HOUSTON - Team breakfast had just finished at the JW Marriott in downtown Houston the other day, and as his players filed out of the dining room, Jim Calhoun noticed something very symbolic. Kemba Walker walked out first, followed by about six or seven teammates. Purely coincidence, not by design. Still, Calhoun couldn’t servant but consideration the irony.
"I musing to myself, as I commonplace that, ‘That’s generous of who we are and what we are in many, many ways," the 25th-year UConn men’s basketball crammer said on Sunday afternoon. It’s been that route all season, from Hartford to Hawaii to Houston. From cold, December nights at a half-filled XL Center to the electrifying ambience of a sold-out Madison Square Garden, the Huskies have followed Kemba Walker’s be ahead throughout. It will be no unlike tonight when UConn faces Butler in the public championship encounter at Reliant Stadium (9:23 p.m., CBS).
The Huskies will be aiming for their third popular championship, the Bulldogs their first. But in this Donnybrook of dogs, an polemic could be made that Butler has more pedigree. Mid-major? Don’t prophesy that to Calhoun. "Butler is no mid-major, to me," he said.
The Bulldogs, after all, were in this same speckle end year, losing to Duke when Gordon Hayward’s service from just over halfcourt banked off the backboard and caromed off the brim at the buzzer. Hayward’s now in the NBA, but three of termination year’s starters - Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, each unrealized unborn pros, and essential defer Ronald Nored - are all back. Butler starts two seniors and a junior, has two more upperclassmen coming off the bench playing chief minutes and is coached by one of the most dynamical brood oversee coaches in college basketball, Brad Stevens. UConn, however, has Kemba Walker.
And that may navigate all the disagreement in the world. Walker, it seems, is on a mission. It was unmistakable back in mid-October at the Big East media day, when he scoffed at the league’s coaches picking the Huskies to write 'finis' to 10th in the conference. It’s been perceivable through all the reputable times (MVP performances in Maui, the Big East tournament, the NCAA meeting younger and third rounds and West regionials) and lousy (a mid-season shooting take that had some believing he was frustrating to do too much).
He is consumed by finishing what almost certainly will be his ultimate collegiate trick as a champion. "I reflect about it every night," Walker said on Sunday. "I expectation about it (Saturday) night, before the (Kentucky) game.
I considering about it after we fustigate Arizona. I can’t a stop to reasoning about it, honestly." Walker has already emblazoned his regard rectitude there with the other greats in UConn men’s basketball history. "He’s growing to be just ‘Kemba’ now," Calhoun explained. "That’s important.
If it’s just Ray, Caron, ‘Rip’, ‘Mek,’ Ben … it’s just Kemba now. That’s a great repute to have." Calhoun, of course, can also affix his prestige with some all-time greats with a succeed tonight.
He’d sign the body of John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Mike Krzyzewski and Bob Knight as the only coco coaches with three or more country-wide championships, separating himself from such two-time titlists as Dean Smith, Roy Williams and Henry Iba. Helping their instruct to a third federal baptize is on the UConn players’ minds. "It would assuredly be great, (considering) all the players he’s had in the past, all the great teams he had in the past," sophomore consign Alex Oriakhi said.
"For us to be remembered as one of those teams, to supporter him success a third jingoistic championship, I clearly expect would be special. This crew came from scratch, not anyone knew what to expect. For us to come from nowhere, to take first prize a state championship and try everybody wrong, I patently consider would be special." But while Calhoun had done a prominent operation of melding this pubescent side into a contest juggernaut, it is still very much Kemba Walker’s team.
He has set the tempo all year, from summertime practices and weight-room workouts to the Final Four at 75,000-seat Reliant Stadium. He’s hit all the game-winning shots, scored a million points (23.7 per game, to be exact) and, when he’s not inkling his shot, has deftly makes satisfied his other teammates become involved. He is on mission, and he’s dreaming big. "I just jail having these visions of us sarcastic down the nets and celebrating after the game," Walker said.
"So, hopefully, my visions can come true." Would you hazard against him?
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