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Harrison Twins- What we’re here to do…
With the season ending and the success of both Aaron and Andrew Harrison, there is speculation about the team overall about who will stay and who will try their luck in the NBA draft. Earlier in the season, the Harrison twins seemed to be cracking under the pressure put on them by their teammates, coaches, and the Big Blue Nation fan base. Because of this, their father flew to Lexington to visit his sons and see what was going. The story goes that when asked what they were here to do, both men started listing what they desired: A National Championship, the NBA, etc. As their father pointed out to them, that’s not why they were here. They were here to be students and to play the game of basketball.
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Hungry Huskies
After the Connecticut Huskies won the national championship this past Monday, their star player, Shabazz Napier, made a bold statement. After being banned from March Madness for a season due to problems not directly connected to basketball, the Huskies came out on top. Napier wanted to make it clear by his statement that the Huskies were back.
“”You’re looking at the hungry Huskies. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when you banned us,” –Napier said after the win
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Is this temporary success?
Less than a year after the Huskies’ ban, they achieve the ultimate success for a college basketball team. The team was originally banned from March Madness and post-season play because of grades. Many of the team players were struggling in school so much so that their GPAs risked jeopardizing their eligibility. After their success this season, there could be speculation that the athletes would revert back to last year and allow their grades to suffer after all the excitement.
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Our Major Weakness
We’ve maintained one major weakness throughout the season, hoping for improvement. Overall, our game and the dynamics of how we play have been exceptional and in most situations, we showed our talent on either end of the court. The point where we’ve struggled has been in free throws. This was a clear point of weakness in the National Championship, when at least 12 free throws were missed and, had we made them, we would’ve easily won the game.
Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Looking at the Bright Side
The bright side of this whole situation is that we proved people wrong. As the season progressed, no one expected us to be in the Championship game, much less the Final Four. Despite the lack of hope from people around the country, we did make it to the Championship game and we played hard. Also, every player on the Kentucky side of the court at the start of the game was a freshman. This means that potentially, we could have all of these players back next year. With more experience and their immense talent, this team could be unstoppable.