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Apr 87 min read

UConn's Back-to-Back Run: what we can learn from the last team that did it

Updated: Apr 9



At long last, tonight is THE night! Whatever your prediction for tonight’s game, we’re anticipating an absolute slugfest, and we are HERE for all of it- the drama and nail biting, moments of frustrated near-misses and shocked elation, and what we hope will be those last few minutes of intense who’s-it-going-to-be. And we here at One Team at a Time will be especially dialed in to the showdowns between star players we’ve been following throughout this season’s tourney. 

UConn is favored to repeat as NCAA national champions, a feat not accomplished since the 2005-06 and 2006-07 Florida Gators. That team left their imprint not only on the NCAA, but their coach and a few of their players went on to make waves in the NBA. Looking at the repeat championship Florida team of the 2000s, are there comparable players and coaches from the current UConn team that also might have a lasting legacy on the NBA- and on our fantasy teams? NCAA dominance doesn't always translate into the same kind of relevance at the NBA level, but it can be- and has been- a reliable indicator of solid, even long professional careers.



Kicking off our comparison, let’s dig into some of the Florida personalities who went on to experience various levels of success in the NBA.


→ Billy Donovan: Florida’s coach from 1996-2015, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s coach from 2015-2020, and the Chicago Bulls’ coach since 2020. Fun fact: he’s only one of four coaches in history to have played in Final Four games, then gone on to coach championship collegiate teams.

Across his NBA coaching career, Donovan has coached 636 games with a record of 360-276 which translates into a .566 winning percentage; his payoff record is currently 19-27 playoff with a .413 win percentage. During his five seasons in Oklahoma City, Donovan’s claim to fame was their 2012 NBA Finals appearance and specifically, Russel Westbrook and his storied triple doubles (though it can be argued he never really got over the hump Westbrook and Kevin Durant). I will withhold judgment of the current Bulls team because it's probably more of a roster deficiency than a reflection on Donovan, though unfortunately for him, it might cost him his job this year.



→ Cory Brewer, SF, won both championships with Florida. Picked 7th in 2007.

Brewer was a pivotal piece of the back-to-back championship Florida team, winning the 2007 Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. Springboarding off his outstanding collegiate career, he was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves and played his first four professional seasons with them (one out due to an injury).  During his 2011 season with the Dallas Mavericks, Brewer won an NBA championship, though he only played thirteen games and six playoffs that season. He spent the rest of his career bouncing around, and for one season, he rejoined his former Florida coach Billy Donovan with the Oklahoma City Thunder. All in all, Brewer managed to carve out a respectable thirteen year career for himself, though mostly as an ancillary piece.



→ Joakim Noah, C, won both championships with Florida. Picked 1st round 9 overall.

From the Florida championship team, Joakim had an outstanding professional career, playing six seasons with the Chicago Bulls. He was a two-time All Star (2013, 2014), All NBA first team (2014), NBA defensive player of the year (2014), NBA all defensive first team (2013, 2014), and all defensive second team (2011). Noah was an absolute menace on the Bulls in his latter seasons there, and while he had a tumultuous end to his career due to injury issues and an inflated contract (versus his production) with the New York Knicks, Noah was undeniably a bona fide NBA player that any of professional team could have wanted.



→ Al Horford , C, won both championships with Florida. Picked 1st round 3rd overall.

Horford was the first of the Florida Gator champs to be picked and is still playing today.  He was with the Atlanta Hawks for his first nine seasons and is in his sixth (nonconsecutive) season with the Boston Celtics, with whom he appeared in the 2022 NBA championship finals. Horford was NBA All-Rookie First Team and is a five-time NBA All Star (2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018), NBA third team (2011), and NBA all defensive second team (2018), the first Dominican player to reach the NBA finals, and is currently the highest paid Latin American player in the NBA. In his sixteenth season, Horford has the longest and most consistent NBA career of these three former Florida Gators.



→ Stephon Castle, freshman at UConn, point guard/shooting guard: 6'6” 190 lbs, age 19

Here’s what I wrote about Stephon Castle prior to the Elite Eight games:

Teams in the modern era don't often repeat National Championships (the last one being Florida in 2006 and 2007), but Stephon could be a big reason that UConn has a shot at back-to-back titles (which would be their sixth). 

At 6’6” Stephon is a little taller than your average ball handler, which allows him to pass or shoot over defenders assigned to him (if not in zone). Stephon has shown the ability to finish at the rim with either hand, which is a definite advantage at the NBA level.  Castle is not a knockdown shooter by any means (under 70% free throw and currently 20% from three), but his form doesn't seem to be too ugly, and with NBA shooting coaches, he can certainly refine his shot. When he plays off the ball, he does cut to help the ball handler, but a lot of his points in college have been from being open in the paint and lobbing a floater or a bank shot- which will not be available to him very often in the NBA. However, Stephon really has found chemistry with Donovan Clingan (another lottery pick) on the pick and roll (but that might also be a product of how good Clingan is as a lob threat with a 7'8” wingspan). 

All that being said, modern high school and NCAA players always focus on offensive highlights or photo op dunks, BUT it’s on the defensive end that Stephon really brings an NBA-level tenacity. He has an absolute dawg mentality on defense (often lost in modern ball): he naturally defends the switch if a pick happens, and I’ve seen him break right through screens with a level of urgency seen in the NBA. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s usually taller than the opposing guards he’s defending.

  • Comp: taller Victor Oladipio (pre leg injury)

  • Check out this Twitter highlight from the UConn/Alabama game posted by @MarchMadnessMBB



→ Donovan "Cling Kong" Clingan, sophomore UConn, Center: 7'2” ft tall with a 7'7” ft wingspan, 280 lbs, age 20. 

“Cling Kong,” who also played in last year’s championship against San Diego State, has climbed up on scouts’ big boards and is now undeniably at a lottery grade. Every time someone mentions Purdue’s Zach Edey, the counter argument always throws Clingan's name in there- and for good measure, too. Both Edey and Clingan are big, hulking heaps of flesh, but definitely have different play styles. Despite his size, Clingan is surprisingly nimble; he can keep even smaller faster players in front of him just by rolling his hips, which is often hard for bigger players. He also possesses excellent defensive awareness and timing and positionally: Clingan’s consistently in the right spot for cleaning up any shots that make it in the paint, and he’s patient in not giving up to head fakes or pivots down low.  

On offense, Clingan is a 50% free throw shooter, and some outlets agree that his form has looked solid in practice, surmising that he could add 3 pointers to his repertoire. He is a lob threat on pick and rolls AND can finish with both hands. I personally think he still has a lot to improve on offensively by adding more tools to his bag- but he could conceivably continue to develop should he decide to finish out the next two seasons at UConn. That being said, Clingan is already a lottery pick for his defensive prowess and size alone, and his skillset is perfect for the modern NBA era.

  • Comparison: a more nimble Jakob Poetl

  • Check out this Twitter highlight from the UConn/Alabama game posted by @Rob Dauster, Founder of the Field of 68…

  • …And this one posted by @MarchMadnessMBB



→ Alex Karaban, sophomore at UConn, wing/forward: 6'8:, 220 lbs, age 21

Alex Karaban, who started in last year’s win over San Diego State, is your stereotypical 3 and D player. UConn has so much talent right now, it might seem at times that Alex is in the back seat, but he’s shown he’s not a ball stopper and can absolutely drive and kick if the opportunity presents itself- at least in the UConn system. Plus Karaban isn't just a pick and pop shooter, and he competes hard for rebounds on both ends. While he is not the slightest of foot, his foot speed can be mitigated by a complementary scheme, and Karaban is the type of glue guy every NBA team looks for.



This little thought experiment lining up UConn and the two-time championship Gators side-by-side is purely a guilty pleasure of mine. The Florida Three were the earliest draft picks in history that all hailed from the same school. I am by no means asserting that the current UConn players that might be drafted this year or in the coming years are going to have as prolific careers as the Florida squad, BUT there is something to be said in looking to the past in order to trace where NCAA domination has transformed college stars into NBA players. 

From last year’s UConn championship squad, four players have gone on to play professionally: undrafted Adomo Sanogo on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan Hawkins (fourteenth draft pick overall) for the New Orleans Pelicans, Andre Jackson, Jr., (thirty-sixth pick overall) by the Orlando Magic and traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, and undrafted Joey Calcaterra with the NBA G league’s South Bay Lakers. Still only a year after their NCAA championship, the potential NBA success (or lack thereof) for these former Huskies remains to be seen. But here we are again, with another three young UConn players- all underclassmen- projected to go to the draft, two of which are holding lottery ranks. (With two more years left on his contract with UConn, what might the future might hold for their head coach Dan Hurley?) If we can learn anything from the repeat Florida Gator team, the chances are legit that we’ll see at least one or two of UConn’s players go on to enjoy a solid stint at the next level- and in our future fantasy leagues.


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