A year ago, Jim Calhoun was wondering if he had the right personnel to bring the Huskies back to the upper echelon of college basketball. Thanks to a decision by his starting center, that's not a worry any more. But thanks to decisions made by some of his reserves, he may have a different concern in team depth, and it's unclear whether the roster shuffle will solve the chemistry issues that plagued the team a year ago.

Hasheem Thabeet's offensive game was still inconsistent as a sophomore, but it was much better in March than it was in November. That progress only adds to his value on defense, where he was the consensus player of the year.

Thabeet joins Jeff Adrien to form one of the most imposing frontcourts in college basketball. Guard A.J. Price gives UConn a potent inside-outside combination, assuming his recovery from offseason knee surgery continues to progress, and Jerome Dyson also returns in the backcourt. Craig Austrie is back as well, and has shown that he can contribute both as a starter and a reserve.

But there are a lot of changes to the rest of the roster, some expected and some not.

Doug Wiggins rocky road at UConn ended with an offseason transfer, and Stanley Robinson left the team, at least temporarily, to move closer to his Alabama home. Frontcourt reserve Curtis Kelly also moved on.

That doesn't leave the Huskies with much of a bench, apart from the incoming class. That having been said, it's the typically excellent batch of recruits for Jim Calhoun to rely on. Kemba Walker, Ater Majok, Nate Miles, Charles Okwandu and Scottie Haralson all are talented enough to win minutes, and Miles in particular is a good bet to get into the rotation early.

Blending the newcomers into the veteran core will be a challenge, especially since the 2007-08 squad was marked by inconsistency and off-court problems. Dyson in particular is on thin ice with the university after being suspended last season, though Calhoun is firmly in his corner.

UConn's season ended prematurely a year ago, as Price's NCAA Tournament injury doomed the team to an opening-round loss to San Diego. If Price is healthy, the Huskies will be one of the favorites to go a lot farther than that in 2009.

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