UConn men: Calhoun's emerging game

STORRS, Conn. -- Omar Calhoun's bandaged right wrist hurts to the point with every jump shot that the freshman takes he cringes.

So, what has the 6-foot-4 freshman guard done?

He had resorted to other parts of his game.

Calhoun has spent much of the season as a 3-point shooter and perimeter scorer but after hurting his wrist in UConn's loss to Villanova the Brooklyn native has started to forget his jump shot and attack the rim. The results have left UConn coach Kevin Ollie smiling.

Omar Calhoun is averaging 11.6 points per game for UConn, which hosts No. 7 Georgetown tonight in Storrs.

Calhoun is 9 of 14 shooting in two games but has managed to put up 27 points in the two games and is 7 of 11 from the foul line. Calhoun, who took 12 3-pointers against St. John's in one game, is 2 of 5 from 3-point range after the injury in 65 minutes of action in wins over Cincinnati and DePaul.

The Huskies, who play No. 7 Georgetown tonight at Gampel Pavilion on ESPN2, have watched the other part of Calhoun's game -- the slasher and scorer. The freshman is now averaging 11.6 points per game and is actually scoring at a higher rate in Big East play(12.0 per game) than he did in the easier non-conference schedule. That's a tell-tale sign of progress.

So, is it the wrist altering his game positively, or just Calhoun getting more comfortable?

It's me being a ball player," Calhoun said Tuesday. "Teams are trying to run me off the line and I am showing I can do other things. My wrist is bothering me, but i am fighting through it."

The other things is getting to the foul line and then also rebounding. the Huskies' size issues are well known and Calhoun's rebounding support is a godsend for Ollie. Calhoun has had at least five rebounds in a game in each of the last seven games.

The versatility in Calhoun's game was always there, he's just learning how to use it.

"(Calhoun's)

passing the ball a little more, and that's a good thing," Ollie said. "He added it to his game by default. Omar came in as a scorer and he was spotting up earlier in the season and that's where he stayed. He's using pump fakes and using his body and getting to the rim. He got to the free throw line line a lot of times and he is adding a pump fake and getting to his mid-range game."

Calhoun is shooting 43 percent from the floor and 33 percent from 3-point range with 3.8 rebounds a game.