Kevin Ollie told me not to skip class

A look at men’s basketball open practice

Every fall season, UConn men’s basketball holds open practices to give the student body a chance to see how the team trains.

The team showed incredible energy/cohesion in their warmup drills and overall practice. When I think of my high school’s Class S championship team there was definitely hard work and dedication on the part of every team member. But this was like watching a professional squad. Every drill was accompanied by cheering and clapping. The players put full effort into every layup. The student spectators stayed quiet, watching their team in awe.

Brimah in particular has a lot of charisma both on and off the court. He amused students and trainers alike with his comments during drills, and his teammates both literally and figuratively look up to him. He also recognized the student presence, claiming they were talking after a missed shot.

While the mood was intense, it was also upbeat. Humor is clearly as important to the athletes as agility. Ollie said: “You gotta stop me. I’m 42 years old you gotta block me” during a layup drill, it was one of many examples of his great coaching. Ollie’s clearly not afraid to be tough either. His tenacity as a coach was evident when he made the team restart a passing drill until they got it right.

At the end of the hour practice, Coach Kevin Ollie approached the student spectators. As a testament to the team’s work ethic, he revealed they had another two hours of training scheduled that day.

After thanking students for coming out, he said: “We need more than basketball to represent this institution. Don’t skip class for this, or I get in trouble.”

When he asked for a show of hands by Ollie, a third of students present confirmed they were missing a lecture in true Husky fashion.

As if it wasn’t cool enough already, there’s a surprisingly generous raffle. If students go they can win a TV, tablet or PS4. UConn athletics also tossed free T shirts into the seating, as always. If you don’t believe me, I saw with my own eyes a kid staggering out of Gampel under the weight of his TV. While I can’t imagine that was a convenient win, but it was a win nonetheless.

From the second they stepped onto the court until the end of the practice, there was an almost electric energy in Gampel. If you needed a reminder as to why we’re the basketball capital of the world, stop by an open practice. It will be more than apparent.