INDIANAPOLIS – Everyone thinks of an old dog.
You know, the one who’s a little surly, who might have lost his eyesight or hearing or both, who has unkempt hair and walks pretty slow and won’t even fetch things? The interesting thing about them is that even though they seem to be in the final stages of life, they never die. You wait and keep waiting for the end.
There’s an old Husky lurking in the locker room in Connecticut. That’s Alex Karaban, he never goes down.
“Everyone knows that old dog that won’t die,” said University Center Talis Reed Jr. “My aunt had an old dog that lived for a while, but it didn’t die. It was just there, and it was hard to kill it. I think that’s the thing about (Karaban).”
Well, that’s one way to say it. It even threw the dog itself.
“An old dog? Why an old dog?” he asked his teammates, but the explanation left him speechless.
He’s not exactly Old Yeller, but the coach gave him another title: babysitter.
“He’s been just babysitting the team for 4 and a half decades,” UW coach Dan Hurley said. “I mean, he was the best babysitter.”
Importantly, while this is not Karavan’s first rodeo, it is certainly his last as he concludes a storied collegiate career looking to accomplish something no athlete has been able to accomplish in more than 50 years: win three national championships.
It has been accomplished eight times in history, all by members of John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty in the 1960s and 1970s, but was last accomplished by Larry Farmer and Larry Holyfield from 1971 to 1973.
Fifty-three years later, Karavan is two wins away from joining this prestigious list, and even though the 23-year-old is a clown, his teammates hope he joins that list.
What’s remarkable about Karavan’s era is that he wasn’t a benchwarmer during his first two titles. A two-time captain, he was a major factor in leading the university to the pinnacle of the dynasty.
That’s why he became the first active men’s basketball player to be named to the university’s illustrious Huskies of Honor, already making him the winningest player in team history.
As a redshirt freshman, he started the final 38 games and played in all 39 games, leading the team in total minutes while shooting 40.2 percent from 3-point range. The following season, he started every game and increased his scoring from 9.3 to 13.3 points per game, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.
“He’s the greatest problem solver ever, whether it’s in practice or in a game. And so is the atmosphere he imparts to the culture through his work habits and the peer pressure that he puts on everyone in the organization when the best players work as hard as they do,” Hurley said.
The Huskies, now in Indianapolis, haven’t stopped relying on Karaban either. He enjoyed reminding first-timers that this was his third trip to the Final Four. His presence really helped newbies take on the sport’s biggest stage.
Whether it’s playing in a soccer stadium, dealing with pressure from the media or endless questions, Karavan gave tips on how to get through it and not let it become too much. Perhaps that’s why Reed and guard Silas Demarie Jr. would both take Karavan down if they needed a teammate as an emergency contact.
“We’ve had players here who literally lead the team, and we’re ready for this stage,” Reid said. “It’s really special to have that guy in your corner.”
There aren’t many people who can be in Karavan’s shoes, who could be 4-0 or 6-0 in the Final Four. Despite all this success, the Huskies feel like they have a chip on their shoulder as they are not championship favorites.
Yes, Karavan is an old dog and not ready to die yet.
“That’s a funny way to say it. But I mean, I don’t want this to be the end. I want to keep going. I want to keep fighting and I really want to keep wearing the Connecticut jersey on my chest,” Karaban said. “I guess the old dog wants to keep living for his treats, and my treats are a victory, so I’ll keep fighting for them.”
