Mailbag Question, 1/20: Curtis KellyByMike Anthony on January 20, 2010 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)Several questions have rolled in this week about former UConn forward Curtis Kelly, a five-star recruit out of New York who transferred to Kansas State after his sophomore year of 2008-09.Among them:Q: Do you think we gave up onCurtis Kelly too soon. He looked pretty good against Texas last night.-Mark M., SimsburyQ: Mike, Your thoughts on Curtis Kelly and how he might have helped UCONN's frontcourt this year...-Mike, WaterburyA: First of all, let's take a look at Kelly's season, his first at Kansas State. He's averaging 11.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in 18 games, all starts. Kelly transferred from UConn after averaging 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in two seasons. seeking more playing time, and acknowledging he needed to mature, Kelly decided to seek a transfer. He landed at Kansas State under coach Frank Martin. Kelly's work ethic came into question at UConn, and it was uncertain whether he would turn a corner in his approach an in his play in order to earn more playing time. Clearly, he has grown up. And in this piece, he opened up about how he never felt like part of the UConn family. Hey, sometimes a certain player at a certain school is just not a good fit. UConn-Kelly was not a good fit. He has found a home at K-State. Good for him. Now, could UConn use the production he's putting forth for the Wildcats? Absolutely. In No.10 K-State's 71-62 upset of top-ranked Texas Monday, he had 17 point and eight rebounds. That right there would probably go down as the best performance by a UConn big man this season. Kelly has great post moves, though he can get a little out of control at times. He needs to be more refined and appears to be in the right track in that effort. Ater Majok, Alex Oriakhi and Charles Okwandu are inexperienced, sometimes leaving Gavin Edwards as the only dual rebounding/scoring threat up front. I think the Huskies fell comfortable in what some of those players will ultimately bring, but, yes, if Kelly had take advantage of his limited opportunties, and earned more opportunities, and shown the growth in Storrs he's now showing in Manhattan, he could have been a big help to this team.
