Although I do not believe UConn needs Stephon Castle to be great next year with the team UConn has around him, what if he does turn out to be great, and a one and done player, as many think he could be? Where will he end up ranking among UConn freshman all time?
In order to answer this question I did some quick research on who had the greatest UConn freshman seasons of all time. Although I found an article on the greatest freshman seasons in UConn WBB history, I found nothing on the greatest freshman seasons in UConn MBB history. I therefore decided to compile my own list based on my observations as a UConn fan since 1979-1980 when I began regularly watching the team.
I came up with a TOP 3, of guys who all won Big East freshman or rookie of the year, and one honorable mention player who, arguably, should be in the top 3, although most of you guys never saw him play.
Here is my list, stats, and reasoning:
1. Khalid El Amin- 1997-98 Big East Rookie of the Year; 16.0 ppg, 4.2 apg, 36.5% 3 POINT
The greatest impact felt of any UConn freshman was by KEA. The team, which had young talent and was in the NIT Final 4 the prior season, instantly and dramatically improved with KEA. In addition to becoming a serious scoring threat to complement Rip Hamilton, KEA's on court leadership and organization of the team was noticeable from day 1, as was his ballhandling. IMHO the best ballhandling guard in UConn history with apologies to Chris Smith, KEA had a remarkable ability with his low to the floor, compact dribble to go through traffic and at the same time maintain possession. He was also an extremely clutch player, as Pittsburgh found out in a stunning home loss, and Duke found out in the NCAA championship game.
2. Nadav Henefeld -1989-90 Big East Rookie of the Year; UConn school record 138 steals; 11.6 ppg; 38% on 3s
One could argue this was the greatest and most impactful UConn rookie season, and it clearly was without any argument the greatest defensive rookie season. Henefeld was a little bit of everything, but what set him apart was lethal defensive instincts resulting in his school record 138 steals. Ultimately I only gave KEA the nod because his offensive stats were better, but Henefeld is right there with KEA.
3. Earl Kelly- 1982-83 Big East Freshman of the Year; 16.7 ppg; 44% FGs
Earl played on weak UConn teams and is something of a forgotten player in UConn history, but he was the only real consistent scoring threat UConn had in Dom Perno's final 4 seasons. Without Earl, UConn would have been a laughingstock and may have been asked to leave the Big East, as the team around him was not good, and had literally no inside players other than the 6'5" Tim Coles. Coles for most of his career tried to masquerade as a center playing against the likes of Patrick Ewing and others in comical mismatches.
HONORABLE MENTION: Corny Thompson,18.6 ppg, 1978-79
Corny did not win Big East Freshman of the Year, because UConn was in his freshman season an independent and would not enter the Big East until the following season. A highly touted recruit, Corny was a reliable scorer but was not particularly athletic, and his freshman season may have been his best year at UConn.
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