Why do we watch sports? We watch because amazing things can happen. We watch because the greatest drama of all is the drama where the outcome is both real and unpredictable. We watch because anything can happen. We watch because all the same plot line we learn about in English class - David versus Goliath, courage under extreme circumstances, failing under the pressure of the moment - can play out over two or three hours of competition.
Uconn is one of the premiere college basketball programs in the nation. For more than 20 years now, the Huskies have been a signature team, one people all around the country know. Under Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun, Uconn has won two national championships, gone to three final fours (before last night), and produced top NBA players who carry their collegiate affiliation around as a badge of honor. To say Uconn is an underdog is a stretch. They have long since passed the time when winning is unexpected at Storrs.
Yet, the beauty of sports is that ANY team, under the right circumstances, can surprise, delight, and come from the back of the line to shine at the front of the class. Despite Uconn's stellar program resume, not much was expected from this team, this year. Even the most optimistic Uconn fans tempered their outlook. There were too many question marks. The year before had been too disappointing. Most of the players who would have major roles on the team had been playing high school ball only months before. Fans had only seen these players on YouTube videos, if at all.
Uconn's best player, Kemba Walker, was flawed. His jump shot was sporadic. He played out-of-control half the time, seemingly incapable to containing his other-worldly speed and harnessing it into a devastating weapon. Sure, everyone heard about the how well Kemba had played for the National Team, working against pros like Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Heck, Villanova head coach Jay Wright, who aided that team, said there were times Kemba was the best player on the floor.
But, could any of us actually believe that? We had heard hype around Uconn players before, and when the season started, all the expectations were dashed. Would Kemba really go from a talented yet flawed player to being a superstar? Jerome Dyson and Stanley Robinson, two immensely talented players, had failed to make such a leap the year before. Why would anyone believe Kemba would be different?
But, the pessimism was far more deep seeded. It went beyond the upcoming season. It was directed at the root of the program.
Uconn had gone to the Final Four only two years prior. Led by AJ Price, Jeff Adrien, and Hasheem Thabeet, that team suffered defeat in that classic six-overtime game against Syracuse only to rebound in the NCAA Tourney and go to the Final Four, eventually losing in what amounted to a road game against Michigan State. Yet, for me at least, there was something missing in that year. Uconn was expected to be a national title contender. They were in the top five all year long. They were a team everyone spoke about as having a chance to win a national title. Then, the team lost its best defensive player in Jerome Dyson. Then, the team lost the six overtime game, making four consecutive years without a win in a tournament which they had so long dominated. Then, there was the Yahoo! Sports article that started all the NCAA infractions stuff. The team's great accomplishment was overtaken, for me at least, by all the things that hadn't happened that year, rather than the things that had.
It also seemed that, despite their unbelievable run to the Final Four, the Uconn program was on the decline. Is it unfair to say such a thing after such an accomplishment? Absolutely. But, whether it be because the fan base was spoiled, or just overly critical, the feeling was that Uconn wasn't one of the best programs any longer. As good as AJ Price and Jeff Adrien were, it didn't seem the Huskies were getting the same quality of basketball player. It was also obvious that guys like Jerome Dyson and Stanley Robinson had failed to progress the way other talented young stars had under Calhoun. Then, the 2009/2010 season came and Uconn failed to make the NCAA tournament. They played uninspired, lackluster basketball, and Calhoun's future was suddenly up for discussion. Would he retire? Was there a rift between he and the school, after what seemed to be a luke warm response to the Yahoo! allegations by Uconn hierarchy? There was also a question about Uconn's recruiting class. While players like Doron Lamb, CJ Leslie, and Brandon Knight were rumored to be interested in the Huskies, all chose to go somewhere else. Instead, less heralded players decided on Storrs. Though Uconn's recruiting class was rated a respectable 25th in the nation, it seemed second-rate compared to the talent that had considered, then dismissed Calhoun.
Where is the program headed? Can it ever get back to where it once was? Fans began to talk about former great programs with even more pedigree that Uconn, like Indiana, that began to go downhill while their hall of game coach aged, then fell apart when he left. Was that Uconn's fate? Was the game passing Calhoun, and would all of college basketball pass Uconn when he finally left? Did he have another run in him?
This is the narrative the began the 2010/2011 season. When Uconn took the court the first time in October for Midnight Madness, Uconn's future, both this year and the next several, was seemingly on trial. The disappointment from last year was left over. The doubt was there. Uconn, a dominant program for two decades, winner of two national titles, three Final Four appearances, numerous Big East Championships, Elite Eight showings, and home to great players, was picked to be a middle-of-the-pack team, and no one complained.
That's what has made this year so special. It is not simply about a nice run in March. Is it about the rise of expectations for this entire program, like the Phoenix out of the ashes. It is the story of young men rising to the occasion. It is about an embattled hall of fame coach, not brushing off the adversity of the season but breaking through it, instead. It is about a program, in the middle of the first year in which it was severely admonished by the NCAA for infractions, making those infractions an afterthought in a blink of an eye, and putting the program back on top.
Uconn is going to the Final Four. They are doing it in the midst of a season where the only hope was a possible NCAA Tournament bid, where the most rose-colored Storrs supporters could only dream of a birth in the Sweet Sixteen.
Uconn is going to the Final Four because they have the best player in the country. That statement is about more than just play. It is about heart. It is about leadership. It is about confidence that doesn't spill over into obnoxious arrogance. It is about will to win, to prove all naysayers wrong, and to grab his team by the shirt collar and will them to victory.
I don't know if Kemba Walker is the most talented player Uconn has ever had. He probably isn't, even though the athleticism in such a little body is, at times, awe inspiring. However, I would argue that Kemba is the best all-around leader, and clutch performer, the team has ever had. Forget the stats. Think off this: Kemba is the first Uconn player to go to two Final Fours in his career at Storrs. He practically won Uconn's Elite Eight game against Missouri in 2009 by himself, and his run through the Tournament this year will go down in legend. No one has had to do more than Kemba. As much credit as Calhoun gets for leading a young group to glory, Kemba has been his floor general, taking command, barking orders, demanding excellence, encouraging where needed, chastising when needed, and always leading by example. Kemba's brilliance can be seen in the little moments of a game. It can be seen on loose balls, when a kid with NBA aspirations slides on the floor like a base stealer in baseball, always first there, always keeping the play alive. It can be seen in his insistence that HIS team get the ball to freshman Jeremy Lamb during the key moments of the game, putting ego aside and understanding that his budding star of a teammate was on fire. It's in his fade-away shot, a shot he didn't have as recently as last year, which has become as consistent a jumper as any players has in the country.
But, you don't make the Final Four on the back of just one player. If that were the case, Jimmer Fredette would still be playing. If that were the case, Stephan Curry would have won a National Championship for Davidson. This team is more than Kemba, and that's what makes it so much fun to watch.
Early in the year, Jim Calhoun told anyone who would listen that Jeremy Lamb had a chance to be special. Then, during Uconn's run in Maui, Lamb was all but invisible, spending most of his time on the bench. The impressive freshmen were Shabazz Napier and Roscoe Smith. It appeared that, if Lamb was going to live up to his coaches high praise, it would have to come next season.
Then, in January, Lamb began to find his footing. He showed great touch on his shot, amazing quickness and ball handling skills for such a tall and long player, and smooth athleticism that allowed him to get to the basket. He also had a wonderful floater that seemed to levitate away from his extraordinary long arms and drop quietly into the net every time. Calhoun even admitted that, for most players, he would discourage such a shot. For Lamb, it was perfect.
A friend of mine described Lamb as Kemba's Scottie Pippen. I loved the analogy. He has become as good a second option for a team led by a superstar as their is in the nation. And, he plays like a senior. He plays like he has been in this spot before, even though it's all new for him.
The other freshmen have had less of a coming out party, but have been equally important. Shabazz Napier continues to be a heart attack waiting to happen. In the span of three minutes on the floor, he can make three amazing plays/shots, and make three horrendous decisions on defense and offense to cost his team the lead. The talent is there. The understanding, the cool demeanor that comes with experience, is lacking. Yet, Napier's best game since Maui probably came in the Elite Eight. It shows the penchant for the spotlight, something you have to admire in a young player.
Roscoe Smith has a world of talent, yet has been unable to harness it as capably as Lamb. But, there is one thing Smith has mastered: he has the unique ability to use his amazing athleticism to both defend and rebound at a clip not normal for his lanky build. As he matures, and his jump shot improves, Smith will be a force. For now, he will have to be content with being a special athlete, a great rebounder, and a plus defender when he wants. Pretty impressive.
No player has frustrated me more than Alex Oriakhi. A beast inside, Alex O will disappear for not just minutes but entire games. He can play like a man possessed, or a man three times smaller than his actual size. It doesn't make a lot of sense. But, while Oriakhi continues to be an on-again-off-again player, his presence inside has been absolutely necessary during this run. Whether he has played the whole game at a top level or not, he has almost always come through big in the big moment. Tip ins, offensive rebounds, good interior defense, and kickouts have defined his play over the final two or three minutes of each elimination game. Even if he can't yet play a full GREAT game, he is playing big in big moments.
This is a team. It wins as a team. It plays great defense as a team. It rebounds as a team. It believes as a team.
Maybe it is because nothing was expected. Maybe it is because we have watched these kids grow up in 19 days. Maybe it is because a run to the Final Four remains so special. Whatever the reason, this has become one of my favorite teams of all time. It has been magic. It has been wonderous. And, it isn't over just yet.
There will be plenty of time to look ahead to next weekend. Will it be Kentucky and John Calipari, or UNC and Roy Williams? We'll have to wait and see.
But, now isn't the time for game previews. It is time to say 'thank you.' Thank you Kemba, for being not only a great player, but so easy to root for. Thank you Jeremy Lamb, for being so clutch, so poised, at such a young age. Thank you to all the players, from Shabazz and his frenetic style of play to Roscoe and his high-energy play, to Alex Oriakhi and his rebounding, to Charles Okwandu and his determination. Finally, than you to Jim Calhoun. Thank you for leading this group to heights even he couldn't have predicted. Thank you for instilling all of us with excitement, not just for next weekend, but for next year and beyond. We are believe in Uconn again. We believe that the Beast of the East remains in Storrs. And, we believe that no man is more worthy of his Hall of Fame bust than you.
It's on to Houston. A month ago, as Uconn finished up a loss to Notre Dame, and wrapped a regular season that saw the team lose 7 of its last 11, such a comment would have seemed perversely funny. A sarcastic knock on a season that had, from the looks of it, little chance of getting past the first round of either the Big East or NCAA tournaments. Now, it is simply the next step on this magic carpet ride.
Thank you Uconn. I'll see you in Houston.
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