After winning two back-to-back championships, UConn coach Dan Hurley is preparing for a three-peat in the upcoming season. The Huskies lost Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle to the 2024 NBA draft along with Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton to college eligibility.
With Alex Karaban as the only championship-winning returning starter, Hurley has an uphill task of pulling together another talented roster. College basketball analyst Adam Zagoria, during an appearance on the "Locked On UConn" podcast on Sunday, shared that recruiting shouldn't be a problem for the Naismith Coach of the Year.
"I'm not sure if he needs any other Bona Fides or benefits or pick up lines or whatever in recruiting to get players. So I think he is in good shape," Zagoria said.
For the upcoming season, UConn has added Tarris Reed Jr. and Aidan Mahaney from the transfer portal. The Huskies also welcome Liam McNeeley, Ahmad Nowell and Isaiah Abraham from the 2024 recruiting class.
Dan Hurley reveals his secret to back-to-back success
Coach Dan Hurley's two championships came with new rosters that had little NCAA Tournament experience. Donovan Clingan, who led the Huskies to the win this year, performed poorly in the 2022-23 season. Stephon Castle was a freshman, while Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton were graduate senior transfers.
Despite the hurdles that come with coaching new rosters, Dan Hurley has managed to do it largely because he has a team that listens to him and delivers everything he asks.
“We’ve got a real old-school culture here of accountability. I’m an old-school coach in terms of the tone that I take with my players in practice. The expectations I take with effort, the focus on winning and ‘we’ over ‘me.'” (via New York Post)
Donovan Clingan attested to this during his interview with the Portland Trail Blazers, who drafted the center at No. 3. Clingan largely played in the post and was the primary rim protector at UConn. This meant that he focused more on 2-pointers than taking shots from deep.
However, at the post-draft interview, the center said he was ready to be a knock-down 3-point shooter. Portland coach Chauncey Billups further explained that Clingan's shooting surprised the team at the pre-draft workouts.
"When I was interviewing him, I just said, 'You are such a great shooter, why didn't you shoot more?" Billups said. "'I just wanted to do what coach needed me to do to win.' And to me, that's just a winner."
What do you think of the UConn Huskies' chances in the upcoming season? Let us know in the comments section below.
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