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Early Friday afternoon, Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright, and Deandre Daniels announced they were returning to school. My initial reaction upon hearing this news was one of unfiltered joy. Maybe that seems sappy to you, but after an absolute nightmarish eighteen months in UConn athletics, a ray of sunshine had finally crept into the picture
Maybe the derivative of this immense satisfaction would appear mis-placed - I don't know Shabazz Napier on a personal level, nor do I know any of his teammates. It would be illogical and slightly insane to conclude from a limited window of on-court interaction that Shabazz Napier or Ryan Boatright is inherently more likeable as a person or player than Joe Smith from Georgia State University. And let's be honest with ourselves: the interests of a sports fan are very often self-serving. Many times, they tend to rationalize their saturation with a specific college or team by convincing themselves the players or coaches of their own team are somehow superior representitives of their town or univeristy than any other run-of-the-mill basketball player. It's convoluted logic, and in many cases a desperate cry to justify viewing a sports team as an extention of themselves rather than merely a hobby.
I don't post this because I'm trying to appear intellectual or philosophical; I make the statements that I do as an attempt to come to grips with myself as a sports fan, and which avenues of spectator sport I withdraw the most fulfillment from. And after more thought than one should probably put into such a seemingly irrelevent topic, I have determined Friday's announcement has served as confirmation of a sports fans favorite reality: watching the final stages of a teams cycle of growth.
Nobody can predict with certainty the accomplishments of next years team; however, what one can declare with authority is that whatever they accomplish, they will have earned. Deandre Daniels, Tyler Olander, Niels Giffey, and Ryan Boatright - the crux of the teams core, all upper-classmen - would have been justified in leaving upon the NCAA's manufactured storm and Jim Calhoun's accompanying retirement. And yeah, maybe it's a bit hollywoodian to think they all shoved their personal agendas to the side and stuck around for the greater good. But I don't care. Ryan Boatright, in his two years at UConn, has had to endure a season-crippling concoction of egos, the retirement of the Hall of Famer that recruited him, two suspensions at the hands of the NCAA mafia, and a retroactive Academic Progress scam that left UConn without anything to play for in 2012-13. Deandre Daniels has had to deal with many of the same issues listed above, in addition to the terrifying illness he witnessed his sister battled through a large portion of his freshman season. Niels Giffey - who could have been making a check playing ball in Europe - and Tyler Olander, a kid who opted to remain loyal to State U rather than cashing in the blank check of minutes Hartford or Fairfield would have offered him, have been victimized by Calhoun's quick hook and yanked and re-inserted from the rotation more than anybody. And lastly, Shabazz Napier, who worked extra hours in the classroom to qualify in time to play an integral role in UConn's national championship run, only to battle self-centered, egocentric teammates, chronic foot difficulties, Jim Calhoun health problems, and NCAA postseason barracades the following two years.
In a day and age where student-athletes are pampered to disgraceful lengths and entitlement is the norm rather than the exception, these kids embraced one challenge after another, never wavering or saying a word in the face of adversity. These kids have largely had the tales of their college careers written for them; they have been products (and in many cases, victims) of circumstances, comprising the cast to Kemba's off-broadway in 2011, the epic self-combustion of 2012, and the courageous but forgotten season of 2013. Now, in what will be the final season for many, if not all of them, they have been presented with a blank page to write their own story. The rest of us are just along for the ride this time.
Maybe the derivative of this immense satisfaction would appear mis-placed - I don't know Shabazz Napier on a personal level, nor do I know any of his teammates. It would be illogical and slightly insane to conclude from a limited window of on-court interaction that Shabazz Napier or Ryan Boatright is inherently more likeable as a person or player than Joe Smith from Georgia State University. And let's be honest with ourselves: the interests of a sports fan are very often self-serving. Many times, they tend to rationalize their saturation with a specific college or team by convincing themselves the players or coaches of their own team are somehow superior representitives of their town or univeristy than any other run-of-the-mill basketball player. It's convoluted logic, and in many cases a desperate cry to justify viewing a sports team as an extention of themselves rather than merely a hobby.
I don't post this because I'm trying to appear intellectual or philosophical; I make the statements that I do as an attempt to come to grips with myself as a sports fan, and which avenues of spectator sport I withdraw the most fulfillment from. And after more thought than one should probably put into such a seemingly irrelevent topic, I have determined Friday's announcement has served as confirmation of a sports fans favorite reality: watching the final stages of a teams cycle of growth.
Nobody can predict with certainty the accomplishments of next years team; however, what one can declare with authority is that whatever they accomplish, they will have earned. Deandre Daniels, Tyler Olander, Niels Giffey, and Ryan Boatright - the crux of the teams core, all upper-classmen - would have been justified in leaving upon the NCAA's manufactured storm and Jim Calhoun's accompanying retirement. And yeah, maybe it's a bit hollywoodian to think they all shoved their personal agendas to the side and stuck around for the greater good. But I don't care. Ryan Boatright, in his two years at UConn, has had to endure a season-crippling concoction of egos, the retirement of the Hall of Famer that recruited him, two suspensions at the hands of the NCAA mafia, and a retroactive Academic Progress scam that left UConn without anything to play for in 2012-13. Deandre Daniels has had to deal with many of the same issues listed above, in addition to the terrifying illness he witnessed his sister battled through a large portion of his freshman season. Niels Giffey - who could have been making a check playing ball in Europe - and Tyler Olander, a kid who opted to remain loyal to State U rather than cashing in the blank check of minutes Hartford or Fairfield would have offered him, have been victimized by Calhoun's quick hook and yanked and re-inserted from the rotation more than anybody. And lastly, Shabazz Napier, who worked extra hours in the classroom to qualify in time to play an integral role in UConn's national championship run, only to battle self-centered, egocentric teammates, chronic foot difficulties, Jim Calhoun health problems, and NCAA postseason barracades the following two years.
In a day and age where student-athletes are pampered to disgraceful lengths and entitlement is the norm rather than the exception, these kids embraced one challenge after another, never wavering or saying a word in the face of adversity. These kids have largely had the tales of their college careers written for them; they have been products (and in many cases, victims) of circumstances, comprising the cast to Kemba's off-broadway in 2011, the epic self-combustion of 2012, and the courageous but forgotten season of 2013. Now, in what will be the final season for many, if not all of them, they have been presented with a blank page to write their own story. The rest of us are just along for the ride this time.
