Spring Break
Give It Up For The Big Guy: Hasheem Thabeet
Kevin Meacham
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Sports
This is a special time to be a UConn basketball fan.
It's not because A.J. Price is playing like a man possessed. It's not because Jim Calhoun is physically taking the team by the hand and crossing them over Respectability Boulevard, avoiding the speeding vehicles that are last-second 3s by Louisville and Cincinnati.
No, this year is special because we may never see a force quite like Hasheem Thabeet again - and we may not see him for much longer.
Ah, the big fella. I think everyone can agree he was ridiculously frustrating last year. Calhoun had this raw, 7-foot-3 guy who specialized in blocked shots and blown lay-ups. Not surprisingly, UConn finished without a postseason bid because Thabeet was an offensive black hole, from which no points could escape.
Twelve months later, Thabeet is eyeing millions of dollars by leaving school for the NBA Draft in June. He's improved so much; we can now see an actual gap in production between Thabeet and Jonathan "You The" Mandeldove.
So with Thabeet's stay at UConn likely down to its final 15 or so games, I thought it was time we all stepped back and appreciated the big guy.
Sure, Thabeet is one of the most liked players on the team. All extra-big guys are. They've got a goofy energy about them, whether it's the extra-large shorts that would be pants on most people, the crazy long arms and legs or the awkward way they run up the court.
And since I'm writing this before Wednesday's game against Syracuse, Thabeet could get dunked on by 4-foot-7 Jonny Flynn (the extra 'n' is for 'NIT') and I could retract this entire column Thursday morning.
But this year has brought so many wonderful, outstanding on-the-court things to remember when Thabeet is developing an offensive game for the Philadelphia 76ers in October.
Like the first time he dunked without jumping. That never gets old.
Or the time he blocked 10 shots against Notre Dame, exposing Luke Harangody as a silly, Conan O'Brien-looking total fraud.
It's not because A.J. Price is playing like a man possessed. It's not because Jim Calhoun is physically taking the team by the hand and crossing them over Respectability Boulevard, avoiding the speeding vehicles that are last-second 3s by Louisville and Cincinnati.
No, this year is special because we may never see a force quite like Hasheem Thabeet again - and we may not see him for much longer.
Ah, the big fella. I think everyone can agree he was ridiculously frustrating last year. Calhoun had this raw, 7-foot-3 guy who specialized in blocked shots and blown lay-ups. Not surprisingly, UConn finished without a postseason bid because Thabeet was an offensive black hole, from which no points could escape.
Twelve months later, Thabeet is eyeing millions of dollars by leaving school for the NBA Draft in June. He's improved so much; we can now see an actual gap in production between Thabeet and Jonathan "You The" Mandeldove.
So with Thabeet's stay at UConn likely down to its final 15 or so games, I thought it was time we all stepped back and appreciated the big guy.
Sure, Thabeet is one of the most liked players on the team. All extra-big guys are. They've got a goofy energy about them, whether it's the extra-large shorts that would be pants on most people, the crazy long arms and legs or the awkward way they run up the court.
And since I'm writing this before Wednesday's game against Syracuse, Thabeet could get dunked on by 4-foot-7 Jonny Flynn (the extra 'n' is for 'NIT') and I could retract this entire column Thursday morning.
But this year has brought so many wonderful, outstanding on-the-court things to remember when Thabeet is developing an offensive game for the Philadelphia 76ers in October.
Like the first time he dunked without jumping. That never gets old.
Or the time he blocked 10 shots against Notre Dame, exposing Luke Harangody as a silly, Conan O'Brien-looking total fraud.
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