Wednesday, January 27, 2010 13:39
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| NBA |THABEET : MY JOURNEY TO THE NBA
He was the NABC National Defensive Player of the Year and BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in each of the past two seasons and was the 2008-09 BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year. He averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game (No. 2 nationally) in 2008-09 and helped lead the Huskies the 2009 NCAA Final Four and a 31-5 final record. Six years ago Thabeet would not have even dreamed of playing basketball in the United States. His is a journey that began very differently from many of his peers that he was drafted into the NBA with. It began six years ago in his homeland of Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania. He was 16years and had spent some time working as a security guard at a club and as a small time runway model. Thabeet was searching for a better way to support his mother and younger sister especially after the death of their father the previous year due to Diabetes complications. The young Hasheem spent time sending mails at internet cafés to U.S based colleges in the hope of securing a scholarship. Hasheem eventually got back into school and attended Makongo High School in Dar-es-Salaam where he was first exposed to basketball. While there he earned a scholarship to attend Laiser Hill Academy in Nairobi, Kenya, where his play was noticed by a French Businessman, with international connections that saw Thabeet depart for the United States. Thabeet went to Cypress Christian School in Houston, Texas before he joined University of Connecticut in summer of 2006. Like a diamond in the rough, coaching staff at the Uconn Huskies program pushed and demanded a lot from him and he has responded well. “No player I’ve ever had at UConn has improved to the level that Hasheem has improved.” said a proud Jim Calhoun, Connecticut’s head coach. Hasheem is a monster on the boards and at the defensive end, but should polish up his offensive game so he may truly become a solid NBA player. Jubilant Thabeet was quoted by US media saying "When I got here for high school, people said I couldn't walk, chew gum and dribble a basketball at the same time," Thabeet said. "It was the joke. But I've grown a lot.” "I'm going out there to be active and grow up with them as much as possible," Thabeet said. "You can see the progress I've made from Day One." Thabeet said he's entering the NBA with a simple goal. "I want to be productive," Thabeet said. "I'm going to work hard to get better every day." The President of Basketball Dar es Salaam Mr. Simon Msoffe, who is also the President of the East and Central African regional basketball governing body (ACIBCC), said : “This is a historic moment for our country; it’s a very big thing….a very significant event for our country and for the sports sector than what most people think. He urged local basketball players to follow in the footsteps of Thabeet who has been a big hit in the US basketball College league, “He has done it, and it’s up to young players to trace his course.
Info: alsabasketball/interbasket.net/dailynews.co.tz
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