Karaban’s winning DNA carries UConn to win in Big East opener

Alex Karaban was honored Wednesday for 1,000th career point before Husky forward added 20 more to will UConn past Xavier in Big East opener. (Photo by UConn Men’s Basketball)

HARTFORD, Conn. — Alex Karaban’s intentions were made clear in the offseason when the junior announced his return to the University of Connecticut on the heels of consecutive national championships.

In a period this past summer where his head coach was also rumored to be moving on, as Dan Hurley was courted by the Los Angeles Lakers before opting to remain in the college ranks to chase history, Karaban declared his desire to be one of the winningest players in the sport before he finished this current chapter of his career.

His veteran instinct and clutch gene were on full display Wednesday in UConn’s Big East opener against Xavier. A stern test regardless of opponent—the Huskies had won only four of their conference debuts dating back to the 2004-05 season, and had not prevailed in one at home in over two decades—was mitigated by Karaban’s balanced scoring, as the potential All-American scored seven points in the first half, six in the second, and then seven more in overtime as UConn survived a hard-fought game, taking a 94-89 decision over Sean Miller’s Musketeers.

“That’s the main reason why I did come back,” Karaban said of the desire to sustain his success, both individual and collective. “It’s to be the winningest player in college basketball history, but also help these new guys—like Tarris (Reed, Jr.) and Liam (McNeeley)—experience what it feels like to win, for Solo (Ball) to go back-to-back and Hassan (Diarra) as well, to go for the three-peat.”

“Really, it’s to help the new guys experience what it feels like to win, but at the same time, add to the history of the program that has never been done before, hasn’t since the UCLA days. We’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m glad that we’re piecing it together now and just building momentum heading into the Big East games.”

UConn has now won five straight games since a well-chronicled winless voyage to Maui, where many had written the Huskies off amid an uncharacteristic defensive showing and abnormally high foul rates. With victories over Baylor, Texas, Gonzaga, and now, Xavier in that stretch since returning to the continental United States at the end of November, the two-time reigning national champions have relied on a muscle memory that impressed the coach tasked with taking them down in Wednesday’s curtain-raiser.

“When I was playing a long time ago, Duke was in their prime,” Miller began. “They had Danny’s brother Bobby, Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and those guys. I think UConn, in its rightful place, is them now. They just won back-to-back national championships and when you think of Christian Laettner and guys like Bobby, they’re just iconic because they’re some of the all-time greatest winners in the sport.”

The Xavier coach was even more effusive in his praise of Karaban, of whom he spoke eloquently in citing the impact he has had on UConn, and by extension, the Big East and college basketball.

“I don’t know if college basketball has ever, to this point, had a better winner than Alex Karaban,” Miller expounded. “Not because of his intangibles or his personality, but he is a stud player. I know last year, he wasn’t on the all-Big East team, which is hard to believe, but he’s a first team all-American. I just want to acknowledge something in our conference that’s just true. There are very few players that have ever walked here, in this great league, that have impacted their program as a freshman, as a sophomore, and now as a junior than Alex Karaban. He is a winner and he reminds you of that every time you play UConn, in just the myriad of great things that he does.”

Hurley, whose bond with Karaban is so intricate that he questioned whether or not he would ever have a relationship that strong with any other player to come under his aegis, concurred.

“I’ve said this: Alex has changed the lives of so many people, so many players that have had the benefit of playing with him,” he reiterated. “He’s made them money, he’s made them look really good on the court because he’s an incredibly connected piece that solves so many problems and makes the people around him better. He’s such an excellent offensive player, passer, defender, communicator. He’s just such a great winner. He’s changed all of our lives because he’s turned us all into champions. The program changed when AK entered the lineup. We’ve taken this thing to another level, and he’s the common denominator.”