Guard Ryan Boatright could barely talk. Every word took an effort. Every thought seemed painful that night in Louisville. It was March 15, 2012 and Iowa State had just ended UConn’s season with a 77-64 decision in the NCAA tournament.
That’s the only NCAA experience Boatright has ever had. Think about that. He came to UConn a year after the 2011 national championship. In 2013, UConn was banned from postseason play because of the academic shortcomings of previous Huskies.
When that final buzzer sounded against Iowa State, it started an offseason full of trauma, drama, and distractions. Players left for the NBA. Other players transferred. And ultimately Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun retired and Kevin Ollie took the helm. Boatright, along with Shabazz Napier, Tyler Olander and Niels Giffey, decided to stay in Storrs – and work on restoring pride to the UConn program.
“It was tough,” Boatright said earlier this week. “I didn’t know where things were headed. I was young. I was 18. I didn’t know where things were going to end up. But I decided to stay put here at UConn and stick it out through whatever adversity came my way.”
Much of what Boatright felt that night was team related. But personally, he was struggling with the entire concept of being a college athlete. Twice during his freshman season, he was sidelined by NCAA investigations into allegations of extra benefits from his time as an AAU player in high school.
Last year, UConn was on spring break when the tournament began. Boatright said he didn’t even watch the NCAA Selection Show.
“I could have cared less,” he said. “I was hurting every time I turned on the TV.
“It’s been rough, for me, at least my three years. It was a real bumpy freshman year. I was in trouble all the time and then we lost in the first round. Last year we didn’t make the tournament at all. This year was the most consistent year I’ve had since I’ve been here. Just knowing we can be in the tournament and knowing we’ve got a chance to win the national championship has been a joy to me.”
Giffey and Napier want to share their national championship experience with teammats as the Huskies head into their opener Thursday night against Saint Joseph’s (6:55 p.m., TBS) in Buffalo.
Giffey says the most important thing to remember at tournament time is to listen to the coaches. Napier said the Huskies have great chemistry this season but there’s no use trying to compare this UConn team to the national championship team.
Boatright said he things the Huskies are playing as well as they were early in the season when UConn beat Florida.
“We’ve got to get back to our roots,” Boatright said. “It’s going to be interesting. This tournament is loaded. If God answers my prayers, we’ll be all right.”
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