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It's never too early to look ahead to next year.
Though it will be difficult for UConn athletics (especially the basketball teams) to duplicate the success of this season, 2009-2010 has plenty of potential as well.
Sure, Donald Brown and his 2,083 rushing yards have moved on to the NFL, but the duo of Andre Dixon and Jordan Todman, along with a more wide-open passing attack, should be enough to keep UConn football in the thick of things. On the defensive side of the ball, UConn returns seven starters, including standouts Scott Lutrus, Lawrence Wilson and Robert Vaughn. A nine- or 10-win season is certainly within reach.
Obviously, this is "the year" for the top-ranked men's basketball team. But even when A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien and Craig Austrie graduate and Hasheem Thabeet inevitably declares for the NBA Draft, there's still a boatload of talent on the roster. Kemba Walker will be one of the best point guards in America next season. Jerome Dyson will be back. So will Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards. Make no mistakes - UConn will be a contender in 2010.
And then there's the women's team. Unless Maya Moore feels like jumping ship early for her $30,000 in WNBA money, she'll be in Storrs for two more years - which means two more potential National Championships.
Clearly, most of UConn's major sports teams are in good shape for 2010, except for one: cheerleading.
To put it bluntly, UConn cheer is - for the lack of a better word - screwed.
The harsh realization set in during Saturday's "Senior Night" basketball game versus Notre Dame. The Huskies were in a groove, the crowd was bumping, the pep band was, well, being the pep band. Then, during the under 8-minute TV timeout in the first half, all six male cheerleaders trotted onto the court to be honored.
First it was Ron Clark, followed by a loud applause. Then Matt Golod. Then Jared Christopherson, the odds-on favorite to win MVP of the squad this year. The applause continued, but lightened up a bit.
Then Mike Colonnese. Then Bobby Karat. And then Anthony Parrish. (All of this information was obtained on cheerleading.uconn.edu. Yes, that really is the address).
Gampel Pavilion sunk into a dead silence. The jaws of most fans dropped. I think I spoke for everyone when I mustered up the energy to say, "What the hell do we do now?"
Next year won't be pretty, that's for sure. With six male cheerleaders graduating, there is absolutely no big-game experience on the roster for 2010. Sophomore Marvin Michel and seldom-used freshman Mike Levenduski are the only returnees, and neither has cheered at a men's basketball game.
Remember how ugly the 2006-2007 men's basketball season was following the departures of Rudy Gay, Marcus Williams, Hilton Armstrong, Josh Boone, Rashad Anderson and Denham Brown? Well, next year is going to be much worse. Stuntin' will no longer be a habit for UConn cheer. In fact, with such inexperience at the the base positions, it will be awfully hard to pull off the aerial stunts that have defined the squad in the past.
All those "basket tosses?" Not next season.
How about a simple "Liberty" stunt? We've probably seen the last of that, as well.
Next year, UConn cheer will feature much more "BE AGGRESSIVE, B-E AGGRESSIVE, B-E A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E AGGRESSIVE!!" and much fewer elevator stunts. We just have to accept that.
The most difficult pill for the fans to swallow: The T-Shirt throwing will take a serious, serious hit. The slingshot will still reach those pathetic fans in the last few rows, and the female cheerleaders can hit Blue and White boy and Co. in the first couple of rows, but that leaves everyone else out in the dark. There aren't any male cheerleaders to throw them to anyone in between.
When the PA announcer yells "Everyone out of your seats for those T-Shirts," trust me, just remain seated. You're not getting one.
Most media members will scrutinize the coaches for this mass exodus of male cheerleaders, but truthfully, there isn't much they could have done to prevent it. Coaches get whoever shows up to tryouts, and that's it. If six seniors show up to tryouts, then they're stuck with six seniors. The only way around this is to do some on-campus recruiting. The coaches shouldn't be afraid to raid the gym for some big dudes who excel on the shoulder-press. They shouldn't be afraid to put flyers around campus, either. It's either that or hire Sparky Polastri.
And with the well-publicized budget deficit, I don't think the university can afford his services.
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