UConn’s Karaban wins Big East Freshman of Week for fifth time
HARTFORD — Might as well re-name it the “Alex Karaban Award.”
For the fifth time this season on Monday, UConn men’s basketball forward Alex Karaban was named Big East freshman of the week. Karaban earned the award the first two weeks of the season, again on Jan. 2 and Jan. 23, then on Monday, after his pair of 3-pointers in the final three minutes at Georgetown on Saturday spearheaded the Huskies’ victory.
“I definitely enjoy getting the award,” Karaban said on Monday. “It’s nice to see all the hard work paying off. It all leads up to the team’s success, too. I wouldn’t be getting it if our team wasn’t winning or putting me in the position to win the award.”
Karaban, who scored all 11 of his points in the second half on Saturday, is averaging 9.7 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting a healthy 38.4 percent from 3. He’s started all but one of the Huskies’ 24 games.
“Teams that are having a really good year, especially in our league, you probably can’t name many of the top five, six teams in the league that have freshmen in such big roles,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “A lot of guys that were maybe rated higher than him are unplayable, or really hurt their team. We’ve been a better team than we were last year through 24 games overall, in part to his high IQ, what he does floor-spacing. He’s just such a quick learner.”
It’s enough to make you wonder if Karaban is in line to win Big East Freshman of the Year this season. Certainly, he’s got some competition from 7foot-2 teammate Donovan Clingan, who is among the league’s leaders in blocked shots (1.8) and rebounding (5.2), but who’s production has lessened the past few games.
“There’s not a lot of freshmen in our league that are doing well,” Hurley said. “They’re clearly outliers, in that sense. Especially the minutes that Alex has played. I don’t think you could be more impressed, in such a brutally physical league, to have freshmen be able to start and play the minutes he’s played at a physical position. And Donovan, as well.”
Karaban’s biggest competition will come from Villanova’s Cam Whitmore. The 6-foot-7 forward has slightly better numbers than Karaban (11.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg). But he may have two bigger advantages. For one, he’s a projected NBA lottery pick this summer. Also, he was the preseason coaches’ pick for Freshman of the Year, giving him a leg up.
Villanova (10-13, 4-8 Big East) is not having a very good season. But it’s not likely that a lot of Big East coaches will stay up at night comparing the importance of Karaban and Whitmore to their respective teams.
Karaban will likely have a better chance of winning Big East Freshman of the Year from the Associated Press, which will be handing out awards for the conference for the first time in March.
Either way, Hurley is happy to have Karaban this season and, in theory, several more after this.
“I think I saw a quote where it said something about three or four years, I’m gonna be (at UConn),” Hurley noted. “I’m just happy to hear somebody saying that, and not thinking about the next thing. That’s great.”
Hawkins named finalist for West Award
UConn guard Jordan Hawkins is one of the top
10 candidates for the 2023 Jerry West Award, given annually to the nation’s top shooting guard in Division 1 men’s college basketball.
Hawkins, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, is second on the Huskies in scoring at 16.3 points per game, entering Tuesday night’s Top 25 showdown with Marquette. He is shooting 39.4 percent from 3-point range and 85.9 percent from the foul line. In Big East games only, Hawkins leads the conference in scoring at 17.5 points per game.
Joining Hawkins as candidates for the award are Baylor’s Adam Flagler and Keyonte George, Houston’s Marcus Sasser, Terrence Shannon Jr. of Illinois, Gradey Dick of Kansas, Marshall’s Taevion Kinsey, Miami’s Isaiah Wong, NC State’s Terquavion Smith and Tennessee’s Santiago Vescovi.
Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2022-23 season. Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, February 10, on hoophallawards.com.
The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process. In March, five finalists will be presented to West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Jerry West Award is composed of top men’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.