Which Uconn player never made it big in the nba that shocked you the most

[AZHuskiePop]

You will see a lot of Marcus Williams in this thread and I agree. He had a rare, innate understanding of the game, e.g. it seemed like he could see plays right before they happened. Best UCONN passer IMO. He had a good rookie season and I believe was playing behind Kidd - he couldn't have asked for a better mentor. I don't really know what happened but I seem to remember him not being in the best shape. He is having a very good career in Europe and is making a lot more money than most so I doubt he's losing any sleep.

He gained weight and lost some quickness.
He also gave the impression he was only going through the motions.

 

[wbfree]

My vote is stanley robinson. He never even got into the nba let alone stand out. I thougt for sure he was a lock.

I always thought Chris Smith would have a long NBA career. Obviously Marcus Williams and Thabeet.
A lot of people were wrong on those two. Marcus was an amazing passer,while Thabeet was a great
rim protector in College.

 

[Excalibur]

I'm not surprised by him at all. Sticks was a sick athlete, but he wasn't really a good basketball player. He'd have these moments when everything clicked, but more than anything else he was a athlete. Not skilled enough to be a 3, not big enough to be a 4.



.

He could run like a deer and jump out of the building, and he was an OK standstill shooter, but he had no handle, couldn't break anyone down off the dribble, and couldn't guard on the perimeter. When not running straight ahead he was very wooden in his movements. I thought he had a chance of being a poor man's Chris Wilcox, but not anything more. It turns out that, at 6-8 and with no offensive "game" to speak of, he couldn't even be that.

 

[ktuck911]

You will see a lot of Marcus Williams in this thread and I agree. He had a rare, innate understanding of the game, e.g. it seemed like he could see plays right before they happened. Best UCONN passer IMO. He had a good rookie season and I believe was playing behind Kidd - he couldn't have asked for a better mentor. I don't really know what happened but I seem to remember him not being in the best shape. He is having a very good career in Europe and is making a lot more money than most so I doubt he's losing any sleep.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him return to the US and make $$$. He's too good. An NBA team ( calling the NY Knicks... damn they need a PG ) with a need for a lead guard would be foolish not to give him another shot...

 

[UConnSean]

I wouldn't be surprised to see him return to the US and make $. He's too good. An NBA team ( calling the NY Knicks... damn they need a PG ) with a need for a lead guard would be foolish not to give him another shot...

Personally, I would be surprised if he came back to NBA. I'm not saying it never happens, but the track record for 30 year old guards coming back to the league from Europe is not very good

 

[Bonesbrigade]

Obviously in the minority here but always thought KEA had the overall skill set to play at the next level.

 

[joober jones]

I'd have to go with the Boone/Armstrong/Williams trio.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'd have to go with the Boone/Armstrong/Williams trio.

I was surprised Boone and Armstrong went as high as they did. Never thought they'd get more than a cup of coffee. I wouldn't have drafted either of them. Thought Marcus' court smarts could overcome his lack of athleticism, and was wrong. In a prior era it might have been enough. In the modern NBA, he would have been a second rounder...and if you doubt it, look where Shabazz went, for many of the same reasons.

Overall Donyell was the guy I thought could be a star and who hasn't been. Ben and Emeka maybe slightly under-performed for where they were drafted.

 

[nycscooby]

Marcus is a good choice. I thought Khalid would have had a nice career. Really disappointed in how things panned out for Ben, Emeka and Charlie V

 

[Mazhude]

I'm going to go way old school and say Earl Kelley. Great handle, great pure shooter, led the team in scoring all four years... extraordinary lack of judgement off the court that eventually cost him a professional basketball career. Statistically, he is/was number 3 at UConn in career free throws made, number 10 in assists and number 11 in career scoring. And yes, he's still a member of the UConn Basketball All Century Team.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I'm going to go way old school and say Earl Kelley. Great handle, great pure shooter, led the team in scoring all four years... extraordinary lack of judgement off the court that eventually cost him a professional basketball career. Statistically, he is/was number 3 at UConn in career free throws made, number 10 in assists and number 11 in career scoring. And yes, he's still a member of the UConn Basketball All Century Team.

That's a good one, we will never know but even with whatever drugs he was doing in college Earl was in the class of premier Big East players in the Ewing, Mullin era. Can't say I was surprised that he didn't make it though after the debacle that was his final year at UConn.

Both have had good careers, but I would have swore that Emeka & Donyell would be perennial all-stars on the NBA level. And I would have set the over/under for Emeka's # of championships at 2 - and taken the over.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

As far as "never made it Big" I'd go with Donyell. Coming off his last season at Uconn when he was a monster statistically I really thought he could be borderline HOF NBA player. Decent NBA career but not what I anticipated.

 

[CallMeBruce]

'Yell was probably an all-star caliber player at his best, but he'd already developed a rep as an underachiever by then, so that wasn't going to happen.