Rudy Gay replaces Kevin Durant on Team USA Roster

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Over the weekend it was announced Rudy Gay will replace Kevin Durant as the 16^th member on the 2014 USA National Team roster. Gay will compete against Chandler Parsons, Gordon Hayward, Kyle Korver and Demar DeRozan for a chance to represent Team USA at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain later this month. Gay’s addition gives UConn two players vying for a chance to represent our country, with Andre Drummond as the second. UConn joins Duke (Kyrie Irving, Mason Plumlee) and Kentucky (DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis) as the only college programs with two potential representatives. This is not Gay’s first stint with Team USA- he averaged 7 points off the bench for the 2010 World Championship team and was one of the last cuts made off the 2012 Olympic team. Team USA will have a training camp in Chicago August 14-16 to determine which 12 players make the final roster. Here is a look at the statistics of Gay compared to his competitors:

Player	G	MPG	PPG	FG%	3P%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG
Gay	73	34.7	20	.46	.33	6	2.9	1.3	0.8
Parsons	74	37.6	16.6	.47	.37	5.5	4.0	1.2	0.4
Hayward	77	36.4	16.2	.41	.30	5.1	5.2	1.4	0.5
Korver	71	33.9	12.0	.48	.47	4.0	2.9	1.0	0.3
DeRozan	79	38.2	22.7	.43	.31	4.3	4.0	1.1	0.4

UConn stars return for 2014 Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic

7,000+ crowded Mohegan Sun Arena Friday night for the 2014 Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic. Featuring heroes of UConn past, the game is more than just a UConn All-Star game, but raises money and awareness for the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the UConn Health Center. According to their website, the charity is dedicated to “research on new non-invasive techniques to diagnose and treat patients at risk for heart disease and also endows a cardiology research fellowship.” Since 1999 the Celebrity Classic has raised over $6.5 million for cardiology research. You can learn more here and like the event on Facebook.

Jim Calhoun watches his charity game.

Friday’s game featured current NBA players Andre Drummond, Ray Allen, Kemba Walker, Jeff Adrien, Ben Gordon, Jeremy Lamb and Charlie Villanueva as well as former stars Taliek Brown, Khalid El-Amin and Donyell Marshall. The White Team came away with a dramatic 114-112 victory on an all-but-too-familiar game winner from ’99 Champ El-Amin. Drummond led a stacked White Team with 24 points/12 rebounds while Walker (21 points), DeAndre Daniels (18), Allen (15) and El-Amin (13) all scored in double figures. Villanueva led the Blue Team dropping 24 points with Rashad Anderson (22), Lamb (21 points/8 rebounds) providing help in the scoring department and Jeff Adrien (12/13) handling the dirty work as usual. Lamb was originally on the White Team roster but crossed sides after Rudy Gay was was deemed ineligible due to language in his contract with the Sacramento Kings. It should be noted that although Gay was unable to participate in the game, he is rumored to have dropped $80,000 on a private plane to sit on the bench and support the cause. Caron Butler and Shabazz Napier were not in attendance due to prior commitments.

Pictures below:

Ray Allen Pregame

Tip off at the 2014 Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic.

Andre Drummond rises for a dunk at the 2014 Jim Calhoun Charity Classic.

Andre Drummond rises for a dunk at the 2014 Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic.

Rudy Gay poses for a selfie with Jeremy Lamb.

After party with Kemba Walker

Deandre Daniels Officially Heading to Europe

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The Toronto Raptors have come to terms with former Celtics 2013 first round pick Lucas Nogueira. Great news for Nogueira, bad news for Deandre Daniels. The Nogueira signing fills the Raptors roster, confirming rumors Daniels will be shipped overseas next season- though the Raptors will keep his rights. The team is currently in the process of finding the best fit for Daniels overseas, presumably a situation where he can get minutes immediately and continue to develop. More to come…

UCONN 2011 First Night Dunk Contest

I recently found videos I took from quite possibly the most epic dunk contest in the history of UCONN First Night (more commonly known as Midnight Madness). This particular contest featured a semifinal matchup between hyper-athletic big man Andre Drummond and bouncy guard Ryan Boatright. Both Drummond and Boatright made it difficult for the judges- consisting of Kemba Walker, Hasheem Thabeet, Ray Allen and ESPN’s Doris Burke- to announce a winner with a flurry of impressive dunks that I was lucky enough to catch on camera directly behind the basket.