Favorite UConn Role Player

[Huskyhoops25]

I'll start with Lyman DePriest. Did all the little things, was our lock-down defender and enforcer.

 

[RipCity]

Rashad Anderson for me

 

[Yankees32123]

Niels Giffey or Gavin Edwards

 

[BoatShow]

He was much more than a role player last year, but Niels.

 

[Excalibur]

Tie between Donny Marshall and Ricky Moore.

 

[CTBasketball]

Shamon Tooles kinda.

 

[Huskybass]

Niels.

 

[RichZ]

Lasan Kromah for obvious reasons, Tony Robertson (gave up being a star for the good of the team), and Lyman.

 

[mauconnfan]

I'll start with Lyman DePriest. Did all the little things, was our lock-down defender and enforcer.

I saw the OT and that was the first name that came to me........good call!! Was the ultimate role player.

John Gwynn also appears in that window

 

[huskyniner]

Tie between Rashad Anderson and Niels.

 

[HuskiesU]

Talik Brown or Rashad Anderson I really liked Gavin Edwards tho what ever happen to him anyone know??

 

[Kauffmak10]

K Free all day!!

 

[BearJWS]

All those guys are good. Additional favorites are Kevin Ollie ('memba him?), Craig Austrie, Jeff King, Spider Ursery. There's been lots over the years.

 

[Matrim55]

Ricky and KO. TSam will break into that group by the time he's done as well.

 

[noeynox]

Lyman. Dude did a good good job guarding Alonzo Mourning and Dana Baros. His dunk against OSU in NIT final pumped us up as a freshman, and his two handed dunk from just inside foul line against BC at Conte is one of my all time favorites.

Close second John Gwynn. Instant offense off the bench.

 

[J-dog]

Maybe it's just me, but to me a role player isn't someone who gets starter minutes. He usually has some holes in his game, but excels at some specific area.

Lyman would also be my choice for his enforcer mentality… No back-down in that dude...

 

[UConnFan991]

RJ Evans. In my opinion, he brought together the '13 team with his leadership.... which eventuallly evolved into the '14 national champions. The '13 team was playing for nothing but pride, which looking back, required a lot of leadership.

One of my favorite pictures is him holding up the Armed Forces trophy against MSU for Ollie's first win. That game in Germany was the start of something incredible, that only UConn fans can understand.

 

[ZenConn]

All those previously mentioned + Rash Jones.

 

[WestHartHusk]

RJ Evans. In my opinion, he brought together the '13 team with his leadership.... which eventuallly evolved into the '14 national champions. The '13 team was playing for nothing but pride, which looking back, required a lot of leadership.

One of my favorite pictures is him holding up the Armed Forces trophy against MSU for Ollie's first win. That game in Germany was the start of something incredible, that only UConn fans can understand.


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I was going to say RJ too...for coming in when everyone was leaving.

 

[UcannUconn]

Ed Nelson

 

[Matrim55]

RJ Evans. In my opinion, he brought together the '13 team with his leadership.... which eventuallly evolved into the '14 national champions. The '13 team was playing for nothing but pride, which looking back, required a lot of leadership.

One of my favorite pictures is him holding up the Armed Forces trophy against MSU for Ollie's first win. That game in Germany was the start of something incredible, that only UConn fans can understand.


View attachment 7377

Great post. I hope RJ's contributions aren't forgotten by future generations.

 

[rayrayfor3]

Donnell Beverly and Chuck Okwandu, unheralded guys in UConn's history who had strong roles in winning a national championship

 

[gtcam]

John Gwynn and R Jones

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I'm surprised to see RJ Evan's name in this thread as much as it has been mentioned. I always loved Austrie's play and I agree that TSam could definitely be in this conversation by the time he leaves Uconn.

 

[jleves]

1) Rash Jones - gave up starting and starter minutes and did everything the team asked of him to bring home NC 1
2) Rashad Anderson - Needed him to win NC2 and the only role player in our history who could do what he did to pull out the Duke game.
3) lots of kids could be #3 - Chuck, Harrison (haven't seen him mentioned), Saunders (haven't seen him mentioned), Kromah and I'm sure you could add more.
I hadn't become a huge fan in the era of Gwynn and Lyman, so I can't comment on them.
Ricky, Freeman, Taliek and Niels were not role players. They were part of the main team - starters - major minutes.