UConn has the talent to defend its title

Jim Calhoun couldn't have written a better fairy-tale ending to his career than the improbable 11-game run Kemba Walker led through the Big East Tournament and all the way to Connecticut's third NCAA men's basketball championship last spring. But the 69-year-old Calhoun was so thrilled by the experience that he couldn't resist returning for his 40th season of head coaching.

Should anyone be surprised? "It was 110 percent certain that he was coming back," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said with a laugh during Big East media day Wednesday at the New York Athletic Club. "And he will be back next year and the next year and the next year."

Calhoun and Boeheim both had reason to be in good spirits Wednesday. Their teams tied for the top spot in the Big East preseason coaches' poll, although Calhoun's Huskies had more first-place votes by a 7-5 margin.

Calhoun is six months removed from the championship win over Butler, but he was just as ebullient Wednesday as he was that April night at Houston's Reliant Stadium. With good reason. Walker has moved on to the NBA, but the Huskies return senior forward Alex Oriakhi and a young supporting cast that includes combo guard-forward Jeremy Lamb, who was described by Boeheim as "the best player at his position in the country," and point guard Shabazz Napier.

UConn also has three freshmen expected to contribute right away, including 6-11, 277-pound center Andre Drummond, who was regarded as the top recruit in the nation by many and was voted preseason Big East rookie of the year. Joining him are 6-8 DeAndre Daniels, a top 10 recruit who can play two-guard or small forward, and point guard Ryan Boatright.

How is Drummond fitting in with the national champs? "You go out in the street and find me a 6-11, 277-pound player who can touch the top of the backboard, and I'll find a place to put him in," Calhoun said. "The biggest surprise is just how athletic he is. He can do so many effective things right now instinctively."

Last year, Connecticut was voted 10th in the preseason poll. They went 14-0 in non-conference games but were 9-9 in league play and had to win five games to win the Big East Tournament.

"They evolved into being a coach's dream," Calhoun said. "We had a great leader in Kemba."

The addition of Drummond to Lamb and Shabazz might give the Huskies a chance to repeat as national champions.

"We're more talented, but do the pieces all go together as perfectly as they did last year?" Calhoun asked. "We don't have anybody as magical as Kemba right now. Everyone who is a sports fan could feel the magic Kemba gave his teammates. That's a tough thing to find."