2022 Recruiting: Alex Karaban

[HooperScooper]

Karaban killing it this weekend at the Southern Jam Fest in Hampton, VA. Click on the minute and a half video of highlights of his 32 point outing (#21). My son has been following how he's doing.

 

[husky429]

Karaban killing it this weekend at the Southern Jam Fest in Hampton, VA. Click on the minute and a half video of highlights of his 32 point outing (#21). My son has been following how he's doing.

My #1 want for the 3/4 spot¹ we're recruiting for. Rodgers and Whitmore are good good, but IMO Karaban is a total 3-4 year winner. The kind of guy that will do it all, can compliment a star player, will do whatever it takes to win, even if it isn't flashy.

 

[HooperScooper]

My #1 want for the 3/4 spot¹ we're recruiting for. Rodgers and Whitmore are good good, but IMO Karaban is a total 3-4 year winner. The kind of guy that will do it all, can compliment a star player, will do whatever it takes to win, even if it isn't flashy.

I like that at 6-7 he can really shoot. He's always been a good shooter and I expect he will continue that in college.

 

[husky429]

I like that at 6-7 he can really shoot. He's always been a good shooter and I expect he will continue that in college.

We have shifted our recruiting in tghe last two months. Prioritizing shooters at the expense of some athleticism. It's a little late, but I'm glad coach seems to be realizing you need 3+ guys who can hit the 3 if you're going to compete at a top-25 level these days.

 

[gtcam]

I would love to see this kid in a UConn uniform. A lot of skill in one body

 

[kansashusky]

Lock this kid up.

 

[husky99]

Lock this kid up.

Staff is on him

 

[rip7774]

We have shifted our recruiting in tghe last two months. Prioritizing shooters at the expense of some athleticism. It's a little late, but I'm glad coach seems to be realizing you need 3+ guys who can hit the 3 if you're going to compete at a top-25 level these days.

Awesome to hear. The games without Bouk were mostly dreadful to watch with all the bricks. let’s get some athletes and shooters, don’t have to be one or other.

 

[husky99]

Awesome to hear. The games without Bouk were mostly dreadful to watch with all the bricks. let’s get some athletes and shooters, don’t have to be one or other.

Agreed... but love both

 

[Watchdog]

Karaban killing it this weekend at the Southern Jam Fest in Hampton, VA. Click on the minute and a half video of highlights of his 32 point outing (#21). My son has been following how he's doing.

We have shifted our recruiting in tghe last two months. Prioritizing shooters at the expense of some athleticism. It's a little late, but I'm glad coach seems to be realizing you need 3+ guys who can hit the 3 if you're going to compete at a top-25 level these days.

Hopefully KW showed Dan Hurley how overrated athleticism can be.

I just worry that Karaban makes too many shots, scores too many points and hasn't proved he can hedge well enough to play for us.....

 

[Psolo12]

Biggest piece for us in the '22 class IMO.

 

[Hoops01]

I think Martin, after three years at this level, is what he is. A solid starter on a tournament at large team. I think more highly of him than many here, but I don't expect him to be at an all conference level. Hope I'm wrong.

RJ has that possibility, and I'm a big fan of the young man, and he was close to that level coming down the stretch, but I worry that without Bouk his shooting percentages are likely to go down, not up.

Next year will be interesting. I'm hoping that we're looking at the change from 93-94 to 94-95, where we returned the entire team but our star (then Donyell) and were at least as good if not better the following year. But that recipe required not just everyone making marginal improvements to their game -- it required that Ray Allen, who had been a roll player the year before, played at star level the next year. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see anyone on our roster making that jump. So it's going to require more people to make smaller but still large jumps.

Martin will be first team all conference my, 2nd team at worst. Very underated

 

[kansashusky]

Another unofficial!

 

[bluconn]

Martin will be first team all conference my, 2nd team at worst. Very underated

If everyone stays healthy Martin's time gets cut. Good role player on a "big time" team. If we're big time next year Martin is not making any end of year Big East team.

 

[scotty0330]

Is it safe to assume that these unofficals are due to our close proximity to these kids and covering travel expenses when it’s just a short car ride doesn’t make sense. There is nothing else to read into this than that...is that accurate??

 

[auror]

Is it safe to assume that these unofficals are due to our close proximity to these kids and covering travel expenses when it’s just a short car ride doesn’t make sense. There is nothing else to read into this than that...is that accurate??

A lot of these unofficials for '22 kids would have been done last year but COVID prevented them. We usually see the officials in the fall of senior year. So could see the same kids come back to games for officials then. Or because of the truncated time period they'll just use their unofficials and officials more judiciously and only unofficials on the locals.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

Is it safe to assume that these unofficals are due to our close proximity to these kids and covering travel expenses when it’s just a short car ride doesn’t make sense. There is nothing else to read into this than that...is that accurate??

It seemed before covid Hurley liked to do unofficials throughout the summer and then set up officials with his top targets at the start of the fall semester .

 

[mauconnfan]

If everyone stays healthy Martin's time gets cut. Good role player on a "big time" team. If we're big time next year Martin is not making any end of year Big East team.

If he is to make a BE team at all he will only need to finish better. If he finishes stronger and more consistent Hoops01 is spot on, the kid is easily our toughest Husky on the roster next year and best rebounder on both ends. If his % doesn't get better he will still get his minutes not sure who can take those and do the things he does.

 

[UConnStats]

If everyone stays healthy Martin's time gets cut. Good role player on a "big time" team. If we're big time next year Martin is not making any end of year Big East team.

Or Martin just gets better at shooting and becomes a complete monster.

 

[husky429]

Or Martin just gets better at shooting and becomes a complete monster.

Martin that can shoot consistently from deep could be the best scorer on our team next year. He wasn't great at the rim, but finishing the year 1/17 from 3 in our last 8 games was terrible. We needed a semi-reliable scorer outside of Bouk and Cole on the perimeter and he just didn't step up to the plate.

 

[Hoops01]

If everyone stays healthy Martin's time gets cut. Good role player on a "big time" team. If we're big time next year Martin is not making any end of year Big East team.

Wrong! We will see, he will NEED to make a end of yr BE Team for UCONN to be big time next yr

 

[Hungryhusky99]

 

[BoukofJames]

 

[BackAftaThis]

Slater just doesn't spew nonsense. Him saying this def pleases me.

 

[husky99]

Staff is all over him

 

[UConnKev]

@Ricker may just lose it if this comes to fruition

 

[kansashusky]

Finally got him to respond to one of my tweets. He usually only does if he is pretty certain.

 

[BoukofJames]

Finally got him to respond to one of my tweets. He usually only does if he is pretty certain.

Had he responded with the GIF of Husky puppies, then we’d know it’s a mortal lock

 

[Huskyforlife]

Like others said, Slater wouldn't say this unless he knew something. Doesn't mean it's done, but I'm guessing we have top 3 odds.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I know everyone here loves Don, but I'm dreaming about a frontcourt class of Karaban and Filipowski. So much skill.