"Toughness, physicality and on-ball defense" - Dan Hurley showers praise on freshman Ahmad Nowell, lists his best attributes 

After two back-to-back championships, the pressure is on Dan Hurley and his UConn Huskies to prepare for the upcoming basketball season. After losing four starters to the NBA draft and college eligibility, coach Hurley has put together a talented squad with freshman recruits and transfer portal additions.

One of his 2024 recruits, Ahmad Nowell, has shown a lot of promise during the practice sessions this summer. During his media availability on Friday, coach Hurley commented on his new point guard:

"Toughness, physicality in the guard spot, [and] on-ball defense. ...The best he played this summer was definitely in the open practice. That's always a thing too. Like, when the lights come on, that's a nice thing to see, a guy level up his performance."

Ahmad Nowell was a three-year starter at Imhotep Charter High School and won three state titles with the team. He was named Class 5A Player of the Year in his senior year and was selected for the First Team All-State pick in Pennsylvania.

The guard had previously practiced with the Huskies during his recruiting visits. However, it was not close to the real deal, he said.

“It was probably eight times harder just being able to embrace everything that’s going on, the coaching and the pressure that your teammates are putting on you and being able to settle in and be the player that your coach recruited you to be,” Nowell said (via The Day).

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Dan Hurley shares the progress report for the new additions to the roster

In the offseason, coach Dan Hurley added Aidan Mahaney and Tarris Reed Jr. from the transfer portal. Liam McNeeley, Ahmad Nowell and Isaiah Abraham are the freshman recruits who will be making their debut this fall.

Besides Nowell, Dan Hurley also gave his assessment of Mahaney and Reed.

“With Aidan and Tarris, they just got used to our pace and how hard we practice and the tempo and the fact there’s basically no fouls called and it’s so physical,” Hurley said (via The Day). “That’s like great preparation for the Big East. The conditions are so stressful, the games feel a little bit easier for our guys overall.

Coach Hurley also spoke about his freshman recruits, saying that they were also acclimating themselves to the new playing style.

"That’s all we’re really trying to get across, how we practice, how we compete, how relentless we play, offensively how we want to move the ball and share the ball and our transition game," he said. "Then to focus on the things that are important to us. We led the country last year in 3s and dunks. We want to keep dunking and hitting 3s.”

Dan Hurley and his team will be looking for a three-peat in the upcoming season. While they have the talent for it, the road to a title is going to be hard, especially against stacked teams like Alabama and Kansas.