Wes B, maybe the best shooter I ever saw. I was just a kid but wow.Not a bad list but shows recency bias. List does not include Smitty (leading scorer), Tony Hanson (#3) and Corny (#6). Other names from past would include Cliff, Wes and Toby.
All modern era players.1. Emeka
2. Rip
3. Kemba
4. Ray
5. Shabazz
6. Caron
7. Sanogo
8. Ben Gordon
9. Donyell
10A. Andre
10B. Hawkins
10C. Khalid
10D. AJ Price
One Ollie recruit (as head coach)1. Emeka
2. Rip
3. Kemba
4. Ray
5. Shabazz
6. Caron
7. Sanogo
8. Ben Gordon
9. Donyell
10A. Andre
10B. Hawkins
10C. Khalid
10D. AJ Price
Who? Shabazz?One Ollie recruit (as head coach)
I've been watching since late 70s. Would not take Corny or Cliff ahead of the guys in that list.All modern era players.
Yep, which doesn't mean they weren't great players. We've just had a lot of great players.I've been watching since late 70s. Would not take Corny or Cliff ahead of the guys in that list.
I agree with all of this but everyone has different criteria. Mine was simply dominance and performance. Who was the biggest factor?Emeka and Rip are no question on the Mt. Rushmore of Husky greats, which in and of itself is an amazing feat. Mek gets #2 for his sheer domination of the Blue Devils in the 2nd half of the 2004 National Semifinal.
But sorry... there is only one #1... and it has to be Kemba. The 2011 Huskies do not win the National Title if you were to switch Emeka for Kemba. Only Danny Manning's "Danny and the Miracles" run to their title in 1988 is on par with what Kemba Walker did for us in 2011. And although the 11 game "March to the Sea" through the Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament would put him neck and neck with anyone, some people tend to forget that Kemba was arguably the best player in the country for the entirety of 2010-2011 (I still will argue with anyone that Jimmer Fredette did not deserve player of the year as he was awful on defense, while Kemba usually played D on the other team's best guard. NO COMPARISON!).
The run in the NCAA tournament never happens without Kemba embracing the leadership role right from pre-season workouts and becoming the man from day one. He lead us right out of the gate to that totally unexpected and totally satisfying win in Maui (I will never forget the absolute spanking we put on Calipari and his heavily favored Kentucky Wildcats in the championship... absolutely top 5 non-NCAA championship games we won during the Calhoun-era).
Kemba is the greatest leader to ever don a UConn uniform... Khalid and Shabazz are right there behind him, for sure, but Kemba has to get the clear nod there as well. His 2010-2011 body of work from beginning to end is still the greatest singular season-long performance that any Husky has ever had. That makes him #1 in my book. Oh, and he also was in a second Final 4... and an important role player as a freshman on that 2008-2009 team.
As a side note - my favorite part of these discussions is going through the exercise of remembering how many great players and special young men we have had play at the University of Connecticut. We are absolutely one of the luckiest if not the luckiest fan base in all of college basketball.
Overall a good list, Emeka and Rip are my top 2 as well, probably Rip edging out Emeka but you got Donyell too low and Smitty should be on there.I agree with all of this but everyone has different criteria. Mine was simply dominance and performance. Who was the biggest factor?
I thought Emeka in college was the most unstoppable force UConn ever had. It's a good discussion though.
I agree about Smitty. You would have to be a fan for over 30 years to realize how important Chris Smith was to UConn besides just his shooting. Similar to Dan Orlovsky in football, his decision to attend UConn was a great get for Coach Calhoun and opened the door for other recruits.Overall a good list, Emeka and Rip are my top 2 as well, probably Rip edging out Emeka but you got Donyell too low and Smitty should be on there.
Agree. There's room for debate about who should be in the "10" grouping.I think that I'd swap Ricky of AJ, and might shuffle a couple places here or there, but overall, it's a damned good list.
Donyell imo despite the rough end but you’re right we’re spoiled there are real strong cases for several guys.I agree with all of this but everyone has different criteria. Mine was simply dominance and performance. Who was the biggest factor?
I thought Emeka in college was the most unstoppable force UConn ever had. It's a good discussion though.
Eye test says Kemba but Emeka and Rip won National Player of the Year Awards. In Emeka’s case he was the DPOY too.I agree with all of this but everyone has different criteria. Mine was simply dominance and performance. Who was the biggest factor?
I thought Emeka in college was the most unstoppable force UConn ever had. It's a good discussion though.
Who? Shabazz?
Wasn’t he Calhoun’s recruit? 2011One Ollie recruit (as head coach)
One can argue that Chris Smith might have been the most important recruit in UConn history. There’s no dream season without him and maybe no Scott Burrell. Without them there’s probably no Donyell. Without Donyell there’s probably no Ray Allen. So forth and so forth.I've been watching since late 70s. Would not take Corny or Cliff ahead of the guys in that list.