I'm bullish as everybody knows. My own view is that Karaban should be a major impact player and define the team the way that Harangody, Troy Murphy, Tyler Hansbrough, Billy Curley, Pittsnogle, and others have defined era's for their college teams. All had NBA limitations but carried college teams. The positions and styles are not all the same, but offense ran through them making decisions with the ball, and they all scored at multiple levels. He'll be especially effective when he has other scorers that reduce his need to make every play. In my very first post about him I referenced a Giffey BBQ as a senior. He brings everything that Giffey did, but with an alpha mentality that has him seek shots, initiate action, and direct teammates. Giffey let the game come to him as a role player, and didn't define UConn, but was good enough to be a key to a championship, and, play pro ball at a European championship level.
Things I would point to:
100% foul shooting at Peach Jam I think on over 30 attempts
Peach Jam second team with the highest level competition - (FYI Akinjo was MVP and now Baylor)
Pangos Camp top 100 and makes cream of the crop game
Pangos Camp 'all star' cream of the crop game makes 7 3's in a row to claw team to win that was down big
NEPSAC championship game mvp
A deep shooting highlight reel that I have witnessed on a regular basis
Watched him defend the perimeter against Matt Cross & Kadray Richmond at Brewster
Watched him defend the post against 3 Putnam Science 7 footers
Watched him go end to end with the ball regularly - he can handle fine
Played with
@HooperScooper 's son in middle school
Gives thoughtful interviews
Is a winner
He has been the primary option and sometimes the only option on his teams. Occasionally, that has lead to putting up a deep shot too early in the shot clock where at UConn we'd prefer to run more offense first.
I'll die if he is a freshman bench casualty.
I'm willing to eat crow of being too optimistic.
Head firmly in chopping block.
