UConn Huskies senior Alex Karaban’s journey came to an end with the heartbreaking 69-63 loss against the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA Championship game. Karaban played 40 minutes, scoring 17 points (on 5-14 shooting, including 3-10 from the 3-point line), to go along with 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals.
On Tuesday, Karabann thanked UConn for the incredible college basketball journey, including two national titles, three Final Four appearances, and an 18-2 record in March Madness. Karaban exits UConn with the most wins (126), most games played (151) and most 3-pointers made in the school’s history. With the following 3-word message, he bids farewell to Storrs:
“Thank you UConn”
In total, Karaban played 151 games for UConn, starting in all but one. He averaged 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.7 steals per game.
Karaban was not far away from becoming a three-time national champion, and that was one of the big reasons why he decided to come back for his senior season. However, when that didn’t happen, he broke down in tears with head coach Dan Hurley consoling.
“You know, blessed that I’ve been able to wear this jersey for the longest amount of time possible, the max amount, the max amount of minutes, the max amount of games this season,” said Karaban.
“I came back ultimately to win [a third national title] and fell short, so it hurts right now. It hurts a lot right now. I’m just reminding myself right now that when I came into UConn how much I’ve grown, and I’m ultimately leaving UConn in a better place right now from where I started. I gave it everything I got. I gave it my heart. Now that I’m leaving and for UConn to be one of the best brands in college basketball and to be at the top, I left it better than when it started. I’m most proud of that.”
Dan Hurley Lavishes Praise on Alex Karaban
Dan Hurley missed out on becoming the first coach since UCLA’s John Wooden to win three championships in four years. In all these years, Hurley was well supported by Alex Karaban, providing the coach with consistent production. Hurley called him a big reason for UConn’s rise in the last four years.
“This guy changed my life, the staff’s lives, the joy he’s brought to the university, the fan base,” Hurley said. “His decision to come to UConn has made us … we’re probably the premier program in college basketball right now, having been to three out of four national championship games, having won two of them. He’s put UConn in that rarefied place in college basketball.”
Karaban now looks forward to entering the draft and becoming a professional.
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