Kemba Walker had no prepared speech. His plan, he said, was just to "flow," get up to the lectern, accept the latest award, thank the usual people, open up about his experiences as a UConn basketball player.

Done this before. Will do this again. Easy enough.

Kemba Walker has had plenty of public speaking experience over the last several months (Getty Images).

Walker didn't realize he would be speaking in front of about 800 people, though it didn't faze him. When Walker arrived at UConn in 2008, holding court for two or three reporters at Gampel Pavilion seemed to make him nervous. But his eloquent, 10-minute speech Tuesday morning spoke loudly to the reasons he won the award he was accepting.

Walker has grown, not only as a basketball player, but as a person.

"I never would have thought I would become a role model to kids, and even adults, so I really appreciate this," said Walker, honored as the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce role model of the year.

Walker had the crowd at the Crowne Plaza Hotel laughing and, finally, standing and applauding. He was given ceremonial keys to Cromwell and Middletown. Jim Calhoun, who flew in from out of town to attend the event and quickly headed back to the airport to resume out-of-state recruiting, heaped praise on Walker — not just for the clutch playmaking that helped deliver UConn's national title in April.

"We had highs and lows," Calhoun said of the 2010-11 season. "But we always had Kemba. … One of the most special seasons, and probably the finest season, in the history of the university. Kemba is one of the finest people I've had the pleasure to coach."

Walker, 21, who left UConn after three years and is on the brink of officially graduating, was selected with the ninth pick in last month's NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. He joins an impressive list of Middlesex County Chamber role models, including Emeka Okafor, Kevin Ollie, Caron Butler and Ray Allen.

His journey from reticent freshman to a consensus first-team all-American was one of self-discovery and perseverance. He made incredible strides on the court, diversifying a game once defined by speed, and speed alone. And he made incredible strides in the classroom. It wasn't easy.

"I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer," Walker said. "I just work hard."

Walker was the face of UConn's improbable run to the title, and he took ownership of the team well before that. He and co-captain Donnell Beverly called all of the Huskies' seven freshmen, imploring them to arrive early and work through the summer. Before the Husky Run in October, he stood before the team and said, "Let's get it started. Let's have some fun." And then he smiled all the way to the national title, despite some trying times along the way.

UConn had lost seven of 11 games after an ugly loss to Notre Dame in the regular season finale.

"We were looking around after the game, 'Where is Kemba?'" said Ollie, now an assistant coach. "He was back in the shower, just so mad, so upset. He felt he had let the fans down, and he was crying. That's how much passion he has. That's how much he has invested in this game."

Ollie went on to say Walker made his first year on the UConn staff an easy one.

"I was a rookie last year and I worked with the guards, and it was a tremendous honor to work with them because I didn't have to do too much. Not with him," Ollie said. "It's easy when you have the best person, hardest worker and best player."

Walker, 21, awaits resolution to the NBA lockout but has already signed an endorsement deal and has moved his family from the Bronx to the Charlotte area.

"Without my parents, I would be nothing, so I'd like to thank them," Walker said.

He thanked the fans, his coaches and his teammates, too. He said when he was in college, he thought, like many do, 'I can't wait to leave.' But Tuesday he said he would love to come back — "but it's time to make that money."

"Everyone praises my leadership, but [coaches] laid it out for me and my teammates listened to me, so it was easy — and winning helped a lot," Walker said. "I will never forget this place. Connecticut is home for life. I'm so glad I chose to go to school here. I had a lot of other schools trying to sell me dreams. [Calhoun] told me I could come in and work hard for anything I earn. That's what happened."