Shabazz Napier was selected by Charlotte with the 24th pick in the NBA Draft, then immediately traded to the Miami Heat.

He got a congratulatory hug from Isaiah Thomas, among others:



Here's some of what Napier had to say:

“I would love it,” Napier said. “Me and LeBron’s relationship, he’s a great guy. I’ve been to his camps. Me and him chatted a few time at his camps. He’s just a special (person).”

Asked if he had spoken with James recently, Napier said: “He doesn’t have my number.”

After Napier was selected, James said on Twitter: “My favorite player in the draft! #Napier.”

“My agent just told me that he tweeted something out about me just now,” Napier said. “It’s something special to know that one of the best players in the world thinks about you and appreciates your talent. That’s something that I’m humble for.”

With Mario Chalmers now a free agent and Norris Cole coming off a shaky postseason, Napier could step right into the starting point guard role with Miami.

“There’s always opportunity to do something great,” he said. “No matter if I was going to slide in as a starter or come off the bench, I’m going to work hard. I’m going to compete. That’s who I am.”



Despite two national championships and dozens of clutch shots on his resume, Napier was the last of the 20 or so players invited to the green room to be selected. Four point guards and several players whom Napier defeated during his college career were picked ahead of him. Some NBA personnel had questioned Napier’s athleticism heading into the draft.

Napier was asked if slipping to No. 24 would put a chip on his shoulder.

“The chip never leaves my shoulder,” he said. “It will never leave my shoudler. That’s what makes me who I am.”

Here's Shabazz entering the green room early in the evening:



Soon afterwards, DeAndre Daniels was selected by Toronto with the No. 37 overall pick.

Said Daniels: "This is a dream come true. I’m just excited right now. When I heard my name called, I started crying and hugging my family. I’m just so happy Toronto took the opportunity to draft me. I’ll show them it’s not a mistake, I’m going to work hard and I’ve got a chip on my shoulder and I’m going to try to prove a point to everybody.”

(on Toronto)

“I loved it out there, man. It’s a great city, great organization, great team. I can’t wait to get out there and get started.”

(on watching the draft with his family in Manchester)

“It was tough. I was patient, I was walking around non-stop. When it got close to, like, 28, 29, I went to my room. I came out at the right time, and my whole family started going crazy.”

"I just got off the phone with Shabazz. He told me he was happy for me, I told him I was happy for him. He said, 'This is not the end, we're gonna keep working. This is what UConn does.'"

Couple of other quick notes:

*** By my count, the 20 players invited to the green room Thursday night went a combined 1-8 vs. UConn. Julius Randle, James Young and Noah Vonleh all went 0-1, Gary Harris went 0-2 and poor Adreian Payne went 0-3. NC State's T.J. Warren got the lone win.

I don't know what that says, but I guess it says something.

*** Steve Enoch had a good visit to UConn on Thursday. He watched the NBA Draft and was slated to play in pickup games afterwards. Don't know about the other visitors at this point.

Some quotes and video from today's parade, where we learned that Kevin Ollie "isn't going anywhere," but DeAndre Daniels, Ryan Boatright could be.

Shabazz Napier talked about his "hungry Huskies" comment and what he really meant by it:

(on appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated)

“Man, that’s surreal. My stepfather had bought a couple of magazines. I just saw it first glance, that’s just so surreal. I can’t believe that.”

(on now getting ready for NBA workouts)

“I knew, going into the tournament, before the first game, I’ve got to be prepared for anything, whether we lose or win. I’ve been preparing myself since then. I played well in the tournament, so it kind of showed how much I was prepared. But I”ve got a lot more to prepare for, a lot more to work on, because that’s a big jump.”

(on LeBron James saying on Twitter that Napier should be the first point guard taken in the 2014 draft):

“I don’t social network. But that is definitely cool. It’s just so surreal to see guys who you look up to shout you out and say stuff like that. I want people to know that, at the end of the day, they’re not picking. I wish they were. But at the end of the day, I’m going to go out there and treat every opportunity I have like an interview, like it is, and hopefully their words can get inside people’s heads. Maybe it’ll work. But I’m gonna work, no matter what.”

(on rumors of Kevin Ollie leaving for the NBA)

“He’s not going anywhere. He loves this university. When you love this university with the passion he has, he’s gonna stay here until they tell him he’s got to leave.”

“I doubt that he will leave. But, at the end of the day, I state what I believe.”

*** Incidentally, if you were wondering whether or not Jim Calhoun was at the parade, he wasn't. Calhoun was vacationing in Hilton Head, S.C.

*** Ryan Boatright said he'll talk to Kevin Ollie on Monday and his family this week regarding his future, and if he wants to turn pro or not.

(Boatright on paying attention to what scouts, critics, etc. say about his game translating to the NBA)

“You do a little bit. You take the good with the bad. Everybody ain’t gonna believe in you or think you’re a pro. So, you’ve just got to take the good with the bad and have firm belief in yourself, firm confidence.”

(on whether the idea of being "The Man" next year would help lead him to decide to return to UConn for his senior season)L

“It ain’t even about being the man. It’s just getting to put on the UConn uniform again, just having another chance to do this again. These type of experiences drive you to want to do it again. This is something special. It felt good to be a part of this.”

*** Ollie said nothing's really changed over the past week after winning a national title.

"I have to walk my dog and pick up the poop, all that stuff. Dogs don’t really care. Nothing’s really changed. It’s just amazing. I know their lives are going to change.”

“It’s great to be the fourth African-American head coach to win a national championship, to be with those names, mention my name with them, it means the world to be. Hopefully, it creates the path for other African-Americans that can get these jobs and perform very, very well.

He said he talked with John Thompson and Nolan Richardson at the Final Four, and plans to reach out to Tubby Smith, as well.

(on if anything would shake him to leave UConn for the NBA):

“No. Nothing will shake me. I love this place. Like anything else, I evaluate it each and every year. I want the conditions right around my student-athletes. You just never know where the NCAA is going in years to come. I want to make sure the university is doing everything possible for our student-athletes to succeed. If I don’t see that, maybe it’s an opportunity for me to leave. But I’m going to evaluate that each and every year, and it’s perfect right now. We’re doing everything it takes for our student-athletes to get their grades and do certain things on the road and have a great experience at this university.”

(on a possible contract re-negotiation with Warde Manuel)

"We’re going to sit down. Whatever it takes, I want to be here at the University of Connecticut. Hopefully, we can come up with a great solution that benefits not only me, but benefits the university going forward.”

(on what he'll tell Boatright and DeAndre Daniels about leaving for the pros)

“I’m just going to give them information that I’ve received from general managers, and then they’re going to have to make their own decisions. I don’t want to make any decisions for them. I want them to be committed, if they’re gonna come back. They’ve got to have the right attitude. If they decide to go to the pros, they’re gonna have to have the right attitude. I’m gonna give them information, and they’re gonna have to make the decision that’s best for their family. Not what’s best for UConn. What’s best for them and their family. And hopefully, they make the right decision and be committed to it. If you decide to go the NBA, you’d better be in the best shape of your life. If you decide to come back to UConn, you’d better be in the best shape of your life. I know they will.”

(It's worth noting that Daniels, one of the most congenial guys on the team, didn't want to talk to the media on Sunday)

Ollie has been out recruiting the past few days and said he hasn't heard anything yet about anyone possibly transferring from the program, but will start meeting individually with players on Monday.

"From what I hear now, they’re working, they’re in the weight room already. When they come to my office, I’m going to be all ears and all heart opened to them. Because they gave me so much. Even the guys that weren’t playing, they were great teammates. Whatever it takes for them to be better – if that’s moving on or if that’s staying at the University of Connecticut – I’m gonna be there for them.”

The last time UConn faced Michigan State, a special tradition built on team unity developed. The entire team, at Kevin Ollie's urging, crowded behind Ollie during his postgame ESPN interview with Andy Katz. The Huskies have continued doing it ever since, and that's the the focus of my story for Sunday's Register in advance of their Elite Eight bout with the Spartans on Sunday at 2:20 p.m.

Meantime, here's some video of UConn players talking about that special win over Michigan State on Nov. 9, 2012, and the tradition that started afterwards:





*** A few more odds and ends:

LeBron James sent out this tweet supporting his former Cleveland Cavalier teammate, Kevin Ollie, on Saturday:

Wanna send a HUGE S/O to my former teammate Kevin Ollie and UCONN on advancing to the Elite 8. Keep it going K.O. #StriveForGreatness
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 29, 2014

*** Ollie was asked about the playful slap to the face he gave Terrence Samuel during his postgame interview on Friday night.

"We were just goofing around," Ollie said. "It wasn't (a) big deal. So we were just goofing around and they play a game, and they were putting bunny ears behind me. It just wasn't (anything)."

UConn takes on Temple Thursday night at 9 (ugh!) in Philly. While the Owls are an undermanned team who are 2-10 in the AAC and lost to the Huskies by 24 points in Hartford a month ago, there's reason for UConn not to take them lightly. Temple, after all, is fresh off a stunning home win on Sunday over SMU, knocking the Mustangs out of the AP Top 25 a week after they were ranked for the first time in nearly 30 years.

If UConn gets by Temple and is then able to exact revenge on SMU on Sunday in Storrs, it will overtake SMU for third place in the AAC standings. It behooves the Huskies to finish third in the league to avoid the 4-5 game in the conference tourney and ensure they face one of the bottom five teams in their opener. (UConn could be tied with Memphis for third by the end of Sunday, but would own that tie-breaker by virtue of beating the Tigers twice this season).

*** Meanwhile, it's never too early to take a look at the NBA draft prospects of Shabazz Napier, DeAndre Daniels and Ryan Boatright. I talked to a couple of NBA scouts this week about the three players, and the consensus among them (and the NBA mock draft sites, for what they're worth) is that Napier will likely be a second-round pick who could sneak into the late first round. As for Daniels and Boatright, the scouts feel both should return to UConn for their respective senior seasons next year, where they can ostensibly raise their draft stock without playing in the shadow of Shabazz.

Not exactly ground-breaking stuff, but always interesting to hear from the guys whose jobs depend on evaluating college talent.

Here's some of what the scouts had to say:

Western Conference scout:

(can Napier be a first-round pick?)

“I’d be a little surprised, but not shocked. He’s gonna have to do it the hard way, probably as a second round pick. He's a bit of anomaly. Everybody recognizes his toughness, his ability to make shots. But guys going with all the analytic stuff, I don’t know how they're gonna grade him. I suspect the computer, with his verticals and all that (garbage), won't grade him too high. He's more of a shot-maker than a point guard. I think if he snuck into the late first, it would be great for him,. You could make a case he deserves that if there's a lack of quality point guards, which I think there is."

"A guy was asking me about him the other night on the road, saying he couldn't figure him out. I said, 'I know what you mean,' but there's something you've got to put on paper for mental toughness, the ability to take as many key shots. Not just the buzzer-beaters. He has a knack, when a team's on the ropes a little bit, whether they're up by three or down by three and things are going haywire, he makes that big shots.

(on Boatright, who this scout really didn't like at all a year ago when I talked to him)

"(He's improved) a little bit. I think he’s really trying. I give him credit with all the things he’s been dealing with. I'm sure he thought he was gonna be their main guy. But I just don't see how his game translates. He's not a point guard, he's not dynamic enough. When I first saw him, he had unbelievable quickness, but he's an OK shooter. He doesn't make shots the way Napier does. He'd almost have to be a (Nate) Robinson kid, an unbelievable catalyst. People put up with all (Robinson's) madness because he can help you win some games."

(on Daniels)

"He's very, very thin. There's nothing wrong with that, not everybody has to be LeBron James. But it doesn't look like an NBA body. It's not even wiry-strong. He's just weak. He's got to get stronger. I think his weakness prevents him from doing what he's needed to do. Michael Jordan was only 196 pounds, you don't have to be bulky, but at least you have to be wiry-strong."

Very, very thin. Nothing wrong with, not everobyd has to be Lebron James, but it doesn’t look like an NBS body. It’s not even wiry strong, he’s just weak. He’s gotta get stronger. Think weankness prevents him from doing what needed to do. Jordan 196 pounds, don’t have bo be bulky, but at least have to be wiry-storng.

Eastern Conference scout:

(on Napier)

"I think he's a first-round pick. First of all, he's got the ball on a string. He's got great ball control, a great understanding of the game, tremendous confidence. He's a knockdown shooter from the perimeter with a big heart, a big-game player. He understands who to deliver the ball to. When you're playing with a $15 million player, that player gets the ball first. I think he gets it. He also does what's necessary to make his team win.

(on Daniels)

"I think he should stay in school and get tougher. He's very talented, he's had some great moments, but he needs to get tougher. Have a big year next year for Connecticut and show some consistency.

(on Boatright)

"He's a talented little guy, aggressive. He should stay. He's capable of having a great year next years, be one of the dominant players in that league. He would eliminate any questions.

"He's gonna have t play point guard and give the ball up, understand and cooperate, not go so much on his own. In college, he can get away with it because he's better than a lot of players. But at the next level, it's different ... It's a man's league."

(this scout also mentioned Amida Brimah)

"I think he has a great future. He reminds me of the kid who played at Louisville (Gorgui Deng) last year. He's got mobility, great length. He's a future prospect. He's got to learn how to play, the whole thing. But he's a nice piece right now."

Ultimately for Shabazz Napier, his decision to remain at UConn for his senior season had nothing to do with potential draft status or injuries or anything else. It simply came down to a promise he made to his mother.

(Here's a story on UConn's terrific backcourt tandem in the Register)

"The biggest thing is getting a degree, walking across that stage," Napier said on Thursday. "My mother told me I promised her that, and I kept my promise. There was nothing else. My mother's been a single parent for 27 years. The closest bond I can have is with my mother. I promised her something, and I'm not gonna go behind her back."

Napier, of course, announced his decision nearly three months ago.  After participating at the NIKE Point Guard Skills Camp a couple of weeks ago with Ryan Boatright in Union, N.J., and at the LeBron James Skills Academy earlier this week, Napier is back in Storrs working on his summer courses. He said he's on track to graduate after the fall semester with a degree in sociology.

Despite a sterling junior season in which he led the Huskies in scoring, assists and clutch shots and was actually second in rebounding (!), Napier is still looking to get better. He said he learned a lot about how he can improve at LeBron's camp.

“It was good, a new learning experience," he said. "(I learned) how better I need to be to become as good as I want, learned a lot from myself, coaches, asked a lot of questions, being out there with group of talented players.”

“I think I need to improve on being a leader. You can never not improve on being a leader. I can definitely improve my defensive aggressiveness, get better on defense, better at shooting. There were a lot of things last year that a lot of people said I did well, but can always improve on and get better. Nothing can be perfect, but when strive to be perfect, you can be as good as you can be."

Napier believes the Huskies can be "tremendously good" next season.

"Our agenda needs to be the same as it was last year," he said.

With no postseason to play for, the Huskies really bought into the team concept last season, playing for their school, their coaches and each other. Could they lose that edge next year -- especially with a few players who harbor NBA draft dreams for next June?

"It's possible we may lose that edge," Napier admitted. "But hopefully, the guys will have the same mindset. If not ... that's what coaches are for."

And team leaders. And Shabazz Napier is undoubtedly that, even if he knows he can become an even better one.

Howie Dickenman was recently quoted in some media outlets saying that Kevin Ollie was signed by both Cleveland (in 2003) and Oklahoma City (2009) to help mentor LeBron James and Kevin Durant, respectively, early in their careers.

Dickenman is a Jim Calhoun disciple, however, which means statements like this can sometimes be ... well, a bit of an embellishment.

I put in some calls to people who were with the Cavs and Thunder at the time, and while I haven't heard back from anyone with the Thunder, I did get to talk to Jim Paxson, the former NBA all-star who was Cleveland's GM when it signed Ollie to a five-year (yes, five-year), $15 million deal.

It's really been the only long-term deal Ollie has signed (including now, of course, what with his one-year deal at UConn).

“I think for him,” recalled Paxson, “it just gave him more motivation to prove he deserved that.”

Hard to believe Ollie won't have the same motivation now at UConn.

Anyway, turns out Paxson did sign Ollie with the expressed desire to help mentor and tutor LeBron. Here's some of what he had to say:

“We thought he could come in and be a bridge for us at the point guard position,” Paxson recalled, “and also be a good influence on our younger players, the primary one being LeBron.”

And what made Paxson believe Ollie would be a good influence on King James?

“I just think his professionalism and approach to the game is what players followed,” he said. “Even though LeBron was a great player when he first came in the league, along the way, in my first couple of years around him and even after that, (LeBron) was always looking for veterans in the league that did it the right way. Kevin had a good approach with LeBron and other young players – being a professional, showing it on a day-to-day basis that you’ve got to show up, work on your game, work on your body.”

Ollie played all 82 games that season, the only time in his NBA career he ever did so. He only started seven times, however, and averaged a mere 17.1 minutes per game as he never quite fit in with coach Paul Silas, who was in his first year at the helm.

Interestingly, when Ollie went through spells of little playing time, he was picked up by some of the very same guys he was signed to help mentor.

“When at times he didn’t get to play a lot, LeBron and the guys kind of rallied around him and kept his spirits up, too,” Paxson recalled. “They appreciated how he came to work every day, how he was still trying to help them. He helped pick up some young guys, and was also picked up by them because of the type of person he was.”

Paxson always believed Ollie had the potential to be a head coach someday.

“It was more based on some of the conversations I would have had with him,” Paxson said. “He was looking at the game as a team, what was best for the team. You just kind of had that feeling that, if he wanted to pursue that and follow that path, he had the right demeanor and way about him and would have a chance to have some success.”

While Paxson has faith Ollie can handle the job, he knows it won’t be easy.

“At any level, when you move over from the assistant’s chair to the head coaching chair, you have to make the final decisions – whether to substitute, take timeouts, etc.,” he noted. “The pace and flow of the game is a little different than when you’re sitting there as an assistant.

“But I think he will relate well to the players and find a way to get the most out of them.”

UConn at least has a foot in the door in the recruitment of Jabari Parker, the most hyped high school basketball prospect since LeBron James.

Kevin Ollie will get an in-home visit with Parker sometime next week, according to ESPNChicago.com. Parker has also added UConn to his list of prospective landing spots.

Parker, a Class of 2013 forward, had previously listed his top 10 schools in July, and it included BYU (he is of the Mormon faith), DePaul, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina and Stanford.

His father, Sonny Parker, told ESPNChicago.com regarding the UConn upconming visit:


"It was Jabari's decision. He's picking all the schools for the home visits. He's talked to coach Calhoun previously before. That's one of the schools that showed some interest to him. He's had conversations with them previously. Of course, coach Kevin Ollie came in, and (Jabari) wanted them for a home visit."

Even if this is still a long shot, pretty impressive for Ollie to get a foot in the door.

*** Elswhere, as you've probably already heard, they're getting the band back together: UConn appears close to hiring Ricky Moore as an assistant coach.

An actual e-mail I received today from Ashley Wiener, apparently a PR person for the SCORES strip club in NYC:

Sure, LeBron James is getting wooed by million-dollar offers from major corporations to make the move to NYC, but does money really talk the way Strippers walk? With the Knicks in talks to convert LeBron James into a New Yorker, offers are pouring in across the city from businesses which support this move, but the most recent offer may have just sealed the deal.

SCORES, the legendary NYC Gentlemen’s Club has announced today that they will offer James the following if he signs with the Knicks:

* A lifetime pass to receive free lap dances;
* A dedicated “LeBron James Day” where each girl will wear his jersey when stepping onto stage, in lieu of their robe;
* A lifetime pass for complimentary dinners at Robert’s Restaurant.

Well, guess that seals it ... LeBron's a Knick.