Hes a Husky in 2010
It turns out the best available guard in the class of 2010 was in 2011.
UConn scored their latest commitment in the class of 2010 on Friday from Shabazz Napier, New England’s top ranked player in the class of 2011.
Napier began his career at Charlestown High School in Massachusetts before reclassifying at Lawrence Academy and so he is NCAA Clearinghouse eligible following the conclusion of this year when he is now expected to graduate from high school.
He joins a recruiting class that now includes Roscoe Smith (6’8”, SF), Jeremy Lamb (6’4”, SG), Tyler Olander (6’9”, PF), and Michael Bradley (6’10”, C).
UConn has spent the majority of the year pursuing three of the nation’s highest ranked guards in the class of 2010 (Brandon Knight, Josh Selby, and Cory Joseph) and while the Huskies have made the final list for all three, that didn’t stop them from pulling the trigger on Napier.
Napier is an ideal fit for UConn for two main reasons. First, he has the sheer talent to step right in and play meaningful minutes in the Big East from day one. Second, he is versatile enough to be able to play with any of the aforementioned three guards should the Huskies earn a sixth commitment this year.
In fact, some of UConn’s best teams of the past have been when head coach Jim Calhoun put two point guards on the floor together helping him to create the fast tempo that has always served the Huskies so well.
Napier is coming off an absolutely dominant year that began almost twelve months ago as he starred with Metro Boston on the AAU circuit. Having just completed his first season at Lawrence Academy in impressive fashion, the scoring guard continued to shoot up national recruiting boards by standing out at a variety of different events. Things seemed to culminate this summer as Napier was selected for the Reebok All-American Camp and then drew rave reviews at AAU Nationals, where he out-dueled former New England product Phil Pressey, a top ranked guard in the national class of 2010.
It has only been more of the same this season at Lawrence Academy as Napier has been absolutely dominant at every step along the way, leading his team to a perfect season at 29-0 including a win over St. Mark’s for the NEPSAC Class C Championship.
In terms of Napier’s overall skill set there really isn’t much he can’t do with the basketball in his hands. Best known for his lethal three-point range (and deservingly so) he may actually be a little underrated in terms of his playmaking ability. He has the ball on a string with his handle, understands how to create space and contact going to the rim, is a tremendous passer off the dribble when he wants to be, and is super clever inside the lane.
Put it all together and you have the kind of guard who does very well playing for a coach like UConn’s Jim Calhoun. Napier will undoubtedly need to put some muscle on in order to handle the physical rigors of the Big East, but once he does, don’t be surprised to see him end up emerging as one of the leaders of the Huskies moving forward.
Tyler Olander
Shabazz Napier