“I want to chase history”: UConn’s Alex Karaban sets his sight on tremendous college feat

UConn star Alex Karaban has his eyes set on achieving a monumental feat in college basketball: becoming one of the sport's all-time winningest players. Karaban began his redshirt junior year in Storrs with a dominant performance in a win against Sacred Heart on Wednesday.

The Huskies, coming off back-to-back national championships, are pursuing a historical three-peat, a mission that closely aligns with Karaban's personal ambitions.

"I want to chase history," Alex told FOX Sports. "I want to be a part of history, and as a collective group, it's about chasing something that hasn't been done since the Wooden days and, individually, being one of the winningest college players of all time."

Karaban, who missed his first year due to injury, has played 79 games so far for the Huskies, with just three losses last season and eight as a redshirt freshman, totaling 11 losses in his active years.

• Games played: 79
• Wins: 68
• Losses: 11
• Winning percentage: 0.861

Karaban will need to play at least 100 games to enter the winningest players conversation.

Former Gonzaga big man Przemek Karnowski holds the NCAA record for most career wins with 134. Currently at 68 wins, Alex Karaban needs to almost double that count and win at least another 66 more to eclipse that mark.

Coach Hurley’s confidence in Alex Karaban’s leadership pays

Alex Karaban was the only starter who returned to Storrs this summer and Dan Hurley has been positive that the 6-foot-8 forward will step up as a leader for the Huskies this season.

"So we got this guy now, he'll be a three-year starter and the whole program changed a couple years ago when Alex Karaban entered the lineup," Hurley said (via Pat McAfee Show). [7:50 mark]

"This guy is an All-American candidate, a potential Big East player of the year," he continued "he's going to lead us this year both with his production, big-time shooter, versatile offensive player, super smart guy but really gives the group confidence so he's a critical player.

Karaban met Hurley's expectations in UConn's season-opening win against Sacred Heart. He scored 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting, was 5-for-7 from 3-point range, made seven assists and grabbed six rebounds.

Freshman forward Liam McNeelay also had a stellar debut, finishing the game with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds.