Alex Karaban named to watch list for Karl Malone Award | The Boneyard
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Alex Karaban named to watch list for Karl Malone Award

HooperScooper

HooperScooper

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superjohn said:
He committed a terrible crime so the terrible guy label fits but I actually think he's underrated as a player now and Stockton might be the most underrated player by younger players and younger fans.
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Karl Malone is not underrated. But Stockton might be.
 
Oddly, part of me is hoping we don't need AK so much that he could even win this type of award as I don't sense it will be the best version of what this team can be. I don't think we benefit with AK volume high. Really want him to be that player that takes what defense gives him because other players are attracting attention. I saw enough of his head fake dribble game last go to know it's never going to amount to anything we want to see regularly.
 
husky429 said:
I appreciate that every year we have thos thread I get a reminder Malone is (was?) a POS. Sometimes I almost forget
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I knew this was coming after the last couple years. I was going to say something like, "Don't tell us that Karl Malone is a bad guy and the award should be named after someone else. We already know."

For reference from last year:
HooperScooper

Post in thread 'Alex Karaban On Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch List'

UConn forward Alex Karaban, the only returning starter from each of the last two national championship teams, was named to the preseason watch list for the Karl Malone Award on Thursday. The award, part of the Naismith Starting 5, goes annually to the best four-man in college basketball.


Alternate access:
UConn's Alex Karaban named to Karl Malone Award watch list for top power forwards
 
RuffRuff said:
Oddly, part of me is hoping we don't need AK so much that he could even win this type of award as I don't sense it will be the best version of what this team can be. I don't think we benefit with AK volume high. Really want him to be that player that takes what defense gives him because other players are attracting attention. I saw enough of his head fake dribble game last go to know it's never going to amount to anything we want to see regularly.
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100% agree. I want him screening, slipping for open threes, and cutting to the basket for layups. I only want him driving when the lane is open. It gets ugly when he puts it on the floor and tries to create for himself and we can do without the 28 footers. Basically play more like he did as a freshman and sophomore. Also there's no way he should be playing 36 minutes per game like he did last season.
 
superjohn said:
100% agree. I want him screening, slipping for open threes, and cutting to the basket for layups. I only want him driving when the lane is open. It gets ugly when he puts it on the floor and tries to create for himself and we can do without the 28 footers. Basically play more like he did as a freshman and sophomore. Also there's no way he should be playing 36 minutes per game like he did last season.
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He is 10x as fast cutting from the baseline as he seems to be from the top of the key with the head fake to no one. On the baseline he seems the accelerate.
 
superjohn said:
100% agree. I want him screening, slipping for open threes, and cutting to the basket for layups. I only want him driving when the lane is open. It gets ugly when he puts it on the floor and tries to create for himself and we can do without the 28 footers. Basically play more like he did as a freshman and sophomore. Also there's no way he should be playing 36 minutes per game like he did last season.
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I’m gonna be really curious to see how many minutes he’s getting. If it’s the 36 again we’ll he looking at a blind spot in Hurley’s psyche.

He really should he going no more than 30-32 max.
 
A few long articles on Karaban the last couple days. Figured I'd post them if you're interested.

Funny, I coached the 2 friends of his from Southborough mentioned in the article in soccer. Patrick Freeman lived 2 houses away from us but his parents moved last year so I don't see him any more.

"I worked my ass off in the gym, I put in so much work in for the shots to fall," Karaban recalled. "When they didn't start to fall, it affected my confidence. I think I felt more pressure when the shots started not to fall. When you think of UConn that year, you think of, 'Alex Karaban returned to lead the team to all its goals,' and I wasn't able to do my part of that. So, I put pressure on myself because I wasn't living up to the standard I needed to be at. I let my confidence be affected by that."


The RuffRuff Alternate Access™:

Alex Karaban returned to UConn for one last run — and a chance to make Huskies history​


This is interesting to see where he is in the all time UConn record books for each category. Pretty good career for a suburban kid from Southborough.


The RuffRuff Alternate Access™:

Behind the numbers: Alex Karaban can climb to the top of these UConn all-time lists this season​

 
Another one from the Courant.

“He looks like a man,” Hurley said, before Karaban put together 18 points in an exhibition win over preseason No. 22 Michigan State.

“Just the sharpness of his game, confidence. He’s done it all – been there, done that. I think going into his last year where he knows there’s finality, having experienced a tough year team-wise and we were able to get through it, he’s still positioned to be where he wants to be career-wise… I just think his game, his skills, he’s very advanced and I think he looks like what was projected for him last year.”


The RuffRuff Alternate Access™:
With the weight of the world off his shoulders, UConn’s Alex Karaban is ready to go all-in
 
HooperScooper said:
A few long articles on Karaban the last couple days. Figured I'd post them if you're interested.

Funny, I coached the 2 friends of his from Southborough mentioned in the article in soccer. Patrick Freeman lived 2 houses away from us but his parents moved last year so I don't see him any more.

"I worked my ass off in the gym, I put in so much work in for the shots to fall," Karaban recalled. "When they didn't start to fall, it affected my confidence. I think I felt more pressure when the shots started not to fall. When you think of UConn that year, you think of, 'Alex Karaban returned to lead the team to all its goals,' and I wasn't able to do my part of that. So, I put pressure on myself because I wasn't living up to the standard I needed to be at. I let my confidence be affected by that."


The RuffRuff Alternate Access™:

Alex Karaban returned to UConn for one last run — and a chance to make Huskies history​


This is interesting to see where he is in the all time UConn record books for each category. Pretty good career for a suburban kid from Southborough.


The RuffRuff Alternate Access™:

Behind the numbers: Alex Karaban can climb to the top of these UConn all-time lists this season​

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Pretty good career for a [6'8"] suburban kid from Southborough. Not many suburbs have 6'8" kids - mine didn't and none my high school played against did either.
 
Lafayette said:
Pretty good career for a [6'8"] suburban kid from Southborough. Not many suburbs have 6'8" kids - mine didn't and none my high school played against did either.
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There are a bunch of public high schools around here that have kids 6-8 or taller. But none of them are very good. Karaban was listed at 6-6 in high school. Which is closer to his real height than the 6-8 he's listed at for UConn. I don't think high schools use the "in shoes" measurements. At least not around here.
 
HooperScooper said:
There are a bunch of public high schools around here that have kids 6-8 or taller. But none of them are very good. Karaban was listed at 6-6 in high school. Which is closer to his real height than the 6-8 he's listed at for UConn. I don't think high schools use the "in shoes" measurements. At least not around here.
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Still though - tallest hoops player I saw in high school was maybe 6'3". This was between towns in Newington, Hartford, West Hartford, Wethersfield, New Britain, and I might be missing a town as it's been 35+ years, but I recall Hall High as that is where my Dad went and played basketball.
 
Lafayette said:
Pretty good career for a [6'8"] suburban kid from Southborough. Not many suburbs have 6'8" kids - mine didn't and none my high school played against did either.
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It’s the suburban part that’s especially impressive
 
Lafayette said:
Still though - tallest hoops player I saw in high school was maybe 6'3". This was between towns in Newington, Hartford, West Hartford, Wethersfield, New Britain, and I might be missing a town as it's been 35+ years, but I recall Hall High as that is where my Dad went and played basketball.
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Didn’t Ruslan Inyatkin go to Hall? He was listed at 6’7 at UConn.

Off topic, but a great story about Inyatkin’s son.

 
We had Jeff Hoffler at 6'9" on that 1982 Wilbur Cross High School team that included Earl Kelley, who led the nation in scoring...
 
BGesus4 said:
It’s the suburban part that’s especially impressive
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Basketball isn't the city game it once was. Plenty of kids from the burbs nowadays and they end up on the top AAU teams and prep at the basketball schools. Back in the day it was much more of a city game with kids always playing pick up on outdoor courts wherever they could get a run. They stayed at their local city high schools, AAU wasn't nearly as big as it is today with all the national tournaments constantly going on.

Donovan was pretty unique in that he played for a blah local AAU team and stayed at his school which wasn't known for basketball.
 
superjohn said:
Basketball isn't the city game it once was. Plenty of kids from the burbs nowadays and they end up on the top AAU teams and prep at the basketball schools. Back in the day it was much more of a city game with kids always playing pick up on outdoor courts wherever they could get a run. They stayed at their local city high schools, AAU wasn't nearly as big as it is today with all the national tournaments constantly going on.

Donovan was pretty unique in that he played for a blah local AAU team and stayed at his school which wasn't known for basketball.
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i was joking

The previous post being impressed by him being “suburban” is a work of boneyard art
 
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