UConn landed a perfect replacement, and he came from an archenemy. Here’s how it happened
Alex Karaban’s last day as a UConn men’s basketball player has come and gone, but the Huskies’ captain and four-year starter wouldn’t leave for the NBA without having some impact on how the program moves forward without him. When he saw that Duke’s Nik Khamenia had entered the transfer portal, a player of similar stature and skillset to his, only from the opposite coast, Karaban knew he had to get him to UConn. “I think he’s awesome,” Karaban said.
“When I saw him enter the portal, I think I told Coach (Dan) Hurley right away to go after him. Even playing against him, just how tough he was, how physical he was, the IQ he had, really he did everything. He took advantage of his opportunities at Duke to really help them win and I really liked him a lot.
I talked to him when he was on his visit, I texted him when he was in the portal just really trying to get him to come here. ” Khamenia, a Los Angeles native who was a top-15 prospect and a McDonald’s High School All-American when he arrived at Duke, made a strong impression in his 22 minutes against UConn in the Elite Eight matchup last March. He scored seven points (3-for-5 from the field) with two rebounds, an assist and a block, before he was subbed out for the final time with 10 seconds left in the game.
Those next 10 seconds – the tipped pass from Silas Demary Jr. and pitch back from Karaban to set up Braylon Mullins’ game-winning shot – will forever live in March Madness lore. There will be plenty of talk about the shot in November, when Khamenia will be on Mullins’ side wearing the UConn jersey against his former team in Las Vegas.
But Karaban hasn’t ribbed him about it. Not yet at least. ‘More pressure than the title game’: UConn’s Karaban hops in the pool to raise money for Make-A-Wish “That’s not my job, that’s Braylon’s job.