I met Ricky in person and got his autograph about 2 weeks after the 1999 national championship game, at Bob's Stores in Milford, which has always been a big seller of UConn sports clothing. For those of you who do not remember that game, Rickey emerged as a heroic figure after that game, for his first half rim attacks and scoring and for his defense on Duke star 3 point shooter Trajan Langdan, Rickey forced Langdan to travel in the waning seconds of that game which prevented Duke from attempting a game tying 3, and Langdon would have been the guy to shoot that shot.
Rickey was the best under 6'4" defensive player in UConn basketball history. He was almost single-handedly responsible for UConn's 1996 Big East Championship, shutting down Allen Iverson in the championship game, a guy who nobody could cover at either the college or pro levels. There may have been more versatile defenders like Andre Jackson Jr. last year who could cover multiple positions. But Rickey was the best UConn ever had at defending smaller, quick guards.
