Karaban down the stretch...

[boog204]

Wow. Those were elite plays in crucial moments down the stretch. He is one of my all-time fave UConn players already and we are lucky that we will most likely have him for at least one more year.

 

[HCCForever]

They really needed him down the stretch. There were a few empty trips down the court due to missed threes until Alex made his shots and increased the margin.

 

[Kitaman]

And to think this is only his 2nd year. I hope he stays all 4, cuz he could be the next one "swinging from the rafters".

 

[dogpause]

And I was think that he wasn't having a very good game, when suddenly, Mr. Last Second Shot, goes into hero mode. What an amazing performance.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Onions

 

[Yanksrock615]

Larry Bird lite

 

[XLCenterFan]

He’s turning into a cold blooded shot making killer.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Mr. Clutch. Whether half or end of game, he loves those moments.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

One of the big questions heading into this season was whether we had the guy that could make something happen when the shot clock was winding down. Karaban has answered that question. His ability to create his own shot and take it to the hoop and finish has improved so much.

 

[Rico444]

And I was think that he wasn't having a very good game, when suddenly, Mr. Last Second Shot, goes into hero mode. What an amazing performance.

I know, he hit those 3s so early that I forgot that he had done it, and was a little disappointed with about 5 minutes left in the game he was having. Then he hit that 3 and took over the game.

 

[McLovin]

Kid gets better the bigger the moment. Not afraid of anything. Wow.

 

[EBonz30]

Had a couple of NBA moves/plays at the end of the game. Just a wonderful player, a player in where if you are a coach of the team you love because he has no weaknesses & is never a negative on the court in any aspect. He’s always in the right position, making the right play, taking the right shot, always looking to make the extra pass, take the charge, never takes a bad shot, always plays within himself & his skill set- if he continues to add additional layers & tools to his game he will have a long NBA career & will constantly be a top targeted player for championship type teams.

 

[aceboon]

getting some love from DraftExpress

 

[Waquoit]

One of the big questions heading into this season was whether we had the guy that could make something happen when the shot clock was winding down.

Isn't this a retcon? Karaban did it all last year.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Isn't this a retcon? Karaban did it all last year.

Last year he did it off the catch-and-shoot (e.g. end of halves against Villanova, Gonzaga, Miami). Last night he was also doing it by himself off the dribble.

 

[willie99]

We're special people

Sorry, there's nothing else I can say

 

[boog204]

Last year he did it off the catch-and-shoot (e.g. end of halves against Villanova, Gonzaga, Miami). Last night he was also doing it by himself off the dribble.

Exactly... This is the difference. We all know he hit some big shots late in the clock but he did not create. There were three pretty much successive plays at a crucial stage of the game where he took the ball and made the play. Three different "types" of plays, too. One, a strong move to the hoop. The second taking his guy in the post and doing a Dirk-esque fade, and the third a Bird-ish fade to his left off the dribble. Huge shot-making display.

 

[husky429]

Isn't this a retcon? Karaban did it all last year.

Was about to say... he banged a few buzzer beaters last year. He's just showing shot creation this year which is a new development.

 

[superjohn]

getting some love from DraftExpress

Love it but 6'9 is certainly generous.

 

[nomar]

Was about to say... he banged a few buzzer beaters last year. He's just showing shot creation this year which is a new development.

I love the variety. The prettiest was the baseline turnaround, but the buzzer-beater was the most dramatic.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Isn't this a retcon? Karaban did it all last year.

Shot creation vs catch and shoot. Karaban wasn’t the guy with the ball in his hand looking to create his own shot with 5 seconds left on the clock. This year, he absolutely is.

That was what I meant by “make something happen”.

 

[LStudfellow]

Larry Bird lite

The better comp is John Havlicek. Which is a huge compliment because for anyone old enough who truly loves basketball and watched the Celtics back in the late 60's to late 70's you know how good Havlicek was at so many different facets of the game. And most importantly how he made his teammates and team as a whole better when he was on the court. And I can say that never having been a Celtics fan.

Alex does so many little things and the game just seems to slow down for him. And then, he has the clutch gene... in spades. He has that 6th sense to know when someone needs to step into the void and pull us back from the brink of disaster.

He has definitely become one of my all-time favorite Huskies too. I just love how he plays the game.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

Larry Bird lite

So Scott Wedman?

 

[Punkbo]

AK is the real deal. Does whatever it takes to win basketball games. Somewhat AJ-esque in that regard. His intangibles are off the charts. There’s a reason he will lead the team in MPG this year. It’s very difficult to take him off the floor.

Alex Karaban for Big East Player of the Year. You heard it here first.

 

[husky429]

Alex Karaban for Big East Player of the Year. You heard it here first.

That honor definitely belongs to @Ricker