The winner of the Ultimate UConn Challenge is Kemba Walker. And honestly, it wasn’t close. Walker was a buzz saw – plowing his way through this tournament field, leaving his competitors in his wake. Sound familiar?
At the onset of this tournament, we figured the final two competitors would be Walker and Ray Allen. While UConn has had no shortage of stars, and three teams worth of champions, those two players stand out above the rest as seminal figures in Husky history. Allen’s incredible success as an NBA player has only added to the adoration he earned during his time on campus. Although he never won a title in college, Allen did best two players who did in this contest, Shabazz Napier and Emeka Okafor.
Walker’s victory is both interesting and unsurprising. No single player has ever meant as much to a team as Walker did to his in 2011. The only one who came close was Caron Butler, who willed a team to an Elite Eight but couldn’t drag them across the finish line. Walker was surrounded by an inexperienced group that failed rather spectacularly the following year without him. Yet, for that one year, Kemba guided them, positioned them, and used them to accomplish the one thing he cared about; winning.
Some have hypothesized that Walker’s victory is merely a function of him being the latest, great star. The very old guys (Art Quimby, Wes Bialosuknia) didn’t fare too well in this contest. Stars from the 70s and 80s also faced an uphill battle. Chris Smith, star of the late 80s/early 90s, was bumped by the extraordinarily popular Khalid El-Amin, despite being UConn’s all-time points leader.
While the demographics of our readership may have played a role in some voting, I would argue that it is more indicative of what UConn fans have come to value more than anything, victories. Players from the 1999 and 2004 National Championship teams fared well in the contest. Ricky Moore and Jake Voskuhl claimed massive upsets. Be it today, or 20 years from now, Kemba Walker will always be remembered as one of those great winners – remember, he is the only player in this contest to play in two Final Fours.
In the end, Walker’s championship run, combined with his staggering statistics, world-class attitude, and incredible representation of his university was enough to easily carry him to victory. Make room in the trophy case, Kemba. You are the Ultimate UConn Champion.
The format was lose and go home. Seem to remember Kemba being dominant in that kind of situation.
CARDIAC KEMBA WINS AT THE BUZZER.