Connecticut junior center Hasheem Thabeet has entered the NBA Draft and intends to sign an agent, meaning that he will not return to Storrs. Thabeet averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game this past season as the most dominant defensive presence in college basketball. Thabeet’s 7-3 height will nearly guarantee him a position near the top of the draft. However, Thabeet lacks the offensive repertoire needed to be an immediate scoring threat in the NBA. Despite his limitations, Thabeet said in a university release that he is ready to move forward with his career.
“After spending time with my family and friends and speaking with Coach Calhoun, I have decided to give up my final year at UConn and enter my name in the 2009 NBA Draft,” said Thabeet. “I have had a great experience at Connecticut and cannot thank my coaches and teammates enough. I look forward to the challenge of playing professionally and know that my time here at UConn has prepared me to be successful in the future. I also want to thank all of the fans in Husky Nation that have followed my career, especially those from my homeland of Tanzania, and hope they will all be as supportive of me at the professional level as they have been to this point.”
