2022 Recruiting: Alex Karaban

[HooperScooper]

Not first-hand, but from nepsac people. Low release but %s are good. More of a catch shooter than off the dribble

Definitely low release and a little strange but he's been shooting like this since I first saw him play in 5th grade. But he's always shot a high percentage and he's been playing against really good competition at New Hampton and dominating, so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Chief00]

Karaban utilizes his shoulder’s really well on the post moves. His drives are really interesting, he doesn’t so much beat the guy with speed but is decisive and takes the guy with him to the hoop, then either overpowers the defender or uses arm extension on his layup shooting hand to create space to get his shot off.

 

[Umami Zen]

Karaban utilizes his shoulder’s really well on the post moves. His drives are really interesting, he doesn’t so much beat the guy with speed but is decisive and takes the guy with him to the hoop, then either overpowers the defender or uses arm extension on his layup shooting hand to create space to get his shot off.

A comp of a former Huskiy is more Nadav than Giffey. Apologize for the old school comp. but meant as a compliment to AK

BTW. IMO..Dav was an excellent player largely underappreciated by UConn fans..Was more of a point forward than AK but there are similarities in their game and BB IQ.

 

[Lynyrd]

Karaban utilizes his shoulder’s really well on the post moves. His drives are really interesting, he doesn’t so much beat the guy with speed but is decisive and takes the guy with him to the hoop, then either overpowers the defender or uses arm extension on his layup shooting hand to create space to get his shot off.

Confirmed

 

[Vancat]

BTW. IMO..Dav was an excellent player largely underappreciated by UConn fans.

I don't think he was underappreciated.

 

[mauconnfan]

A comp of a former Huskiy is more Nadav than Giffey. Apologize for the old school comp. but meant as a compliment to AK

BTW. IMO..Dav was an excellent player largely underappreciated by UConn fans..Was more of a point forward than AK but there are similarities in their game and BB IQ.

Nadav is a nice comparison as is Giffey. He’s potentially more rounded than either at his age but who knows, either way we’d be lucky to get him it’s been a while since we’ve had that type of player. If he possesses Doves natural anticipation skills on D then I say wow!

By the way I don’t think Dove was under appreciated at all. In fact there was major heartbreak when fans heard he was staying in Israel to play professionally. We haven’t had anyone quite like him since just a specially skilled player.

 

[Umami Zen]

Nadav is a nice comparison as is Giffey. He’s potentially more rounded than either at his age but who knows, either way we’d be lucky to get him it’s been a while since we’ve had that type of player. If he possesses Doves natural anticipation skills on D then I say wow!

By the way I don’t think Dove was under appreciated at all. In fact there was major heartbreak when fans heard he was staying in Israel to play professionally. We haven’t had anyone quite like him since just a specially skilled player.

Glad to be wrong on the appreciation theme if that's how you saw it.. Have rarely seen a player with his size who had the court vision he had with the ball in his hands.. JC wanted the ball in his hands as often as possible whereas I don't see AK as needing to be a point forward with the guards we have/will have.

All good. Nadav was one of my favorite UConn players because of his unique skill set.

Edit: For me.. His early departure/short UConn career was the toughest to take --over any before or since. But he had obligations back home that took precedence over playing CBB.

 

[Hoops01]

A comp of a former Huskiy is more Nadav than Giffey. Apologize for the old school comp. but meant as a compliment to AK

BTW. IMO..Dav was an excellent player largely underappreciated by UConn fans..Was more of a point forward than AK but there are similarities in their game and BB IQ.

Nadav was a better player then giff

 

[Chin Diesel]

Nadav was a better player then giff

Different style too.

You could run an offense through the Dove. He was great with the ball in his hand whether in half court, or especially in transition. Giff was a great finisher. Catch and shoot or a one dribble move to the rim for the finish.

 

[husky429]

Different style too.

You could run an offense through the Dove. He was great with the ball in his hand whether in half court, or especially in transition. Giff was a great finisher. Catch and shoot or a one dribble move to the rim for the finish.

He was also only good for one season. Or maybe underutilized the others, idk. I would hope we get a lot more out of Karaban, even if they do have a similar style.

 

[Mooch82]

He was also only good for one season. Or maybe underutilized the others, idk. I would hope we get a lot more out of Karaban, even if they do have a similar style.

He was actually only on the roster for one season; a lot of people forget that.

 

[mauconnfan]

There's a reason that JC liked the kids from Israel and he found 2 great ones in Dove and Doron, who may be more under appreciated than many guards we've had. Both great peripheral skills in creating wonderful passers and he was hoping Gilead Katz and Uri Coehn Mintz as well they just weren't the same.

I would love to get AK on board and I think we have a kid who can be somewhat like these guys on the roster in Andre he just needs to get relaxed and find a go-to scoring method.

 

[gtcam]

Nadav was the closest thing to Larry Bird we have had at UConn
Caron was somewhat similar but played a bit smaller
I really like this Karaban kid

 

[husky429]

He was actually only on the roster for one season; a lot of people forget that.

I'm referring to Giffey. I would imagine most of the weird superfans on this board remember him going back to Israel to play pro after a year

 

[Ricker]

However they are different, Nadav, Giffey, and Karaban make fundamental plays that lead to winning.

Nadav had the major deep shots that gave us the key back to back home wins vs Syracuse and Georgetown at the HCC that has always stayed with me as the key marker that we were a program to be reckoned with. His passing lane anticipation I still haven't seen from any player over the past 30 years. Most guys with a lot of steals get them with quickness. Nadav was all IQ. Karaban does many things better than Nadav but not that. I think my very first post on Karaban I may have mentioned or compared him to Giffey as a senior. That's because Giffey came in at 6'6/6'5 with a game comparable to Jamaal Coombs-McDaniel. He literally grew while he was at UConn. Freshman Giffey to freshman Karaban isn't useful.

If you watch the Karaban highlight video around post #10 in this thread, you are actually watching what you would see in person on every occasion I have seen him, (about 6x live). He impacts every possession he is in the game. Sometimes it is subtle by disallowing an entry pass an entire possession, and often it is in the highlight reel. Hawkins seems to glide and pick his spots, Karaban influences every offensive and defensive possession somehow. He doesn't make everything, but I never saw him go cold or miss bunnies. Just read what analysts have said that is posted in this thread. The kid is effective.

Don't overthink techniques, form, etc. The winning and the personal numbers are there game after game against the best competition there is. Yeah rah rah staff. Give me a K...

 

[huskiesNhoos]

There's a reason that JC liked the kids from Israel and he found 2 great ones in Dove and Doron

Random question, but is there a link between CT and Israel for kids to come over for school? I ask because of your comment and it made me think of SCSU too. When I was growing up my club soccer team played at SCSU and we had a loose association with the school and I remember them having several Israeli soccer players over the years that I met.

 

[mauconnfan]

Random question, but is there a link between CT and Israel for kids to come over for school? I ask because of your comment and it made me think of SCSU too. When I was growing up my club soccer team played at SCSU and we had a loose association with the school and I remember them having several Israeli soccer players over the years that I met.

Interesting but I don't know much outside of what JC did for a while with his connections there.

 

[HooperScooper]

Good article on Karaban in the local paper.

"Where we've seen the biggest change since he first stepped on campus is just how much stronger he has gotten and how his athletic ability has grown," Gale said. "Going at the rim in his first couple games his sophomore year, he shied away from contact, trying to double clutch at the rim. Towards the end of his sophomore year he started to dunk a little bit more and be more physical at the rim.

"By the time he left here, he was hunting contact and was trying to put people on posters and be physical and play through the contact almost playing bully ball," Gale added.

"I really think that he has a chance to play professional basketball at some of the highest levels," Gale said. "His ability to space the floor and his ability to defend, his length, his quickness, his ability at the rim. I think he is the total package.

"Every school in the country should recruit the kid," Gale added. "Blue bloods should be all over this kid and I know he has all these offers, but he should be able to pick whatever school he wants to go to."

Former Algonquin hoops star Alex Karaban named Gatorade's New Hampshire Boys Basketball Player of the Year

Former Algonquin boys basketball star Alex Karaban was named Gatorade's New Hampshire boys basketball Player of the Year.

www.metrowestdailynews.com

 

[UConnKev]

 

[Samoo]

T

Those pangos shirts are pretty damn ugly, and they make Karaban look like he has a huge beer gut.

 

[HooperScooper]

T

Those pangos shirts are pretty damn ugly, and they make Karaban look like he has a huge beer gut.

So I wasn't the only one who thought that! Man, I wouldn't share that picture with anyone if I were Karaban.

 

[ToolzieFan]

So I wasn't the only one who thought that! Man, I wouldn't share that picture with anyone if I were Karaban.

I’m thinking we recommended that outfit as way of deterring other schools from pursuing him. That’s some next level recruiting IMO.

 

[pj]

Karaban utilizes his shoulder’s really well on the post moves. His drives are really interesting, he doesn’t so much beat the guy with speed but is decisive and takes the guy with him to the hoop, then either overpowers the defender or uses arm extension on his layup shooting hand to create space to get his shot off.

Decisiveness is underrated. I remember watching Mike Miller in high school, he was just so aggressive the defense always seemed to be off-balance or on the back of their feet. Wouldn't mind a Mike Miller 2.0 on the Huskies.

 

[ctchamps]

A comp of a former Huskiy is more Nadav than Giffey. Apologize for the old school comp. but meant as a compliment to AK

BTW. IMO..Dav was an excellent player largely underappreciated by UConn fans..Was more of a point forward than AK but there are similarities in their game and BB IQ.

Nadav was the most important individual in that season’s full court press. His ability to anticipate passes and intercept them was uncanny.

 

[Stinger92860]

From the look on his face he is either po’d about the uniform or he came to play. That’s one serious looking young man. Hoping he comes to Storrs!