HAPPY AND RELIEVED

When the UConn team unveiled itself, and Hasheem Thabeet — the 7-foot-3 wonder kid drawing comparisons to the dominance of Emeka Okafor — stepped onto the court at First Night festivities, there was a sign held up by a fan that read: “I Dream of Hasheem.”
Well, after having his eligibility issues cleared up, it’s apparent Thabeet feels the same way about UConn. He’s happy to be here, happy to be getting an education and even happier to be playing basketball.
Thabeet met with the media Tuesday, discussing everything from the difference between life in the States vs. Africa and what it felt like to tell his mom — still back in Tanzania — that he’d be playing for the Huskies this season. I know the NCAA gets a lot of grief for supposedly making plenty of poor decisions when it comes to kids, but it looks as if the powers that be got it right this time.
So for all the UConn fans out there, the dream of Hasheem is stronger than ever.