Back in 2003-2004 when the college basketball season began, UConn’s potential for success was evident on the covers of ESPN the Magazine and Sports Illustrated, which each featured photos of Diana Taurasi and Emeka Okafor together. By the end of the season, the two best student-athletes in college basketball had led their respective Husky teams to an unprecedented accomplishment – UConn became the only university to win both the men’s and women’s NCAA Basketball Championship in the same year.
That season also marked the third consecutive NCAA title for the UConn women, giving further credence to women’s head coach Geno Auriemma’s simple explanation for the success of his team: “We have Diana and you don’t.”
This year, following the Husky men’s 70-67 upset of No. 2 Michigan State en route to winning the EA Sports Maui Invitational in late November, men’s head coach Jim Calhoun conveyed the same sentiment in explaining the unexpected success of his young team: “We have Kemba Walker and Tom [Izzo] didn’t.” Izzo is the Michigan State coach.
Walker, a junior, is currently the leading scorer in Division I men’s basketball, averaging 28.1 points per game up to the break for final exams, and is the focus of national media attention since the young Huskies vaulted from a projected 10th place finish in the Big East and no national ranking to a spot in the Top 10 upon their return from Hawaii.
Meanwhile three-time All-American senior Maya Moore is among the top five leading scorers in Division I women’s basketball, averaging 23.4 points per game, and leading the young No. 1-ranked women’s basketball team as it tries to win its third consecutive title after back-to-back unbeaten seasons. Eight games into this season, she became the Huskies all-time leading scorer.
While Moore has had an All-American career from the time she arrived in Storrs – she is only the second freshman in history to be named to the Associated Press All-America First Team – Walker’s rise has been more gradual, as he worked his way into prominence over his first two years in a supporting role to A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien, Jerome Dyson, and Stanley Robinson. Both student-athletes spent the summer of 2010 working to improve their already considerable skills to new levels in order to help their respective teams.
Doris Burke, ESPN analyst for both men’s and women’s college basketball, says that while there is not much similarity in their games, the one common factor opponents face against each is that they must be the focus of the game plan against the Huskies, since both can score and create scoring opportunities for their teammates.
“Certainly, their games would mesh well on the court, but that to me is the mark of all great players. Point guards enjoy playing with players who can run the floor efficiently and finish in transition,” says Burke. “Kemba is a terrific lead guard, whose ability to push pace and score quickly puts tremendous pressure on the defense. His speed, combined with his handle, is nearly unstoppable. Maya is athletically gifted and versatile enough to play several positions. Her scoring ability is downright scary for opposing coaches. Even against the best defensive players in the country, her ability to simply rise up over defenders makes her an almost impossible check.”
Walker was one of 10 college players named to the USA Select Team that trained with the U.S. National Team in August as the team prepared for the 2010 World Championships, which included competition against NBA players. He also attended the Chris Paul CP3 Elite Guard Camp. Ryan Feldman, writing in the online publication The Hoops Report, said he was impressed with how Walker took control of games with NBA players.
“Walker was carrying the Select Team, running the point and scoring almost at will,” he wrote. “Most of the college players looked lost and intimidated … But Walker fit in fine … and had no problems competing against those guys. That gave him the confidence to do what he’s doing now. That’s when I knew Walker would have a huge year.”
Calhoun says Walker is “imposing his own competitiveness on our team. I think that’s a real good thing. A lot of guys don’t translate their own ability. The good thing is that when Kemba throws to someone, they’ll make a good, solid basketball play. I don’t know if I’ve enjoyed watching the growth of a player as a student, person, and player better.”
Walker says he is seeing the work of his summer training efforts pay off. “I worked extremely hard. The part I worked on most was my shooting,” he says. “I want to be consistent with my shot. It’s paying off right now. I also worked on pulling up, distributing the ball. Coach [Andre] LaFleur has been on me to do that. Now I know when to use my speed and when to slow down. The game is a lot easier for me now.”
In the Huskies’ 94-61 win over University of Maryland Baltimore County, Walker posted 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists for his first career triple-double, just the eighth time it has been accomplished in UConn history. During the game, Walker also became the 45th Connecticut player to score 1,000 career points.
Walker, who is majoring in sociology, is trying to complete his degree in three years, at the end of the current academic year, after struggling early with his studies during his freshman year. “It was a tough transition from high school,” he told reporters last week. He said his degree means a lot to him: “I want to be able to do something after basketball.”
Moore was the only college player among those named to the USA Women’s Basketball Team – which trained during the summer and then won the 2010 FIBA World Championship in October, making the United States the first team to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. She was among six former and current Huskies on the team coached by Auriemma.
“Maya Moore is a special player. We tried every defense against her and she was still able to score and rebound against us,” said Van Chancellor, head women’s basketball coach for Louisiana State University and a former WNBA and U.S. Olympic coach, following Moore’s 37-point effort against LSU in late November. “I thought when she was a freshman she didn’t have far to grow. She has been a player ever since I first saw her play. She is one of the best that has ever played this game.”
In addition to her scoring achievements, Moore is only the fourth UConn player to pull down more than 1,000 rebounds, joining Tina Charles, Rebecca Lobo, and Jamelle Elliott in that exclusive group of players.
She says she is enjoying her senior season as the unquestioned leader of the Huskies.
“When we work hard and we are all playing together, it’s a lot of fun,” says Moore, “an individualized major who is the 2010 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. “Now that I’m a senior, I’m recognizing how special this program is and how good we have it. I see how good the coaching staff is and the entire staff and how dedicated they all are. I have no reason not to have fun.”
Auriemma says Moore is playing confidently and has earned her status on the team.
“There are certain privileges that come with being a senior. You can have all the fun in the world, and you can do whatever you want and know you’ve earned the right to do that,” he says. “You know you’re the best player in the country and you’re just going to go out and enjoy it. She certainly looks like she is. She made a couple of plays there at the end that will be in the highlight film for a long, long time.”
Moore and Walker each admire the other’s accomplishments and appreciate the fact that they are contemporaries who can inspire their teammates and each other.
“She is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. It’s paid off for her,” Walker says. “She’s just a phenomenal player, a great leader. I always enjoy watching Maya play.”
“I love the fire that he plays with,” says Moore. “He’s one of the most passionate and competitive guys I’ve seen since I’ve been here. He wants to step up and lead his team. That’s the beauty of college athletics in having two programs that are both competitive and want to get better. It’s really awesome that we both have the opportunity to be inspired and proud of each other.”
