It was new money that carried Kemba over Ray and Shabazz over Emeka.......but I can't really argue with the results, they were all great players. For my money, and I have been watching UConn basketball since the 1978-79 season when Bobby Dulin, Mike McKay, and Corny Thompson were on the team, Kemba's junior season in 2010-11 was by far the best season any UConn player has had in that time span. It was simply magical from beginning to end and he was at his best in the Maui and post season tournaments.
But there is a guy on the current team that has as much or more offensive talent as Kemba in James Bouknight. What we don't know yet is whether he has the same work ethic. What made Kemba great was an explosive first step that got him by people and his work ethic and desire and lack of fear going to the hole. Bouknight has to decide whether he wants to work as hard as Kemba did and if he does, he can have a magical year or two for UConn. I hope players like Kemba and Shabazz reach out to this kid and tell him what he needs to do to get his name into the Huskies Ring of Honor.