ROCKY HILL – Dan Hurley likes the UConn men’s basketball team as it currently stands, but he doesn’t love it.
When a fan asked him the question during Thursday’s Middlesex Chamber of Commerce breakfast and heard that as a response, the room went silent.
Hurley continued: “Not right now,” and the room burst into laughter, recognizing the nervousness that is characteristic of the coach before every new season. This year isn’t any different.
“It takes a while to build,” said Hurley, who spoke for about 45 minutes during his annual appearance at the event. “The end product of last year’s team was not how we started. I say it a lot, I know, we were picked closer to fourth in the Big East Preseason Poll than we were third… No one was talking about us in the preseason. I think there was some of these anonymous head coaching polls that gave us a very small percentage of getting back to the Final Four. So, going into the year, no one had any idea that we were gonna play as high a level of basketball as we played.”
As was the case last year, after three starters and two key bench pieces departed, Hurley and his staff were tasked with replacing a number of important players, four of five starters, and building a team that can compete for a national title.
“We’re not spooked by everything that we lost, because we lost so much the year before,” Hurley said.
On Monday, when the team took the court at Mohegan Sun for its exhibition against Rhode Island, the Huskies showed some growing pains but came together for a second-half sprint that UConn fans have gotten used to seeing.
“What I said to the team right after was like, there was enough that we saw to feel good about that we feel like we could do it again this year, but the margins are going to be thinner for us than they were last year,” Hurley said. “We may not be as dominant a team, but we don’t have to be because last year’s team was one of the best teams in the last 25 or 30 years in college, and no team in college is going to be as good this year as we were last year, so it’s not the right measuring stick for us.”
Here is Hurley’s breakdown of the 2024-25 Huskies:
Hassan Diarra, fifth-year guard:
“Hassan Diarra, he’s just a UConn guy, just hard-playing, did I say UConn guy? Just a bulldog type of guard and a guy that was an incredible weapon for us off the bench last year, Sixth Man of the Year in the Big East. Now he’s got a chance to elevate his game and be more productive and give more to the team and be an even bigger reason why we’re successful. His leadership is critical. He’s probably one of the few guys with the personality to be an actual leader in intense huddles, he’s got that type of presence about him so we’re going to need that from him, big time.”
Samson Johnson, senior center:
“Samson has waited his turn in the program. He’s an incredible weapon on offense, an awesome human being. He’s like an athletic freak and he allows us to do so many things on offense when he’s in the game, just opens up the court for our drivers and our shooters. He is going to have to answer questions about being able to anchor down and defensive rebound and protect the rim the way that Donovan (Clingan) was able to, so we’re betting heavy that he’s going to be able to do that. And then we’re gonna do some different things tactically to keep him from being exposed that way.”
Alex Karaban, redshirt junior forward:
“Karaban – I mean our whole program changed when Alex entered into the building, so we owe so much of our success to, not only what Alex does for us as an organizer, problem solver and player on the court, but just his work ethic and seriousness about his craft, it changes your locker room and your organization when you bring real people in like that, real serious people.
“Alex is going into an interesting season here where he’s got to play like an All-American for us, and then he has the chance to do things that haven’t been done by a college player… Alex is going for things that very few college players have had the chance to go for. In terms of what he can accomplish, literally he could walk away from this year potentially and say, ‘I had the greatest three-year run of any player in 50 years, and maybe the greatest run of any player in the history of UConn.’ So that would be something that is pretty significant.”
Dom Amore: Bringing out best version of Aidan Mahaney will be a key to UConn men’s success
Aidan Mahaney, junior guard:
“Aidan’s performance the other night (17 points in the exhibition) was encouraging. No matter where these guys are coming from, it’s a unique experience to play at UConn. The pressure and the level of the standard is extreme and then you mix me into the equation… I mean, it’s demanding and it can be overwhelming. I think Aidan’s kind of gotten through the overwhelming part and now he’s heading for that part where he’s just really finding that the way we practice and train prepares you for the games. I think he saw the impact of that the other night where the practices were so grueling that that exhibition felt pretty nice for him.”
Tarris Reed Jr., junior center:
“Tarris was a tale of two halves, a Charles Dickens type of scenario for him (during the exhibition)… Tarris, you can see the physical attributes, that’s what attracted us to him when he was at Michigan. There were some, like, inefficiencies at Michigan that we felt like we could coach out of him because he’s got really outstanding physical attributes and he’s a great guy. He’s smart and he’s got a great personality and he’s alive every day, so we feel like we could really get him and Samson and turn them into a formidable tandem inside.”
Solo Ball, Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross, sophomores:
“We bet heavy on them. I think more in line with what most college programs are doing right now is like, sacrifice younger player development and culture and just go portal, portal, portal, get old, old, old. I think a lot of people in our situation having a three-peat at stake might have just sacrificed those guys and said, ‘Let’s go get old guys…’ The sophomore class is critical for us, so we believe in them.
“Solo, I thought he looked great the other night (18 points in exhibition) and then you could see the flashes from Jaylin Stewart, Jayden Ross – those guys will keep getting better the whole year, too. What you saw Jordan Hawkins do in March of his sophomore year was very different than what you saw in November and December with Jordan, and parts of January. Those guys will keep getting better the entire year and then by the time we get to like that money time in March and April, those guys will be playing like juniors and I think it’s gonna be a great thing.”
Liam McNeeley, freshman forward:
“Liam, I think there’s going to be few freshman that will play as well as him. You did not see the best version of him (in the exhibition), he was hyperventilating next to me during the anthem. He’s already pretty high-strung and the last thing he needs to do is be like (Hurley imitated McNeeley’s breathing). I was looking at him like, ‘You gotta calm down, buddy.’
“I just think he’s got to be able to get his emotions, kind of control of his nerves because he wants it so bad and he works so hard and he’s like so invested and he’s excellent. I mean, he’s the best freshman that we’ve brought in in terms of how good he is right now, and I think there’s few young players in the country that can match his all-around ability. He’s just got to learn how to handle that game situation and be intense enough, but not over the top where he can’t perform. He might’ve worked himself up a little too much the other night.”
Youssouf Singare, sophomore center:
“Youssouf was good the other night, I think Youssouf showed some flashes of improvement which is great. He’s an incredibly hard worker and he’s got an awesome spirit. I mean, he’s like a beloved guy. You applaud him for basically anything that he does, right Tom (Moore)? Some of it’s unwarranted too, like we go over the top, but that’s because he’s a sweetheart of a guy and he plays with a lot of energy.”
Isaiah Abraham and Ahmad Nowell, freshmen:
“They’re trying to battle their way into the top eight, top nine of a really talented rotation. Those guys are really good players, they’re just young players that are developing. They’re going through what Solo went through last year, J-Ross, Jaylin Stewart, they’re going through what Samson went through in younger stages of his career. It’s hard to get on the court right now at UConn. You’ve got to be on point, but those two guys have great futures with us and we’re going to work really hard to develop them.”
