I generally can't stand Rick Reilly. Really, it's rare for me to find an article by him that I like. And, usually I only like those articles because they pertain to a team or player that I am particularly fond of. So, I'm well aware that those of you who are not UCONN fans may hate his most recent article about Hasheem Thabeet, but I like it.
I've heard a lot of people criticizing Jim Calhoun and his recruiting techniques lately, and I've heard a lot of jokes and scathing comments aimed directly at Thabeet. I understand the logic, the program goes through a recruiting scandal and you logically look at the 7 foot 3 center from Africa. It makes sense. However, if this doesn't sound like a guy you'd like to go to college with then I don't think I want to go to college with you. He's taking advantage of a great opportunity. He's respectful to everyone. And, unlike many division 1 athletes, he's plugged into his school's community.
I'd also like to point out that Thabeet has grown leaps and bounds as a player. He accrued big defensive stats as a freshman, but looked completely lost all the time on the court. He has worked really hard to become the player we see now. Luckily, you don't need to be an asshole to be an effective defender when you are 7'3.
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