The UConn Blog: FanPosts

UConn vs Michigan Preview from MGoBlog.com

2013-06-17T04:16:39Z

Check it out: http://mgoblog.com/content/2013-opponent-preview-uconn

They predict a Michigan win by the score of 14-6. I think the 6 would probably be right, but I would expect for Michigan to hang at least 10 more points on us.

FWIW, the post felt like it was as respectable as it could be towards the UConn team. I can see other bloggers being maligning the team and the AAC conference much more.

Check it out: http://mgoblog.com/content/2013-opponent-preview-uconn

They predict a Michigan win by the score of 14-6. I think the 6 would probably be right, but I would expect for Michigan to hang at least 10 more points on us.

FWIW, the post felt like it was as respectable as it could be towards the UConn team. I can see other bloggers being maligning the team and the AAC conference much more.

UConn officially eligible for NCAA Tournament in 2013-14

2013-06-11T22:20:42Z

SportzEdge.com, the new site from WTNH, posted an article called, "UConn officially eligible for NCAA Tournament in 2013-14."

The wait is over and the UConn men's basketball team can get back to business. Coach Kevin Ollie is ready to take UConn back to the NCAA tournament.

The Huskies went 20-10 last year, including a 13-3 record at home. It is imperative that UConn maintains that home court advantage.

Fans of the Huskies are eager to have the basketball season start as soon as possible and watch their team take down opponents from the Big East.

SportzEdge.com, the new site from WTNH, posted an article called, "UConn officially eligible for NCAA Tournament in 2013-14."

The wait is over and the UConn men's basketball team can get back to business. Coach Kevin Ollie is ready to take UConn back to the NCAA tournament.

The Huskies went 20-10 last year, including a 13-3 record at home. It is imperative that UConn maintains that home court advantage.

Fans of the Huskies are eager to have the basketball season start as soon as possible and watch their team take down opponents from the Big East.

50 Greatest Players in UConn Men’s Basketball History

2013-06-06T20:29:03Z

SportzEdge.com, the new site from WTNH, posted an article of the 50 Greatest Players in UConn Men's Basketball History. Kels Dayton knows his UConn basketball! I agree with his comment about Khalid El-Amin; he was the heart and soul of the 1999 championship team. It was a pleasure watching El-Amin for three seasons and was worthy as a top ten player in UConn history. Kemba Walker did carry the Huskies to a NCAA title in 2011, but I gotta put Ray Allen number one on my list. Allen is a future Hall of Famer and I could see him now nailing another three-pointer against my New York Knicks.

Toughest 2013 AAC Non-Conference Schedule

2013-05-31T20:43:43Z

Not sure if anyone else has seen this, but FBSschedules.com did a ranking on which AAC team has the toughest non-conference schedule for 2013. UConn is ranked 5th on this list with a slate of Towson, Maryland, Michigan, and Buffalo.

I think we should be ranked a little bit higher, but it seems to be a pretty valid ranking. My hope is for us to go 3-1 (the one loss to Michigan).

What are your thoughts on UConn's upcoming non-conference schedule?

New AAC Logo Released

2013-05-30T14:35:09Z

http://www.the-boneyard.com/threads/aac-logo-released.39736/

Not surprisingly, there seems to be a lot of discontent from UConn fans and alum, but I chalk that up more to the mediocrity of the conference than the actual logo itself. According to one of the posts on the Boneyard, there seems to be over a 70% approval rating for this logo. I think it is a solid logo, though the tilted shooting star is a little funky.

http://www.the-boneyard.com/threads/aac-logo-released.39736/

Heading in the Right Direction-UCONN Hockey

2013-05-15T20:06:03Z

UCONN Hockey is heading in the right direction. As this past season will attest finishing fourth in the Atlantic Hockey conference at 19-14-4, UCONN has already shown flashes that with a plan in place, moving forward is a priority. Dave Berard who was at the helm for most of the year as the Interim head coach was recently replaced by BC assistant Mike Cavanaugh. For those of you that don't follow college hockey, BC has been at the pinnacle of D-1 hockey for the last decade and beyond. They along with Boston University have ruled the Hockey East conference. It is important to point out that without scholarships to give out, the hockey program struggled mightily. Now with our invitation to Hockey East the University will be offering scholarships on a yearly basis starting with enrollment this fall. Our maximum scholarship players will be at 20. There is also an agreement in place with Hockey East that a new facility will be under contract by 2016. This is important for many reasons. Just like in any major sport the facility can help land the blue chip recruit. Of course the coach has more of an impact (Calhoun started with nothing) but with state of the art facilities it makes the coaches job easier. What the hockey program will need is total support from the state. With the men's basketball program back on track and the football program making strides we need to back hockey. This past season the huskies played Air Force at the XL center before a whale game. The game was very competitive however with only a few hundred fans in attendance the center seemed like a graveyard. Pass the word along to go out and learn about hockey so we can support this team on their way to Hockey East. We have kicked BC around in Basketball and I'm sure lately we could destroy them in football. Now is the time to get on the bandwagon and watch them creep up on BC dominance in Hockey. Enjoy

Daniel Hamilton Commits to Huskies

2013-05-14T19:54:22Z

Daniel Hamilton a 6-6 guard/wing from Los Angeles and rated no. 27 among all high school juniors,commits to UCONN. He will be pared up in the backcourt with Rodney Purvis, who transfers from NC State. Hamilton Tweeted "Ya boy, just committed to Connecticut," Hamilton tweeted at 12:06 a.m. Eastern Time. "#huskyguard can’t wait." Kevin Oliie grew up in LA and may have a little inside track on the LA scene. Ollie certainly turned out to be an excellent coach and it also looks like he will be an excellent recruiter.

Daniel Hamilton 2014 St. John Bosco (CA) at the Adidas Invitational (via PrepHoopsTV)

Our Interview With Star Recruit, Kentan Facey

2013-05-03T23:07:21Z

Real Radio spoke with UConn's star recruit for the 2013-14 Huskies squad and asked about his decision to come to UConn as well as his plans for the future. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to 6'9" power forward, Kentan Facey! You may not know his name now, but you will soon enough. I can promise you that!

Check out the full interview by hitting the link below:

http://www.realradioblog.com/2013/05/our-time-with-star-uconn-recruit-kentan.html

Check out the full interview by hitting the link below:

http://www.realradioblog.com/2013/05/our-time-with-star-uconn-recruit-kentan.html

BREAKING NEWS: Shabazz Napier will be returning for his senior year at UConn

2013-04-26T16:42:18Z

BREAKING NEWS:

Shabazz Napier will be returning for his senior year at UConn. Check out the story at Real Radio. More details coming soon! This according to sources at the University of Connecticut. Napier developed into a talented guard, and more importantly, a reliable leader last season, and I'm excited to see what he can do with one more year under his belt. More details coming soon.

Full Story: http://www.realradioblog.com/2013/04/breaking-news-shabazz-returning-for-his.html

Turning the page to 2013-2014: UConn Basketball Preview

2013-04-15T23:21:42Z

The 2012-13 UConn basketball season may be over, but it's never too early to look ahead to next year. Well, perhaps it is, but that's not going to stop me from doing it anyway.

From departures and key returning players, to a break down of the newcomers, On Campus Sports is providing UConn fans with a way too early preview of the 2013-14 Huskies. Personally, I think we have all the tools to make a deep tournament run next year. Agree? Disagree? I encourage you to check out our analysis and weigh in with your own opinions! Hit the link below to see my full analysis.

2013-2014 UConn Basketball Preview: http://oncampussports.com/2013/04/turning-the-page-to-2013-2014-uconn/

The 2012-13 UConn basketball season may be over, but it's never too early to look ahead to next year. Well, perhaps it is, but that's not going to stop me from doing it anyway.

2013-2014 UConn Basketball Preview: http://oncampussports.com/2013/04/turning-the-page-to-2013-2014-uconn/

A Different Take on the UConn Rebranding

2013-04-15T16:00:27Z

It is not my intention to write something here that just rails against UConn for the new logo and rebranding efforts. There is enough one-sided criticism out there. While I certainly do have my criticisms, it also must be acknowledged what they did well, and yes, they did do some things well.

To start off, I absolutely love the initial UConn wordmark. I know it is based off a font that was created close to ten years ago, but I really like how clean it is. Previously, I had mixed feelings about the use of that lettering. I liked how it was unique to UConn, but I felt like the school had a tendency to clutter them up with unnecessary outlines thus making it feel too bulky. If they can keep that wordmark clean, then I would love to see them throw it on a jersey similar to the throwbacks the men wore in 2006.

Additionally, I like that we are standardizing how UConn athletics will represent the school. No more will we see the Baseball team , Football team and Men's and Women's basketball teams each with their own branding. I always found that odd, especially the variation in the Men's and Women's Basketball. These were two of the top programs in the country for each gender, playing the same sport, what better opportunity to promote the school brand than to unify their looks. This will finally rectify that.

As for the Jonathan logo, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I think it is well designed. It is fairly simple and clean as a standalone logo. I like that it is not overly aggressive. In fact, it was pointed out to me that if you cover up mouth on the old Jonathan and new Jonathan, the eyes on the old Jonathan actually may be more aggressive. I think the tongue disperses any aggression the eyes may portray but it was an interesting observation nonetheless. However, when paired with the UConn wordmark, the red outline needs to go. It is unnecessary, starts making the wordmark feel bulky again and only detracts from the logo.

Yet that said, I don't like the logo... for UConn. Don't get me wrong, I like the logo itself, just I do not think it is good for this school. It does bother me that he is not all white now, considering all the live Jonathans always are, but I will not devote much space to that, that really is a secondary issue to me. Of more concern to me is that it feels too generic. My first reaction was that it is the love puppy of the Washington Huskies and New Mexico Lobos. After giving it a day and returning to it, I thought it reminded me of a cleaned up version of the Minnesota Timberwolves logo (and their old logo too).

That to me is the biggest problem, it just is too similar to many other logos. To me if you are rebranding here, you are trying to further position this school as a national brand. Using the UConn typeface was a good first step because there really is not much out there like it. However, the logo kind of feels like one of the generic ones you find in older Madden games (2004-2006 era) when you want to move your team to a new city.

Really though, why does Jonathan even have to be the basis for the logo? Look at some of the major national brands in college sports. Some do use their mascot as the basis for their logo, but a lot of them do not. Look at the most dominant teams of the past 15 years in basketball (UNC, Kansas, Duke, Kentucky) and football (USC, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Miami, Oregon, Texas). Look at some of the other classic programs that are national brands (Notre Dame, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska). How many of them use their mascot as their primary logo? How many of their logos are instantly recognizable?

Now maybe I am off base here and those logos have brand recognition because of the long term success these schools have achieved. Maybe all that needs to happen is that UConn continues to win, play deep into March each year and improve their football team. Or maybe, the all white Jonathan already has that. Maybe since UConn has been a Men's and Women's basketball powerhouse for the past 20+ years with one form of Jonathan or another as the basis for their logo, it already is gaining that notoriety. If that is the case, why run away from it? Embrace it, tweak it like they did the last time, and continue the brand, rather than trying to create a new one.

But if they really want to rebrand, there are better options out there. UConn already has an interlocking UC logo they can make more prominent. It is already on the Men's shorts, and you find it on some of their other gear as well. Personally, I have always felt that logo was underutilized. If they really want to rebrand, make that the focus. You can keep a form of Jonathan around, but make it a secondary logo, much like Notre Dame does with their Irishman or Kentucky with their Wildcat. This better compliments the wordmark, feels less like a mid-major logo than the new Jonathan and more like one of the powerhouse logos as demonstrated above.

UConn needs to be thinking big picture now, how to promote themselves as a national brand. On the one hand the school does a good job of that by consolidating sports brands and standardizing their athletics to be known as UConn (as opposed to Connecticut). Unfortunately, I just think the new logo is off the mark in that regard.

Husky History Countdown

2013-04-12T20:33:57Z

What an interesting year it has been for the Huskies. Between conference realignment, NCAA violations, a new coach, and now a new logo, UConn has made a number of changes recently. The one thing you can't change, however, is the history of the program. To celebrate this rich, albeit short, history, I have thrown together a list of the top five players and top five teams to ever have worn the uniform. I encourage you to check out this list and comment with your own opinions, whether you agree or disagree with my selections.

My name is Nick Rizner and I'm the founder and sole author of Real Radio, a blog that focuses on the intellectual side of music, television, and sports. If you like my article, I strongly encourage you to check out the rest of my work. I am the author of every post on the site and stand by their quality. Anyway, let's get right to the list. Check it out by hitting the link below!

The Countdown: http://www.realradioblog.com/2013/04/real-sports-husky-history-countdown.html

Michigan vs. Louisville: Who ya got?

2013-04-09T00:55:35Z

We're less than an hour away from the National Championship game and I want to know who UConn fans are pulling for. On one hand, Michigan ended Syracuse's hopes at a 2nd National Title. On the other hand, Louisville is a Big East rival who kept the Orange from becoming the champs of the final Big East Tournament. So who do you want to take it all? Vote now by hitting the link below!

Vote Now!

UConn Recruits Competing in NYC Mayor's Cup Basketball All-Star Games

2013-03-28T20:21:27Z

The best high school basketball players in NYC will meet in the NYC Mayor's Cup Basketball All-Star Games on Friday, April 5th at Baruch College in Manhattan.

At 7pm future Huskies, Terrence Samuel and Jordan Fuchs will square off while leading a team of all-stars representing NYC's Public and Catholic High School leagues.

This event will mark the first time in over 50 years that the two leagues will face each other in an officially sanctioned all-star basketball game. Click here for the full rosters (.pdf)

More information about the games can also be found at http://www.facebook.com/nycmayorscup.

The best high school basketball players in NYC will meet in the NYC Mayor's Cup Basketball All-Star Games on Friday, April 5th at Baruch College in Manhattan.

At 7pm future Huskies, Terrence Samuel and Jordan Fuchs will square off while leading a team of all-stars representing NYC's Public and Catholic High School leagues.

This event will mark the first time in over 50 years that the two leagues will face each other in an officially sanctioned all-star basketball game. Click here for the full rosters (.pdf)

More information about the games can also be found at http://www.facebook.com/nycmayorscup.

Trolls need to get flu vaccine

2013-02-26T17:45:10Z

Trolls are required by Federal Government to get H1N1 vaccine. As a fellow troll there are vaccinations in the back alley behind Walgreens by homeless guys. You need to pay them 20 dollars and they will reuse their needles. You will get a free prostitude of your choice if you come in and get the vacine by march 1st, 2013. The virus is deadly and will experience coughing blood and your stool will be bloody if not treated, death will follow. Do it for your fellow troll.