Shabazz Napier has almost every quality ever used to describe a great college basketball player. He's extremely talented, he's a leader, he's clutch, and most importantly he's a winner. Shabazz was just a freshman coming off the bench when the UConn Huskies beat the resilient Butler Bulldogs in April of 2011, but that doesn't mean he didn't contribute to that team and wasn't vital to their road to victory. Shabazz wasn't much of a scorer in the NCAA tourney that year but that was simply because he just didn't have to be. Kemba Walker was obviously the main attraction on that team but having a guy like Napier come in and log an average of 27 minutes a game during the tournament was certainly a weapon.
Shabazz's sophomore year resulted in him taking over as starting point guard for the reigning champs. With experience under his belt and a little more room to show off his skills, Shabazz would average 13.0 points per game while also averaging 5.8 assists a game setting up teammates Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond. Shabazz also showed off his clutch gene, when he hit what is probably the most memorable shot of his career (debatable after tonight); a game winning three with 2 seconds on the clock from the frigging Liberty Bell in Philadelphia against the Villanova Wildcats. Unfortunately Shabazz and the Huskies didn't duplicate their success in 2012 and were quickly sent home in the 1st round (bite me NCAA, IT'S THE 1st ROUND!), by Royce White and Iowa State Cyclones.
Going into Shabazz's Junior year, UConn was faced with some recruiting violations. That meant no NCAA tourney that year for the Huskies. Shabazz would not be taking part in March Madness and forfeit his chance for a second net cutting if he stayed in Storrs, but his loyalty to the school and his teammates kept him a Husky. Just because there wouldn't be any playoffs didn't mean that Shabazz didn't have big plans that season for himself and the program. He would average a team high 17.1 points per game from the 1 spot, good for 81st in the country. He would lead his squad to a season opening win against the #14 Michigan State Spartans in Germany in which he would drop 25 points and snatch 2 steals. The highlight off the season though was the Huskies win in Hartford over #6 Syracuse. Shabazz would score 10 points, record 7 dimes, grab 3 boards and 2 steals, and had the responsibility of guarding the future 11th overall pick in Michael Carter-Williams.
While this is the final season of Shabazz's illustrious career, he's seemed to start off right were he left off last year. He is clearly the backbone of the #12 Connecticut Huskies and is right back to his clutch, winning ways. Last night's miraculous buzzer beater, down 1 with .6 seconds on the clock to defeat #15 Florida Gators, is a microcosm of the kind of player Shabazz has proven to be.
He did not give up on the play after miserably bricking his initial shot attempt but rather was in the right place at the right time, prepared to drill his second chance. Place tonight's victory with 3 neutral court victories over tough foes, Maryland, Boston College, and Indiana and the Huskies seem to be playing some top notch basketball at the birth of the season. If they keep playing like this and Napier continues to be one of the most productive 1 guards in the country, I don't see why they can't be a National Contender. It would be all too fitting for Shabazz to end his career the same way he began it: A champion!
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