Kevin Durant’s lone college season was spent at the University of Texas, but the sharp-shooting superstar almost ended up in the Northeast.
It was reported back in 2005 at the time of Durant’s commitment to Texas that he almost chose UConn instead. According to longtime Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun, it went beyond his program just being a finalist for the Washington, D.C. native.
During an appearance on SiriusXM today, Calhoun said that Durant was actually committed to UConn at one point before changing his mind.
‘He would’ve been a pretty good player with the players he played with with us.,” Calhoun said, via Adam Zagoria.
During the 2006-07 season at Texas, Durant averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. The Longhorns finished 25-10, falling to Kansas in the Big 12 Championship Game and to USC in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
UConn definitely could have used Durant that year. After making the Elite Eight in 2005-06, the Huskies finished 17-14 in 2006-07, failing to reach the postseason.
It was one of only five times the team did not make the NCAA Tournament under Calhoun.