Zalucki Responded To Adversity

Kevin Zalucki, a 6-6, 220 pound power forward/center from East Catholic High School in Manchester, CT, showed at last week's Triple S Harley Davidson Charlie Weber Invitational at West Virginia University that he could regain his focus when encountering adversity.

In the Connecticut Select's semifinal loss to Virginia's East Coast Eagles, Zalucki had three open shots in the opening stanza for layups and was unable to can a single one. Select Coach Wayne Simone responded with unusually (from my experience) vocal petitions. Zalucki came back to hit eight points, all in the second period.

"Coach Simone really helped me there," he said. "I was then able to calm down and just play my game."

Zalucki averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks last season. "I'm working on improving my post moves this summer," he said.

He has a 3.0 GPA and holds an SAT score of 850. "My major could be business management or physical education," Zalucki noted.

Zalucki is being recruited by Colgate, Central Connecticut State, Quinnipiac and three Divison II programs -- Stonehill in Easton, MA; Bentley in Waltham, MA; and, Adelphi in Garden City, NY. He's took an unoffical visit to Central Connecticut while Colgate came in for an in-school visit.

Zalucki was facing pressure in the Weber semifinal game since not only was he missing bunnies but the Select was playing with a partial squad because of trouble with the team bus. Instead, he used internal and external resources to play well the rest of the game.