UNCASVILLE -- Ryan Boatright was gone.
After three years in Storrs and fresh off a national championship, the 5-foot-10 guard was ready to forgo his last season at UConn. He and teammate DeAndre Daniels came in together and they were going to exit that way, too.
But, just before it was time to go, Boatright decided to unpack and stick around another year.
"I was definitely going to leave, but I took that long to make the right decision," said Boatright prior to Friday night's Jim Calhoun Charity All-Star Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena. "I think I made the right decision."
What made him do it?
"I feel like I worked way too hard all my life," he said. "I'm a better player than a second-round pick, so I just wanted to come back and raise my stock. I get another year of experience showing the world and showing the scouts that I can start at the point guard position."
Boatright's decision sounds similar to what Shabazz Napier did a year ago when the latter opted to return and ended up guiding UConn to its fourth national title since 1999. Napier also played his way into the first round of the NBA Draft, with the Charlotte Hornets taking him with the 24th pick in June and then trading him to the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.
Napier had Boatright riding shotgun on the championship run, but this year coach Kevin Ollie will only have one of them in the backcourt.
"I shared that responsibility with Shabazz," said Boatright, who is the lone Husky senior. "Now that he's gone I'm kind of taking that leading role by myself. I'm looking forward to it. I got KO (Ollie) on my side. I got my teammates on my side and I just want the best for everybody."
In order to accomplish that, Boatright followed his coach's advice after a few days of celebration following the championship.
"Coach says all the time `don't get drunk on success,' but it's hard not to," Boatright said. "It started right after we won; we wanted that feeling again. Right after we won we let our bodies get right for a few days and we wanted to get right back to work.
"We've been working since a few days after the game and we look forward to the season."
Boatright has a solid grasp on what he needs to do going into his final college season.
"Just be me," Boatright said. "Just be myself. Play hard on both ends of the floor and be a leader. Lead the team. And those are the things I need to do to just help the team win.
"You can't really say what you need to do; you just try to play your game and not mess it up. Really, my main focus this year is leading the team and trying to make everyone else around me better."
The Huskies can use a guy like Boatright with a young, talented team that includes sophomore center Amida Brimah, North Carolina State transfer Rodney Purvis and heralded freshman Daniel Hamilton. UConn figures to be one of the top teams again in the American Athletic Conference along with SMU and Memphis.
"It's going to be great," Boatright said. "We're brothers. We love each other and we're all working hard to be better and win another championship."
wpaxton@ctpost.com;