Thabeet watched the June draft and admits to being "amazed at who got drafted." He figures his chances of getting selected early were quite good, "but at the end of the day, I thought I made a wise decision. Things are going to work out for me."

Huskies assistant coach Patrick Sellers once told the story that when Thabeet first arrived at UConn, he believed extra work after practice was reserved for punishing slackers. Thabeet had to be convinced of the need to spend extra time improving, kind of like a first-semester student who must learn it helps to pull the occasional all-nighter.

That's no longer an issue. For the second straight summer, Thabeet attended the LeBron James Skills Academy and showed evidence of an offseason spent attacking the weaknesses in his game. He admits to being nervous at the camp last summer because of "all this big exposure" in competing against eventual first-round choices Brook Lopez, his twin brother, Robin, and Jason Thompson of Rider. "This year, I came out and played basketball," Thabeet says. "I know I can do a lot of stuff that I worked on, and I came out and showed it."

ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas, who coached the college big men at the LeBron camp, is impressed by how well Thabeet accepts coaching. "He looks you in the eye," Bilas says. "And he's competitive. He never shied away from anything.

"I think he could be a better pro than a college player, and I rarely say this. They're all or mostly man-to-man in that league, so he's not going to get crowded like he does in a college game."

The biggest obstacle for Thabeet has been getting comfortable on offense when defenders are muscling him. Because he is so big, most opponents have little choice but to hope physical play will deter him. As his lower body grows stronger, as his confidence blooms, that tactic becomes less effective.

"A lot of people were saying he would go to the league, but knowing Hasheem, I never expected him to make the jump knowing he wasn't ready," Price says. "He works so hard, wants to be so good. He didn't want to go to the NBA coming off somebody's bench playing a few minutes a game.

"He wants to be great. That's what really separates him from everybody else. He's not your average 7-3 guy."

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