UConn Men: Ollie Preaches Chemistry, Which Worked Last Season

WALLINGFORD There will be one more chance to celebrate the national championship, at First Night on Friday, but the process of moving forward is well underway for the UConn men.

"Our guys have been doing an amazing job of going forward," coach Kevin Ollie said before appearing with Geno Auriemma at a UConn Alumni Association event Tuesday night.

"We've been looking forward since the championship," Ollie said. "We've been looking forward to the new season, and things change. It's good to celebrate one more time with the banner unveiling. It's always good to reflect."

A crowd of about 450 came for dinner and the question-and-answer session with Ollie and Auriemma at the Oakdale Theatre.

The first building block for the 2014-15 Huskies is chemistry, that mysterious element that is so hard to define, yet, as was the case during UConn's run to the championship last March, so easy to see. Two years ago, Ollie brought in sports psychologist Joe Carr to spend a weekend with the team and help build that chemistry.

"Oh, yeah, Dr. Carr is always around," Ollie said. "He calls me all the time, he's one of my closest friends. He's always there in spirit, and he comes around periodically."

As the Huskies look to repeat as champions, something last done by Florida in 2006-07, they bring back many players, but some will have different, more prominent roles. Ryan Boatright, the lone senior, is taking on a stronger leadership role.

"We're going to have good chemistry," Ollie said. "That's what we work on first and foremost. Have good chemistry, and everything falls into place behind that. We want to build them from the neck up, and then we'll take care of the neck down. The first thing we've got to build is mental toughness. They've got to have mental toughness, because that's what it takes to become a champion. We want to win championships every day. Everyone wants to think about the end goal. But I want to win championships every day and if we can do that, we'll be where we need to be at the end of the season. I have an obsession with getting better, and hopefully they have the same obsession that I do."

UConn had its first practice Oct. 4, a rugged 3 1/2-hour workout. The Huskies worked again the next day and then had a few days off. This past Saturday, they scrimmaged for the first time, another chance for freshmen Daniel Hamilton and Rakim Lubin and transfer Sam Cassell Jr. to experience how UConn works.

"They're playing aggressive," Ollie said, "they don't have a choice in the matter. They have to play one way. The [newcomers] look good. We're trying to get them integrated into our system, how to play at a level five. That's kind of hard for incoming freshmen."

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UConn Men: Ollie Preaches Chemistry, Which Worked Last Season