Hasheem Thabeet said he was only joking when he made comments about Notre Dame's Luke Harangody and North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough that made the front cover of this week's ESPN The Magazine.

Here's what Hash told the mag: "I played Luke Harangody and he was not tough. Tyler Hansbrough? I don’t see nothing."

But after practice today, Thabeet indicated that he wasn't serious.

"When (the reporter) asked me that question, I thought she was joking around," he said. "I respect them, they're good players, they've got their game, I'm happy for them. It was a joke question, and I answered it the way I wanted to answer."

Thabeet added: "She asked me, 'Who is the toughest player you played this year.' I thought she was joking, so I said I played against Luke Harangody and I wouldn't say he was the toughest player, but he was making shots, he's a good player and a good person. Then she asked me what about Tyler Hansbrough, and I said I didn't play him so I don't know anything about him, but he's a good player, he was the national player of the year last year, so I think he plays pretty well."

Thabeet also said in the magazine interview that there wasn't anyone in the country who was a better center than him, only more experienced. But he wouldn't proclaim himself the nation's best center today.

"I'm getting better every day. I work hard every time. I don't rate myself where I am right now. I want one day to be thought of as the best center in the country, so I'll just keep working hard."

(P.S. -- Can anyone name the band that recorded the song "I Started A Joke"?)