Karaban gave UConn some local flair in win
As he sat by his locker late Saturday night, with a strand of the net dangling from his Final Four hat, UConn forward Alex Karaban paused to reflect on how far he’s come.
Not long ago, he was a kid from Southborough who blossomed into a catalyst at Algonquin Regional. Now, he’s a nationally-heralded college basketball star, who electrified the crowd at the place he grew up coming to watch games.
It was a full-circle moment he couldn’t totally grasp. Not yet, anyway.
“I think when I get back to my room tonight, I’ll probably get emotional,” Karaban said. “I’ve loved this arena. I’ve loved everything about Boston. To do it in my favorite city, and do it in pretty much my hometown, it’s going to hit me hard.”
Karaban scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, added three rebounds and a block, and finished plus-24 in UConn’s resounding, 77-52, Elite Eight triumph over Illinois at TD Garden.
The No. 1 Huskies (35-3) flummoxed Illinois with a mindboggling 30-0 run, spanning from late in the first half to midway through the second. Karaban was at the crux of the operation alongside dominant big Donovan Clingan (22 points, 10 rebounds), and he helped the best team in the nation bury the No. 3 Illini (29-9).
His teammates weren’t surprised in the slightest. This is the Karaban they know and love.
“I call him Captain America,” said guard Hassan Diarra.
Karaban, a 6-foot-8-inch, 220-pound sophomore who already has one championship at UConn, is on the precipice of cementing another. He’s averaging 13.6 points and five rebounds per game this season, while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from 3.
His approach is simple, efficient, and at times robotic. Karaban’s teammates consider themselves fortunate to play alongside him, and they don’t take him for granted.
“Alex is the most consistent guy on our team,” said guard Tristen Newton. “We know what he’s going to bring to us day in and day out. He’s one of our leaders.”
After a relatively quiet first half, Karaban made two layups early in the second half, got a friendly hometown roll on a 3pointer, then provided a rim-rattling dunk, plus the foul, as Diarra grabbed him and helped him down from the rim.
All of his points came in less than five minutes, as the Huskies pulverized the Illini and stymied the top statistical offense in the nation.
His offensive prowess was critical, but his defensive presence may have been even more significant.
His length, athleticism, and footwork allow him to guard 1 through 5, which makes life much easier for his teammates. While Clingan stole the show with his thunderous dunks, Karaban was instrumental in the victory.
Fans serenaded him with massive cheers as he ascended the silver and blue ladder and trimmed his piece of history.
He said his family received close to 100 ticket requests. They couldn’t grant them all, unfortunately, so they made painful cuts and chose 20 people for each game.
Karaban, a true Massachusetts kid, even checked the Celtics score afterward and was pleased to see they also won.
“Win-win, for the City of Boston,” he said.
He’s come a long way from his days swimming for the Wayside Waves in Marlborough. Back then, basketball wasn’t even his go-to sport. Now, he’s a possible NBA Draft pick, an integral part of a team that has a chance to go down as one of the best in college basketball history.
He laughed when asked if his perfect record at the Garden meant the Celtics would have to draft him.
If UConn had lost, Karaban wouldn’t have been able to watch a Celtics game because the pain would have been too immense.
“Winning here, I’m always going to be happy to come back here,” Karaban said. “Every time I step into this arena, or I come watch a game, whatever I’m doing in Boston, I’m always going to remember I’m part of a Final Four team.
“It’s special. I’m from here, I grew up around here. It means a lot.”