UConn head coach Dan Hurley saluted Alex Karaban following Monday's 69-63 national championship defeat to Michigan.
The redshirt senior was a key starter on the Huskies' previous two title-winning squads, and Hurley credited him for helping put the program back on the map.
"This guy changed my life, the staff's lives, the joy he's brought to the university, the fan base," Hurley told reporters postgame, including ESPN's Myron Medcalf.
"His decision to come to UConn has made us ... we're probably the premier program in college basketball right now, having been to three out of four national championship games, having won two of them. He's put UConn in that rarefied place in college basketball."
Karaban played all 40 minutes in his final collegiate game, tallying a team-high 17 points, 11 boards, two assists, and two steals. The 6-foot-8 forward leaves as the school's all-time leader in wins, games played, and threes made.
Karaban's 18 victories in the NCAA Tournament are tied for the second-most all time, trailing only Duke icon Christian Laettner. He was one win away from becoming the first non-UCLA player and 10th player overall to capture three national championships, according to Josh Dubow of The Associated Press.
Despite coming up short against Michigan, Karaban takes pride in what he accomplished in a Huskies uniform.
"I'm just reminding myself right now that when I came into UConn how much I've grown, and I'm ultimately leaving UConn in a better place right now from where I started," Karaban said.
"I gave it everything I got. I gave it my heart. Now that I'm leaving and for UConn to be one of the best brands in college basketball and to be at the top, I left it better than when it started. I'm most proud of that."
