If you could have one more year from an underclassmen who left UConn early

[maineuconnfan]

I reneg, once more...without a doubt, it was the dove, nice call Uconnfan179. I remember when I found out he was not coming back, I cried...of course I was only 10 years old, but that first year when they really busted on the scene was magical...and the dove was the magician!

 

[upstater]

Kembaripemekandrecaron Walkokaforbutledrummonhamilton/

 

[Calhoun's Court]

Donyell for sure............that next year w/Yell was exactly what that team needed to be better than UCLA...........

'Yell would have put us over the top....

Also wouldn't have mined seeing KEA return for his senior year too.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

I would like one more year of Caron. We had the other guys (minus AD and RG) for 3 years. Caron would have been awesome as a junior. That would have been a very good team. He was probably our best all-around player in the Calhoun era at the end of his soph season (IMHO).

 

[Horatio]

1. Caron
2. Donyell
3. Andre
4. E.J. Harrison

 

[Huskyforlife]

if we were NAT eligible than rosco belongs here

 

[selles]

I think people are forgetting just how negative people were about 'Yell after the missed free throws. He was burned out on being the man, and another year in Storrs would have just made it worse.

Plus I'm not sure he actually would have helped that 94/95 team. They wanted to run, Run, RUN! and he didn't.

My memories are hazy after 20 years but I don't recall Donyell not wanting to run. Looking back at the stats the 95 team only averaged 1 more point per game than 94. I definitely remember him running against Seton Hall (?) for a 360 dunk and 1, one of the all time spectacular UConn plays.

 

[huskiesnyc]

I'm a little confused by this thread. Isn't an underclassmen considered a freshmen or sophomore? Or do you just mean anyone that didn't stay four years?

Underclassmen I'll go with Caron or Nadav
Upperclassmen gotta go with Kemba but can't go wrong with any of the other 30 pros that left after their junior year

 

[champs99and04]

If we're being realistic here, the guy I want back is Roscoe (in this case for another two years). His toughness on the boards and versatility defensively could have been the difference between 20-10 and 23-7 last season. We desperately needed somebody physically mature enough to bang inside early in the season when Daniels was having some growing pains, and even more importantly, he was the guy in 2011, and to some extent in 2012, that would guard the opposing teams best player, an attribute that's difficult to quantify. He guarded everybody in his two years here - Dreymond Green, Terrence Jones, Tobias Harris, Jordan Hamilton, Kris Joseph, Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Williams, Matt Howard, Jae Crowder, Otto Porter, Royce White, etc. That's the type of versatility you can't replace. This season he would have been our solution to players like Chane Behanan, Noah Vonleh, Dez Wells, Ryan Anderson, etc. Giffey has proven capable of filling 80% of the void Roscoe left, but that additional 20% can be the difference between a sweet 16 and final four.

 

[huskyniner]

My answer is easily Kemba. The inside-out game with him and Drummond would've been ridiculous to watch. Would've sent Coach Calhoun to retirement with back-to-back titles.

 

[BUHusky]

My choice is Caron without a doubt. Give him another year with Emeka and Ben, while also adding Rashad and Denham to the mix, and the sky's the limit for the 02-03 team.

 

[Brochacho]

Thabeet. Team would go from NIT-bound to NC contender. Would of ran:

Kemba
Dyson
Robinson
Edwards
Thabeet

Oriakhi, Majok, Okwandu, Bev as the bench. Not much of a bench but probably the most intimidating front court.

 

[UChusky916]

The thread says 'another year from an UNDERCLASSMAN' and Kemba was a Junior when he left so he doesn't apply in my mind.

Kemba would easily be the first choice if you don't account for underclassmen... that 2012 team needed leadership and we would have had a great shot at back-to-back titles with him.

I'd probably say Caron or Rudy or AD

 

[Huskyforlife]

if not upperclassmen, it has to be caron or AD

 

[HooperScooper]

if not upperclassmen, it has to be caron or AD

Or Rudy Gay. Those are the only 3 players UConn has lost to the draft who were freshman or sophomores. I'm guessing the OP meant any early entrants and not just freshman or sophomores.

 

[tcf15]

if not upperclassmen, it has to be caron or AD

Or Rudy Gay. Those are the only 3 players UConn has lost to the draft who were freshman or sophomores. I'm guessing the OP meant any early entrants and not just freshman or sophomores.

Jeremy Lamb, too.

 

[BoatShow]

If we're being realistic here, the guy I want back is Roscoe (in this case for another two years). His toughness on the boards and versatility defensively could have been the difference between 20-10 and 23-7 last season. We desperately needed somebody physically mature enough to bang inside early in the season when Daniels was having some growing pains, and even more importantly, he was the guy in 2011, and to some extent in 2012, that would guard the opposing teams best player, an attribute that's difficult to quantify. He guarded everybody in his two years here - Dreymond Green, Terrence Jones, Tobias Harris, Jordan Hamilton, Kris Joseph, Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Williams, Matt Howard, Jae Crowder, Otto Porter, Royce White, etc. That's the type of versatility you can't replace. This season he would have been our solution to players like Chane Behanan, Noah Vonleh, Dez Wells, Ryan Anderson, etc. Giffey has proven capable of filling 80% of the void Roscoe left, but that additional 20% can be the difference between a sweet 16 and final four.

I would have loved watching Roscoe deny Archidacono.

 

[TheRogers]

My ranking in terms of chances (guess) for a NC
Emeka & Ben - highest chance for a repeat (95%)
Kemba - Lamb would get less pressure. Kemba would have made AD much better (90%)
Caron - nose picker would have ZERO NCs (85%)
Donyell - UCLA game would turn out differently (80%)

 

[Mike Honcho]

Or Rudy Gay. Those are the only 3 players UConn has lost to the draft who were freshman or sophomores. I'm guessing the OP meant any early entrants and not just freshman or sophomores.

This is true.

 

[Gurleyman]

Or Rudy Gay. Those are the only 3 players UConn has lost to the draft who were freshman or sophomores. I'm guessing the OP meant any early entrants and not just freshman or sophomores.

CV and Lamb too. But we've been pretty lucky as a whole with our talent to years lost ratio.

 

[Gurleyman]

My ranking in terms of chances (guess) for a NC
Emeka & Ben - highest chance for a repeat (95%)
Kemba - Lamb would get less pressure. Kemba would have made AD much better (90%)
Caron - nose picker would have ZERO NCs (85%)
Donyell - UCLA game would turn out differently (80%)

Gotta have Rip in there too - we still would have missed Ricky's clamps, but we keep Free at the 4, and KEA isn't forced to carry all the creating offense load.

The Michigan State team that won was pretty good, so no guarantees - but that was a bad year for Final Four quality (Wisky and UNC made it as eight seeds, and Florida as a five seed), so the door was open.

 

[Waquoit]

Believe it or not, my 2nd answer would be Andre Drummond.

I really think he would thrive under Kevin Ollie. Unfortunately, I just don't think his laud back personality meshed well with Calhoun. Andre is the most athletic player that UConn has ever had. And yes, more so than Rudy, Donyell, Rip, and company.

I scratch my head at this. What good would AD's coming back have done? It's not like we would have made the tournament. His leaving was for the best - for him and the team.

And all those guys that left after winning an NC made the right choice, look what happened to KEA. His staying cost him money. And Donyell had to leave. He signed for $42M, if he stayed it would have been less than $10M.

I'm voting for Nadav. The team made the Sweet 16 without him, maybe they could have contended for the FF with him.

 

[Deleted member 3149]

I totally agree with you in terms of no postseason. In an ideal world, if the NCAA wasn't a fraudulent organization, then Andre could have competed for a title his sophomore year.

But you're right. No point of him coming back with no postseason.

 

[HooperScooper]

CV and Lamb too. But we've been pretty lucky as a whole with our talent to years lost ratio.

Oh yeah. How quickly I forget. Didn't think that through. So 4 have left after 2 years and only 1 one and done. Compared to other schools who have had a lot of early entrants that is pretty good.

 

[HuskyAlum012]

Surprised noone has said Marcus Williams yet. I strongly believe that had he stayed for his Senior year, he could have done something very similar to what Kemba and the kids did in 2011. The hunger that team would have had after losing to George Mason in the Elite Eight could have been something special. The team would have had the defense from Thabeet, hard nosed player in Adrien, and an all around leader in Marcus dishing out assists left and right. Really think another year in school would have done wonders for his draft stock also and could have potentially been a top-10 pick.