UConn center Hasheem Thabeet announced that he will forgo his senior year and enter the 2009 NBA Draft, according to reports Monday.
"I have had a great experience at Connecticut and cannot thank my coaches and teammates enough," Thabeet said in a statement released by the school. "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."
Calhoun called Thabeet "one of the most dominant defensive players in the history of college basketball," and said he believes he is ready to take his game to the NBA.
Thabeet, the 7-foot-3 center, helped to lead the Connecticut Huskies (31-5) to the Final Four this season, but lost in the national semifinals to Michigan State, 82-73.
Thabeet averaged 13.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game (second in the nation) this season, earning the co-Big East Player of the Year award with Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair. He has been named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons. This season, he broke Alonzo Mourning's Big East record for most blocks in a season.
Thabeet becomes the 11th player from Connecticut to declare early for the NBA draft. Nine of the others were picked in the first round, and eight of those were lottery selections.
Thabeet had been playing organized basketball for less than five years when he came to UConn from Cypress Christian School in Houston, the school he attended after coming to America from from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He considered turning pro after both his freshmen and sophomore seasons.
Thabeet reportedly plans to hire an agent, which would eliminate the possibility that he could withdraw his name before June 15 and retain his collegiate eligibility. In mock drafts, he is considered to be a lock as a top-five pick in the draft, along with Oklahoma's Blake Griffin and Arizona State's James Harden. He is widely considered the top center in the draft, according to several mock draft services.
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