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UConn men notebook: Diarra brothers relishing time spent together on Huskies' run

adam betz, journal inquirer, manchester, conn.
·5 min read
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Mar. 26—LAS VEGAS — When Hassan Diarra transferred to the Huskies prior to the season, he knew a familiar face would be waiting on him: his older brother Mamadou.

Fast forward 10 months and the brothers have experienced a magical season with the Huskies and each other. The team has reached the Final Four following its 82-54 win over third-seeded Gonzaga at T-Mobile Arena Saturday.

"It's truly a blessing and it's truly amazing," Hassan Diarra said. "To share this with him, and these other guys in the locker room. I think we've built a great bond with each other. We hang with each other a lot on and off the court. You can see that through our play. So, it's truly a blessing. I thank God every day for it."

Diarra committed to the Huskies in May after transferring from Texas A&M. At the time, Mamadou had just finished his third season as a student/graduate assistant and was a month away from being named UConn's new director of player development.

"That was probably the second-best news that I've gotten other than me being here this year," Mamadou Diarra said regarding Hassan's transfer. "But it was great to hear that. My family never really got a chance to get to see him play last year. They only got to see him play two games. So having him up here now, they're here every game. So, it's been amazing."

The younger Diarra said that having his brother on UConn's staff was part of the reason why he decided to come to the school, but the primary reason was the vision coach Dan Hurley had for him and the team.

"UConn has such a rich history," he said. "Coach told me the plan, the type of team he wanted to build. It's coming to fruition. It's coming to live. We have an amazing team and can do some pretty special things here. We're just sticking to it and grinding every day."

Diarra has played in 34 games for the Huskies (29-8) this season, starting three. He's averaging 2.2 points, 1.9 assists, 1.4 rebounds and just under one steal in 13.4 minutes per game.

"It's been amazing," Mamadou Diarra said on watching his brother. "Growing up, we obviously played a lot of basketball against each other. We've always talked about our dreams with each other. So, to be able to be in the same program and striving for the same thing at the same time, it's been amazing. Watching him working through every day, face the battles that he faces, the adversity and being able to be there and support him in live time has been great."

Walk-on this way

Throughout the season, the two players that have gotten perhaps the biggest cheers when they've stepped onto the court for the Huskies have been freshmen walk-ons Emmett Hendry and Andre Johnson.

"It's cool because they show us love too," Johnson said. "They just don't just disregard us. They're with us too and supporting us. We just feed off of their energy. Them doing that just helps us even more."

Neither player could've asked for a better experience in their first collegiate season than the run the Huskies have had.

"I definitely did not expect to be in the (Final Four) of March Madness at all," Hendry said. "It's been amazing. It's been really cool going on this journey with my teammates. They're my best friends. When you're doing this with your best friends, it makes it even more special."

It's been especially special for Johnson, a native Bristol.

"Growing up watching the Huskies, that's really all we have in Connecticut. That's our mainstream thing," he said. "Just watching it and then being able to be a part of it, it's just surreal. Winning like they used to do when I watched them, like Kemba and all of them, it's just crazy to be a part of it now."

Both Johnson and Hendry have seen action in nine games for the Huskies this season, with each taking the floor in two of UConn's four NCAA tournament games.

And though they've played for just a combined 18 minutes this season, neither would trade the experiences for anything.

"It's cool for sure," Hendry said. "The school is behind you and supporting you. It's awesome. We're just helping the team out in any way possible. But it's fun when we get into the games for sure."

Joey's revenge tour

Joey Calcaterra's transfer to UConn during the offseason took him out of the West Coast Conference, where he spent his first five seasons at San Diego.

But on the Huskies' run to the Final Four, Calcaterra saw some familiar faces: West Coast Conference foes Saint Mary's and Gonzaga.

"It's been a little revenge tour for me," Calcaterra said. "I was winless against Saint Mary's and Gonzaga heading into UConn. To see them both, what are the odds of that? It's just crazy how it all worked out."

Calcaterra played Saint Mary's and Gonzaga nine times each in his five seasons with the Toreros. His teams were a combined 0-18 against the two.

In the second round, UConn topped the Gaels 70-55. Calcaterra had five points and a rebound. Against the Bulldogs Saturday in the West Regional final, the graduate student had eight points, three rebounds and two steals.

"Going into these games, I just had the utmost confidence in our team and with these guys playing against two of the West Coast Conference powerhouses like that," Calcaterra said. "We really showed them what UConn basketball is all about."

For coverage of UConn football and men's basketball as well as area high school and local youth sports, follow Adam Betz on Twitter: @AdBetz1, Facebook: Adam Betz — Sports Writer, and Instagram: @AdBetzJI.