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

[Mike Honcho]

And with eligibility remaining, who would it be?

The question is not posed to discern who would fill the holes of the current team most adequately (no question, Emeka) -- but rather to ponder who would have had the most dominant year in college by returning for one extra year.

 

[7774]

And with eligibility remaining, who would it be?

The question is not posed to discern who would fill the holes of the current team most adequately (no question, Emeka) -- but rather to ponder who would have had the most dominant year in college by returning for one extra year.

I would pick RIP, but Emeka would probably be the overall most dominant.

 

[uconnforlife]

Kemba Kemba Kemba

 

[HooperScooper]

Didn't we just have a thread exactly like this within the last 2 months?

Caron or Rip. With Caron in 2002-2003 UConn would have won a national championship 2 years in a row (2003 and 2004). With Rip they would have done the same (1999 and 2000).

 

[Mike Honcho]

Didn't we just have a thread exactly like this within the last 2 months?

Caron or Rip. With Caron in 2002-2003 UConn would have won a national championship 2 years in a row (2003 and 2004). With Rip they would have done the same (1999 and 2000).

Did we? If so, my bad. I don't remember it though.

 

[aceboon]

Donyell, to redeem himself for those two missed free throws and him and soph Ray would've been amazing together.

 

[mauconnfan]

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

 

[Huskyforlife]

AD

 

[Drumguy]

I'm thinking Rudy.

 

[Kemballin']

AD

Agreed, probably would have liked two more out of him though so he could win a chip, ahh well.

 

[maineuconnfan]

for sure donyell...I think sometimes people forget how dominant he was that year...If it wasnt for the unmatched dominance of glenn Robinson, he would have poy. Imagine him and allen that next year. They would have scored 90 points a game....However I do agree RIP would have been pretty sweet, its just donyell would have brought us a title a year earlier.

 

[jollari]

The answer has to be Kemba. He was POY ( off Jimmer) and the next year he would have still had Lambdrops and AD to feed the ball to.

 

[Deleted member 3149]

Easily Kemba. The 2012 lineup would have been:

1. Kemba
2. Shabazz
3. Jeremy
4. Alex
5. Andre

Coming off the bench: DeAndre, Tyler, Roscoe, Boatright, Niels. Insane lineup.

 

[Matrim55]

Caron or Rip. With Caron in 2002-2003 UConn would have won a national championship 2 years in a row (2003 and 2004). With Rip they would have done the same (1999 and 2000).

Yup - great call.

It would have been particularly sweet for Caron, who maybe isn't remembered as well as he should be (outside this board, anyway) because he didn't lead the team to a Final 4 or - better yet - a title. "Tough Juice" is an all-time great, but he kind of gets lost in the shuffle.

 

[Deleted member 3149]

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.

 

[maineuconnfan]

I guess, I reneg...Kemba would have been ridiculous with the added option of drummond....and I think with him there he could have smoothed out the rift about playing time...there was always a question of a leader that year. With Kemba, they could have been undefeated, even in that big east
also the line up would have been
Kemba, Jeremy, Roscoe, Andre consistently, the rest would have been in flux

 

[uconnforlife]

Where would Shabazz rank had he left for the NBA this year?

 

[Rico444]

Donyell, Rip, Caron, Emeka, Kemba are the five clear choices. All five would've made the team national championship favorites (or top 2-3 at worst). My personal favorite would've been Caron...would've loved to have gotten him a ring.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Ben Gordon....420 anyone??? All time favorite player. Take Ben over anyone at anytime! Just 1 very very very biased opinion.

 

[UConNick]

I don't want to say superstars after a title like Kemba or Emeka, so how about Charlie Villanueva? He was big for that 04-05 team, and obviously in 05-06 we had an entire lineup of studs. Add one more experienced, upperclassmen stud, and we don't lose to George Mason. That team would have been loaded even more than it already was. Plus maybe Charlie develops into a more mature player that lived up to the lottery.

 

[conn man]

Yell!

 

[Matrim55]

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.

 

[Ts5034]

Didn't we just have a thread exactly like this within the last 2 months?

Caron or Rip. With Caron in 2002-2003 UConn would have won a national championship 2 years in a row (2003 and 2004). With Rip they would have done the same (1999 and 2000).

Im surprised more people havnt said Caron Butler. I dont really count Emeka or Kemba in this because the reason why they left after 3 yrs is they graduated. If Caron came back, there is no doubt in my mind that 02-03 team would have at least made the final four and probably won the whole thing. Caron was dominating college basketball the last month of the season and the team won i think 12 in a row up to the Maryland game. I remember I wanted him to stay because I knew how good we would be the following year if we had him.

 

[UCONNFAN179]

Nadav Henefeld

 

[sdhusky]

Didn't we just have a thread exactly like this within the last 2 months?

Caron or Rip. With Caron in 2002-2003 UConn would have won a national championship 2 years in a row (2003 and 2004). With Rip they would have done the same (1999 and 2000).

I was just about to start a "If you could restart One Thread from the past few months" thread.