Best UConn player to never make the NBA

[intlzncster]

Marcus Williams had a sic crossover dribble. If he wasn't do lazy, he could have played for 10 years in the NBA, even as a sub. Too bad.

Surprised that's teh first mention of him (that I saw).

Best pure passer in UCONN history, underrated shooter, good handle. Wasn't in great shape and didn't have the best foot speed, but there was a place for him in the pros.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Surprised that's teh first mention of him (that I saw).

Best pure passer in UCONN history, underrated shooter, good handle. Wasn't in great shape and didn't have the best foot speed, but there was a place for him in the pros.

Yeah but he played like 5 seasons in the NBA

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'm assuming we are leaving out the 70's.

While I agree Doron is the correct answer, a name I have not seen is Mike McKay. He definitely should be high on the list. He's #14 on our all time scoring list. Was a dynamic and very athletic player.

Another name I haven't seen is A.J. Price. Barring his injury situation, when he was healthy, he was a hell of a player.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Surprised that's teh first mention of him (that I saw).

Best pure passer in UCONN history, underrated shooter, good handle. Wasn't in great shape and didn't have the best foot speed, but there was a place for him in the pros.

Pretty sure he was a first round draft pick.

 

[Waquoit]

KEA had a cup of coffee in the league for Chicago. Played half a season or so.

I knew that of course, I didn't consider that making it.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

So, in your opinion, who's the best UConn player that never played in the NBA?

I think some of you are missing the bolded word in tcf's question.

 

[Okafour rings]

I'm assuming we are leaving out the 70's.

While I agree Doron is the correct answer, a name I have not seen is Mike McKay. He definitely should be high on the list. He's #14 on our all time scoring list. Was a dynamic and very athletic player.

Another name I haven't seen is A.J. Price. Barring his injury situation, when he was healthy, he was a hell of a player.

AJ played for 6 years in the NBA - that's why.

 

[Stinger92860]

Looking at a list of UConn players who have played in the NBA (post-merger), here's what you've got (listed by decade in which they made their NBA debut):

1980s​

Chuck Aleksinas, Corny Thompson, Bruce Kuczenski, Clifford Robinson​

​

1990s​

Tate George, Chris Smith, Scott Burrell, Donyell Marshall, Donny Marshall, Kevin Ollie, Ray Allen, Travis Knight, Richard Hamilton​

​

2000s​

Jake Voskuhl, Khalid El-Amin, Caron Butler, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Rudy Gay, Hilton Armstrong, Marcus Williams, Josh Boone, Hasheem Thabeet, A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien​

​

2010s​

Kemba Walker, Jerome Dyson, Andre Drummond, Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier, Daniel Hamilton, Rodney Purvis​

That list above reads like a who's who of UConn basketball, but there have been some other guys with great UConn careers that never played a single minute in the NBA.

So, in your opinion, who's the best UConn player that never played in the NBA?

Earl Kelly

 

[crazyUCfan23]

Boatshow #Ls

 

[Horatio]

Selvie.

AKA - The Great One. He sacrificed his game/numbers for Caron.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Earl Kelly

How did I forget Earl? I'd put him atop the list if he never made the NBA at all.

 

[Horatio]

Earl Kelly

Should’ve had a long career

 

[intlzncster]

Yeah but he played like 5 seasons in the NBA

LOL. And that's why. I got duped.

 

[intlzncster]

AJ played for 6 years in the NBA - that's why.

Was actually pretty good too. Injuries really derailed that kid's career. Biggest what could have been player in UCONN history for me.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Was actually pretty good too. Injuries really derailed that kid's career. Biggest what could have been player in UCONN history for me.

Somehow I totally missed that that happened. Maybe it was when I was in CA and was less connected to things.

 

[Magic32]

Earl Kelley or Nadav

 

[strivefor5]

I believe that mwill is silently trying to make a comeback

 

[strivefor5]

another guy up for discussion is omar calhoun, had a pretty successful freshman season and I remember reading something saying scouts had taken notice on him but then the hip injuries and surgery altered the rest of his husky career and he never really got back to form

 

[Mooch82]

Strongly agree with Sheffer, he was my thought before I started reading any of the responses. He was the only one who essentially chose not to play in the NBA since he went back to Israel...all the others tried to make it and couldn't. No doubt he could have had an NBA career if he wanted to stay here.

 

[Mooch82]

another guy up for discussion is omar calhoun, had a pretty successful freshman season and I remember reading something saying scouts had taken notice on him but then the hip injuries and surgery altered the rest of his husky career and he never really got back to form

Yes, up for discussion if we are talking top 50 to never play in the NBA.

 

[tcf15]

Yeah, my pick is Sheffer. From 2014:

Where are They Now: Former UConn basketball star Doron Sheffer
Back in the motherland, there was great hope that Sheffer would become the first Israeli in the NBA. He recalls hearing the broadcaster Al McGuire once say in an interview, This young man will be an NBA ballplayer, if he decides to. “ ‘Decides to’ was the key,” says Sheffer. “I didn’t make all the effort.” He showed up at Clippers camp; bristled when he was yelled at by the team’s cantankerous coach, Bill Fitch; and hightailed it home, signing with Maccabi. (Israelis would have to wait until Omri Casspi in 2009 to have a homegrown NBA player.) “[Doron] was a player I thought would play 10 years in the NBA,” says Allen. “He was that talented.”

Instead Sheffer was the best player in the Israeli league, leading Maccabi to four straight championships. And then he was gone. At age 28 -- at the peak of his powers, in the middle of a seven-figure contract, against the advice of everyone, including his father -- he quit. “I felt my soul was wanting to spread wings and fly,” he says. “I couldn’t do it with basketball.”

 

[amsterdamjade]

Dan Cyrulik

 

[Wordbomar]

Sheffer or Boat

 

[B1GEast]

Sticks. I thought he had the athleticism to play in the NBA.

He had some of the nastiest dunks ever here at uconn

 

[huskyniner]

Never understood why Rashad didn't make it. Maybe he wasn't super athletic, but he was still a 6'5" lights out shooter. And clutch.