Joint leadership is propelling the Huskies to another postseason run

Maybe UConn doesn't need just one individual leading willing to shoulder the load during crunch time. Sure, it's a luxury to have a player who's willing and able to take a game over at any time, but not many teams are awarded with a player like that.

In the case of the 2012 UConn Huskies, they have bi-partisan leadership, and through two Big East Tournament games, it seems to be working.

(Photo Credit: AP)

A leader needs to be willing and able to take over a game when need be. before this week, Shabazz Napier seemed only willing, and Jeremy Lamb only able.

Shabazz Napier said he wanted to be the leader. "I try to tell the guys, I feel as if I’m their best leader. Sometimes they give me a chance, sometimes they don’t." That's what he said after a disappointing loss to Rutgers on January 9th.

He questioned his team's lack of heart, and voiced his desire to be anointed the leader. “I hate to say it — I gotta question a lot of these guys’ hearts,” he said following a 15-point loss to Marquette on February 15th,“…Simple stuff – just quitting. It doesn’t look like UConn basketball."

Napier might have relayed his message in an uncontroversial manner, but he's starting to get his point across, and he's doing with his actions instead of his words.

Before fouling out in overtime of UConn's 71-67 win over West Virginia in the second round of the Big East Tournament, the polarizing guard scored 26 points, distributed six assists, grabbed four rebounds, and had three steals and three blocks. When the Mountaineers stretched their second half lead to nine points, it was Napier who led the ferocious comeback with steals, 3-pointers and numerous displays of athleticism.

"I thought Shabazz was close to magnificent." Said Jim Calhoun in the post game press conference, "I thought Jeremy stepped up like the big time player that he is."

Jeremy Lamb followed up his 25-point performance in the first round of the Big East Tournament with 22 points and eight rebounds. But after scoring 12 of the Huskies 26 points in the first half, he want silent for much of the second half. Luckily for Lamb, Napier was there to pick up the slack. When Napier fouled fouled out in overtime, Lamb returned the favor by propelling the team to victory with a big 3-pointer.

"I knew we needed a score, and in the game yesterday, Coach told me to shoot, and I didn't take a shot. You know, Coach was just saying, I want you shooting the ball."

Lamb's 3-pointer was the last field goal of the game, and the eventual game-winner, but due to his unselfish nature, he needed to be willed into demanding the attention. "I told Jeremy, you've got to be willing to shoot now, you've got to be looking for hits," said Napier, "and when he came off that curve, there was no doubt in my mind it was going in because that's what he works on in practice, that's what we work on in practice".

So Jeremy is evolving as a scorer who demands the ball and Shabazz is learning to lead by example. The Huskies have two capable leaders, not one.

But despite this, the question will always be asked. "I'm going to tell you and Shabazz is going to tell you and coach is going to tell you, last year and this year, two completely different deals. This is not Kemba Walker. He's a totally different player. In the last week that I've been around Shabazz, he's a different player than he was three weeks ago. He's a different player." Coach Calhoun is right, Lamb and Napier are different players. Not just compared to last year, but also compared to last month.

But if it's not a question about comparison, it's a question about whether or not the Huskies can do it again. "I don't think it can happen again, but then again, I said it could never happen in the first place." Said Calhoun.

"Would we like to give it a shot? Would we like to take a stab at it? Everybody out there would. Everybody out there would. We're just going to try to play tomorrow's basketball game to take it where it may."

With Napier and Lamb leading this team, they seem to be headed in the right direction.

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Lamb's leadership shines in UConn victory

The press conference following UConn's 81-67 win over DePaul in the first round of the Big East Tournament didn't last more than 45 seconds before Kemba Walker's name was mentioned for the first time.

Roughly 365 days after Kemba Walker started one of the greatest postseason stretches in recent memory with a 91-77 first round win over DePaul, the Huskies were back in the familiar No.9-seed and against a familiar No.16-seed foe.

But replacing Kemba, who finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the 2011 first round game against the Blue Demons, was Jeremy Lamb, who finished with 25 points, five rebounds and four assists on Tuesday afternoon.

So maybe there was just reasoning for bringing up a former-player so quickly in the press conference.

(Source: AP Photo)

"I'm not trying to be Kemba." Lamb said during the post-game press conference. "Of course everybody wants to lead their team to championships, but I'm just trying to do what's best for this team. The whole team knows, we've got five great players, Boatright, Shabazz, Roscoe stepping up. We also got great big men, so it's a great team effort. "

Lamb did have a very "Kemba-esque" game though. He hit a bevy of 3-pointers, took his man off the dribble, and hit a number of tough shots each with a higher degree of difficulty than the last.

Ever since the beginning of the school year, Lamb had been anointed as "The Next Kemba", and while that may be unfair to both Lamb and Kemba, the biggest knock on the Huskies this year was there lack of leadership and energy, which was the calling card of Kemba's success.

But on Tuesday afternoon, this looked like a different UConn team. A team with energy. A team with a leader. Alex Oriakhi attacked the glass on every possession, and displayed a a level of energy he struggled to play with on a consistent basis this season.Shabazz Napier was looked to find open teammates instead of looking for open shots. He finished with only five points, but had six assists and zero turnovers.  Andre Drummond was a force on the low block, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds and four blocks.

But it was Lamb who led it all. He scored 15 of the Huskies first 30 points of the game. He did the big things and the little things. Just by watching the ebbs and flows of the game, you could tell that Lamb was the leader. He wasn't overly vocal or demonstrative, but he led by example, and his teammates followed.

Or maybe it was just  deja vu. Tuesday afternoon just seemed all too familiar.  Noon start time. Tuesday afternoon.  No.9 Huskies vs. No. 16 Blue Demons. "Yeah, it's a coincidence," Lamb said at the press conference. "But it's a whole new year."

Lamb is right, this was a brand new year, yet he was tagged as a new version of a former-player. This UConn team is different than last year. Sure they have a lot of the same parts, but some of those parts have different roles.

Napier has taken a full season to fully adjust to primary ball-handling responsibilities. Oriakhi had a difficult time adjusting to the addition of future-lottery pick Andre Drummond, and Lamb had to adjust from being the sidekick to the superhero. Even Jim Calhoun had to adjust to not having a full fledged "player-coach" on out the floor for 40-minutes a game.

But adjustments are made during the regular season,  if Tuesday afternoon is any indication, UConn has made those adjustments, and could be primed to replicate their postseason success.

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POSTERIZED: Columbia Lion becomes a sacrificial (Jeremy) Lamb

You see how terrible the pun in the title of this post is?

That's the polar opposite of the nastiness of the dunk that Jeremy Lamb just threw down on some poor Columbia defender that tried to take a charge. I'll give the kid credit for sacrificing his body -- or at least trying to -- but I can guarantee that the entire Columbia team is going to enjoy that play on film review tomorrow:



But was it as good as these?

Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26
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Who made the right early entry decision?: Renardo Sidney will be back for another season

Renardo Sidney is the stereotypical one-and-done prospect.

His family moved from Mississippi to LA when he was 15 years old so they could capitalize off of the hype Sidney produced with impressive performance after impressive performance. He was a product of the summer, making his name on the AAU circuit and ABCD camp and infamously telling the Washington Post high school ball is "not that important". His father was employed by Reebok while coaching Sidney's Reebok sponsored AAU team. He was turned down by both UCLA and USC before enrolling at Mississippi State. After sitting out for a year due to illegal benefits that he received while in high school, Sidney tweeted "NYC #2011 Believe Dat" last summer despite still having to sit out nine more games.


It only made sense that Sidney would bolt for the NBA at the first opportunity.

Which why its a mild surprise that Sunday's early entry deadline came and went and Sidney's name was not entered, living up to the promise he made on facebook back in March.

Sidney needs another year in school. Right now, the only thing worse than his reputation as a basketball player is his reputation as a person and a teammate. Sidney was twice suspended for fighting with a teammate (one of those times came in the stands during an ESPN telecast) and was largely ineffective for much of the season due to the fact that he was completely out of shape and lacked the desire to a) change that fact and b) give consistent effort when he did have energy.

While most of the focus on a basketball player's time in college is on his development as a player, its also true that these players develop and mature as people. That is why Sidney needs another year in school. He needs to learn how to be a man. How to be a professional.

Derrick Caracter agrees.

The first step in that process? Making the choice to come back for another year at Mississippi State.


Who else made the right early entry decision? (Looking past the Kemba Walkers and Derrick Williams' of the world)

• Brandon Knight, Kentucky: Entered, no agent
  
  Knight is likely going to be a top ten pick in this draft after averaging over 17 points and four assists per game and proving that he had the ability to perform in the clutch in the tournament. But if Knight had returned to school, he likely would have been forced to, at the least, split the point guard duties; most believe that Marquis Teague would have started over him.


• Jeremy Lamb, UConn: Returned to school
  
  Lamb was a breakout performer in March. The 6'5" guard with the wingspan of a pterodactyl developed the aggression and the confidence to be a serious scoring threat for the Huskies in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments. But the lack of consistency during the season and a frail frame put doubt into some NBA GM's minds. With Kemba Walker going pro, Lamb will have a chance to prove his mettle as the Huskie's offensive focal point.


• Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State: Entered draft, no agent
  
  Leonard might be the best physical specimen in this draft class. He's 6'7" with big hands, long arms, and terrific athleticism and explosiveness. He's relentless on the offensive glass and is a very good defender, both on the perimeter and in the paint. But Leonard's offensive repertoire has a ways to go. He can develop that in the NBA with a guaranteed contract as a lottery pick locked up. Coming back, especially considering the drop off in talent for the Aztecs next season, Leonard risked exposing his faults.


• Thomas Robinson, Kansas: Returning to school
  
  Robinson is a terrific prospect based on his size (6'9"), strength, and athleticism. The only thing missing in that equation is consistent production. He was impressive in the short time that he was on the floor, but on the season Robinson only managed to average 7.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Coming back for another season with both of The Morrii off in the NBA, Robinson will have a chance to prove what he can do as the go-to option in the post.
  

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Jeremy Ham goin' Lamb

Kemba Walker is, and forever will be, this UConn team's star.

That's what happens when you throw a talented group of rugrats on your back and carry them to a Maui Invitational title, a Big East Tournament title, and, after Saturday night's 65-63 win over Arizona, a trip to the Final Four. That's what happens when you have a player of the year kind of season and turn a team that wasn't supposed to contend in conference play into a national title contender. UConn is 12-0 in tournament play -- 3-0 in the Maui, 5-0 in the Big East, and now 4-0 in the NCAA's -- and Kemba has averaged 27.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 5.0 apg in those games.

That's how you become a star. That's how you become a hero. That's how you turn yourself into a top ten pick.

And while Kemba hasn't exactly disappointed these past two games, its been Jeremy Lamb -- the long-armed Robin to Kemba's Batman -- that put UConn into the Final Four.


Against San Diego State, Kemba had 34 points and took the game over down the stretch. He scored all 12 points in a 12-2 run that turned a 54-53 deficit into a 65-56 lead with just over four minutes left. But San Diego State scored the next eight points, cutting UConn's lead to just one with 1:39 left.

That's when Lamb stepped up.

The freshman drilled a three to stop the Aztec run and, with just 30 seconds left in the game, made a steal that led to a dunk, giving UConn a 70-64 lead and sealing the win. Lamb finished with 26 points on 9-11 shooting from the floor.

Against Arizona, Lamb played just as big of a role down the stretch. Kemba was struggling in the second half, as Arizona was running two or three guys at him when he would try to penetrate. The space wasn't there, so Jim Calhoun used him almost as a decoy, running off of screens and setting up Lamb along the baseline. And the youngster responded, finishing with 12 of his 19 points in the second half.

It wasn't just the points he scored, however. It was when he scored them.

UConn had opened up a 50-41 lead midway through the second half, but Arizona came back, using a 14-2 run capped by back-to-back emphatic dunks from Derrick Williams and Jesse Perry to take a 55-52 lead.

Lamb responded. He made consecutive baseline jumpers to give UConn the lead back. After Alex Oriakhi and Kemba both scored, it was Lamb who stole a Derrick Williams pass and went the distance for a dunk, capping a 10-0 run that put UConn firmly in control.

This isn't a surprise. Lamb has always had this kind of talent. He's a slender (that's putting it kindly) 6'5" with the wingspan of a 747. He's a smooth slasher with a charmin-soft floater. He's terrific at avoiding charges. He's an excellent shooter in the mid-range, fundamentally sound coming off of screens, and has a three-point stroke that could develop into something deadly. He's the second-coming of Rip Hamilton.

Lamb's issue was assertiveness. He's passive by nature, and too often early in the season he opted to defer to Kemba or, well, anyone else on the roster. That passivitiy that disappeared in March, however, as Lamb has been a monster the past nine games, averaging 16.0 ppg in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments.

He's got the tools and he's showing the ability to step up and perform when the lights are brightest. He's got star written all over him.

The problem?

Its only so long before the NBA notices.

Lamb has a ways to go before he's able to contribute at the next level. But with his skillset, his physical tools, and his performance in March, all Lamb needs to do is convince one GM he's worth a first round pick.

Whether or not he decides to leave is besides the point.

UConn is headed to the Final Four. Kemba Walker is the reason why.

But the Huskies wouldn't still be playing if it wasn't for Jeremy Lamb.
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Jim Calhoun may not like Jeremy Lamb's dad

Back in 1984, when Jim Calhoun was still coaching at Northeastern and Jeremy Lamb was almost a decade from coming into existence, VCU knocked off Northeastern in the NCAA Tournament thanks to a buzzer beater.

The guy that hit the game-winning shot? Rolando Lamb. Jeremy's father.

There's video of it, too:



Its quite possible the only things in this world greater than youtube are wireless internet and DVR.
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