UConn Hasheem Thabeet Enters 2009 NBA Draft: The upcoming 2009 NBA Draft promises to be stacked with plenty of gifted talent from top to bottom. The latest big-name player to announce his move to enter the upcoming 2009 NBA Draft is UConn Huskies’ Hasheem Thabeet.
On Tuesday afternoon, the 7-foot-3 center said that he made the decision after speaking to family, friends and Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun. 
"I have had a great experience at Connecticut and cannot thank my coaches and teammates enough," Thabeet said.
"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."
The school also released a statement in which Calhoun called Thabeet "one of the most dominant defensive players in the history of college basketball," and said he believes he is ready to make the move to the NBA. "Hasheem is more than ready to make the move to the next level," Calhoun said. "… I am certain that wherever he ends up in the NBA, he is ready to be equally successful.
"He is a special player and even more special as a person. He will truly be remembered as one of the great players in UConn history, not only for his accomplishments, but also because of the type of person he is."
Thabeet is a two-time, Big East Defensive Player of the Year award recipient. In his collegiate career he averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game. Last season Thabeet helped UConn achieve a 31-5 record, as the Huskies advance all the way to the 2009 NCAA Final Four.
