Connecticut News

DYSON BACK AT FULL FORCE FOR UCONN

Junior guard leads Huskies in scoring after rollercoaster 2007-2008

by Zach Smart

Storrs–Jerome Dyson was virtually non-existent in Connecticut men’s basketball program.And apparently, the 6-foot-3 guard’s 14.3 points per game, set three-pointers, quick slashes to the tin, and acrobatic, rim-ringing dunks weren’t too sorelymissed by the Huskies.

The Huskies reeled off five straight victories–three against nationally ranked opponents–since Dyson’s run-in with the on-campus police. Surprisingly enough, they were doing better without their go-to-guy.

Dyson was suspended following an alcohol-related incident on campus. He was caught with then-teammate Doug Wiggins, who was driving with a suspended license, trying to get bottles of Cognac on campus. Realistically, he was doing what perhaps every other UConn student would be doing on a weekend evening. After failing a school-administered drug test, however, Dyson prolonged his suspension.

“It was a rough experience,” said Dyson who now leads the Huskies with 15.4 points per game.

“I definitely wanted to be out there with my teammates, playing. Just to be able to get back into the swing of things. Right now, I’m just picking up where I left off (before the suspension).”

No question.

Dyson has become a more aggressive scorer and has become more active on the offense. His assists and rebounds are up, his turnovers down.

During UConn’s 99-57 drubbing of Stony Brook, slicin’ dyson’s maturity and growth were in high definition.

Dyson orchestrated the offense when Kemba Walker and AJ Price were out of the game, and scored on putbacks and a pair of treys.

The Rockville, Md. product finished with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting. He snared eight boards and handed out five assists.

“Coach is always tells me ‘be a leader,’” said Dyson, now one of the few elder statesmen on the Huskies.

“Being connected with these guys off the court definitely helps. Right now the chemistry is great, the chemistry that everyone has developed together is the best that it’s been since freshman year.”

Dyson, who chose UConn over Maryland and Providence, played his high school ball at Churchill in Montgomery County, Md. Dyson’s uncle, the legendary Eugene Dyson, left a legacy that few can eclipse at Churchill. Eugene Dyson has since been incarcerated and public school problems like overpopulated classrooms and poor emphasis on academics led to Dyson’s departure of Churchill.

Behind the tutelage of mentor Walter Ray III, the founder and director of E.G.O.S. Inc. (Education, Goals, Opportunities and Sports), Dyson got into Proctor Academy in New Hampshire, where he extended his high school career. Dyson’s squad played all the tough prep schools that year, including top programs such as Notre Dame Prep, and he got a first-rate education, something he felt he never could have gotten had he stayed at Churchill.

So, the suspension presented a major pothole on what had been a basketball journey for Dyson. At UConn, the gym is open all the time. With his team on road trips and in featured games on ESPN, Dyson got into the gym and fired away. He shot with student managers rebounding for him. He worked with former Husky and NBA player Donyell Marshall, maintaining the shape Calhoun and company pushed him into during the first half of the season.

The feeling of frustration, however, could not elude Dyson.

“It was different,” he recalls. “You really can’t simulate a game-type performance so I couldn’t wait to get back.”

Dyson, who was nearly yanked in the first half for cocking back an eye-popping, rim-punishing dunk attempt that bounced off the rim, has been back in full force. He’s the player Calhoun remembers recruiting and his presence in the fast break game and on defense is invaluable.

“Right now, I think that we can get up and down with anybody. The goal is just to go out and play and put one in the win column.”

Heading to Seattle to face Gonzaga next, Dyson knows the stakes are raised.

“This is a real test for us at this point,” said Dyson.

For more stories on Connecticut, including a look at Stanley Robinson’s return last night from Zach, please visit our UConn Team Blog Site.

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