Who is the Husky you wished won a championship the most?

[UCfor3]

Caron.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Tony Robertson

Some of you know why

 

[ARIDE]

CARON

 

[Palatine]

I gotta go with me. I didn't play sports at UConn so it would be tough. But I can't believe anyone would have enjoyed it more.

 

[RichZ]

Ray and Caron.

 

[husky99]

Ray allen and Caron Butler

 

[SubbaBub]

The pre-99 list is enormous. The entire roster from 94-96 qualifies.

Post 99 its Caron Bulter and CV for me.

 

[Kitaman]

Jerome Dyson

 

[ZenConn]

Stanley Robinson.

 

[AdamaNation]

Hard to choose, plenty of options. This isn’t who was the best player to not win one. My top 3 would be:

Jeff Adrien
Adrien was a beast, a monster at times. I loved how old school his game was. Tough around the glass, strong hands, real attitude.

Rudy Gay
Rudy was maybe the most skilled Husky. His athleticism, coordination, basketball IQ was ridiculous. Smooth down the court, massive wingspan and could throw it down

But the winner, Stanley Robinson
Stanley’s evolution feels similar to Andre. Tough kid, great story, and an absolute freak around the rim. His 09 season was impressive and was always good to blow the roof off the place once a game with a high flying dunk. I could have swore when he dunked the putback with one min left vs MSU to pull within 3 (after being down a dozen) we were winning

Do they have to be close to one? I’d say Chris smith and CV3 as well. They were 2 different bridges at 2 different times. One legitimized us. The other saved us.

 

[boog204]

Smitty, Donyell, Ray, and Doron.

 

[Spaceman213J]

For me, its tough between Ray and Vital. Ray was so close to advancing on a team that really could have done damage in the Final Four. I would have loved seeing him and Donyell get one together. They both just seem like quality human beings.

I'm leaning toward Vital though because he never got to experience the Big Dance at all. He seemed to have a nose for the big game and big moment and would have loved to see if he went on a tear in tournament play. While he was a step to slow for the NBA, he would have cause problems for a lot of teams at the NCAA level. The guy was as gutsy as they come.

 

[CL82]

Walt Dropo?

Wes Bialosunkia?

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[80shusky]

Any of the guys that stuck it out through the hellscape of the Ollie era and decided to give Hurley a chance.

Whaley, Polley, Adams, Vital. Anyone else?

We don't have a championship today if those guys didn't stick around. Our culture isn't the same if those guys didn't buy in 100%.

Agree and 100% Vital.

 

[willie99]

Caron Butler & Ray Ray

 

[McLovin]

Any of the guys that stuck it out through the hellscape of the Ollie era and decided to give Hurley a chance.

Whaley, Polley, Adams, Vital. Anyone else?

We don't have a championship today if those guys didn't stick around. Our culture isn't the same if those guys didn't buy in 100%.

Yup, this was going to be my answer. Really anyone from 2015-2022 who didn’t get a ring.

The guys like Purvis (I guess technically has a ring since he was a transfer) or Gilbert or Vital or Carlton or Whaley came to UConn and busted their butt for our school, despite having 0 commitment or coaching from the previous regime. And then many of those listed stayed and helped build the culture Hurley talked so much about when he came to campus.

Those guys epitomize what it means to be a UConn Husky. Never given an advantage or head start like many other schools, but we are always willing to work harder than anyone else to eventually get to the top.

 

[superjohn]

Yup, this was going to be my answer. Really anyone from 2015-2022 who didn’t get a ring.

The guys like Purvis (I guess technically has a ring since he was a transfer) or Gilbert or Vital or Carlton or Whaley came to UConn and busted their butt for our school, despite having 0 commitment or coaching from the previous regime. And then many of those listed stayed and helped build the culture Hurley talked so much about when he came to campus.

Those guys epitomize what it means to be a UConn Husky. Never given an advantage or head start like many other schools, but we are always willing to work harder than anyone else to eventually get to the top.

I applaud them for staying and busting their butts but several of those guys never would've been given the opportunity to play at UConn if things weren't so bad. It's awesome they worked hard but it was also a dream opportunity for them to play at UConn. Giving that up to go to a lesser basketball school probably wasn't nearly as hard a decision as some are making it out to be.

 

[Stinger92860]

Jeff King

 

[Dooch]

The guys who started this whole thing in the late 80s/early 90s - Cliffy, Gamble, Smitty, Sellers, Donyell, Ray, etc....

 

[Inyatkin]

My answer is Ray Allen and also it's nice to have five titles and dozens of players who don't qualify for this question.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

The one I always feel the worst for... and wish had a title.... an actual title because he played for the team.... was Ed Nelson. He kind of has a title but he redshirted so it is a default win.... I wish he had been able to play..... seems like the sitting out after transferring is not required any more....

 

[USNavyDog]

all of the above are good picks, but to me the first is Ray Allen. I remember how dejected I felt after UConn lost to Mississippi St. in the Sweet 16 in 1996 knowing he, Sheffer, and Travis Knight would never get the chance to win experience a Final Four let alone win a championship title.

I remember that loss to Mississippi State as well, even the final score.....60-55. Uconn trailed the entire game, by as many as 16 points but their rally fell short. Eric Dampier their 6'11" center was tough along with Dante Jones and their flurry of 3 point daggers by their guards. To this day, I can't understand how they could have lost to that team. Uconn beat a physical Georgetown Hoya team in memorable big east tourney.

Also, I was suprised in that same tourney how badly that same Allen Iverson led Georgetown team got blown out by 25 points to Umass by the likes of Marcus Camby and Lou Roe.

 

[dtrumpet]

The two people I think who almost carried a team on he back to the promised land were:
Ray 1995- 1996
Caron 2001-2 and neither saw a FF
They deserved to get here if not win it all .

95 and 2002 they lost to the eventual NC in the round of 8

Read my mind. Its easy to think, given how great those games were, that UCLA in '95 and Maryland in '02 were the only teams that could knock us off in those years. We just played them too soon.

 

[gtcam]

Christian Vital and Ray Allen

I would also include Donyell but he basically had control of getting there and then came those FTs vs Florida

 

[gtcam]

Yup, this was going to be my answer. Really anyone from 2015-2022 who didn’t get a ring.

The guys like Purvis (I guess technically has a ring since he was a transfer) or Gilbert or Vital or Carlton or Whaley came to UConn and busted their butt for our school, despite having 0 commitment or coaching from the previous regime. And then many of those listed stayed and helped build the culture Hurley talked so much about when he came to campus.

Those guys epitomize what it means to be a UConn Husky. Never given an advantage or head start like many other schools, but we are always willing to work harder than anyone else to eventually get to the top.

I think if you asked any one of these players they would state that is not an accurate statement at all - I know for a fact that CV and AG did not feel they received 0 from KO and staff. In addition I think we know how Carlton felt about Hurley and found happiness with Sampson at Houston.
But I agree that it was great to see CV and Whaley stick it out and these two guys really bleed Husky blue.