The 25 greatest players in Connecticut men's basketball history

Nicknamed "Moose," Dropo is likely best known for a 13-year-old Major League Baseball career that included 1950 Rookie of the Year honors and an All-Star nod. However, before all that, Dropo was a three-sport star at UConn, where he finished his stellar collegiate athletic career, which included a stint in World War II, as the school's all-time leading scorer on the hardcourt. In fact, Dropo's 20.7 career scoring average -- spanning 41 games -- remains second in the history of Connecticut basketball. 

When it came to East Coast basketball stars in the 1950s, Quimby was among the brightest. A three-time, First Team All-Yankee Conference performer during a time when the Huskies won the conference title in each of his four seasons at the school, Quimby remains UConn's all-time leader with 1,716 rebounds and rebounding average (21.5 rpg). He was the nation's top rebounder at 22.6 per game during the 1953-54 season, and averaged a school-record 24.4 boards as a senior. Quimby's combined points (1,398) and rebounds total of 3,114 is the highest in UConn history.

Sticking with the rebounding theme, Kimball was another force on the glass for the Huskies. Roughly a decade after the aforementioned Art Quimby dominated the paint at UConn, Kimball put together three stellar seasons for the program. His 1,324 career rebounds trail only Quimby in school history, while his 21.0 boards per game from the 1964-65 not only led the nation, they also rank third among all Huskies. In addition, Kimball's 18.4 career scoring average still resides among the top 10 in school history.

One of the great jump shooters of the 1960s' era of college basketball, Bialosuknia is the Huskies' career leader with a 23.6 scoring average. The "Poughkeepsie Popper" averaged at least 21.3 points in each of his three varsity seasons at UConn. As a senior, Bialosuknia averaged a program-record 28 points. A three-time All-Yankee Conference selection, Bialosuknia totaled 1,673 points in 71 career college games. He was also part of the inaugural 2007 class inducted into the UConn Basketball Huskies of Honor.

In the annals of UConn basketball, Hanson ranks third all time with 1,990 points, and sits first in made field goals (784) -- over a span of 111 games. A two-time, First Team All-Yankee Conference pick, Hanson enjoyed a simply stellar season as a senior in 1976-77, averaging 26.0 points (ranked second in school history) and 10.5 rebounds. Both led to Hanson being named New England Player of the Year and ECAC Player of the Year. For his career, Hanson shot 49.4 percent and totaled 818 rebounds for the Huskies.

A standout on both ends of the court, Thompson was an All-Big East pick three times, with first-team honors coming in 1981 and '82. The pride of Middletown, Conn., Thompson ranks among UConn's career top 10 in both points (1,810) and rebounding (1,017). He led the Huskies in scoring during each of his four years in Storrs, and posted a career 49.4-shooting percentage from the field. In addition, Thompson totaled 179 steals during his time at Connecticut, and his 538 points from 1978-79 rank second in school history for a freshman.

As we move into the ultra-successful Jim Calhoun years at UConn, Robinson was one of his early stars. The 6-foot-10 Robinson was a dependable performer, who averaged 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals during his four-year collegiate tenure. He started all 34 games while helping the Huskies win the 1988 NIT championship, and earned Second Team All-Big East honors as a senior, when he averaged a career-high of 20.0 points with 7.4 rebounds. Robinson also recorded 116 blocked shots on his UConn career, then went on to be a defensive star during an 18-year NBA run.

George might be most remembered for hitting that remarkable buzzer-beating shot to beat Clemson during the 1990 Sweet 16. However, he was a consistently solid player for the Huskies, and one who might not get the full credit he deserves. George started 116 of the 128 games he played over four seasons, ranks second in school history with 677 assists and is among the great defensive players to come out o the program. He currently sits fourth at UConn with 201 steals. During that memorable 1989-90 campaign, George averaged a career-high 11.5 points.

In terms of numbers, Smith is the most prolific scorer in UConn basketball history. Smith's 2,145 points, spanning 127 games over four seasons, is a school record. In addition, Smith's 242 made 3-pointers rank among the top 10 at UConn, and he's also the program's all-time leader with 107 double-figure scoring games. Smith averaged 16.9 points for his career, highlighted by a 1991-92 senior season, when he averaged 21.2 and made 42.0 percent of his 3-point attempts to earn First Team All-Big East recognition. 

A celebrated Huskie, Burrell was the first NCAA player to record more than 1,500 points, 750 rebounds, 275 assists and 300 steals. Dig deeper into those categories, and Burrell is the school's all-time leader with 310 steals. He averaged 16.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.6 steals, 2.5 assists and 1.1 blocked shots during 119 games over his four-year career. Burrell, who made the famous near length-of-the-court inbounds pass to Tate George on that memorable 1990 NCAA Tournament shot, was twice named a Third-Team All-Big East pick (1991, '93), and second-team selection in 1991-92.

Across the board, Marshall is simply one of the greats in all of college basketball. He ranks among UConn's top 10 in blocks (245) and scoring average (18.1 ppg). He's a two-time, First Team All-Big East pick, and was the league's player of the year and defensive player of the year for the 1993-94 season, when he averaged career highs of 25.1 points, on 51.2-percent shooting, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.2 blocks. Marshall was also a consensus All-American on what proved to be his final collegiate season.

The only player in UConn men's basketball history to have his uniform number retired. Is Allen the greatest player in the history of the Huskies basketball program? The statistics seem to back it up. In 101 games, spanning three seasons, Allen totaled 1,922 points, which rank fifth in school history. He's also tied for fourth with a 19.0 career scoring average and third with 705 made field goals. The Olympic gold-medal winner and star of Spike Lee's He Got Game shot 48.7 percent, was a two-time, First Team All-Big East pick, the league's player of the year, a consensus All-American and national player of the year from United Press International for the 1995-96 season, when he averaged 23.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals.

Maybe not a marquee name from the Huskies' first national championship team from the 1998-99 season, Moore got things done well at the defensive end of the floor and also won 114 games at UConn. A three-year captain for the Huskies, Moore averaged 6.9 points and 3.8 assists for his 134-game career, but it was his lockdown defensive abilities that earned consistent praise on the national level. Moore's defense against Duke in the 1999 national championship game, notably on Blue Devils star guards William Avery and Trajan Langdon, was a big reason the Huskies pulled off the upset (as Duke shot 41.1 percent) and he was part of the All-Final Four team.

We noted Ray Allen as arguably the best player in UConn basketball history, but Hamilton's name should also be in that conversation. Hamilton joins Chris Smith as the only UConn players to reach the 2,000-point mark, posting 2,036 in three seasons. His 19.8 average points over 103 games ranks third in school history. Twice Hamilton averaged 21.5 points, including during that championship 1998-99 season, when he also pulled down a career-high 4.8 rebounds to repeat as Big East Player of the Year and earn consensus first-team All-American status. Hamilton averaged 24.2 points on 50-percent shooting during the '99 NCAA Tournament, and scored 27 in the title game to earn Most Outstanding Player honors.

Freeman is one of two players in UConn basketball history to play at least 140 career games. Hitting that mark, while starting 126 games over four seasons. Another key piece to the Huskies' national championship squad of '99, Freeman averaged career bests of 12.2 points, while shooting 59 percent from the field, and 7.3 rebounds during that historic season. For his UConn career, Freeman shot 53.4 percent overall, totaled 1,476 points and 913 rebounds (which reside in the school's top 10). The Huskies won 109 games during Freeman's tenure.

Checking in at a generous 5'10" and more than 200 pounds, El-Amin remains one of the most entertaining players in UConn history. A McDonald's All-American from Minneapolis, El-Amin was a favorite during his three seasons at Connecticut, playing with a high motor and getting under the skin of the opposition. He recorded 1,650 points, 479 assists, 319 rebounds and is in the school's all-time top 10 with 186 steals. El-Amin, who helped UConn to that '99 title, started all but two of the 108 games he played for UConn. He averaged 16 points as a freshman and for his junior — and final — season of 1999-2000, when he was named First Team All-Big Ten. 

Butler accomplished quite a bit in just 63 games, spanning two seasons, with the Huskies. As a freshman, Butler was UConn's leader in both scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.6), while also averaging 3.1 assists. The next season, Butler stepped up his game to the level of being honored as Big East Player of the Year. That season, Butler averaged 20.3 points on 48.6 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, 7.5 boards, 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals. His 691 points from 2001-02 are second-most by any sophomore in UConn history.

UConn won its second national championship to conclude the 2003-04 season, and did so with a dynamic inside-outside duo. The outside portion came courtesy of Gordon, who averaged a team-leading 18.5 points and shot 43.3 percent from 3-point range for that national-title squad while earning First Team All-Big East honors. That was Gordon's final collegiate season, and capped a three-year career that produced 1,795 points (seventh-most in school history), 590 made field goals and a 42.3 3-point field goal percentage that ranks second all-time at UConn.

Now we showcase the outside factor to compliment Ben Gordon from the 2004 championship group. A two-time First-team All-Big East performer and league defensive player of the year, Okafor averaged career highs of 17.6 points and 11.5 rebounds while being named Big East Player of the Year and first-team consensus All-American during that title run. One of six Huskies to record at least 1,000 rebounds (1,091), Okafor is the school's all-time leader with 441 blocks, and his 155 led the nation in 2002-03. He also ranks fourth with a 59.3 field-goal percentage.

Another UConn star who made the most of his rather brief time in Storrs. Gay earned co-Big East Rookie of the Year as a freshman for averaging 11.8 points, while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, plus 5.4 rebounds per game. In his second and final season with the Huskies, Gay averaged 15.2 points, made 46.1 percent of his shots and set career bests with 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals per contest en route to being named a First Team All-Big East member and consensus second-team All-American.

The casual basketball fan who fancies the recent history of the college game might not remember just how dominant an inside presence the 7'3" Thabeet was during his three seasons at UConn. He is second-all-time at UConn with 417 blocks and a 61.1 field-goal percentage, and ranks among the top 10 in rebounding (847). On three occasions, Thabeet recorded 10 blocks in a game. After being named to the All-Big East Defensive Team as a sophomore, Thabeet established himself as a true overall threat in his final college season in 2008-09. During that campaign, Thabeet set career highs in average points (13.6) and rebounds (10.8), plus total blocks (152) and field goal percentage (64.0), en route to being named co-Big East Player of the Year. 

One of the most exciting players in UConn history, Walker ranks among the school's top 10 with 1,783 points. In his third and final season of 2010-11, Walker averaged team highs of 23.5 points, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals while helping UConn win its third national championship. He was a First Team All-Big East pick that season, and MVP of the Big East tournament, when he averaged 26 points on 47.1 percent shooting and 6.4 rebounds. Walker, who is also among the school's all-time leaders with 185 steals, ranks second for made free throws (501).

When it comes to clutch players, Lamb should go down as one of the better in UConn history. As a freshman, Lamb averaged an impressive 11.1 points, on 48.7-percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists. However, he was truly at his best during the Huskies' NCAA Tournament run to the national title. During those six postseason contests, Lamb averaged 16.2 points and shot 58.1 percent from the field, including 12-of-18 from 3-point range. In his second and final collegiate season, Lamb averaged a team-leading 17.7 points to earn First Team All-Big East honors. 

Talk about a complete career. Napier, one of three Division I players to win a national title as a freshman (2011) and again during his senior campaign (2014), is also the only player in UConn history to post at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, and 250 steals. The Huskies' all-time leader with 143 games played, Napier ranks fourth in program history with 1,959 points, second with 251 steals and third with 646 assists. In 2013-14, Napier was named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American for averaging career highs of 18 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He was also named Most Outstanding Player during the Huskies' run to the 2014 title for averaging 21.2 points and shooting 20-of-43 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Backcourt mate of the aforementioned Shabazz Napier for two full seasons, Boatright put together a pretty impressive collegiate career. He ranks among the school's top 10 in career scoring (1,786 points), made free throws (455) and consecutive double-figure point games (93). Another key piece to the Huskies' national-title run of 2013-14, Boatright enjoyed his best individual season as a senior in 2014-15, when he averaged a team-leading 17.4 points, while shooting 41.1 percent from the 3-point arc, plus 4.6 rebounds.