UConn's Thabeet is a big man with big dreams
Most figured that next year was supposed to be all about the 7-foot-3 Tanzanian sitting on the bench, riding the pine and learning in the NBA.
But Thabeet wasn't quite as close as many thought to making the jump. In fact, he felt more pressure to leave Storrs after his freshman campaign than he did a few months ago.
"They said I could have gone high after my freshman year, but I wasn't so sure," said the 7-foot-3 junior. "The (Florida) Gator guys were in the draft and I just didn't know for sure, so I decided to come back."
Thabeet had the opportunity again after this past season and was told that he'd likely be taken somewhere near the middle of the first round.
"My goal is to win the national championship," Thabeet said. "I think we could have won it last year, but A.J. (Price) got hurt in the NCAA tournament and we couldn't score without him. But that's no excuse."
Two years into his college career, Thabeet is still looking for his first victory in the Big Dance — and that's one of the primary reasons why he opted to turn down a million-dollar payday for the second straight year.
"It's not about me taking the money and running," he said. "It's about me achieving certain things. I want to win a national title and become the first person from Tanzania and the first person from East Africa to play in the NBA."
"I also want to go in and be able to play right away," Thabeet added.
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| Already an outstanding defender, Hasheem Thabeet's offense is improving. (Doug Benc / Getty Images) |
Thabeet's confidence was on a roller-coaster ride in his first season under Jim Calhoun. There were times when he looked completely lost on the court as he was unable to deal with the hard-line approach that Calhoun has become synonymous for in his tenure at UConn.
But Thabeet learned how to handle Calhoun as a sophomore and he progressed into a double-digit scorer last season. He also averaged nearly eight rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game while improving his field-goal percentage and free-throw shooting significantly.
Stanford 7-footer Robin Lopez was taken 15th this past season and Thabeet was more productive in every single category.
"After the draft, I knew I could have gone high," Thabeet admitted. "But that didn't matter to me. I didn't want to leave my teammates in a year in which we could accomplish something special. I didn't want to be selfish."
Thabeet is well-aware that if Price returns to 100 percent, the Huskies will be considered among the top teams in the country. Thabeet and Jeff Adrien form one of the nation's top inside tandems up front, Jerome Dyson returns in the backcourt and UConn also adds a trio of talented freshmen in wing Nate Miles, point guard Kemba Walker and forward Ater Majok.
But Thabeet may be the difference-maker because there aren't too many teams in the Big East — or anywhere for that matter — who have someone able to match up with him.
"I'm so much more confident than I was last year," Thabeet said at the LeBron James Skills Academy earlier in the month. "Last year I was scared. This year everything comes easier to me."
Maybe Thabeet is right. Let's not hang that banner in Chapel Hill just yet.
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