What will you remember the most about this Championship Team? | Page 4 | The Boneyard

What will you remember the most about this Championship Team?

WeAreUCONN said:
They played like a real team. No one was above anyone else. From the last man on the bench to the best player, whichever player that is, they all competed, contributed, and played hard, on their way to a dream season.
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Absolutely. They were well oiled machine. Hard to believe that some asshat wanted to fire Hurley at halftime of the Iona game.
 
Waquoit said:
Speaking of smiles, I loved how Newton couldn't help letting a little smile out after a nice three.
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What a great national championship game he had. His journey this season from sometimes goat to being the high scorer in the national championship game, reminds me of Talik Browns, four years in microcosm.
 
Had this group not had the mid season lapse, they would have been mentioned as one of the top teams ever. Pure dominance in the tourney,.
 
The depth.....unlike the 2011 (Kemba) or 2014 (Bazz) titles there was no player that needed to carry the team. Hawkins not hitting shots so in comes Joey C, the Sanogo/Clingan sharing of the bigman role w/ totally different styles, the Jackson/Newton/Alleyne/Diarra ball handling and defense. The ability to play 9 players in the first 10 minutes Fianl 4 games is unheard of. Having Joey, Alleyne, Diarra and Clingan coming of the bench made this team special.
 
I think it’s too soon to really say what the enduring memories will be, but a few things that come to mind are:

Sanogo and Clingan as are incredible two headed monster at center. Can you imagine being an opposing post and getting abused by Sanogo’s foot work and low post moves, feeling momentary relief as he heads to the bench only to see a 7’2” monster come out? Talk about taking away opponents hearts.

Joey California. What a great story! I small school kid transfers to a perennial basketball power, figuring to be a depth piece. Instead, he lights it up from deep and immediately becomes a fan favorite with his own merch. On top of that he seems like a really good kid who enjoyed and appreciated the ride.

The emergence of Jordan Hawkins. Last year, we all saw the potential, but he really hadn’t fully put it together on the court. This year, the lightbulb went on for him, particularly after working with Rip Hamilton, and he look like a kid who is going to have a very long NBA career.

The b.u.l.l.s.h.i.t with the biggest refs and Hurley, getting the last laugh by winning a national championship.

Finally, Dan Hurley shedding his demons and coming into his own as a championship level coach. He did an outstanding job through the tournament. This, obviously, meant the world to him, for a whole lot of reasons. I could not be happier for him.

There’s a lot of other stories, of course, but those are the ones I think we’ll stick in my mind, the most.
 
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That they played together and were the true meaning of team. The sum of the parts made them great. Great players do not make great teams. Great teams make great players>
 
Having better appreciation for what Coach Hurley said, “we did this the right way!”
 
The relationship between Hurley and Jackson.

Jackson was a disaster as soon as conference play started. I can’t remember another time where a coach repaired a player who was so completely shattered the way Jackson was.

But not only repaired him, but turned a guy who has no shooting ability into such a weapon.

Watch the last seconds of the game…I am pretty sure Hurley was whipping up the crowd and directing them to applaud Jackson.
 
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Fishy said:
Awww.

I hated that people made fun of that kid. He answered the question in the spirit that it was asked - everyone knew what he meant and they made fun of him for it anyway.
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It was a genuinely tender moment, AND it was meme-like.
 
I'll remember how much we dominated out of conference opponents compared to how we played in conference. I'll forever be slightly puzzled by this.
 
jayteeman said:
You Better Get Us Now!!!!
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Is past tense. This team changed it.

It currently is you should have got us then!

This is a team with a capital T. The speed of their interaction with one another on both offense and defense, the ability to play against any style of opposition, the obvious connection they have with one another on and off the court, their approach to games and they sincerely bleed Husky blue and white.

Loved this team from the onset. Love them more for bringing number five. They will be a tough act to follow.
 
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Joey C blowing the roof off Gampel vs GTown.

The beginning of the legend of DC and AK.

Bill Murray doing a thing with his arms.
 
How this group came together to quiet the noise, to trust and believe in each other, and to become legends.

This guy can’t coach, that guy isn’t a “real” UConn point guard, this guy is a liability on the floor because his offense is awful, that guy is selfish and his back-up should be playing more.

If you came for one of them, you came for them all. It’s easy to give lip service about being selfless, but this group did the thing. The basketball was obviously important, but they learned some real life stuff throughout this season. Every single one of these players is someone you want to root for. I am so proud of all of them and glad we all got to have that experience.
 
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I will always remember the cohesiveness on offense. I don't think we've had such fluidity and unselfishness on a team since 95 and that team was an offensive juggernaut. And I will always remember someone saying that Hurley should be fired after the 1st half of the first round game. I know we should all be celebrating but that is the stuff of legends. I will not remember who said it but I will always remembered that it was said.
 
rman726 said:
The team going out to eat in Houston was one of my least favorite moments of 2023.
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"Calamari in Houston" would work as the middle line of a haiku, but might not be the best choice off a restaurant menu.
 
Ajax and all the different things he does well and in particular his incredible court vision. Jordan Hawkins hitting huge baskets.
 
Through 5 pages and I can't believe nobody has mentioned the incredible 10-0 type runs these guys would go on. This team was a front running squad all season (not really a knock when you blow everyone out) and man when they smelled blood in the water they attacked like no other team in recent memory.

Specifically, I loved being on a 7-0, type run, and wed get a stop or turnover and blast up the court and hit Hawkins or Joey for a back breaking 3 in transition to send the crowd over the top seguing into a Big Red chant. That to me is Husky hoops and this team may have done that better than any I've ever seen (almost 37 for reference).
 
1. PK tournament and realizing we had an elite team that could pull this off.
2. Every home game with the exception of St. Johns was so much fun, even Xavier while disappointing at the end had that atmosphere and we definitely figured some things out in the 2nd half.
3. How by tournament time we were a well oiled machine. And knowing that there was nothing to fear from any other team it was strictly we need to just play our game and we'd win.
 
Fishy said:
Watch the last seconds of the game…I am pretty sure Hurley was whipping up the crowd and directing them to applaud Jackson.
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"This guy!"
 
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