Kemba Walker story in Htfd Courant from JC book

[dennismenace]

‘More Than A Game’ How NYC kid named Kemba Walker rejuvenated UConn and its Hall of Fame coach

In an excerpt from Jim Calhoun’s new book, More Than A Game, the Hall of Fame coach reflects on Kemba Walker and his unbridled joy at UConn.

www.courant.com

Good read. Like the quote that JC told him the gym was open 24 hrs a day.

 

[Enrique]

I will always remember that Big East tournament and the NCAA tournament, especially the championship game against Kentucky as one of the greatest achievements of UConn men's basketball. We UConn fans are blessed. Both Duke and Kentucky fans accuse our team of depriving them of two NCAA championships each. How does it get sweeter than that? UConn first surpassed Kansas, then Duke and now is tied North Carolina with 6 national championships. As a fan of UConn basketball for 50 years, the heights this program has reached from its Yankee Conference days, is almost unimaginable. GO HUSKIES!

 

[uh-no]

I will always remember that Big East tournament and the NCAA tournament, especially the championship game against Kentucky as one of the greatest achievements of UConn men's basketball. We UConn fans are blessed. Both Duke and Kentucky fans accuse our team of depriving them of two NCAA championships each. How does it get sweeter than that? UConn first surpassed Kansas, then Duke and now is tied North Carolina with 6 national championships. As a fan of UConn basketball for 50 years, the heights this program has reached from its Yankee Conference days, is almost unimaginable. GO HUSKIES!

You might want to have that memory checked...we didn't play kentucky in the championship game.

 

[Scoe]

I will always remember that Big East tournament and the NCAA tournament, especially the championship game against Kentucky as one of the greatest achievements of UConn men's basketball. We UConn fans are blessed. Both Duke and Kentucky fans accuse our team of depriving them of two NCAA championships each. How does it get sweeter than that? UConn first surpassed Kansas, then Duke and now is tied North Carolina with 6 national championships. As a fan of UConn basketball for 50 years, the heights this program has reached from its Yankee Conference days, is almost unimaginable. GO HUSKIES!

That was 2014 with Shabazz beating UK in title game, but we did beat Kentucky in 2011 FF.

 

[Scoe]

You might want to have that memory checked...we didn't play kentucky in the championship game.

It's crazy how many people get the years mixed up even UConn fans.

 

[Drame]

My all time favorite athlete. I photographed him several times for Rise / ESPN magazine before he went to Uconn. I put in a heavy word for Uconn.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Still waiting for Horne's 3 to go in. Talk about a moment frozen in time.

 

[uh-no]

It's crazy how many people get the years mixed up even UConn fans.

I mean, I get it, I would want to forget that Butler game, too.

 

[Scottzer]

You might want to have that memory checked...we didn't play kentucky in the championship game.

I think he knows that both Kentucky and Duke were 1 final, 1 final four each - point being both of those FF teams thought they were going all the way.

 

[Scoe]

I mean, I get it, I would want to forget that Butler game, too.

Wait what happened? Oh well some superbowls have been ugly too. The 17-0 Dolphins won an ugly Super Bowl.

 

[Enrique]

You might want to have that memory checked...we didn't play kentucky in the championship game.

Yes, it has faded overtime. The memories are still great, even if they are not always accurate. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Waquoit]

That 3rd title was JC's white whale.

 

[REB1094]

“Would I call Kemba Walker the best player I’ve ever coached? I don’t know, but there can’t be a better combination of a person to represent your program, leadership, there can’t be any better for me in 50 years of coaching at all different levels. I’ve had guys who were tremendous, guys who did magical things, and Kemba did some of those things. But I guess if you’re going to make a basketball player, a leader, he would be a good blueprint to start”

 

[HooperScooper]

Good read.

I noticed this in the article.

There was a player who had committed to us, and Dave Leitao, my assistant coach, came into my office one day and said the player wanted to go to Vegas for a weekend to visit UNLV. And he’d already committed to us! I was annoyed. I said, “Dave, go get your car, we’re going down to Rice to see Kemba.”

He must be talking about Brandon Jennings. Did Jennings visit UNLV? I don't remember that. Or is he talking about Arizona? Calhoun is notorious for mixing up facts when he tells stories so maybe he's thinking of Caron Butler when he visited UNLV while committed to UConn?

Still one of the greatest non-commitments we ever had since Jennings never played in college and then we got Kemba instead.

 

[Scottzer]

Good read.

I noticed this in the article.

There was a player who had committed to us, and Dave Leitao, my assistant coach, came into my office one day and said the player wanted to go to Vegas for a weekend to visit UNLV. And he’d already committed to us! I was annoyed. I said, “Dave, go get your car, we’re going down to Rice to see Kemba.”

He must be talking about Brandon Jennings. Did Jennings visit UNLV? I don't remember that. Or is he talking about Arizona? Calhoun is notorious for mixing up facts when he tells stories so maybe he's thinking of Caron Butler when he visited UNLV while committed to UConn?

Still one of the greatest non-commitments we ever had since Jennings never played in college and then we got Kemba instead.

I don’t think it was a Caron reference - as I recall from one of his interviews, Caron had offered a verbal commitment to UNLV before Calhoun came to town, and when the visit was over, the decision was no longer Caron’s to make. His mother trusted Calhoun and said you’re going there.

 

[CL82]

It's crazy how many people get the years mixed up even UConn fans.

That's a natural consequence of winning so many national titles. It's easy to keep track of them when you've only won one, or none at all.

 

[HooperScooper]

I don’t think it was a Caron reference - as I recall from one of his interviews, Caron had offered a verbal commitment to UNLV before Calhoun came to town, and when the visit was over, the decision was no longer Caron’s to make. His mother trusted Calhoun and said you’re going there.

Did Brandon Jennings visit UNLV? He could have but I don't remember that. Then again it was a long time ago.

Jennings had a strange recruitment since he kept changing his mind until he finally went to Italy to play for a year instead of playing in college.

 

[sledog]

I'm sure this is hanging in the Louve somewhere.

 

[Scottzer]

Did Brandon Jennings visit UNLV? He could have but I don't remember that. Then again it was a long time ago.

Jennings had a strange recruitment since he kept changing his mind until he finally went to Italy to play for a year instead of playing in college.

I’m not sure - if Calhoun confused UNLV with USC. The most I could find was that Jenni gs had committed to USC at some point and later Arizona. Apart from us, Kentucky and Kansas were also in the mix.

You’ve got me - if it wasn’t Jennings, I’ll never figure out who it was. The only freshman pg on the UNLV roster for the corresponding season was Oscar Bellfield - not really rated highly, and I wasn’t following our recruiting then.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

I pretty sure my first UConn game at MSG was in 2009, the year after I graduated college.

It was Kemba's freshman season, and he had a few solid games earlier in the season, but he exploded for 21 points off the bench against St. John's. I was sitting in the 400s directly across the arena from a large group of people that were their own Kemba cheering section and that's when I was like damn, this player can be special!

 

[UC0NN]

Caron had committed to Uconn but had to visit UNLV to visit as a favor to his former coach Max Good, an assistant at UNLV. Uconn fans and coaches obviously were on edge a bit.

 

[donyell34]

That's correct and I was one of those fans. Went to see him play at St. Thomas More when he was at Maine Prep with Goode but he didn't make the trip bummer.

 

[UCLJ0211]

Still possibly my favorite UConn moment ever.

 

[dennismenace]

“Would I call Kemba Walker the best player I’ve ever coached? I don’t know, but there can’t be a better combination of a person to represent your program, leadership, there can’t be any better for me in 50 years of coaching at all different levels. I’ve had guys who were tremendous, guys who did magical things, and Kemba did some of those things. But I guess if you’re going to make a basketball player, a leader, he would be a good blueprint to start”

As a player enhancement (development) coach of the Knicks now what do you think of eventually seeing him as a college coach?

 

[knicksin7]

My all time favorite athlete. I photographed him several times for Rise / ESPN magazine before he went to Uconn. I put in a heavy word for Uconn. View attachment 109695

This is very cool. Who were the other two?

 

[willie99]

Great read. Love the GOAT, love Kemba, love the background, love the results...

Part of our tradition, and we have a very imposing tradition

 

[UC0NN]

Absolutely cannot wait to read this book.

 

[Lafayette]

There's a good Youtube on the championship team with Shabazz and Kemba and how Kemba could slide over to the pure SG / creator role. That natty was pretty special (aren't they all?). Good book too...gonna read on an iPad in the Keys this Summer.

 

[Flipside]

‘More Than A Game’ How NYC kid named Kemba Walker rejuvenated UConn and its Hall of Fame coach

In an excerpt from Jim Calhoun’s new book, More Than A Game, the Hall of Fame coach reflects on Kemba Walker and his unbridled joy at UConn.

www.courant.com

Good read. Like the quote that JC told him the gym was open 24 hrs a day.

"The precursor for all that came during March Madness was the Maui Invitational in November. He’d warmed up for the season with a 42-point eruption against Vermont, then when we got to Hawaii, he scored 31 points, 29 in the second half, in our win over Wichita State; then scored 30 points, going 10-for-19, as we knocked off Michigan State — sweet redemption for Kemba. In the final of the tournament, he scored 29, with six assists, as we beat Kentucky. I knew then, if he could dominate those teams, he was going to have a pretty special year."

UConn / Kentucky - Maui Invitational (the Finale) - 11-24-10 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPJ-tvjhqGs​

 

[Flipside]

That was 2014 with Shabazz beating UK in title game, but we did beat Kentucky in 2011 FF.