Storrs — Since arriving on campus, nothing but praise has been heaped on UConn's talented newcomers.

Then reality hit them like a sledgehammer to the mid-section during Saturday's first basketball practice.

Not all of the young Huskies lasted the entire three hour, 45-minute practice that started in Guyer Gym and ended at the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center.

"First day, coach (Kevin) Ollie, he set a foundation for us," freshman Alterique Gilbert said. "We're going to come in and work. We're going to be one of the best teams in the country. It was tough. It was mentally challenging for everyone.

"Us being brothers and staying together definitely helped me. My teammates talked to me through the process and got me through it."

The UConn coaching staff pushed the Huskies to exhaustion, setting a demanding tone for the season. They have great expectations this season.

"It went great," Ollie said. "We had a couple guys that couldn't make it through. Hopefully, they feel better by tomorrow. Then we just keep building and keep pushing. And that's what the first day is all about, it's just driving through the commitment. It's not about a feeling.

"A lot of guys got tired. But the guys that made it, I was proud of them."

The fact that a few Huskies ended up on the sidelines wasn't a surprise.

Ollie is taking a cautious approach with freshman forward Juwan Durham, who's bouncing back from a second knee surgery. Durham spent some time riding a stationary bike.

"(Trainer) James (Doran) is telling me when I have to back off," Ollie said. "But we're going to push him. We expect big things out of him. We'll just see how far he can go."

A sore hip limited sophomore Jalen Adams.

Ollie declined to elaborate why freshman Vance Jackson didn't finish Saturday's workout.

"Vance struggled," Ollie said. "He's back in the training room, so hopefully he can recover. Juwan made it almost through the whole thing. But (Christian Vital) and Alterique and Mamadou (Diarra) made it through. It was good.

"Those guys got challenged and they didn't succumb to being challenged and they found a new person inside of them. That's what we need them to do each and every day."

A fight to exhaustion box-out, rebounding drill — which dates back to coach Jim Calhoun's early days at UConn — capped the workout.

During one physical battle, sophomore Steve Enoch and senior Kentan Facey crashed to the floor. Facey slowly got up but appeared to be fine.

Rebounding will be a huge emphasis this season. The production of Shonn Miller and Daniel Hamilton, the top two rebounders last season, needs to be replaced.

The best way for a big man to earn minutes is by crashing the boards.

"That's always been the biggest key," Ollie said. "We were just plus point two on the backboards last year in the conference. ... So we've got a lot of work to do."

For swingman Terry Larrier, Saturday was the official beginning of his UConn career. He sat out last season but practiced with the team after transferring from Virginia Commonwealth. He's expected to play a significant role.

"I was looking forward to it after sitting out last year," Larrier said of the first practice. "I was just excited that it's finally here, that I got to step on the court and put on a jersey. It was definitely tough but we pushed through it."

From experience, fifth-year senior Rodney Purvis expected a grueling first practice. Even moreso because Ollie finished ahead of a number of players in Wednesday's Husky Run. 

"He definitely did (set a tone)," Purvis said. "I think he was pretty upset that he beat all the guards in the Husky Run. Like he said, we were going to feel his wrath. I definitely think we felt his wrath today in practice today."

g.keefe@theday.com