“He's as ready as any freshman that's come in”: UConn HC Dan Hurley drops candid take on Liam McNeeley's start to life with Huskies

Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies have been training hard for the upcoming season in hopes of repeating last year's historic success. The championship-winning roster has seen a few changes with Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton leaving.

Coach Hurley has since added Aidan Mahaney and Tarris Reed Jr. from the transfer portal, along with Liam McNeeley from high school. McNeeley had previously committed to Indiana but decommitted after coach Mike Woodson extended his stay. Hurley spoke to the media recently and was asked about the rookie. He said:

"Mature approach. Liam's offensive game is impressive. It's not flawless, there's areas where he's going to have to improve. But his readiness for this, the work ethic, the shooting, the ability to get to the rim is better than we thought.

"His defensive end, rebounding, some of the toughness, winning play things we're going to have to get squared away. Because we can't allow any of the freshmen to make us lose because of that stuff. But, he's as ready as any freshman that's come in."

A No. 10 overall prospect, Liam McNeeley is currently injured as he sprained his ankle on July 4. However, he is expected to make a quick recovery as he will play a crucial role as a freshman.

In his senior year at Montverde Academy, McNeeley averaged 12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals. Ahmad Nowell and Isaiah Abraham are the other freshmen on the roster.

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Dan Hurley officially signs a six-year contract extension with UConn

On Monday, the UConn Huskies and Dan Hurley signed a $50 million-worth contract extension. This comes after Hurley was reportedly offered the coaching position worth $70 million by the LA Lakers.

Along with Hurley, his coaching staff also received extensions and a hike in their pay. The bigger part of the deal was negotiating the right deal for this staff as well. This, Dan Hurley explained, was because:

"It is hard to put together a staff because there aren't a lot of people who can work for me, just the intensity of how we go about our business and the way we run our program. It is a different intensity level."

"I am tough on the people who play for me and work for me. I am demanding, so it is always hard for me to find people to hire."

After two back-to-back title, Hurley and UConn's entire focus right now is on ensuring a third. With it, the Huskies would join the UCLA Bruins as the only programs to achieve a three-peat.

What do you think of Dan Hurley's contract extension and his comments on McNeeley? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.