discipline first, but not because of what happened on the court. Said Howie [QUOTE]: “The team was pulled off the bus by Jim Calhoun. We had left the locker room a mess with tape on the floor and ice packs all over. Jim made everyone go back in and clean it all up. Ever since, UConn has always left a locker room in better shape than they found it.” [END QUOTE]

Here’s an archival interview from Tate George about what happened when they returned to campus that night:

INSERT TATE CLIP FROM CPTV VIDEO 1:50

After the Huskies completed another infamous Calhoun late-night, postgame practice session, the coaching staff gathered to discuss the path forward. UConn’s vaunted Steal Curtain Defense, the 2-2-1 full court press, had been extremely effective against the non-Big East teams that the Huskies had faced early in the season. But after St. John’s shredded that press, resulting in an 0-2 start to the Big East season, Calhoun wondered if they would be better off scaling back the pressure.

Here’s UConn’s longtime director of athletic communications, Tim Tolokan, on the aftermath of the St. John’s loss:

INSERT TOLOKAN CLIP 45:23

Here’s UConn assistant coach Dave Leitao recalling that fateful coach’s meeting:

INSERT LEITAO CLIP 24:44

Finally, here’s Coach Calhoun on the loss and that meeting:

INSERT CALHOUN CLIP 9:50

The Huskies had three days to prepare for their next game, a home matchup with the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Civic Center on Saturday, January 6.

Part of that preparation included their first practice in their soon-to-be-new home. 

The first game at the still unfinished $21.6 million Harry A. Gampel Pavillion was three weeks away, but the first practice on the new court was held on Thursday, January 4.

The Huskies had attempted to practice there a week earlier but the dust from the ongoing construction had made the court too slippery. 

Calhoun was looking forward to the switch from the Field House to Gampel, as he knows the upgrade will take some getting used to. [QUOTE]: “I don’t know how long it will take them to feel comfortable. We went to Alaska and it felt strange. But after two days there, everybody was settled in and that was their home. I think the players will adapt very quickly. The key will be when we start playing games there and how well we do. Boston College struggled some in its new building last year. But if you win, it becomes a home-court advantage.” [END QUOTE]

The excitement of using the brand new facility for the first time was tempered by the absence of one of the key members of the team, Scott Burrell.

Burrell had an MRI on his left knee but the results wouldn’t be reviewed until the morning of the Pittsburgh game.

Calhoun was preparing for the Panthers as if Scott would not be available, in which case Dan Cyrulik would move back into the starting lineup. Calhoun also increased the practice workload for Murray Williams and freshman Toraino Walker.

The Panthers, who were predicted to finish third in the conference, also came into the game looking for their first Big East win of the season. Earlier in the week, they nearly upset #1 Syracuse at home, losing 80-78.

Pitt was dealt a blow when they lost starting point guard Sean Miller for the season after undergoing foot surgery. They were led by forward Brian Shorter, who was averaging 21 points per game.

The Huskies were down 6-2 after the first four minutes when Calhoun subbed in Lyman DePriest. Lyman was tasked with denying the ball from Shorter. Said Calhoun, [QUOTE] “Pitt was looking for Shorter. When DePriest took that option away from them, Pitt became a perimeter team. Perimeter defense is our strength defensively and that made our job easier.” [END QUOTE]

As the first half moved along, the game was tied at 19 with 3:11 left. After a Tate George steal led to a hoop and foul by Rod Sellers, Pitt head coach Paul Evans was T’d up. Chris Smith made one of two technical free throws, followed by a George jumper from the lane to put UConn up 24-19.

The Huskies forced 14 first half turnovers and led at halftime, 30-24.

UConn started the second half with a 12-4 run but the Panthers cut the deficit to 6 at 47-41 with 10:05 left in the game.

After a timeout by Calhoun, consecutive layups by Smith and George, followed by a 3 pointer by Smith, pushed the Huskies lead to 56-41 with 6:16 left, effectively sealing the win. The final score was UConn 79, Pittsburgh 61.

The Huskies now sported a 1-2 record in the Big East. Said Calhoun after the game, “When we lost at St. John’s, I said I loved this team. That was after a 31 point defeat. And I still kind of like them.” 

The win was also the 1,000th  win in the history of the UConn men’s basketball program.

The Steal Curtain made a rousing comeback, forcing 26 Pitt turnovers, including 17 steals, five each by George and Nadav Henefeld.

Chris Smith scored a career-high 28 points and Tate George finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and only 2 turnovers. Smith and George combined for 31 of UConn’s 49 second half points.

Lyman DePriest didn’t score any points, but once again, his play on the defensive end played a key role in the Huskies win. Calhoun said DePriest’s play on Saturday was “magnificent.”

BREAK

The news was not all positive following the win over Pittsburgh. After the game, it was announced that Scott Burrell would undergo arthroscopic surgery on Monday, January 8, to remove some torn meniscus from his left knee.

The surgery was successful and the hope was that Burrell would be back to full strength in about a month.

In the meantime, a trip to Pennsylvania was in store for another matchup with Villanova. The Wildcats were now 2-1 in the Big East and coming off a huge win in their last game, a 93-74 trouncing at the previously unbeaten and #1 team in the nation, Syracuse.

UConn was 0-10 against Villanova in their building since joining the Big East and looking to avenge their 64-57 loss to the Wildcats just over a month ago.

The Huskies went with a new starting lineup, swapping Murray Williams for Dan Cyrulik, who joined Henefeld, Sellers, Smith and George.

UConn jumped out to a 14-4 lead early, thanks to some sloppy play by Villanova. The Huskies forced 14 turnovers in the first half, on the way to a 29-20 halftime lead.

INSERT CLIP OF 1ST HALF SUMMARY 46:50 or 47:30

Early in the second half, UConn’s play began to eerily resemble the first matchup, when the Huskies shot 33%.

INSERT CLIP OF SMITTY MISSED LAYUP 52:20

Nova closed the deficit to three points at 35-32, when Nadav Henefeld and Chris Smith helped UConn right the ship.

INSERT CLIP 54:40 & 58:20 & 1:03:49

With UConn up 47-34, Jim Calhoun was issued his first technical foul of the season.

INSERT CLIP 1:07:04

The Huskies lead ballooned to 56-39 with 6 minutes, 21 seconds left, when Rollie Massimino yanked all five players off the floor and replaced them with little used reserves. Rollie said he was [QUOTE] “trying to make things happen with some other guys in there” [END QUOTE], but the home crowd and UConn players saw it differently.

Said Rod Sellers, “I couldn’t believe we made them quit. That was amazing.”

Sellers had a monster game, finishing with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. Here’s two of Rod’s points, assisted thanks to a beautiful pass from Henefeld:

INSERT CLIP 1:21:15

UConn cruised to a 71-54 victory, their first road win against the Wildcats since joining the Big East.

Said Tate George, [QUOTE], “This is as good a win as any we’ve had in awhile. I wanted to finally get one here, we all did.” [END QUOTE]

The Huskies forced 25 turnovers, including 17 steals. Nova guard Greg Woodard, who scored a career-high 27 in Villanova’s upset of Syracuse in their previous game, was held to just 7 points.

Henefeld was named Player of the Game, finishing with a career-high 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 steals, while Chris Smith also scored 19 and went 4 of 6 from 3 point range.

UConn would stay on the road, traveling to East Rutherford, NJ to face Seton Hall on Saturday, January 13th. The Huskies were looking for their third consecutive Big East win, which was last accomplished during the 1982-83 season.

The Pirates entered the game with a record of 8-4 and 1-1 in the Big East. They started two freshmen in the backcourt, Daryl Crist and Terry Dehere, but their strength was in the front court. Frantz Volcy, Anthony Avent and Michael Cooper always presented a physical challenge for the opposition.

Here’s Rod Sellers:

INSERT ROD CLIP 30:33

Once again, Murray Williams started over Dan Cyrulik, who after averaging nearly 20 minutes per game over the first 10 games of the season, has averaged only 12.5 minutes over the last 5 games, including a season-low 3 minutes in the previous game at Villanova.

For most of the first half, it was a typical Big East slugfest. There were nine lead changes and neither team led by more than four points until UConn went on a 13-3 run to end the half. 

INSERT CLIP 35:50

The Huskies led 42-31 at halftime.

INSERT CLIP 42:51

Both teams came out of the locker room hot, with each team trading hoops for the first 12 minutes. UConn maintained a comfortable lead during that stretch, never letting Seton Hall get closer than 7 points.

Then the Huskies went on a 9-0 run to take a 69 to 53 lead with 8 minutes 10 seconds left in the game.

INSERT CLIP 1:06:00

But the Pirates weren’t done. Led by Michael Cooper, who scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, Seton Hall went on a run of their own, outscoring UConn 21-6 over the next 7 minutes and 55 seconds.

The run was capped off by a Terry Dehere 3 pointer, his fourth of the game, with 37.8 seconds left, bringing the Pirates to within one at 75-74.

Henefeld was quickly fouled with 37 seconds left and he calmly sank both ends of a 1 & 1 to make the score 77-74, UConn.

Cooper, who was 8 for 8 from the floor in the second half, missed his next shot. Lyman DePriest controlled the rebound, which led to a full court pass from Henefeld to a streaking Rod Sellers who promptly dunked to seal the UConn victory. The final score, UConn 79, Seton Hall 76.

INSERT CLIP 1:26:30

Sellers followed up his strong performance against Villanova with another beauty, finishing with 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting and 7 rebounds.

Henefeld continued to impress, scoring 14 points while adding 8 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists. He now has 74 steals on the season and moved closer to the UConn single season mark of 83, set by Bobby Dulin in the 1979-80 season.

John Gwynn bounced back from his only scoreless game of the season against Villanova, scoring 14 points.

The Huskies forced 23 Seton Hall turnovers, including 18 steals.

The back to back road wins impressed Jim Calhoun, who said after the game [QUOTE] “I said from the beginning I liked this team. Now they’re showing why. I think we’re pretty good.’ [END QUOTE]

The flogging at the hands of St. John’s just 11 days prior seemed like ancient history.

The Huskies now had an overall record of 13-3 and were 3-2 in the Big East, which put them right in the middle of the standings. 

The three game winning streak was significant for UConn, as the upcoming schedule seemed daunting.

Up next for the Huskies was a Big Monday matchup against the sixth-ranked Syracuse Orangemen at the Hartford Civic Center, followed by the #2 ranked Georgetown Hoyas, also at the Civic Center, five nights later.

When the week was over, nothing would ever be the same for the program.

BREAK

Coming up on the next episode of The Dream Season Podcast, Huskymania is unleashed.

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

Written sources for this episode are the Hartford Courant archives and Hoop Tales: UConn Huskies Men’s Basketball by The Mayor, Wayne Norman and Robert Porter.

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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 an audio recording of your recollections, along with your name and location, and I will include them in that episode. Thank you Steve for submitting the most recent memory! 

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As always, thank you so much for listening!!