UConn HC Dan Hurley details the critical roles Tarris Reed Jr., Aidan Mahaney and others must play for another big season 

Since the last championship game in April, Dan Hurley's roster has gone through some major changes. Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan have cut their stay at Storrs short as they were drafted into the NBA. Castle went at No 3 to the San Antonio Spurs and Clingan was picked seventh overall by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Graduate seniors Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton exhausted their college eligibility, leaving Alex Karaban as the only returning starter. Coach Hurley has since added more pieces to the roster from the transfer portal and freshman recruits.

In an interview with an interview on 'College Hoops Today' with Jon Rothstein, Dan Hurley explained the role that these new additions will play.

"We’re going to need minutes from all these guys," he said. "Tarris (Reed) has to give us that one-two punch at center with Samson (Johnson). Unlike a lot of programs in both the NBA and college, the center position has been very important for us both offensively and defensively. He’s critical."

"Aidan (Mahaney) is probably one of the most important guards in the country this year in terms of what we need from him," Coach Hurley added. "We need the level of his guard play to be comparable to what we had with Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer last season."

In his sophomore season with Saint Mary's, Mahaney averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists. From the 2024 recruiting class, Hurley has added Liam McNeeley, Ahmad Nowell and Isaiah Abraham. He said:

"We need Liam McNeeley to be an anti five-star freshman like Steph Castle was. We need him to have humility and the ability to do whatever we need on a nightly basis. Liam is going to be a critical guy for us as well."

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Dan Hurley reveals an important recruitment criteria

In order to fulfill their dreams of becoming a Husky, a potential recruit's chances rely not just on their talents but on their family as well. After winning his second championship, Dan Hurley was asked what is a set requirement for his potential players. He said:

"There's measurable talents you have to have -- the height, the speed, the skill set. But we spend a lot of time really focusing on the parents."

"Are they going to be fans of their son or are they going to be parents? Are they going to hold them accountable, have an expectation that when something goes wrong that it's not the coach's fault? That their son's got to work harder, he's got to do more, he's got to earn his role."

This method seems to have worked for Hurley and his staff as they managed to win the two championships with completely new rosters. Maybe they can do it a third time as well?

What are your expectations and predictions for the new recruits? Let us know in the comment section below.