Hasheem Thabeet Returns to UConn as a Huskies of Honor Inductee - and a Reminder of What College Basketball Can Be
STORRS, Conn. - Hasheem Thabeet walked back into Gampel Pavilion Saturday night, and it felt like a giant had returned home - literally and figuratively. Draped in a long trench coat that somehow made his 7-foot-3 frame look even taller, the former UConn star center was back where he once dominated the paint, this time to be officially enshrined among the Huskies of Honor.
Thabeet’s journey from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to Storrs, Connecticut, remains one of the most remarkable in UConn history - and really, in college basketball. He didn’t just meet the criteria for UConn’s prestigious honor; he redefined what it meant to rise through the college game. From an unranked recruit to national defensive player of the year, Thabeet’s story is a testament to what happens when talent, opportunity, and belief collide.
“There is nobody else who came out of Tanzania to play in the NBA,” Thabeet said. “But it’s also not easy. I don’t even know how I did it, but I did it… I tell them, ‘You can fall short and become a doctor, you can fall short and get an education - you can become something.’”
That message - about more than just basketball - is what Thabeet now carries with him. Back in Tanzania, he’s investing in his community, mentoring young players, and still suiting up at age 38 for Dar City in the NBA-backed Basketball Africa League.
He’s not chasing trophies anymore. He’s building bridges.
And yet, his legacy at UConn is unshakable. Thabeet averaged 10.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks per game over 100 college contests, helping lead the Huskies to a Final Four in 2009.
That 4.2 blocks mark? Second only to Emeka Okafor in program history - and Okafor’s No. 50 is set to be retired next week.
Jim Calhoun, who recruited Thabeet and still refers to him with fatherly pride, saw something in the raw center that went beyond height. “I guess I saw what he could be, not what he was,” Calhoun said.
“His size, the fact he was a tough kid, he wouldn’t mind hitting you. And he was a smart kid - he didn’t always let on that way.
I made up my mind I would get to know him.”
Thabeet remembers that first call from Calhoun vividly. He didn’t want to play somewhere cold.
“You don’t play basketball outdoors,” Calhoun told him. And just like that, a path opened - more than 7,500 miles from home.
“They could have signed anybody,” Thabeet said. “I wasn’t ranked.
A lot of guys were ranked. To me, I feel very honored to be part of this.
Something I never grew up thinking about. I came here, they believed in me, they made a man out of me.”
A Night of Recognition - and a Game That Was Anything But Routine
Saturday night wasn’t just about honoring the past. It was also about the present - and the present, for UConn, looks pretty good, even if not perfect.
The top-ranked Huskies held off a scrappy Georgetown squad for a 79-75 win, a game that turned out to be tougher than expected. Georgetown, sitting at 13-12 overall and 5-9 in Big East play, played with far more grit than its record suggests. UConn moved to 24-2 overall and 14-1 in the conference, but once again showed that while they’re elite, they’re not always dominant.
Alex Karaban sealed the win with clutch free throws, marking his 116th victory in a UConn uniform - a program record. Solo Ball hit the 1,000-point milestone.
Both achievements are impressive on their own, but even more so when you consider they’ve done it all in a UConn jersey. In today’s college basketball landscape, where NIL deals, transfer portals, and early NBA exits are the norm, that kind of continuity is rare.
And yet, despite the drama and the milestones, the crowd energy didn’t quite match the moment. There were noticeable empty seats, and both coaches noticed.
Georgetown’s Ed Cooley made a point of it. UConn’s Dan Hurley sounded off postgame, frustrated by the lack of noise on what should’ve been a celebratory night.
It even fell to broadcaster John Fanta to rally the crowd after the final buzzer, urging fans to stick around and give Karaban his due. For a program with six national titles - including back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024 - regular season wins might not move the needle like they used to. But Hurley made it clear: He expects more from the fan base.
A Giant’s Legacy, and a New Chapter
It’s easy to forget, in the age of stretch-fives and three-point shooting bigs, how dominant Thabeet was in his time. Sure, his NBA career didn’t reach the heights expected of a No. 2 overall pick, especially as the league shifted away from traditional centers. But Thabeet carved out a career overseas, continued to play the game he loves, and now returns home with a deeper purpose.
“After playing a very high level of basketball in the NBA, and you get to go back, it’s starting all over again,” he said. “People really never got to see me play, there wasn’t social media back then.
I’m not playing to prove anything. I’m trying to empower them.”
That’s the heart of Thabeet’s journey - not just the blocks and rebounds, but the impact beyond the court. He didn’t have someone to pull him up. Now he wants to be that someone for the next generation.
On a night when UConn fans were reminded of their rich past and their promising present, Thabeet stood tall - still a giant, still a Husky, and still making his mark.