The Best Year Ever for UConn Sports?

So, pretty nice year right?

The academic year is over in Storrs, and while the athletic season is not (baseball, softball, among others are still finishing up) I figured it was a good time to talk about just what an amazing season this was for UConn sports.

The real question: Was this the greatest year ever in UConn sports?

I’m going to argue it was the second-best year ever, but it is certainly a close call. The 1998-99 year was a good one, but the only team to win a national championship was the men’s basketball team. Two years later, 2000-2001, was also a good year, as the men’s soccer team won a national title. And while women’s basketball made the Final Four, they were upset by eventual national champion Notre Dame. Both nice seasons, but neither truly enters the competition.

It comes down to two years – 2003-2004 vs. 2010-2011.

This past year was pretty amazing. The men’s basketball story is obviously very well known. Starting in the fall with the run through the Maui Invitational, then after an up-and-down regular season we know all about the historic runs through the Big East tournament and NCAA tournament. There’s no question this year’s team was the most surprising of the three national champions.

In the end, it becomes a matter of personal preference. The 2004 team was unquestionably more talented than this year’s team. Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Josh Boone, Rashad Anderson, Taliek Brown and Charlie Villanueva were all on that team. Seven players from that roster would be NBA draft picks. Kemba Walker, obviously, and maybe Jeremy Lamb in the future will be the only players from 2011 who match that group. Remember, both teams won the Big East tournament. 

So, do you like talent or do you like surprises? I go with that absurd collection of talent.

The real separation comes with the women’s basketball team. If we are going to measure the best season, national titles have to play the most prominent role. And we all know that didn’t happen in 2011. Yes, they had their 90-game winning streak storyline, but that was always overrated. It was impressive, but the UCLA 88-game record had no correlation to UConn’s streak. Impressive, but different sports.

They lost in the Final Four. Not bad. But that doesn’t cut it when you are comparing the team to 2004 – a team that won the title. Now, granted, that 2004 roster probably wasn’t much better than 2011, but they did win. You can throw out any argument you want (better competition, more pressure, whatever), but it can always be countered by two words: National Champion.

So if the men’s and women’s teams were clearly better in 2004, why is it close?

Football, of course. It seems like years ago now, but the football team did win a conference title and went to the Fiesta Bowl. Looking back on it, it still seems unbelievable. The basketball season was so arduous that it seems like the football team was a strange dream. Zach Frazer took that team to a BCS bowl? No? That can’t be true, can it?

Well, he didn’t, but Jordan Todman did. Sure, they lost in the game, but it was still a great year. It took UConn football to another level and Randy Edsall’s cowardly departure hopefully won’t ruin it. If they had beaten Oklahoma, then 2011 might’ve been better.

The 2003 women’s soccer team also went to the national championship (a game they lost in a snowstorm, by the way), but now you are getting down to the nitty gritty. Second-best season, best season, whatever. It’s nitpicking.

Let’s take this season for what it was – a great time to be a UConn sports fan.