STORRS, Conn. – During a postgame interview, it isn’t unusual to hear a player say he had no clue regarding the number of points, rebounds or assists he had while the game was going on. That’s the politically correct answer – at least it seems that way. The line of thinking: How can a player be focused on team success if he is concerned about his own numbers?
That’s why it was so refreshing when Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier admitted Monday afternoon that he sensed he was close to a triple double.
Coming out of the huddle during the media timeout with four minutes left in UConn’s 80-62 win over Yale, Napier asked Kevin Freeman, the Huskies’ director basketball administration, what he needed.
“One and one,” Freeman said, translating into one rebound and one assist.
“I said, ‘Oh, I’ve got to get it.’ ” Napier said.
He begged teammate Ryan Boatright to take a shot and give him the assist, but it didn’t happen. But it came to Napier eventually. With just under two minutes remaining, Napier grabbed a defensive rebound (his eighth defensive board and 11th overall) and tossed an outlet pass to Terrence Samuel for a layup.
That was assist No. 10 and Napier, who also scored 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, had his triple double. Officially, it was 10th triple double in UConn history. The first on record was by Donyell Marshall on Jan. 17 1994 against Hartford. Napier is the first UConn player to do it twice. He had 22 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists on Nov. 20, 2011 against Coppin State.
“That’s a great accomplishment,” Napier said after the game. “I’m just happy about it. Before the game started, I talked to Coach Freeman. I said, ‘My biggest thing is I want to be an all-around player. I want to help our team rebounding.’ That’s our blueprint right there. If we rebound the ball well, we’re going to win.”
Napier led the Huskies with 11 rebounds as Yale won the battle of the boards 43-31.
“If he wasn’t rebounding I don’t know what would have happened,” UConn coach Kevin Ollie said.
Rebounding continues to be the biggest concern for UConn (2-0) and Ollie hopes the situation can correct itself heading into Thursday night’s game against Detroit at Gampel Pavilion. That’s going to be a tall order. UConn’s big men need to follow Napier’s lead and just get the job done.
Napier has become “that guy” for the Huskies. Instead of his former self, the guy who is impatient or tosses up crazy shots, Napier is the guy who is going to do something positive every game – something to help the UConn cause. And many games, he’s going to more than one thing. UConn doesn’t need him to average 20 points. But the Huskies do need him to run the show, find the open man, and be a leader. That’s the guy he has become.
Tuesday, just hours after that triple double, Napier was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50. Obviously, people have noticed the enormous impact this little man can have on UConn. And that’s pretty cool.
Think about what this guy has gone through in his career.
He was a big contributor as a freshman when the Huskies won the national championship. As a sophomore, he was asked to replace Kemba Walker and that was a struggle. The program was slapped with a postseason ban that resulted from the academic failures of players before him. Teammates left for the NBA or transferred, but he stayed loyal.
Jim Calhoun retired and was replaced by Ollie. The Huskies won 20 games in a season that promised no tournament reward. Then Napier opted against jumping to the NBA after his junior season. His goal as a senior is to improve his all-around game and lead the Huskies back to the NCAA tournament. That seems likely. But he came back to fulfill the promise to his mother that he would get his degree and he will do that next spring. In the process, Napier has become the team’s classroom leader as well, vowing that the Huskies will keep their good standing academically – and not pass down another postseason ban to future UConn players.
It’s all very impressive. And perhaps, a bit overlooked. UConn fans should appreciate everything this guy has done.
Napier has been receptive to the teachings of Ollie, a former UConn point guard who made it to the NBA before returning to his alma mater to coach. Last week, before the season opener against Maryland, Ollie gave Napier a huge compliment.
“I’ve been around probably one guard that had better [basketball] IQ than him and that was Andre Miller, playing in Philadelphia,” Ollie said. “His basketball IQ is outstanding. He knows how to play. We’re trying to get the best out of him. I want him to be aggressive but that doesn’t mean shooting. That’s being aggressive, probing the defense, getting into the thick of the defense and making the pass. I don’t ever talk to him about shooting.”
Ollie repeated that message on Monday.
“He has an understanding of what I want,” Ollie said. “He has an understanding of what his players want. I just keep telling him to give away his gift. Perfect his gift, and give it away.”
Napier has given UConn everything he’s got. Don’t expect that to change until this season is over.
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