Once considered a top-10 player nationally, DeAndre Daniels averaged 3 points and 2.1 rebounds during a disappointing freshman season at UConn.

"I wasn't myself and I never played my game and just played like a robot half the time," Daniels says. "I didn't know when to shoot or how to shoot or when to pass or dribble or do any of that stuff. I played like a robot. I was just confused."

Daniels sometimes shot around in Gampel Pavilion after night games last season.

"It was never lack of work," Daniels said. "Just a lack of confidence."

Kevin Ollie intends to use the 6-foot-8 Daniels at power forward this season.

"When we secure the basketball, with DeAndre at the four, I don't think there are too many teams in America that can keep up with him," Ollie says.

The NCAA has no plan to follow the NBA's lead in cracking down on floppers.

“They have some tools at their beck and call we don’t have,” said Art Hyland, secretary of NCAA basketball rules. “We don’t have that kind of strong hammer to prevent flops.”

Hyland put the new NBA rule, which will fine players for repeated flops, in the context of public relations.

“They obviously feel it’s become a serious P.R. problem,” he said of the pros. “At times, some of our (college) coaches may get upset by it. But I don’t think it has come to the point it’s a top issue with our rules committee.”

Keith Appling made 500 three-pointers every day during the offseason.

"At first it took me a lot longer," Appling said of making the 500 shots from long distance in workouts. "But once I started getting into a flow and getting used to it, I would come in and probably would be in just 30-45 minutes."

Tom Izzo encouraged Appling to improve his practice habits.

"I think Appling is a much, much, much better shooter, and I don't think that's because he couldn't shoot," Izzo said. "I think he went on a little bit of a slump last year, confidence, and as I told him, I didn't think he was working hard enough on his shooting. The only way I knew how to get out of something was to work my way out of it, and boy, did he take that to heart, because from April until this week, I think he's probably spent more time in the gym than he did his first two years.”

Trey Burke is working on making himself more of a vocal presence.

"I'm letting the team hear my voice," Burke said.

Burke has helped disseminate information to a slew of new players.

"I've embraced it," said Burke, the Big Ten co-freshman of the year last season. "Being vocal at all times and just having a presence on the court. A year ago, it was kind of forced. But now it's more natural. I've been watching a lot of film of our offense. I'm just trying to teach the freshmen at a faster pace. ...

"All the guys are willing to listen and willing to learn. So I'm definitely ready for this. I'm pumped. I'm excited."

Burke will be asked to push the ball, drive the lane and create for his teammates.

"The shots are obviously going to be there," he said. "But we have more options this year. It's about getting more people involved, making others better.

"I think that's one of the biggest part of my game that I needed to work on. Last year, you'd see me kind of get sped up sometimes and take a forced shot instead of making a play for someone else."

Patric Young is ready to assume a leadership role for the Florida Gators.

“I think this year I’m going to be the main leader on the team,” Young said. “It’s something that everyone tells me they see in me. I see it within myself. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about. I think God has been preparing me for my whole life to be a real leader.”

Young was cleared to return to individual drills three weeks ago after a month-long bout with mononucleosis.

Billy Donovan said Young passed the team conditioning test on Tuesday.

“He’s worked very, very hard this summer,” Donovan said. “I would say a year ago him coming off of mono, he would have never had a chance to pass it. So, I’ve seen some growth in him in that area.”

Young briefly considered entering the draft after last year, but elected to return for his junior season.

“I never thought about it too much,” Young said. “I love this school too much. The first two years, I’ve grown and matured so much. I just feel when it’s time to make that decision, I’ll know. I’ll know when it’s time and I’ve learned enough as a man and as a player.”

Marcus Smart’s on-court impact goes beyond the traditional stat line.

“The No. 1 thing when you watch him play,” said Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford, “you see that competitiveness, that will to win. Him diving on the floor, taking charges, playing unselfish.

“Defensively, he's an animal. He handles the ball. He passes it. He just does everything really, really well. And he really competes.”

Smart was the starting point guard for Team USA's gold medal team at the FIBA Americas U18 Championships in Brazil.

“I didn't know him at all and we were never really involved in recruiting him,” USA coach Billy Donovan said. “The only thing I knew about Marcus Smart was watching him play, that he was a gifted and talented player.

“But just being around him for that whole trip, I have not seen a guy that age with the internal makeup and the ‘it' factor like he's got. It's really, really impressive. It's a great thing to watch. It's so clear why he's going to be this great player.”

Donovan said Smart’s effort never wanes.

“He has that ability to bring out the best in other people around him,” the Florida coach said. “Every coach is teaching guys to get on the floor for loose basketballs. But if you have a guy who's a really good player doing that, it grabs everybody's attention.

“Marcus is willing to do the things that a lot of other players would not be willing to do to win. You can play him in any role, tell him what you need, and he'll give you what you need.”

Archie Goodwin has been working diligently to improve his jump shot.

"It's getting better as I go along," Goodwin said. " ... I need to get more consistent. That's just something everybody wants to do because you can never be too good at anything."

Goodwin said he needs more consistency in how he shoots.

"Sometimes I might shoot it at a different point," he said. "Or my head might move."

John Calipari also noted the need for consistency in Goodwin's shooting motion.

"It doesn't mean you make every shot. ... ," Calipari said. "It means every shot you shoot is in that range. You look at it. That's the same shot. Whether you're running. Whether it's in transition. Whether it's a three. Whether it's a free throw. You have the same look to your shot. He doesn't have that right now."

John Calipari said that no one should compare Nerlens Noel to last season’s national player of the year, Anthony Davis.

"He shouldn't be compared," Calipari said. "They're totally different. They're not even the same. Nerlens is going to give us a different type of game."

Davis offered his impressions of Noel after a scrimmage in August.

"I asked Anthony how was Nerlens because that's who he matched up against mostly," Calipari said. "And he said, 'He's good, Coach. He'll block some shots.' I said, 'How was he offensively?' He said, 'I kind of pushed him off the post.' I said, 'You pushed him off the post?'"

Noel savored the opportunity to matchup against his predecessor.

"It was definitely good playing against him, great experience being able to see how good he's gotten through this last year being at Kentucky," Noel said. "He's a real special player. It was good to play against a player that's been through what you're about to go through."