With Kemba Walker watching from the stands Wednesday night, UConn got off to a strong start in the post-Kemba Era.
Jeremy Lamb scored 17 points and Shabazz Napier added 15 assists, nine points and seven boards to help the No. 4 Huskies rout American International 78-35 in an exhibition game.
“I think we can be very good,” Lamb told SNY.tv in the below video interview. “We lost Kemba but we still have a lot of talent, a lot of good players.”
“This team is very talented,” added junior forward Alex Oriakhi. “I definitely think it can be more talented than it was last year.”
Freshman center Andre Drummond made his debut on schedule despite the broken nose and mild concussion he sustained in practice last week.
The 6-foot-11 Drummond, who was wearing a protective mask, scored his first points with a thunderous tip-dunk following a miss by Lamb. He finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
“He’s big, can jump out the jump,” Lamb said of Drummond. “He’s the real deal. He can rebound, plays good post defense. He’s a real good player.”
One of Drummond’s fellow newcomers, guard Ryan Boatright was held out of the game as UConn and the NCAA investigate his eligibility. Boatright, who was on the bench and not in uniform during the game, is not being forced to the sidelines for academic reasons, school officials said, but it’s unclear what the issue is.
UConn is 42-6 in exhibitions under Jim Calhoun and has won 35 straight. It has now beaten AIC, Calhoun’s alma mater, five times in such games over the last six seasons.
(The AP contributed)
Here are video interviews from Big East Media Day with Lamb and Oriakhi:
