School is out for Christmas Break, and College Kicks On Court‘s first semester is in the books. The first half of the 2013-14 season in college basketball has created a multitude of storylines, one of them being the overall display of sneakers across the country. From coast to coast, the NCAA’s elite have consistently matched their shoes to their skills. Even keeping up with millionaires in the NBA for best sneaker showings, the amateurs have held their own in the footwear department. Although rare models and makeups were spotted all over America, ten teams separated themselves from the pack over the first half of the season. Graded on variety, consistency, and the element of surprise, these 10 rosters all earned honors with their sneakers.
Click through each of the pages to see what teams made the Top 10 from the first semester of 2013-14 College Kicks On Court, and tell us who you think will be the valedictorian at the end of the season in the feedback box at the bottom of the page. Tune in the rest of the year for full reviews of college basketball’s best footwear, and keep refreshing Nice Kicks for everything sneakers.
UConn Huskies
Semester Grade: C
Shabazz Napier steps back in the Air Jordan 11 “Gamma Blue”UConn is off to a fast start with only one loss and a top-ten ranking at the end of the semester, due in large part to their blistering backcourt. Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright are veteran guards who are already well-known for their games and their sneakers, and this season they have carried the team in both categories. Both debuting Air Jordans and mixing in NIKEiDs, the dynamic duo will ultimately determine their Huskies’ performance. UConn has a solid supporting cast who wears LeBrons and CP3s, but they all tend to find one pair and stick with them. Ultimately, the Connecticut boys are a tale of two extremes, which ultimately even each other out to a C grade. Consistency across the board would earn them a better grade in the second half of the season, but their guards are at the top of the class.
Ryan Boatright goes up in the Air Jordan 5 “Laney” Shabazz Napier gets a steal in a black Nike KD VI iD Ryan Boatright shoots in the Air Jordan 12 “Taxi” Niels Giffey shoots in the Jordan CP3.VI AE Lasan Kormah drives in the Nike Air Max Uptempo 97
