Walk Ons : Past and Present, Who Contributed the Most

[Improviser]

In game, and not for garbage time only

As practice players recognized by other players and the coach for their contributions

Played overseas professionally

That you knew personally, and why they told you they chose to be a walk on instead of going to another school and possibly starting or playing regularly.

 

[Huskybass]

Greg Economou was a baseball player at UConn and walked onto the basketball team. Cliff and Phil became ineligible and Greg got lots of minutes, over 14 a game in 86-87. He was also part of the NIT Championship team in 88. Great guy and has gone on to do big things.

 

[8893]

Greg Economou was a baseball player at UConn and walked onto the basketball team. Cliff and Phil became ineligible and Greg got lots of minutes, over 14 a game in 86-87. He was also part of the NIT Championship team in 88. Great guy and has gone on to do big things.

John Shea also played baseball and basketball in the mid-80s, but I can't remember if he was a walk-on for the basketball team. I recall that he got more than scrap minutes on a couple of occasions, but I don't recall the circumstances. I know he went on to play baseball in the minors.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Andre Drummond - greatest walk-on ever
Stanley Robinson - great story about him working as a walk-on for a year.

 

[mauconnfan]

One that comes to mind was Greg Economou. I believe he was at UConn on a baseball scholarship but was a walk on the hoops team in the early JC years as was a kid Hall (Tom?) a soccer player.

Also wasn't EJ Harrison a walk on after transferring from WCSU?

 

[Improviser]

Andre Drummond
Stanley Robinson - great story about him

These were scholarship players, and not walk ons.

Interestingly, there is another person by his name in Wikpedia.

Substantial (rapper) (born 1979), American rapper

 

[MDHuskFan]

Andre Drummond
Stanley Robinson - great story about him

That Stanley article makes me more proud to have Dan where Robinson’s uncle says “in the end, you pick a coach not a school.”

 

[MDHuskFan]

These were scholarship players, and not walk ons.

Interestingly, there is another person by his name in Wikpedia.

Substantial (rapper) (born 1979), American rapper

UConn freshman Drummond to play as walk-on

Connecticut freshman center Andre Drummond is not on scholarship and is instead attending Connecticut this season as a walk-on.

www.espn.com

 

[RichCTBB]

Kyle Chapman was on the women’s practice squad and ended up walking on to the men’s team.

 

[Improviser]

UConn freshman Drummond to play as walk-on

Connecticut freshman center Andre Drummond is not on scholarship and is instead attending Connecticut this season as a walk-on.

www.espn.com

Sorry, had forgotten or was not aware.

 

[RichZ]

EJ Harrison

 

[Waquoit]

John Shea also played baseball and basketball in the mid-80s, but I can't remember if he was a walk-on for the basketball team. I recall that he got more than scrap minutes on a couple of occasions, but I don't recall the circumstances.

Everybody played more than scrap minutes on that team. Shea was one of our bigger guys and I remember him playing quite a bit. Mostly setting picks.

 

[8893]

Everybody played more than scrap minutes on that team. Shea was one of our bigger guys and I remember him playing quite a bit. Mostly setting picks.

Yeah I checked his stats after posting and it looks like he averaged 6.5 minutes a game on the '85-'86 team:

John Shea College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

John Shea - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more

www.sports-reference.com

 

[Improviser]

Yeah I checked his stats after posting and it looks like he averaged 6.5 minutes a game on the '85-'86 team:

John Shea College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

John Shea - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more

www.sports-reference.com

Real good site. Never saw it before.

Gives assists per game and turnovers as separate stats.. Seems you would have to do the math to figure out the ratio.

Wonder if there is another site somewhere, that computes the assist to turnover ratio as a separate statistic?

 

[Waquoit]

Yeah I checked his stats after posting and it looks like he averaged 6.5 minutes a game on the '85-'86 team:

I knew he played some 1st half minutes.

 

[businesslawyer]

In terms of "true" walk-ons -- not Drummond and Robinson -- the answer is Shammond Tooles. No other walk-on got as important and meaningful minutes for really good teams. EJ Harrison, without looking it up, didn't play nearly as much.

 

[uconngb]

In terms of "true" walk-ons -- not Drummond and Robinson -- the answer is Shammond Tooles. No other walk-on got as important and meaningful minutes for really good teams. EJ Harrison, without looking it up, didn't play nearly as much.

You sure about that? I thought Tooles was on scholly.

 

[lange10]

I forget what year it was under Ollie but we had a walk on by the name of Dan Guest and I truly thought he was one of our top 8-9 players. That’s how thin & untalented we were at the time.

He played a bit and had some flashes.

Edit: he was 14-15 & did not show flashes. I am delusional. I’ll try again next time.

 

[8893]

You sure about that? I thought Tooles was on scholly.

I thought so too; and it sure sounds like it from the write-up of his recruiting here:

UCONN Hoop Legends: SHAMON TOOLES

Shamon was recruited by all the local colleges. “I remember shoe boxes of letters from Temple, Villanova, Seton Hall, Saint Joseph, Cincinnati Universities and the University of Connecticut.” Shamon’s cousin Richard Hamilton (former UConn star currently of the NBA Detroit Pistons) encouraged Shamon to come to Connecticut while Shamon’s friend Jameer Nelson was encouraging him to join him at Saint Joseph’s. In making his decision to come to UConn, Shamon said, “I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. I could have gotten more playing time at Saint Joe’s based on the style of basketball they play, but given the opportunity to play for Coach Calhoun, a Hall of Fame Coach, playing against Big East teams, you just can’t turn that down.”

Once he arrived at UConn the transition from high school to college was difficult. “I was among six freshmen all trying to get playing time. Everyone on the team was a star in high school. You can either work harder or let it break you and transfer. I chose the former.”

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I forget what year it was under Ollie but we had a walk on by the name of Dan Guest and I truly thought he was one of our top 8-9 players. That’s how thin & untalented we were at the time.

He played a bit and had some flashes.

Edit: he was 14-15 & did not show flashes. I am delusional. I’ll try again next time.

I think you’re thinking of Brendan Allan or something like that. Got some burn in 2012 when Boat was held out

 

[ToolzieFan]

In terms of "true" walk-ons -- not Drummond and Robinson -- the answer is Shammond Tooles. No other walk-on got as important and meaningful minutes for really good teams. EJ Harrison, without looking it up, didn't play nearly as much.

Tooles was 100% a scholarship player.

 

[glastonbury50]

If Temi hit that shot...

 

[Stainmaster]

I forget what year it was under Ollie but we had a walk on by the name of Dan Guest and I truly thought he was one of our top 8-9 players. That’s how thin & untalented we were at the time.

He played a bit and had some flashes.

Edit: he was 14-15 & did not show flashes. I am delusional. I’ll try again next time.

There were nevertheless plenty of calls for him to see the floor over Purvis/Samuel.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I played against Economou in intramural the year before he was on the team (KILLED us). A legit walk on.

 

[Madmannsucks]

Justin Srb. Was on the golf team. His mother was college educator who was killed by a security guard.