Early Work In Progress

UConn center Hasheem Thabeet, didn't sleep much Tuesday night.

The Huskies defeated Rutgers 79-61 in Piscataway, N.J., hopped on a bus and didn't arrive in Storrs until nearly 3 a.m.

Yet there was Thabeet Wednesday morning at 7:30 at Gampel Pavilion for an hourlong workout with graduate student manager Justin Evanovich. UConn did not practice Wednesday, but Thabeet broke an early sweat.

"Going 0-for-7 probably was good," associate head coach George Blaney said. "He got some extra work in."

For the first time this season, Hasheem Thabeet, did not make a field goal Tuesday. He was, as usual, a defensive force with six blocks, but he could not convert in the paint despite several touches and six offensive rebounds. This is not the first time Thabeet has been an offensive liability, nor will it probably be the last, but he is addressing the issue.

On the ride home, Thabeet sent Evanovich a text message that read, "7:30 tomorrow?"

So Evanovich, who has been around the program in different capacities since becoming a walk-on in 2002, didn't get much sleep either. He rebounded as Thabeet worked in semicircles around the basket, shooting from nine different spots. Thabeet went until he made 300 shots. This was all in the first 20 minutes or so. The rest of the time was spent on post moves and ball-handling.

There is a reason for Thabeet's shortcomings. He has played the sport for just five years. He's still more comfortable juggling a soccer ball, which he did growing up in Tanzania, than he is dribbling a basketball. One might wonder why, at 7 feet 3, he can dominate one night (career highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds against Georgia Tech) and fizzle other nights. But Thabeet is still getting a grasp on fundamentals and nuances. He's still developing muscle, still maturing, still building confidence.

"He's starting to understand better some of the things he has to do, and he talks about it," Blaney said. "He's becoming more of a presence."

Blaney recognizes Thabeet has much work to do, but also that Thabeet, 21, is a drastically different player than he was last season, when he went without a field goal in seven games. His scoring average is up from 6.2 to 10.5.

That doesn't mean he's ready for the NBA, even if he is projected as a first-round pick if he declares for the draft this year. That doesn't mean there is no more work to be done. Last year, Thabeet often thought of extra work as punishment. Jim Calhoun once told him, "I'm only trying to make you millions of dollars."

It's a misunderstanding on Thabeet's part that is similar to him sometimes appearing offended by questions posed to him about opposing players. He is sensitive and sometimes defensive, still learning the sport's culture as much as the sport.

And he's still learning to dribble properly.

"The dribble has got to be a harder dribble or what we call a 'crab dribble,' where you pound it with two hands between your legs," Blaney said. "That's the one we like, because it helps you elevate also."

The UConn staff, including Calhoun, has put in extra time with Thabeet. Blaney has long X's and O'x chats with him. Evanovich does a lot of repetition work with Thabeet. Assistant coach Patrick Sellers always has a task or videotape ready.

Sellers recently asked Thabeet to spend five extra minutes a day with him. He gives Thabeet one assignment a day. Recently, the job was to watch one highlight over and over, one of Julius Erving palming the ball and dunking. Sellers knows Thabeet's hands are just as big, wants them just as strong and wants to show Thabeet what can be accomplished.

"He's so talented," Sellers said. "He just hasn't played the sport. Give me a soccer ball, put me at the highest level, see how I do. It's amazing what he can become."

Earlier this season, Sellers had Thabeet sticking his hands in buckets of sand and clenching. Other days, Sellers will simply have Thabeet dribble forcefully for five consecutive minutes. He works on having Thabeet "chin" the ball, in which he keeps the ball high to his body in the post.

It is all focused on making Thabeet better offensively. Defense comes naturally.

"The amount of domination he is having is startling because of all the shots that are being missed, not even the ones he's blocking," Blaney said.

Thabeet has impeccable timing while blocking shots. This leads those around him to believe he will ultimately show the same precision in other areas — even if it's a few years down the road. Right now, he's not ready to play against any NBA center. That doesn't mean there aren't millions of dollars waiting.

For now, Thabeet continues to learn basics most of his teammates were taught in AAU ball by the time they were 12.

Being assertive and gaining good position sometimes isn't enough. A post player needs to recognize when defensive switches and double-teams are coming, when the ball is about to be reversed, how to anticipate.

"He's got a ways to go," Sellers said. "But you can see the difference in him already. You're going to have nights like [Tuesday]."

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