Kemba Walker – UConn
We’re still more than a month away from tournament time in college basketball, and we’ve already had our fair share of madness and surprises so far. We’ve seen things such as Syracuse getting off to an 18 – 0 start, before dropping their next 4. Duke has lost to two unranked teams in Florida State and St. John’s, including a blow out at the hands of the Red Storm. And we’ve also seen some sensational play from guys like BYU’s Jimmer Fredette and UConn’s Kemba Walker. However, of particular interest to me has been the play of Kemba this season, especially since he’s doing this while playing in the best conference in the country, the Big East.
Kemba got off to a very hot start this season, including an attention grabbing performance in Hawaii where he led the Huskies to a Maui Invitational championship. He has sustained that momentum and has somehow managed to become an offensive juggernaut this year, his junior campaign. This year, Kemba is averaging 24.2 points per season, which is up from the 14.6 that he dropped last year as a sophomore. Last year, I thought Kemba was an erratic PG with a world of potential, but this year he has shown the results of putting in work in the gym during the summer. With his play this year, he looks like the best player in the country and has made me wonder where ranks amongst the greatest UConn perimeter players of all-time. That’s a question that I never would’ve considered just a year ago.
The greatest Husky scorers to roam the perimeter for UConn were Donyell Marshall, Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin, Caron Butler, Ben Gordon and Rudy Gay. Each had their own styles but were still great in their own right.
Donyell Marshall
Donyell was 6’9” so while he played on the perimeter at times, he did a lot of damage on the block too. Because he played at UConn so long ago, he often times gets overlooked. In his best offensive year at UConn, Donyell averaged 25.1 per night.
Ray Allen
Ray didn’t just become a great shooter once he got to the NBA. He was doing that in college too while also possessing the skills to put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. He was one of best players in the country as a collegian, along with Georgetown’s Allen Iverson. Ray was a better shooter than Kemba is, and at 6’5”, Ray created matchup problems for smaller guards. In Ray’s best offensive year, he averaged 23.4.
Richard Hamilton
Rip will forever live in Husky lure because he was the best player on the team that won the first National Championship for UConn. What Rip did over and over again (which was so successful for him that he brought it with him to the NBA) was running off of screens for a catch-and-shoot 15 footer. He did that constantly and it was extremely effective for him. He’s one of the greatest players to come out of UConn and averaged 21.5ppg in his best offensive year.
Khalid El-Amin
Playing alongside Rip during that first championship season was Khalid El-Amin. Khalid isn’t largely regarded as a great Husky, but I think he was. While that was Rip’s team, Khalid’s role was just as important. Even though he always carried around about 30 pounds too many for his 5’10” frame, he somehow managed to display quickness that defied logic. He was just as good as any PG in the country at the time, but always played with another superior scorer which is why his best offensive year produced a 16ppg average.
Caron Butler
Caron played during, what I like to call, “the lull”, for UConn. He was sandwiched right between two National Championship teams the Huskies weren’t as dominant. Because he played during this time, and for only two years, he sometimes gets forgotten when you consider Huskies of yesteryear. He was pretty much the only bright spot for UConn during that time and in his best year he averaged 20.3.
Ben Gordon
Ben was a beast at UConn. I don’t care what they list him as, he’s only 6’1”. But he sure could fill it up. He was one of the most complete offensive perimeter players at UConn, ever. He had underrated handle, underrated hops and was a terrific shooter. Along with Emeka Okafor, he led the Huskies to their second National Championship. In his best year, he averaged 19.5 but he had to share the spotlight with Emeka, who received more love during their college days. That carried over to the NBA where Emeka would edge Ben for Rookie of the Year.
Rudy Gay
The only reason I’m putting Rudy on this list is because he has developed into a very nice pro (even though this is just about what they did at UConn, not the NBA). When he was at UConn, he left a lot to be desired and didn’t come close to living up to his potential. He was passive and got by largely on just athleticism. The 15.2 that he averaged as a sophomore could’ve easily been 20+. I’ll never forget the Elite 8 game that UConn lost to George Mason in overtime, where Rudy looked like he didn’t want the ball in the extra session, which left it all up to Marcus Williams.
There were plenty other talented UConn perimeter guys, but these are the best of the best for my money. One thing that Kemba has over just about everyone on the list is swagger. Swag doesn’t account for any points, but it sure makes him fun to watch. The way he gets his Kevin Garnett on (by swearing to himself) after hitting a big 3 never gets old. He is a much improved shooter and along with his elusive handle, he is very complete offensively at just 6’1” (if he’s even that tall).
I would say he’s in the conversation with Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon for best perimeter player ever out of UConn. While he scored more on average (so far this season – if his numbers hold up), than those three guys, he is helped by the fact that he doesn’t play with another great player. He wasn’t putting up these numbers last year with Stanley Robinson and Jerome Dyson on the team, but it’s clear that he’s a better player now than he was last year.
UConn is very dependent on Kemba and they go as he goes. They wouldn’t be anywhere near the Top 25 without him, let alone being in the Top 10 just about the entire year. Kemba is definitely top 4 on the list best UConn perimeter players and has a strong case for number 1 if what he’s doing this year can hold up.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
