NEW YORK — Kemba Walker stood outside the Knicks locker room at Madison Square Garden on Monday night and greeted a small group of New York reporters who had come to chronicle his homecoming.
The former UConn star and current Charlotte Bobcats rookie was asked if he thought the Huskies were actually more talented without him — and Walker said he could not disagree with that sentiment.
“I agree, I agree,” Walker, a Bronx native, said, pointing out that the Huskies have added a tremendous freshmen class, including 6-foot-11 future NBA lottery pick Andre Drummond. “They have more experience now. Those guys have been through a long, challenging season.”
One of “those guys” is sophomore sensation Jeremy Lamb, a smooth 6-foot-5 wing averaging 18.9 points and 4.2 rebounds for the defending NCAA champs.
After Lamb played a key role in helping the Huskies win 11 straight postseason games last year — five in five days in the Big East Tournament at the Garden, then six more in the Big Dance — his stock soared and his family considered whether or not Lamb was ready for the NBA.
“He would’ve gone in the first round this year, that much I can guarantee you,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said in May. “I got enough phone calls [from NBA executives]. They’re calling about Kemba and they’re calling about him.”
Lamb averaged just 9.6 points during the regular season, but his output increased to 16.2 points during the NCAA Tournament, hitting for a career-high tying 24 against San Diego State, 19 versus Arizona in the West Regional final and 12 in the national semifinals against Kentucky.
With UConn trailing Butler 22-19 at halftime in the national championship game, Lamb scored all 12 of his points in the second half to key a 53-41 win.
“Oh, I think it helped [his stock] tremendously because when you put up numbers like that on that stage in the NCAA Tournament, I think it always increases your stock,” said his father, Rolando Lamb, a former college player.
Instead of going pro, Lamb opted to remain on campus and spent the summer with the U.S. U19 team at the 2011 FIBA World Championship in Riga, Latvia.
He averaged a team-best 16.2 points per game — including a 35-point outing in a win over Lithuania — but the U.S. finished a disappointing fifth after losing to Russia.
Now back at UConn for his sophomore season, the soft-spoken Lamb has become one of the leaders on a Huskies team that is No. 8 in the nation but suffered a disappointing loss to Seton Hall on Tuesday at The Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. UConn is due to visit Rutgers on Saturday at 8 p.m.
“Jeremy’s obviously having a great year,” UConn assistant George Blaney said. “He’s one of the best shooters in the country. He’s got an incredible touch. His ball almost seems to go into the net softly and he has a variety of ways to score.
“He can score the NBA 3, he can score the college 3. He can score off the dribble. He can get to the rim. He can dunk it and he has the floater so he has a variety of ways to score and he’s learning to come off screens even better than he does now. And I think that’s eventually where he’s going to be at his best is where he really comes off screens.”
NBA scouts love Lamb’s length and athleticism, and he projects to be similar to another former UConn star, Rip Hamilton of the Chicago Bulls.
“The one that he gets to compared to at Connecticut all the time is Richard Hamilton,” Blaney said. “His ability to score in the mid-range, score at the 3, score at the rim and that’s what he does.
“We still think and coach in particular still thinks he can rebound more because of his length and his jumping ability.”
In Walker’s absence, Lamb is also learning to lead, although he is a quiet soul.
“Jeremy’s doing it and getting better and better at it,” Blaney said.
And just as Lamb followed Walker as UConn’s best player, he will soon follow him into the NBA.
“Of course, no question about that,” Walker said. “Jeremy’s a great player. He works hard at his game. He’ll be here. He’ll definitely be here.”
It’s only a matter of time.
Adam Zagoria of Zags Blog covers the future stars of the NBA for SheridanHoops.com. His column usually appears every Saturday, but the NBA ruled the site yesterday. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamZagoria.