Basketball at the University of Connecticut is officially back. After suffering through an embarrassing recruiting scandal that kept them out of last year’s March Madness (which, it should be noted, was entirely their own fault), UConn is officially back on the national stage. They defeated one of the title-favorites (Michigan State) in the Elite Eight, 60-54. And a crucial component of the latest UConn run is none other than former Massachusetts high school hoops star, senior Shabazz Napier.

From Roxbury originally, Napier’s enormous effort was the difference against the star-studded Spartan lineup. He helped to encourage his teammates in the Connecticut upset as a leader, and definitely nailed many of their biggest shots. Here’s the UConn box score, showing his contributions at a glance:

Napier carried his team, but also notice that he set the tone for Connecticut’s secret weapon: free throws. It’s not exactly a revolutionary innovation, but UConn is simply nailing a vast majority of their trips to the line. And Napier (9-9) led the way.

Active in all aspects of the game, it was a nice cross-section of Napier’s skill set.

He’s a facilitator after creating a turnover:

He can break ankles on his way to the hoop:

When needed, he drilled huge shots:

Trying to rotate a lengthier defender onto him? Think again:

He came up with big steals, and can take a hit:

And when the game was on the line late, Shabazz proved clutch:

In the stands watching was Celtics GM Danny Ainge. Napier isn’t expected to be a lottery pick, but could be added as a steal later in the draft. Boston certainly has enough draft picks to potentially get him. The ball is in your court, Mr. Ainge.