If you ask teammates and friends about Jeremy Lamb, they will be quick to tell you how nice of a guy he is. I don't doubt that he is, but I also know that he's greedy.
Lamb wants to have a few of those national championship diamond rings before his time at the University of Connecticut is done.
Nobody picked his team to win the Big East tournament, which of course they did, in record-setting fashion. Nobody picked them to win the national championship and bust March Madness brackets across the country. But again, they did.
What made that run more memorable was the number of underclassmen that played huge roles in the team success. Lamb was one of three freshmen who started a number of games.
But last season is a thing of the past. Lamb will be the first to tell you that. The team captain, Kemba Walker, was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats. The scoring load and leadership role fall directly on Lamb's shoulders now.
Even though he is still young and only a sophomore, he is more than ready.
"He is going to be one of the best scorers in the country," said UConn head coach Jim Calhoun.
Calhoun is not alone in that belief.
"His demeanor, his persona, is that of a kid who is kind of laid-back," said Paul Hewitt, the head coach at George Mason and the U19 team. "Take it as it comes. But he dominated the trials; he was clearly the best player there."
If you ask Lamb, he doesn't see himself as being quiet — even though President Obama claimed he was — but Lamb is definitely a fierce competitor.
After winning the Big East championship and a national championship as a freshman, not winning it again would be a disappointment. He doesn't want to see any rival players or teams wrapping their hands around the trophies that he feels belong in his team's possession.
He is greedy.
Even though the team lost Kemba Walker, I think they have enough talent and experience to win it all again. Andre Drummond is a highly-touted recruit that will contribute more as the season goes along and he gets adjusted to the college game.
Shabazz Napier and Roscoe Smith were both part of the incoming freshmen class with Lamb last season. They both played well, and will be able to carry the load with Lamb as fellow sophomores. Alex Oriahki, considered one of the elder statesmen of the team, is only a junior. However, it is Lamb that seems the most determined to make an impact.
After all, Lamb didn't rest after having a successful season last year. He worked hard in the weight room and on the court all summer.
NBA champion and superstar Dwyane Wade is even impressed, but Lamb won't stop now — not without another NCAA championship ring on his finger.
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