UConn's Dan Hurley Talks Junior's Leadership: 'Holding Everybody Accountable'
Some wondered how Alex Karaban would adjust to his new role as leader of the UConn Huskies, but Karaban’s already showing he was born for the job.
The junior forward from Southborough, Massachusetts is playing great basketball to start the season and also serving as a guiding light for UConn’s talented underclassmen.
During a media availability session on Monday, Huskies head coach Dan Hurley discussed how Karaban leads.
“He puts in enormous amounts of work,” Hurley said. “He hides from attention. He leads the right way. He leads by example, and now he’s leading in a vocal way but not in a showy way. He’s doing it to try to get the most out of the people around him and to help them have more confidence.”
“I like the fact that he’s trying to get the crowd (going), too. ... He’s holding everybody accountable.”
Karaban didn’t let multiple preseason honors satisfy him; he hit the ground running from the opening tip of the season versus Sacred Heart, a game in which Karaban tallied seven blocks.
Karaban’s first two performances of the year earned him a nod on the first BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll of 2024-25.
With Karaban, you don’t know where to begin when describing how he positively impacts the game. Much like former UConn star Stephon Castle, every movement and decision that Karaban makes on the court seems designed to contribute to winning.
Now in his third season under Hurley, Karaban’s basketball IQ — already impressive when he entered college — is off the charts. Hurley has said that having Karaban on the floor is like having a couch out there, which he said feels like cheating.
Karaban’s capabilities as a point forward of sorts will be especially pertinent this season for a team that hasn’t received excellent point guard play thus far.
Karaban and freshman stud Liam McNeeley may have to take on more ball-handling duties than they have so far for UConn to be in the mix come March.
More NCAA: UConn's Dan Hurley Talks Athletic Sophomore: 'I Think He'll Be Really Good'
-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org