Shabazz Napier, the former four-star recruit, is now heading into the end of his senior season with the UConn Huskies. The senior guard's stellar post-season play has led many to draw comparisons between him and his former teammate, Kemba Walker, who led the Huskies to a National Championship in 2011 and now plays with the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA.

Who Is Shabazz Napier?

Napier was part of that national championship team and gave significant contributions, even knocking down two clutch free throws down the stretch in UConn's Final Four defeat of Kentucky. The senior guard has since become the starter and an undeniable leader for the team, leading the Huskies to success despite the departure of Jim Calhoun in 2012 when the long-time head coach announced his retirement.

The veteran senior chose to return for his senior season instead of trying for the NBA, despite a respectable junior campaign that resulted in a 20-10 record under new coach Kevin Ollie. Napier stuck with UConn despite the adversity the program has faced, with losing its coach and then forfeiting postseason eligibility due to the team's low GPA.

Napier now leads a UConn team of his own in the Final Four. After leading his team to victory over the favorite Michigan State, Napier was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional tournament. In the impressive performance, Napier recorded 25 points and was a perfect 9-9 at the free throw line. Now, Napier and the Huskies will look to face off against the number one seed, Florida, and move on to play the winner between Wisconsin and Kentucky.

While Napier has gained much respect for his play and received plenty of awards, including AAC Player of the Year and being named first team All-American, he is no doubt eyeing one last prize: a chance to lead his team to another national championship.

UConn will face off against Florida on Saturday, April 5th at 6:09 PM on TBS.

– Sean Billings