Bruce Jenner, Aaron Hernandez, and Resetting the Connecticut Sports Pantheon

It's been a busy few weeks in Connecticut sports. The important dates:

April 9: New London's own Matt Harvey made his first start after sitting out 2014 due to injury. He threw six scoreless innings to beat the Washington Nationals.

April 15: Bristol's own Aaron Hernandez was convicted of first degree murder in Massachusetts and received a mandatory life sentence.

April 24: Newtown's own Bruce Jenner formally comes out as transgendered in an interview with Diane Sawyer.

April 30: New Britain's own (and University of Connecticut alumnus) Byron Jones is drafted 27th overall by the Dallas Cowboys.

Let's assess:

The Aaron Hernandez conviction is embarrassing but long expected. From here on, he is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' concern, not mine.

Of real interest is the burgeoning career of Byron Jones. At UConn, he was sold, not special, as both a safety and cornerback.

Then he put on a Barnum sideshow at the Combine, with highlights including a 4.36s 40-yard dash, and a World Record 12' 3'' broad jump. All things considered, it's easy to project him in light of track star busts like Darius Heyward-Bey.

I think he'll follow the example of Dontari Poe, who was just a guy at Memphis, before blowing up the 2012 Combine. He was drafted 11th overall by Kansas City where he has made two Pro Bowls in three seasons. It's unreasonable to think Jones will be that good off the bat, but freakish physical skills are prerequisite for a great corner. Add in his positional versatility and coachability and Dallas made a nice pick.

In other news, Matt Harvey is 5-0 with a 2.41 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP, and almost 7 strikeouts per start. Though it's tragic his talents are wasted on the New York Mets, his lost 2014 season brought him a year closer to free agency without putting innings on that golden arm.

Also, best of luck to Bruce Jenner as he pursues the life he wants to lead. He's on TV, so people think his gender identity is a big deal. It's not.

Let's wrap with a video of Middletown's own Andre Drummond dunking on things. He finished this season averaging 13.8 points and 13.5 rebounds; similar to his 2013-14 line. However, this was his first season playing center for Stan Van Gundy instead of his old position of 'clean up after Josh Smith.' That he maintained efficiency in a more sophisticated system speaks to his progress.

The Huskies Win!/ Were Karmically Rewarded for Honestly Reporting their Academic Shortcomings.

During the post-game celebration last night, University of Connecticut point guard Shabazz Napier caused a stir by announcing to the crowd,

"Ladies and gentlemen, you're looking at the hungry Huskies. This is what happens when you ban us. Last year, two years, we worked so hard for it..."

Speak for New England, Shabazz!

Thought his boldness can be written off as empty emotion, what Napier said summarized the anger, and now vindication that the University of Connecticut and its fans have felt in the past two years.

Last year, Connecticut was banned from the NCAA tournament due to its poor Academic Progress Report (APR). This metric aggregates classroom performance and graduation rate amongst a program's athletes to judge whether they're meeting off-court standards.

It was an embarrassment for a state the values education, and a university with a strong academic reputation. 

Connecticut deserved the sanctions. However, those who follow college basketball tend to ignore the deeper implication: The University of Connecticut is an honest when it comes to its athletes.

By now, its an open secret that big-time college basketball programs take advantage of lax regulation and complicit faculty to boost the grades of middling students. In the past month, the University of North Carolina has come under scrutiny following the release of a juvenile, 146-word 'essay' on Rosa Parks, which contributed to one student-athlete receiving an A-minus for an introductory course in African-American Studies. 

In fairness to the NCAA, it did drop the hammer on UNC's football program in 2012. Though the salient violations were for impermissible benefits, they did include one count of academic fraud.

The program was not punished for poor grades; it was punished for lying.

In a twisted way, Connecticut was punished for telling the truth. Rather than create an academically bankrupt program meant to perpetuate the NCAA's myth of the student-athlete, UConn held its players to real collegiate standards. Connecticut does things the right way, even when that means admitting wrongdoing. Its players are real students, and for this reason, it is a worthy champion of college basketball.

Shabazz Napier was hit hard by last year's sanctions, but that frustration fueled him to work harder. One year later, he has a second national championship, and a legitimate degree in Sociology to show for it.

Can the Uconn Huskies Really Win This Thing? Yes!

Despite being an imbalanced, undersized team that over-relies on its best player, the University of Connecticut Huskies are only two wins away from their fourth national championship.

Coach Kevin Ollie has done a fine job playing to his team's strengths. The Huskies have fielded a strong defense all season thanks to the rim protection afforded by the center tandem of Phillip Nolan and Amidah Brimah. Having an athletic 7-footer on the court for most of the game allows an otherwise small team to pressure the ball, and disrupt plays before they develop.

On offense, the versatile scoring of DeAndre Daniels and Ryan Boatright, and underrated facilitating from Niels Giffey have made it difficult for opponents to key in on the team's centerpiece, point guard Shabazz Napier.

On top of this, the Huskie's superior foul shooting makes them a tough out late in games. Several years ago, the coaching staff adopted an unusual approach towards practicing free throws, inspired by Steve Nash. In their last two games against Iowa State and Michigan State they are 41-44 from the foul line. That comes out to 93%, right around the 90% career average of the Greatest Living Canadian.

How do you make the Final Four against heavily favored opposition? Just learn to do this. 

Though these factors contribute, the Huskies will win a national championship because of Shabazz Napier. Just not for the reason everyone thinks. 

Though Napier's scoring has carried the team, he is an imperfect offensive player. He is still developing as a passer, and sometimes forces plays that aren't there. His lack of size and athleticism makes him inconsistent around the rim, despite his long highlight reel. In an eerie parallel with Kemba Walker's championship season (2010-11), Napier only shoots 43% from the field.

What Napier really brings is confidence and maturity. At the college level, mental discipline is a premium skill, most common in third and fourth year players. Observers chalk this up to experience, but the cause is more profound than that.

Players undergo tremendous brain development from their late teens to their early twenties. By their senior year, many players have acquired advanced mental skills such as foresight and impulse control that are well beyond those of even the most talented freshmen.

In this regard Napier is a superior player. His approach is consistent, regardless of the score, or his own performance. He attacks the rim, because drawing fouls has an impact beyond one possession. Most of all, he sets an example that his team can follow.

Upperclassmen like DeAndre Daniles, Niels Giffey, and Ryan Boatright are not as consistent scorers, but they don't let cold shooting take them out of their game. More importantly, it does not deter them from playing tough, active defense, often against larger players.

This is the Shabazz Napier's biggest impact. Like Kemba Walker before him, he has his team playing like young men, not jittery teenagers.