UCONN's Big Man Hasheem Thabeet on the Cover of ESPN The Magazine's College Hoops Preview Issue

For the first time in a decade, four of the top big men in the country decided to return to college without even testing NBA draft waters. Hasheem Thabeet (cover athlete) of UCONN, Tyler Hansbrough of UNC, Luke Harangody of Notre Dame and Blake Griffin of Oklahoma all came back for another year, and will make outsized contributions to their teams. In the new issue of ESPN The Magazine, on sale Friday, November 7th, writers Luke Cyphers and Elena Bergeron go one on one in "Massive Returns," with the big men on their decision to stay in school and to chase one more year of Madness. Thabeet: "I study players from back in the day a?" Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Real Bigs cannot just overpower people. I want to have skills."Thabeet on big man competition: "Nobody's better than me, only more experienced. I played Luke Harangody and he was not tough. Tyler Hansbrough? I don't see nothing."Hansbrough on toughest big man f...