Husky Heaven

I started off with the idea that this piece would be an ode to Shabazz Napier- the player. The Kemba-esque run that he lead the 2014 Huskies on. The clutch moments, the big plays and that sweet long-range three ball. His game is something that is taken from the early 1980’s in the days of Isaiah and Magic. Smooth and fluid, a glossy like feeling to it. He splits defenders with ease even though he’s not as athletic as some. He steps back with one leg high in the air. He finishes with enough spin on the ball to keep a Grateful Dead record playing for hours.

I started off asking myself how I could put this kid into words as the “greatest Husky ever” without someone spewing the words “Kemba” or “Ray” to me. The fact that he stayed loyal to a program that basically wasn’t allowed to have a season that mattered because of grades that he had nothing to do with a few years ago. The fact that his Hall of Fame coach had retired the year before. The fact that plenty of his own teammates left the program for higher ground when everyone and their siblings thought the End of UConn was near. He stayed. He, I’m sure, convinced others to stay as well. He bought into a system that a first year head coach administered and quickly became the leader.  I ask you this not with disrespect, but with honesty: Would Kemba have stayed with all of this adversity taking place during his days as a Husky?

I started off wondering what I could say to convince myself that this kid had a shot at becoming the greatest Husky of all time. It turns out that the answer wasn’t too far away. Shabazz is the greatest player in the history of UConn basketball- because he is far and away- the best leader that UConn has ever had. Napier has not only led a team that was thought of as “dead” a year ago to another National Championship- but he has now led a duel with the unforgiving NCAA to change something that he and many others thought was never right.

This happened today and it is Napier who was at the forefront of leading the charge, forcing the single-minded and notoriously stubborn NCAA to change a rule that seems to have affected thousands of Division 1 athletes from all over the country. He went from “champion” to “voice of the people” with a few simple sentences. It’s evident all over Twitter now, with thousands of D-1 athletes thanking Napier for his hard work. Hard work? Hitting a game winner with less than a second left against the #1 team in the country is hard work. Hard work? Nope, just Shabazz not only leading his team this time, but leading a reform.

Yes, this isn’t as big as student athletes forming a Union, or players getting paid millions to participate in a college sport. But this is something. Dammed is the NCAA if they are ever pushed around and dammed if it’s a student athlete that’s going to cause them grief in the media. But the kid did it and paved an important stepping-stone for many other athletes to possibly let their voices be heard. And for the thousands whose voices couldn’t be heard because the stage wasn’t big enough, Napier said it for them. Napier may or may not have been subject to “starvation” as some critics have stated, but the fact that there are most likely many that do have an issue with this shows the true leader that Napier is. He is caring of not only his team, but also a brotherhood of the student athletes who participate with him.

I started off asking myself what was important in a leader. Calmness under strain, strength to persevere through a tough time, all the clichés. But something that is not often included when defining a leader is being able to stick up for something you believe in not for yourself, but for others around you. Whether Shabazz really starved or not on some nights may always be up to debate, but the fact that he helped athletes around him is something that people will never forget about this kid.

The fact that he lead his team to a national title and himself to TWO national titles is special in itself- something no Husky has ever done. The fact that he has also created an opportunity for others to speak up over concerns as a student athlete? Name another Husky who has done that. I’ll wait. Name another student athlete who has ever done that. Shabazz has changed the game.

I started off with the idea that this piece would be an ode to Shabazz Napier- the player.  I will end this piece as an ode to Shabazz Napier- the person. Napier will never be forgotten in Husky lore. It’s been a pleasure to watch him grow during this time and as usual, lead.