New 1-2 punch for national champion UConn

By KARA YORIO of The Sporting News

Charlie Villanueva grabs his right ankle with his right hand and barely bends over. He is bringing up the rear of the Connecticut stretching exercise: bend right leg back and grab right ankle; bend forward and touch the floor with left hand; step; grab left ankle with left hand; bend and touch the floor—baseline to baseline.

Huskies Coach Jim Calhoun glances up and yells for Villanueva to make more of an effort. It looks like Villanueva, a player praised for his athleticism, will fall on his head before he gets to the baseline.

It's difficult to imagine that this is the man Calhoun says will dominate opponents at both ends of the court this season—that this is the man, along with a pivotal star freshman, who carries the Huskies' hopes to repeat as national champions, something no team has done since Duke in 1991 and 1992.

It won't be easy.

Gone are NBA lottery picks Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon and starting point guard Taliek Brown. The loss of Gordon and Brown leaves UConn with a thin and inexperienced backcourt, but even without Okafor, the Huskies have the deepest and most talented frontcourt in the nation. In addition to Villanueva, that group includes Josh Boone, Hilton Armstrong, Denham Brown, Ed Nelson and freshman Rudy Gay, who, by many accounts, is the most gifted player who didn't jump from high school to the NBA this year.

“They lost key guys, no question, but they've got a tremendous group of talented players back,” says Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim. “They're as good talentwise as any team in the country.''

Connecticut's size will make it difficult for opponents to shoot over the Huskies or to beat them physically down low. Their depth up front will allow them to play aggressively without worrying about foul trouble. But the team's performance will hinge on Villanueva's commitment at power forward and Gay's potential to be an impact player.

Villanueva spent much of the summer bulking up—he added 20 pounds and is up to 240—and working to become a more dominant force in the post.

He also played for the U.S. young men's team, and Marquette Coach Tom Crean, an assistant on that team, says Villanueva was impressive in his efforts to become more than an offensive player.

“The biggest thing that stands out to me after 19 days with Charlie Villanueva is how much he wants to get better—his desire to improve,” says Crean. “Right now, he's a versatile four/three. He can post up, make plays inside, and he's very good on the pick-and-roll.”

Villanueva also has an important off-court role as the mentor to Gay, his roommate and this season's preseason Big East rookie of the year.

Villanueva talks with Gay when he sees on-court mistakes that remind Villanueva of his own freshman errors, and he already has taught Gay about working hard to fill holes in his game.

“He knew defense was one of his weaknesses, and he made it one of his strengths,” says Gay.

Ideally, Gay would be the small forward in the Huskies' lineup, but Calhoun has been practicing a lot with Gay in the backcourt -- partly because the backcourt is so thin but mostly because Gay is so talented that the Huskies must get him minutes any way they can. With speed and good ballhandling skills, he is a 6-9 game-changer. The Huskies hope he and Villanueva become an intimidating 1-2 punch.