My top 10 impact people on UConn's basketball program overall...
1) John Toner - As AD he got UConn into the Big East in 1979 and then hired Jim Calhoun in 1986 (he also hired Geno in 1985)
2) Jim Calhoun - Without him, UConn is playing basketball in the Atlantic 10 with UMass and URI and football is still in the Colonial (former Yankee) with U Maine, UNH, etc.
3) Chris Smith - First big-time recruit and when paired with Scott Burrell, gets UConn the NIT championship in 1988 with wins over West Virginia, BC and Ohio St, which was UConn's coming-out party and set future expectations.
4) Ray Allen & Donyell Marshall.- While they did not win the NCAA title, much to my own annoyance, the established UConn as a national player and it was more of a case of when UConn would win it all, not if. They were also also NBA lottery picks (see #7)
5) Rip Hamilton & Co. - Got UConn their first title in 1999
6) Mark Emmert - While not at UConn at the time, his vendetta against UConn and Calhoun, which had been brewing since he fled Storrs due to gross mismanagement of UConn 2000, his decision as NCAA President to suspend UConn basketball from post-season play in 2012/3 contributed to UConn being left behind when the original Big East Conference split impacting the basketball program for years to come
7) Cliff Robinson - First UConn basketball player in modern history to have a successful and lenghtly NBA career, showing future recruits what could happen should they go to UConn and play for Calhoun
8) Gordon & Okafor - Showed UConn was going to stay as a major power, beating Duke (again) and crushing just about everyone else, also lottery picks
9) Kembra & Co. - They did it again, title #3, ranking may go higher if Kembra eventually becomes a NBA hall of fame player. The downside is that by winning the title during a season that Calhoun was suspended for part of the season infuriated certain powers, especially Mark Emmert at the NCAA, resulting in #6
10) Shabazz & Co. - Basically won on willpower as Calhoun's last recruiting class led by Shabazz won title #4 showing that UConn was still a big-time programs, even with Calhoun retiring and UConn relegated to the American Conference, also gave a giant, second middle-finger to Mark Emmert (#6)
TBD) Kevin Ollie - Part of the critical 1990's establishment era for UConn basketball with Ray and Donyell and won title #4 in 2014 in the post-Calhoun and Big East eras, fell apart after though. May become ranked if the NCAA hits UConn with any penalties for alleged issues within the program before he was fired at the end of the 2018 season.
