If you were wondering whether or not Kemba Walker would return to Storrs, Connecticut next year to take advantage of his final year of eligibility for the Huskies, you can stop. The University of Connecticut men’s basketball program will honor Kemba this Saturday during Senior Day which likely means he’ll take his talents to the NBA.
Senior Day is usually reserved for…seniors, as the respective schools pay homage to these young men (and women) in what is typically their last home game. They are usually accompanied to center court by parents or loved ones before tip-off of their final game in front of their home crowd. Seniors Charles Okwandu and Donnell Beverly will be honored as Kemba crashes the party.
The University says that Kemba is on track to finish his degree this summer and will be a part of graduation ceremonies in May. If that’s the case, then sure, I guess he should be a part of the festivities.
While Kemba has said he won’t officially make a decision regarding his future until after the season, he is a projected first round pick and is averaging 23 points per game in this breakout season. His production came out of nowhere this season and he is a legit Player of the Year candidate.
You could argue that he would actually benefit from another year of college ball because while he has proven that he can certainly score on the collegiate level, I doubt he’ll fill it up like that in the league, and next year could’ve helped him hone his abilities even more as a facilitator. At just 6’1”, he’ll be asked to play the point at the next level so you’d typically like to see more than the 4.4 assists per game that he currently averages. But in his defense, he’s really the only consistent offensive weapon that the Huskies have so I’m not mad at him for jacking like he has been this year.
So as we get set for the Big East tournament, and ultimately the real tournament, Husky fans should savor these last moments of Kemba donning the UConn uniform because it will be over soon. At least we got to witness him earning his way into the discussion of being one the best perimeter players to ever play ball at UConn.
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
