UConn kicks off basketball season with Husky Run
(NECN: Brian Burnell, Storrs, Conn.) – The University of Connecticut Huskies Men’s basketball season ended in April with an 82 to 73 loss to Michigan State in the NCAA final four. A successful season yet disappointing for a program that has become the best in college basketball in New England and one of the top five in the country. With a chill in the air outside Gampel Pavilion on the Uconn campus in Storrs a new season is just around the corner. Its started on Wednesday, sort of, with the Husky Run. Its a three-and-a-half mile run for the team and fans can sign up to run along. How important is this? Jim Calhoun, UConn Coach: There’s never a correlation between winning this race and being the Big East Player of the Year. Never a direct correlation. This is far from the first workout the Huskies have seen. Their pre-season starts early. Jim Calhoun, UConn Coach: Seven o’clock weight training and do conditioning, 8 o’clock breakfast and then on to classes and individual instructions and tutoring sessions and so on. This run is the wrap-up to that and its an opportunity for fans to get some autographs from their favorite Huskies and compete with these world class athletes. Mike Ellis, Tolland CT: You didn’t run in the past but you did this year. I did this year because unfortunately I lost my job a couple of months ago so I’ve got my days off now so I saw it in the paper and I came out and decided to run with the guys. I think I beat a lot of them. I know I passed some and I didn’t see them pass me so either I beat them or they found a quicker way to the finish line. Its important to remember this is a road race, not a pickup game. Gavin Edwards, UConn Forward: Any significance to winning this? To being one of the first players across the line in this today? Just proving that I’m in shape. And that’s what coach wants to see. That’s about it. A three-and-a-half mile run is a good workout for just about anybody but for the Huskies this is really just a fun run. And even the first practice, first night on the 16th, that’s kind of a show for the fans. No, the real work starts the next morning, Saturday morning. That’s the first real practice of the season.
