Poll: Greatest Husky of All Time

[huskyrob1]

Men's basketball players only considered.

I included all the #1 and #2 seeds from the brackets and listed them in alphabetical order. I was very close to adding Khalid as my personal favorite, but that would have been biased and opened the door to all the #3 seeds, which I don't think is realistic for the GOAT, no matter how you characterize it.

Obviously this is not just stats. Not just championships. Not just college and not just NBA. Not just on the court but off the court, too; i.e., who do you think is the greatest Husky of all-time? All things considered, who do you think is the single greatest representative of all the things you think it means to be a Husky?

You cannot change your vote.

You can only view the results after voting.

Poll will close in seven days.

Walt Dropo.....and it's not even close if going beyond basketball.

 

[freescooter]

What Kemba did makes him not only the greatest Husky, but one of the greatest college players ever. When you bring up March Madness, Kemba always pops up

I don’t know. Shabazz did the same thing 2 years later as a bracket filler 7 seed with a worse coach AND he was a significant piece of the Kemba team. If available though I would vote for Khalid. He took a program with a long and frustrating history of almost and refused to give in ever.

 

[Kolumbo]

Ray Allen vs. Kerry Kittles was great basketball.

Plus, He Got Game.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I voted Ray, mostly for his NBA cachet and how he's known nationally. He also spearheaded our period of greatest sustained success, from which everything else followed. His only shortcoming at UConn was not getting over the hump on the big stage.

Kemba had an unbelievable season/run, but UConn was already UConn by then.

 

[cohenzone]

No real argument with that list, A toss up between Kemba and Ray.

But there were a couple of pretty decent players from older eras if it’s a list of great Huskies, a few of whom played NBA or old ABA. Wes Bislosukina easily the best long range shooter and best FT shooter in school history no 3 point line until he went pro and as a rookie led the ABA in 3 point %. Toby Kimballl, the best big man rebounder in school history and finished well at the hoop. Corny Thompson and Tony Hanson were pretty fair college players.

 

[8893]

Walt Dropo.....and it's not even close if going beyond basketball.

Yeah, I knew that historical guys like Dropo, Hanson, Wes, Corny, Kimball and Quimby would get short shrift because of recency bias—few here saw any of them play, and none of them won a National Championship.

I don’t know. Shabazz did the same thing 2 years later as a bracket filler 7 seed with a worse coach AND he was a significant piece of the Kemba team. If available though I would vote for Khalid. He took a program with a long and frustrating history of almost and refused to give in ever.

Khalid was the toughest one for me to leave out. He is my favorite; but I think “greatest“ is different.

 

[Lefty2one]

It's really tough to not choose Kemba but I give it to Emeka.

Ray was our best pro.
Kemba had the best individual season and is synonymous with March Madness.
Bazz won two championships.

But Emeka was the most dominant player we ever had, in part because he was so unbelievable on defense. I still believe he's the best defensive player college basketball has seen in the last 25 years. He could win games on the defensive end of the court alone but he'd still give you 18 points on the other end. He was a beast on the glass, unselfish, a great leader, and a tough dude.

He was the best player on the best team we ever had. He's the highest draft pick we've ever had for a reason. Of course, he was a stud off the court and in the classroom as well. It sucks his NBA career was cut short due to injuries.

 

[CL82]

Yeah, I knew that historical guys like Dropo, Hanson, Wes, Corny, Kimball and Quimby would get short shrift because of recency bias—few here saw any of them play, and none of them won a National Championship.


Khalid was the toughest one for me to leave out. He is my favorite; but I think “greatest“ is different.

Did you listen to the replay of the game at Pitt with KEA doing live commentary? It was hysterical, especially when they asked him what he said when he jumped up on the scorers table after the game. The only part I can quote here is "... and your raggedy ass gym, too!"

 

[8893]

Did you listen to the replay of the game at Pitt with KEA doing live commentary? It was hysterical, especially when they asked him what he said when he jumped up on the scorers table after the game. The only part I quote here is "... and your raggedy ass gym, too."

No, I missed that. That's fantastic though.

I'm sure I've said this here before, but I remember the first time I saw him play at Gampel I instantly felt that he had what we had been missing. And I loved how he pushed Calhoun, too. I don't think Calhoun ever gave any player a wider berth. But I do remember him pulling Khalid down from that scorer's table with a disapproving look. Khalid didn't happen to mention what Calhoun said to him, did he?

 

[CL82]

No, I missed that. That's fantastic though.

I'm sure I've said this here before, but I remember the first time I saw him play at Gampel I instantly felt that he had what we had been missing. And I loved how he pushed Calhoun, too. I don't think Calhoun ever gave any player a wider berth. But I do remember him pulling Khalid down from that scorer's table with a disapproving look. Khalid didn't happen to mention what Calhoun said to him, did he?

Nope. I think it is still posted on The UConn Blog. You should check it out.

 

[Jbirdp5]

Yup, nothing you said is wrong. To me Ray + Kemba are the only two real options. Maybe it's a generation thing.

In my mind rip is ahead of Ray......comparing college credentials I don’t see rays case

 

[uconnfan68]

Those last 11 games were amazing. The five games in five days were legendary. Hard to pick anyone else. Maybe Bazz since he was there for that run and his own in his senior year.

I had to go with Bazz, because he was the only guy on that list with 2 NCs.

 

[CL82]

I had to go with Bazz, because he was the only guy on that list with 2 NCs.

I don't know if that's the end all, but it's not nothing, that's for sure.

 

[8893]

I had to go with Bazz, because he was the only guy on that list with 2 NCs.

What if we swap him out for Tyler Olander? Same result?

 

[Ratso]

lol, no bazz was special for sure. he was obviously a huge part of the 2011 team. he had to deal with drummond nonsensical year and made it back to a final four as a leader

 

[Captbluefin]

This right here. But I still think there's an argument for Shabazz as greatest Husky. I'd lean Kemba, but there's certainly an argument for Bazz.

You ever see Ray or Rip or Oak ? or were you to young to understand.

Bazz is not there he is the next tier below.
Gordon is on that level too.

It’s absolutely insane to put Bazz above Kemba.

 

[CL82]

It’s absolutely insane to put Bazz above Kemba.

I wouldn't do it, but it is definitely not insane. Bazz has the extra natty. He stuck with team during the ban and more importantly was a leader during the ban year and the championship year. And then there's this...

 

[huskyrob1]

Yeah, I knew that historical guys like Dropo, Hanson, Wes, Corny, Kimball and Quimby would get short shrift because of recency bias—few here saw any of them play, and none of them won a National Championship.


Khalid was the toughest one for me to leave out. He is my favorite; but I think “greatest“ is different.

You can't compare any of them to Dropo, he graduated as UConn's all time leading scorer in basketball, was drafted by the Chicago Bears for his football exploits at UConn, but decided to play baseball in which he was the first ever Boston Red Sox player to be named AL Rookie of the Year in 1950, also an All star as a rookie, set the Boston Red Sox record for most home runs by a rookie with 34, and tied the AL record for consecutive hits with 16 in four games in 1952.

As an all around athlete, no one comes close.

 

[OkaForPrez]

I think a lot of people forget what Bazz went through in his sophomore and junior years. The void that Kemba left was massive and Bazz tried to step into it when he wasn’t ready to lead. He lost the locker room and it humbled him. He lost the greatest program architect of all time as a coach and had to anchor the 2013 huskies in a year they were banned from the post season. If I remember correctly the last game of that lost season everyone was injured. Bazz played his ass off on the road at a FLA directional school fought through pain. He gave this program everything he had. I surprised myself when I looked back, but Bazz had every bit of the intangibles that Kemba had.

 

[JimHurley]

I think a lot of people forget what Bazz went through in his sophomore and junior years. The void that Kemba left was massive and Bazz tried to step into it when he wasn’t ready to lead. He lost the locker room and it humbled him. He lost the greatest program architect of all time as a coach and had to anchor the 2013 huskies in a year they were banned from the post season. If I remember correctly the last game of that lost season everyone was injured. Bazz played his ass off on the road at a FLA directional school fought through pain. He gave this program everything he had. I surprised myself when I looked back, but Bazz had every bit of the intangibles that Kemba had.

100% true. He played a pretty big role on the 2011 team. Then everything he went though his sophomore and junior seasons that you mentioned. He followed that up with a fantastic senior season, being the best player in the country and leading us to #4. He’s right up there with Kemba, Ray, and Mek for best all time.

 

[JimHurley]

You ever see Ray or Rip or Oak ? or were you to young to understand.

Bazz is not there he is the next tier below.
Gordon is on that level too.

It’s absolutely insane to put Bazz above Kemba.

Not Ray or Rip. Remember very little of Emeka. But I’m not arguing that Shabazz was a better player than those guys. He wasn’t. But he has more accolades and accomplishments than those guys.

2 National titles, 1st team all Big East, 1st team all AAC, 1st team All-American, Bob Cousy award winner, Final 4 MOP, carried us through the postseason ban. As far as impact on the program, it’s not insane to put Bazz ahead of anyone.

 

[lavuuk153]

I love Bazz, but I look at it this way: if all these players were lined up in a gym (their peak college version), Bazz isn’t one of the first four taken. I think I would go Okafor but trying to pick between him, Ray, Rip, and Kemba is really tough.

Now that I’ve said that, I really want to see that pick up game!

 

[lavuuk153]

Not Ray or Rip. Remember very little of Emeka. But I’m not arguing that Shabazz was a better player than those guys. He wasn’t. But he has more accolades and accomplishments than those guys.

2 National titles, 1st team all Big East, 1st team all AAC, 1st team All-American, Bob Cousy award winner, Final 4 MOP, carried us through the postseason ban. As far as impact on the program, it’s not insane to put Bazz ahead of anyone.

For reference, I pulled this from Okafor’s Wikipedia page.

• NCAA champion (2004)
• NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2004)
• NABC Co-Player of the Year (2004)
• Consensus first-team All-American (2004)
• Third-team All-American – NABC (2003)
• 2× NABC Defensive Player of the Year (2003, 2004)
• Chip Hilton Player of the Year (2004)
• Pete Newell Big Man Award (2004)
• Big East Player of the Year (2004)
• 2× First-team All-Big East (2003, 2004)
• 2× Big East Defensive Player of the Year (2003, 2004)
• NCAA blocks leader (2003)

 

[uconnfan68]

What if we swap him out for Tyler Olander? Same result?

Wait, wut?

 

[fatlucy]

No way Bazz, whom I love, is better than Mek.