Most Frequent Starting Five, 1993-Present | The Boneyard

Most Frequent Starting Five, 1993-Present

MyDorona

The Hebrew Hammer
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I was reflecting recently on the disappointing and injury-plagued career of Omar Calhoun (as one does during a quarantine) and trying to recall whether there was another UConn player in recent memory who had such a unique trajectory: from starting every game (29/29) as a Freshman and being a major part of the offense (11.1 ppg, 20%+ USG), to playing out his remaining eligibility as a seventh man averaging less than fifteen minutes a game (all while continuing to play 30 or more games a year).

I couldn't find any sort of year-after-year comparison/ evolution of UConn starting lineups, so I thought I'd put this together and share for those interested. Here is a list of the five most frequent starters on any given UConn roster from 1993 to present, and a "sixth man"- the player who played the most total minutes otherwise.

1993-94 (29-5, 16-2, Sweet 16)
F Donyell Marshall (Jr)
F Donny Marshall (Jr)
C Eric Hayward (So)
G Kevin Ollie (Jr)
G Doron Sheffer (Fr)

6 Ray Allen (Fr)

1994-95 (28-5, 16-2, Elite 8)
F/G Ray Allen (So)
F Donny Marshall (Jr)
C Travis Knight (Jr)
G Kevin Ollie (Jr)
G Doron Sheffer (So)

6 Brian Fair (Sr)

1995-96 (32-3, 17-1, Sweet 16)
F Rudy Johnson (Sr)
F Kirk King (Jr)
C Travis Knight (Sr)
G Ray Allen (Jr)
G Doron Sheffer (Jr)

6 Ricky Moore (Fr)

1996-97 (18-15, 7-11, 3rd Place, NIT)
F Kevin Freeman (Fr)
F/G Rashamel Jones (So)
C Jake Voskuhl (Fr)
G Richard Hamilton (Fr)
G Ricky Moore (So)

6 Monquencio Hardnett (Jr)

1997-98 (32-5, 15-3, Sweet 16)
F Kevin Freeman (So)
F/G Richard Hamilton (So)
C Jake Voskuhl (So)
G Khalid El-Amin (Fr)
G Ricky Moore (Jr)

6 Monquencio Hardnett (Sr)

1998-99 (34-2, 16-2, National Champs)
F Kevin Freeman (Jr)
F/G Richard Hamilton (Jr)
C Jake Voskuhl (Jr)
G Khalid El-Amin (So)
G Ricky Moore (Sr)

6 Edmund Saunders (So)

1999-2000 (25-10, 10-6, NCAA Second Rd.)
F Edmund Saunders (Jr)
F Kevin Freeman (Sr)
C Jake Voskuhl (Sr)
G Khalid El-Amin (Jr)
G Albert Mouring (Jr)

6 Tony Robertson (Fr)

2000-01 (20-12, 8-8, NIT Second Rd.)
F Caron Butler (Fr)
F Edmund Saunders (Sr)
C Souleymane Wane (Sr)
G Albert Mouring (Sr)
G Taliek Brown (Fr)

6 Johnnie Selvie (Jr)

2001-02 (27-7, 13-3, Elite 8)
F Caron Butler (So)
F Johnnie Selvie (Sr)
C Emeka Okafor (Fr)
G Tony Robertson (Jr)
G Taliek Brown (So)

6 Ben Gordon (Fr)

2002-03 (23-10, 10-6, Sweet 16)
F Denham Brown (Fr)
F Hilton Armstrong (Fr)
C Emeka Okafor (So)
G Ben Gordon (So)
G Taliek Brown (Jr)

6 Tony Robertson (Sr)

2003-04 (33-6, 12-4, National Champs)
F Denham Brown (So)
F Josh Boone (Fr)
C Emeka Okafor (Jr)
G Ben Gordon (Jr)
G Taliek Brown (Sr)

6 Rashad Anderson (So)

2004-05 (23-8, 13-3, NCAA Second Rd.)
F Charlie Villanueva (So)
F Rudy Gay (Fr)
C Josh Boone (So)
G/F Denham Brown (Jr)
G Marcus Williams (So)

6 Rashad Anderson (Jr)

2005-06 (30-4, 14-2, Elite 8)
F Rudy Gay (So)
F/C Josh Boone (Jr)
F/C Hilton Armstrong (Sr)
G Denham Brown (Sr)
G Marcus Williams (Jr)

6 Rashad Anderson (Sr)

2006-07 (17-14, 6-10)
F Jeff Adrien (So)
F Marcus Johnson (So)
C Hasheem Thabeet (Fr)
G Jerome Dyson (Fr)
G A.J. Price (So)

6 Craig Austrie (So)

2007-08 (24-9, 13-5, NCAA First Rd.)
F Jeff Adrien (Jr)
F Stanley Robinson (So)
C Hasheem Thabeet (So)
G Jerome Dyson (So)
G A.J. Price (Jr)

6 Craig Austrie (Jr)

2008-09 (31-5, 15-3, Final 4)
F Jeff Adrien (Sr)
F Stanley Robinson (Jr)
C Hasheem Thabeet (Jr)
G Jerome Dyson (Jr)
G A.J. Price (Sr)

6 Craig Austrie (Sr) & Kemba Walker (Fr)

2009-10 (18-16, 7-11, NIT Second Rd.)
F Stanley Robinson (Sr)
F Ater Majok (Fr)
F/C Alex Oriakhi (Fr)
G Jerome Dyson (Sr)
G Kemba Walker (So)

6 Gavin Edwards (Sr)

2010-11 (32-9, 9-9, National Champs)
F Roscoe Smith (Fr)
F Tyler Olander (Fr)
F/C Alex Oriakhi (So)
G Kemba Walker (Jr)
G Jeremy Lamb (Fr)

6 Shabazz Napier (Fr)

2011-12 (20-14, 8-10, NCAA Second Rd.)
F Roscoe Smith (So)
F Alex Oriakhi (Jr)
C Andre Drummond (Fr)
G Shabazz Napier (So)
G Jeremy Lamb (So)

6 Ryan Boatright (Fr)

2012-13 (20-10, 10-8, Ineligible for Postseason)
F Deandre Daniels (So)
F Tyler Olander (Jr)
G Omar Calhoun (Fr)
G Shabazz Napier (Jr)
G Ryan Boatright (So)

6 Niels Giffey (Jr)

2013-14 (32-8, 12-6, National Champs)
F Deandre Daniels (Jr)
F Philip Nolan (So)
C Amida Brimah (Fr)
G Shabazz Napier (Sr)
G Ryan Boatright (Jr)

6 Niels Giffey (Jr)

2014-15 (20-15, 10-8, NIT First Rd.)
F Daniel Hamilton (Fr)
F Kentan Facey (So)
C Amida Brimah (So)
G Rodney Purvis (So)
G Ryan Boatright (Sr)

6 Terrence Samuel (So)

2015-16 (25-11, 11-7, NCAA Second Rd.)
F Daniel Hamilton (So)
F Shonn Miller (Sr)
C Amida Brimah (Jr)
G Rodney Purvis (Jr)
G Sterling Gibbs (Sr)

6 Jalen Adams (Fr)

2016-17 (16-17, 9-9)
F Kentan Facey (Sr)
F Vance Jackson (Fr)
C Amida Brimah (Sr)
G Rodney Purvis (Sr)
G Jalen Adams (So)

6 Christian Vital

2017-18 (14-18, 7-11)
F Terry Larrier (Jr)
C Josh Carlton (Fr)
G Christian Vital (So)
G Jalen Adams (Jr)
G Antwoine Anderson (Sr)

6 Tyler Polley (Fr)

2018-19 (16-17, 6-12)
F Tyler Polley (So)
C Carlton (So)
G Jalen Adams (Sr)
G Christian Vital (Jr)
G Alterique Gilbert (So)

6 Tarin Smith

2019-20 (19-12, 10-8)
F Bouknight (Fr)
F Akok (Fr)
C Carlton (Jr)
G Christian Vital (Sr)
G Alterique Gilbert (Jr)

6 Brendan Adams

Some Notes/Observations:
  • Perhaps the closest O. Calhoun comp I can see is Rash Jones, who, like Calhoun, was a Top-40 recruit who stepped into a starting & high usage role earlier in his career. As a Sophomore in 1996-97, Rash was the elder statesman on a young UConn team that struggled for leadership and identity, as he started 31/31 games (33.2 MPG), averaging 13 PPG. He was relegated to a 10-15 mpg bench role for the remainder of his career
  • Ater Majok made the fifth-most starts of any UConn player in '09-10, even though he played an abbreviated season. That team also didn't have a true Center in its top-6 starters. Is it any surprise things ended the way they did?
  • No Coach Calhoun roster from '93 to '12 "averaged" a small-ball starting 5 (three or more smaller guards + no true C). Ollie averaged a small-ball starting five in his first season (i.e., the Omar Calhoun year)
  • Rashad Anderson, Quintessential Sixth Man: Has there ever been a better "career sixth man" in the NCAA? Anderson never finished in the top-5 on the team in games started, but for three consecutive years, he led non-starters in minutes played. And of course, he was a vital part of two championship-caliber teams ('04 and '06). He is a reflection on how deep and talented the roster was from 2003-06
  • Four-Year Players who finally ascended to starting roles for the first time in their Senior season include Rudy Johnson, Souleymane Wane, Hilton Armstrong
 

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