Karaban leaves the Huskies as one of the greatest players in UConn history and as a repeat national champion.
Away from the television cameras and the adoring fans, away from Gampel Pavilion and his UConn family, away from the Final Four frenzy, Alex Karaban said his goodbyes to the program, people and place that embraced him more than five years ago.
And that he so warmly embraced back.
As he prepares for the NBA draft, the 23-year-old Karaban posted a heartfelt message to Instagram on Sunday, conveying just what his time in Storrs, Conn., meant to him.
“Words can’t describe how much this place means to me so all I can say is, thank you,” Karaban wrote. “Over the past 4 years, I have gained unforgettable memories, experiences and relationships that I will have forever. I learned so much about myself that wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for UConn. Thank you to all the great teammates and coaches I’ve had. Through all of the ups and downs, we stuck together and accomplished our dreams. As this chapter for me ends, Storrs will always be home for me. Thank you UConn, it’s always Bleed Blue.”
Reflecting on his UConn career
Karaban’s message comes three weeks after the Huskies lost to Michigan, 69-63, in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament. In his final college game, Karaban posted a double-double – 17 points and 11 rebounds – and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
The UConn captain, Karaban said after the game that those personal stats didn’t matter.
“You know, that's great and all, but I care about winning. I care about winning,” he said in the interview room, minutes after the loss. “I want to do everything, I have done everything in my power to help this program win. I want to do everything every time I step out at night and give it my all.
"For Coach [Dan Hurley] to play me 40 minutes, I can't thank him enough. That's all I wanted. That's all I wanted, is to give everything I got, leave everything I've got out there and try to do everything to help us win.
“We came up short, missed some shots we normally make, but we gave it our all. I'm proud of these guys to my left. I'm proud of the guys in the locker room. I'm proud of Coach. It's going to sting, but like Tarris [teammate Reed] said, everything happens for a reason.”
As much as he generally shied away from discussing the personal achievements, he left UConn with his name all over the record books. And because players today often transfer schools as frequently as they change their toothbrushes, it might be a very long while before UConn has another player of Karaban’s stature who will be on campus for a redshirt season and then four more years.
Karaban in the record books
Some of the Karaban achievements:
- First active player to be inducted into the Huskies of Honor.
- UConn’s all-time leader in wins (126), games played (151), starts (150), minutes (4,906), and 3-pointers (292).
- Sixth in scoring in UConn history with 1,880 career points, trailing only Chris Smith (2,145 points), Richard Hamilton (2,036), Tony Hanson (1,990), Shabazz Napier (1,959) and Ray Allen (1,922).
- Sixth on UConn’s all-time scoring list with 1,880 career points.
- Two national championships.
In his final season, Karaban started all 40 games and averaged 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game to go with his 33 steals and 33 blocks. He shot 46.4% from the field and 37.4% from 3-point range.
His teammates, after the national championship game loss, addressed the departure of Karaban.
“I might cry up here just talking about just the impact he's had, in the locker room, throughout every single practice, every single game,” said guard Solo Ball, a teammate with Karaban for three seasons. “He's just always there, and he's the same person every single day. He doesn't change. Incredibly smart, great guy off the court. I'm going to miss this guy so much. He's going to make so much noise, and I know he's deserving of everything that's coming his way because of how hard he works.”
NBA draft projection
So, just what could be coming Karaban’s way?
Last week, ESPN put out its list of the top 100 NBA prospects. The first 10 were freshmen.
Karaban came in at No. 32, which would translate to the second pick in the second round. Other players of interest following him were Reed, UConn’s center, at No. 37. Rival Zuby Ejiofor of St. John’s was No. 33.
In case you’re curious, here are the teams currently scheduled to take the first 10 picks in the second round of the draft, should that be where these players fall. Pre-draft trades could alter this order:
31. New
York Knicks
32. Memphis
Grizzlies
33. Brooklyn
Nets
34. Sacramento Kings
35. San Antonio Spurs
36. LA
Clippers
37. Oklahoma
City Thunder
38. Chicago
Bulls
39. Houston Rockets
40. Boston
Celtics
A short road trip to watch Karaban or Reed in a home game in Boston or New York certainly would be doable.
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