Hasheem Thabeet

Hasheem Thabeet (born Hashim Thabit Manka on 16 February 1987) is a Tanzanian professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for Connecticut before being drafted second overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.\n', '

Thabeet did not begin to play basketball until the age of 15, when he began to watch pick-up games in Tanzania. When first recruited from Tanzania, Thabeet was fluent in Swahili but knew little English. He played high school basketball at Cypress Christian School in Houston, Texas where he graduated in 2006.\n', '

As a freshman for the Connecticut Huskies, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 blocks per game. On 3 December 2006, Thabeet tied a UConn record for blocks in a game with 10. Thabeet was named to the 2007 All-Big East Rookie Team, along with teammate Jerome Dyson.\n', '