UConn sophomore forward Alex Karaban was one of 20 players named to the watch list for the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Karl Malone Award, which goes annually to the top power forward in college basketball.
Karaban, 6-feet-8, stepped into the starting role one game into last season and never gave it away, leading the Huskies with 1,128 minutes played. The Southborough, Mass. native with a knack for hitting shots at the halftime buzzer was a unanimous selection to the Big East All-Freshman team after averaging 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds and shooting 40.2% from 3-point range.
He made eight 3s during UConn’s NCAA Tournament run and totalled six blocks while grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game.
“He should’ve been Big East Rookie of the Year and he led a national championship team in minutes,” head coach Dan Hurley said in early October. “Like all great players he’s highly motivated by being snubbed or being underrated. He does not verbalize that to us in here, he just loves basketball so much. It’s all he thinks about, besides engineering and computers.”
Karaban showed great improvement on the defensive end last year as he dealt with some of the Big East’s top frontcourt players and helped UConn become the seventh-best defense in the nation, according to KenPom. He was an honorable mention selection for the preseason All-Big East teams announced on Tuesday.
“I always feel undervalued,” Karaban told The Courant Tuesday. “I think at every level of basketball that I’ve played, I’ve always been undervalued. You know, I like being undervalued, I like being underrated and (there is) just a lot more to prove this year. No one will expect what I’ll be able to do this year. I think just going out there and not having any pressure, any eyes or target on me, is something that I’ve always loved and I’ve always had my entire life. Just going out there and just proving people wrong.”
The Malone Award watch list, his first national recognition in college, will be narrowed to 10 players in late January and then down to five in February. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Malone and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
Last year’s Malone Award winner was Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, who was selected 57th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and immediately traded to the Golden State Warriors.
Karaban is the third Husky to be named to one of this year’s “Naismith Starting Five” watch lists, joining Tristen Newton (Bob Cousy Point Guard Award) and freshman Stephon Castle (Jerry West Shooting Guard Award).
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