“I was actually playing pickup [basketball] with a couple of the players here. I guess the coaches saw me. They knew about me because I was a local kid and they were recruiting me from Niagara.”
Redshirt junior Hunter Sabety has always been under the watchful eye of head coach Joe Mihalich and his staff, originally being recruited by Mihalich while he was at Niagara. Sabety also chose to come play for the Pride because of the possibilities it can give him, as he hopes to play overseas after graduation and possibly play in the NBA one day. “You really have the opportunity here to get better when you really want to,” Sabety said.
The Oceanside, New York, native was an All-State selection and runner-up for the conference player of the year coming out of high school. Sabety was being looked at by local schools in the Northeast region including the likes of Columbia and Iona. Originally not recruited by Hofstra, he chose Tufts because of its strong academic reputation. “Academics is very important to my family so that was really something to consider into my college choice.”
Sabety made an immediate impact as soon as he stepped on campus, starting 35 of 39 games he played in his two years in Massachusetts. He led his team in scoring both years, averaging 14.8 points per game. Also a big defensive presence, Sabety pulled down 6.8 boards and sent away 2.4 blocks per contest. He only appeared in 15 games his sophomore season, as he had a knee injury that sidelined him for eight straight games.
Due to transfer rules, Sabety had to sit out this past season, but will have two more years of eligibility. “It’s just really good to see that after a long year of working hard and working towards the goal,” Sabety said.
“We’re finally coming to a point where you can see a light at the end of the tunnel and see that everything we’re working for thus far is soon to come.”
Unable to do anything on the court, Sabety’s job this season has just been to work hard every day in practice and make the rest of his team better. It has been a change of environment, going from starting every game and being counted on, to being on the sideline cheering on his teammates. Sabety has been working on all facets of his game from shooting mid-range and deeps balls, to his ball handling and post moves.
Right now, Sabety dons the number 33 but hopes to get 42 next season. “I was trying to get 42 because one of my friends who I used to play with got shot and lost his leg and he stopped playing basketball.” Currently, the number 42 belongs to Ibrahim Djambo.
In his free time, Sabety likes to go outdoors and go fishing. He is a psychology major with a minor in business. He also has two sisters, one is older and graduating this semester from the University of Michigan and the other is younger and still in high school.
For next year, Hunter Sabety has one main goal, which is to “do whatever it takes to make the team win.”
