UConn’s Alex Karaban, shown during the 2026 Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., was back in Connecticut for an appearance at the Great Wolf Lodge on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
Dave Zajac, Hearst Connecticut Media
MASHANTUCKET — A week earlier, Alex Karaban was knocking down one 3-pointer after another in various shooting drills at the NBA Draft Combine.
On Wednesday morning, there he was putting up shots in a pool at the Great Wolf Lodge near Foxwoods Resort Casino, raising money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
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So, which one was harder?
“Shooting shots in a pool was way harder,” Karaban noted. “I was unprepared, the balls got slippery so it was harder to shoot. I wasn’t communicating well with the kids on the rebounding, so I got basketballs thrown at me.”
Still, as he often did over his record-breaking four-year career with the UConn men’s basketball team, Karaban shook off the obstacles and did the job. He drained 29 of the 40 shots he attempted, raising $111,500 for Make-A-Wish while also celebrating the one-year anniversary of the opening of this Great Wolf Lodge site.
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There were even a few firsts for Karaban, who posed for a couple of photos with kids after emerging from the pool.
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“First time for a shirtless picture,” he quipped.
“It was a lot of fun,” Karaban later added. “This whole venue’s amazing, everything here is top-notch. Raising money for Make-a-Wish kids, it’s a blessing. Leaving an impact on their life, it’s amazing.”
Life is a weekly cycle these days for Karaban, who only won two national titles and played in three national championship games in his four seasons with the Huskies. Last week, the 6-foot-8 forward was raising eyebrows at the combine, shooting nearly 75 percent across all shooting drills and even displaying some surprising athleticism. Karaban’s max vertical leap measured at 33 inches, a full 5.5 inches better than his 2024 showing at the combine.
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Like his UConn teammate, Tarris Reed Jr., he significantly boosted his stock for the NBA Draft on June 23-24.
“I’m hoping first round, definitely,” Karaban said. “I feel like I’m in a great position and my agency feels that way, too. I’m just trying to ride the momentum of how I finished up the season at UConn, how I did at the combine, my pro day, and continue to ride that momentum.”
Karaban is staying in Chicago until the days before the draft. He popped in for a one-day return to Connecticut for Wednesday’s event before flying back to the Windy City in the afternoon.
Alex Karaban helped celebrate the one-year anniversary of the opening of Great Wolf Lodge in Mashantucket on Wednesday by shooting hoops in a pool, and taking a couple of trips down a water slide.
David Borges/Hearst CT Media
Next week, workouts with NBA teams begin. Lined up so far for Karaban: the Lakers, Sacramento, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Minnesota, Dallas and the Southborough, Mass. native’s hometown team, the Celtics.
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He certainly has the right pitch during his interviews with NBA teams.
“I want to make the lives of superstars easier out there,” he said. “Become an elite knockdown shooter, space out the floor, crash the offensive glass, work my butt off defensively and really be a connector out there. I want to help the team win. I have that winning pedigree. Just bring that from Day One, knowing what it takes to win, how hard it is, and really just make superstars lives out there easier.”
What superstar wouldn’t want to hear that?
Former UConn standout Alex Karaban took a couple of rides on a raft down a water slide with Make-A-Wish kids on Wednesday at Great Wolf Lodge in Mashantucket.
David Borges/Hearst CT Media
He can only hope to impress NBA scouts, executives and potential teammates as much as he’s impressed legions of UConn fans, including Major Davenport. The 12-year-old from New Haven was one of three Make-A-Wish kids at Wednesday’s event, along with Xavier McNemar and Owen Santacroce. They shot around with Karaban in the pool, then went on a couple of trips down a water slide alongside Karaban on a four-person raft.
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Davenport is a big UConn fan who says Karaban is his favorite player because of his shooting. His favorite part about Wednesday’s event?
“Him making the baskets,” Davenport said.
Certainly, NBA execs liked that about Karaban this past season. On the heels of a junior season where he seemed to at times struggle shouldering the weight of being the team’s focal point, Karaban bumped his shooting percentages significantly as a senior: from 43.8 percent to 46.4 overall, and from 34.7 to 37.4 percent from 3.
Alex Karaban helped celebrate the one-year anniversary of the opening of Great Wolf Lodge in Mashantucket on Wednesday by shooting hoops in a pool, and taking a couple of trips down a water slide.
David Borges/Hearst Connecticut Media
He picked up his game even more in the NCAA Tournament: a career-high 27 points vs. UCLA, 22 vs. Furman, 17 vs. both Michigan State and in the title game loss to Michigan.
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Now, he heads full-bore into NBA workouts and draft preparation. He’s in a similar boat as Reed: possible late first-round, possible early second-round selection. Karaban was back at UConn a couple of weekends ago for his girlfriend’s graduation and took a lot of questions from Reed, who was preparing for his first NBA Combine.
“I love that kid, I just want to see him succeed,” Karaban said. “We’re both going to be rookies next year, which is new for both of us. Whether we’re on the team or not, (we’ll be) leaning on each other and helping each other out.”