The cultural impact, lolz
It’s not debateable. AK was the door handle on a car, those guys were the engine and transmission.
Senior year Giffey is actually not a bad comparison. Giffey might’ve been a better defender and shooter on the 2014 championship team than Karaban was on the back to back teams tbh.
Yes the so called painful introvert single handedly changed UConn culture. Clearly our guy King is buying everything Hurley is putting down. If we believed all Hurley said Jayden Ross would be defending SGA in the NBA finals this year. Sorry to tell you our guy Dan lathers on the hyperbole to the point of being FOS at times
Oh that's why?
Nope. They aren’t here this year. 24-3.
The 23 and 24 teams would have pounded that 2014 team. Giffey was actually a fairly important player on a generally thin roster.
I don’t think people hate Karaban. Just the people that overhype him by saying he’s the best anything in our very legendary and decorated program history.
One of the best isn’t “the best”. It’s a subjective statement anyway. And if your criteria or context is winning then it makes a ton of sense.
Karaban is better than Giffey. Can we just stop.
Not arguing the teams. I’m just saying Giffey had to do things on that roster in a way I don’t think Karaban had to in 23 and 24.
It’s not a hate thread - it’s properly applying AKs relevance to UConn history.
No he doesn’t. His legacy here is cemented. He helped bring you ungrateful degenerates 2 championships.
No he’s just objectively better.
AK was the 6th best player on the '23 team and the 5th best player on the '24 team.
Giffey also brought us two championships but you don’t want to give him the same credit??
One of "the best." Where would you rank AK on a list of best players ever at UConn?
What’s blasphemous? AK was a role player on two NCAA title teams. We’d all agree he was the 6th and 5th most important players on those teams. If I found those players on most title teams few people would even remember them. In many cases they’re not core to why that team won. It’s hard to quantify their contribution to the outcome over a replacement. Given those two teams smashed through the tourney I’d say it’s safe to say it’s possible. Anyone remember Flo Thamba on that dominant Baylor team?
He is not the winningest player of all time, which was a part of the original argument
My list? I feel like we’ve done this exercise before. And I forget the number but he came in around boatright/deandre Daniels range.
Saying he’s Niels Giffey is blasphemy. Being upset he has the nickname “captain america” is blasphemy. There’s been a lot of blasphemous statements
No didn’t. He barely played on the first one. AK started as a freshman. Neither of them singularly “brought” us anything. And that isn’t what I said.
I’d say in most cases the 5th player on a dominant NC team could have easily been replaced, yes. Those teams usually win because they have 2-3 special players. Alex was a supporting actor.
They were the most dominant because their 5th player was so good. AK wasn’t a normal 5th or 6th best player
Giffey started 10 games and played 24 minutes in the championship.
So Giffey played as big a role as a freshman that Karaban did? You’re lying.
He’s literally the 8th best off the two NC teams if we are talking quality of basketball player. If we want to talk cumulative stats due to longevity, that’s a different type of list.