What players in UConn history...

[Excalibur]

No love for Albert Mouring?

Albert plateaued pretty quickly, IMO.

 

[intlzncster]

Kentan Facey
Jeff Adrien
Hilton Armstrong
Gavin Edwards

Adrien? He was a beast as a freshman. My only complaint...he didn't get enough PT.

 

[Matrim55]

Albert plateaued pretty quickly, IMO.

I mean, he barely played as a freshman and averaged 15ppg as a senior. Could argue his junior year was better, but he's a pretty obvious case of a guy who got SIGNIFICANTLY better over the course of his career.

 

[intlzncster]

Okafor is one of mine. He was good as a freshman....but he was a goshdarn force of nature his senior year.

 

[Excalibur]

I think Donny is the clear #1. He was a complete non-factor for two seasons, a major contributor in year 3 and a star in year 4.

Others include:

Thabeet
Griffey
Daniels
Hilton
Knight
Facey

Recruiting ranking doesn't really matter in this calculation. All that matters is how good the player was early on, and how good they were at the end.

 

[Excalibur]

I mean, he barely played as a freshman and averaged 15ppg as a senior. Could argue his junior year was better, but he's a pretty obvious case of a guy who got SIGNIFICANTLY better over the course of his career.

You know what, I'm going to stand corrected on this one. For some reason in my mind the '98-'99 season was his first -- probably because he did play so little as a freshman.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

For kicks and giggles I looked at KF's freshman year "stats" the other day. 9/10 times he played ~5 mins and recorded no stats. When he got extended blow he was a force though. I wish we could get that year back.

 

[blackbird]

Kemba.

 

[blackbird]

Giff was so good in big spots senior year, its tough to say this but I actually mean it positively:

He maybe isn't on this list because (a) he was still a role player his senior year, never really took over games or anything, simply did the right play all the time, and (b) he showed that knack, imo, since his frosh year.

I don't mean he wasnt valuable, etc etc, so hopefully there's no outrage, he was to me a vital component of our great teams, vastly underrated defender and athlete.

But he was always a smart player, and he never turned some huge switch late, which is more of this thread's intent, from what I can tell.

I honestly think Giffey's "improvement" had more to do with his increase playing time. For whatever reason, he had a very short leash with Calhoun.

We don't win the National Championship his freshman season without him. He was huge for us then too.

 

[Waquoit]

1) Thabeet could barely walk his freshmen year and fell down every time there was the slightest contact. By the time he was a junior, he was an absolute force.

He literally could not dunk.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

You could call this award the Annual Beet-Armstrong Award.

 

[BugsyCT]

Cliff Robinson

 

[BUConn10]

This is Hilton's award to lose.

 

[AdamaNation]

..Improved the most from their freshman to senior (or last) year.

My picks...

Hilton
Giffey
Kemba
Shabazz
John Gwynn
Lyman
Jake
AJ
Jeff Carr
Travis Knight
Phil Gamble
...
I know I'm missing a bunch and some really obvious ones.

Cuz I've been drinking.
Ricky Moore
Tony Robertson
Deandre Daniels (jr)
Facey
Kemballla
Travis
Emeka
Rudy Johnson
Donnell Beverly

 

[mauconnfan]

Talik is the belt holder in this category until further notice. And it's not even close.

Taliek a McD's AA or Hasham Thabeet who walked with the ball of getting his pivot foot as a freshman turning into a lottery pick in the draft? This isn't close

 

[mauconnfan]

Thabeet. He was always falling down in his freshman year and didn't even dunk.

Yeah but Amida was always falling down as a freshman too? Oh damn he still does

 

[mauconnfan]

Gerry Besselink

This one is very solid too, good call. He was one of the leading rebounders in the country his senior year and this at 6'6" - tough kid played his balls off in the paint.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Lamb

 

[mauconnfan]

Taliek a McD's AA or Hasham Thabeet who walked with the ball of getting his pivot foot as a freshman turning into a lottery pick in the draft? This isn't close

iMac bastad...."forgetting" his pivot foot....

 

[RichZ]

Okafor is one of mine. He was good as a freshman...but he was a goshdarn force of nature his senior year.

You have different memories of Okafor than I do. His first game was unnoteworthy. His next game, I remember posting something completely over the top about how good he was. I think I might have said that we got the 2nd coming of Bill Russell.
And from that point forward, as far as I was concerned, he was special.

The only thing that changed much about Mek from freshman to Junior year was that he shot more after his freshman year. He played 30 to 32 minutes per game every year. He shot right around 60% every year. He was a lousy foul shooter every year (actually, progressively worse as time went by). He blocked 4 shots per game every year. His rebounding did improve, but not by a margin that would earn him a place on this list ( from 9 to 11.5). Averaged right around one steal and one assist every year.

 

[huskyrob1]

You have different memories of Okafor than I do. His first game was unnoteworthy. His next game, I remember posting something completely over the top about how good he was. I think I might have said that we got the 2nd coming of Bill Russell.
And from that point forward, as far as I was concerned, he was special.

The only thing that changed much about Mek from freshman to Junior year was that he shot more after his freshman year. He played 30 to 32 minutes per game every year. He shot right around 60% every year. He was a lousy foul shooter every year (actually, progressively worse as time went by). He blocked 4 shots per game every year. His rebounding did improve, but not by a margin that would earn him a place on this list ( from 9 to 11.5). Averaged right around one steal and one assist every year.

What I remember about Emeka from freshman to his last year was how much more muscular he got and how he could dominate the middle on defense and grab those rebounds. The last Duke game, I particularly remember his dominance. He really took it to some great Duke players. Same thing for Ben in that game, as a freshman Ben was great, but by his last game he was flying through the air and making jams like he was Jordan or Vince Carter. Safe to say he played taller from freshman to his last year, which made him that much more dangerous in the NBA.

 

[intlzncster]

You have different memories of Okafor than I do. His first game was unnoteworthy. His next game, I remember posting something completely over the top about how good he was. I think I might have said that we got the 2nd coming of Bill Russell.
And from that point forward, as far as I was concerned, he was special.

The only thing that changed much about Mek from freshman to Junior year was that he shot more after his freshman year. He played 30 to 32 minutes per game every year. He shot right around 60% every year. He was a lousy foul shooter every year (actually, progressively worse as time went by). He blocked 4 shots per game every year. His rebounding did improve, but not by a margin that would earn him a place on this list ( from 9 to 11.5). Averaged right around one steal and one assist every year.

It's a matter of perspective I guess. If you are just looking at greatest percentage improvement in numbers, then no. When you look at numbers like field goal %, it doesn't reflect that his offensive game expanded tremendously from his frosh to junior year. He played within himself as a freshman, and didn't take shots he couldn't make. But the variety and range in his game was far superior as a junior.

As I said, he was good as a freshman. His floor was obviously way higher than the guys on these thread. But he went from good to one of the best collegiate centers of all time. His ceiling was otherworldly. I know everyone likes to pick Kemba as best all time Husky, but I've always though it was Okafor. The only college player I've seen as dominant on both ends as him in the last 15 or so years was Anthony Davis. jmo tho

When people look at these lists, they always pick the least quality player who became good. But you can look at good players who became great, and show just as much improvement. Same reason Kemba could be on this list. Matter of definition.

 

[RichZ]

It's a matter of perspective I guess. If you are just looking at greatest percentage improvement in numbers, then no. When you look at numbers like field goal %, it doesn't reflect that his offensive game expanded tremendously from his frosh to junior year. He played within himself as a freshman, and didn't take shots he couldn't make. But the variety and range in his game was far superior as a junior.

As I said, he was good as a freshman. His floor was obviously way higher than the guys on these thread. But he went from good to one of the best collegiate centers of all time. His ceiling was otherworldly. I know everyone likes to pick Kemba as best all time Husky, but I've always though it was Okafor. The only college player I've seen as dominant on both ends as him in the last 15 or so years was Anthony Davis. jmo tho

When people look at these lists, they always pick the least quality player who became good. But you can look at good players who became great, and show just as much improvement. Same reason Kemba could be on this list. Matter of definition.

I too have trouble deciding between Kemba and Mek as my choice for Husky GOAT. But When it comes to improved most over their career, to me it's Donny, Hasheem, Hilton.

 

[intlzncster]

I too have trouble deciding between Kemba and Mek as my choice for Husky GOAT. But When it comes to improved most over their career, to me it's Donny, Hasheem, Hilton.

That's fair enough. I wouldn't have Mek or Kemba as THE most improved, just somewhere in the conversation.

I have Hasheem as number one myself. jmo or course.

 

[Husky1]

Many of the kids listed here came in as top 50 players and contributed at a pretty good clip here freshman year. To me Hilton was basically nothing his first few years and exploded on seen his senior year. Rod Sellers seemed to do the same. A player from another team who did nothing his first few years who then became all-big east was Billy Donavan from PC.
He went from chubby intramural player to a fantastic player once Pitino got there.