UConn Men’s Basketball: Scott Burrell to Join Huskies of Honor

On Thursday, UConn men’s basketball announced that Scott Burrell will join the Huskies of Honor. The ceremony will take place before UConn’s exhibition against Southern Connecticut, where Burrell is the head coach.

Burrell’s career at UConn almost didn’t happen. He was a multi-sport star at Hamden High School and was picked in the first round of the 1989 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners but chose to attend UConn instead.

He played four seasons at UConn and was a critical part of the 1990 “Dream Team”. Burrell also had “The Pass”, where he heaved the ball full-court with one second left to Tate George, who then hit “The Shot” to defeat Clemson in the Sweet Sixteen.

After his career at UConn, Burrell became the first American athlete to be a first-round draft pick in two sports when the Charlotte Hornets selected him with the 20th overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.

Burrell won it all with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1998. His final year in the NBA came in 2001 and in 2007, he joined Tom Moore’s staff at Quinnipiac. In 2015, he became the head coach at Southern Connecticut.

With Burrell’s induction into the Huskies of Honor, which other former UConn stars should be added?

The most obvious answer is Ben Gordon, who played a key role in the Huskies’ 2004 national title — arguably the greatest team in program history. He was picked No. 3 overall in the NBA Draft behind teammate Emeka Okafor. It’s a shocking Gordon isn’t up already and his off-court issues could delay that process further.

Hasheem Thabeet is also a strong candidate for the Huskies of Honor. Despite not winning a national title, he led the team a Final Four in 2009. Thabeet also ranks second all-time in field goal percentage, blocked shots per game and total blocks. He also tied a program record for blocked shots in a game three times and was named the 2009 co-Big East Player of the Year.

One player with an interesting case is Ryan Boatright. He was a four-year player with the Huskies and was a great partner to Shabazz Napier during the magical 2013 season and 2014 national title. Without him, there’s no question UConn doesn’t win that fourth championship. But are his accomplishments behind Napier enough to earn him a spot on the Huskies of Honor?

Who else do you think should be in the Huskies of Honor? Let us know in the comments below!