Fresh off a dominant collegiate career, the UConn champion returns from injury to face a familiar Final Four rival while bringing his championship pedigree to Sacramento's roster.
The Sacramento Kings are heading to Las Vegas a perfect 3-0 after going undefeated at the California Classic.
Despite the team's success, the roster will receive a big boost going forward, as rookie forward Alex Karaban returns from an ankle sprain.
On Thursday, NBC Sacramento reporter Sean Cunningham announced Karaban is available for the Kings' 11:00 p.m. showdown against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Maxime Raynaud is the other key addition to the roster, but he will be sidelined tonight to rest after playing in the French National Team's latest FIBA qualifying game.
For Karaban, taking on the Clippers will match him up with a familiar foe, facing off against No. 5 overall pick Keaton Wagler.
While the Huskies did advance, Wagler won the individual matchup with Karaban, scoring a game-high 20 points, adding eight rebounds.
Karaban had his worst game of the tournament, scoring just nine points on 1-8 shooting.
However, this time around, the stakes are much different, as both rookies are getting acclimated to the speed of the next level.
Karaban, who is one of the most accomplished players in college basketball history, led the Huskies to three National Championship appearances, winning two.
After landing in Sac Town for his introductory press conference, Karaban talked to ABC10's Kevin John about bringing winning pedigree with him to the next level.
"The fans deserve to see great basketball out there. They deserve to see a winning culture," Karaban said. "That's something I can bring. I know what it takes to win. I know how hard it is, especially at the next level. But, just being disciplined, getting better every day, holding each other accountable and really creating a foundation we can lean on through the good and bad times."
During his four years at UConn, Karaban posted a 116-24 record, losing less games than some teams drop in a single season.
Karaban became a player that head coach Danny Hurley could lean on, with the known-to-be demanding head coach giving Karaban the ultimate compliment.
"This guy changed my life, the staff's lives, the joy he's brought to the university, the fan base," Hurley said. "His decision to come to UConn has made us ... we're probably the premier program in college basketball right now, having been to three out of four national championship games, having won two of them. He's put UConn in that rarefied place in college basketball."
Now, Karaban begins his quest to transfer this winning to the Kings, playing alongside his fellow rookies Emanuel Sharp and Darius Acuff Jr.
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