STORRS – Adjusting to UConn’s style and standards is a process.
It began immediately for Dan Hurley and his staff as six new players came in from high school and the transfer portal, but with so much infusion, “championship-level” or “bulletproof” status won’t be achieved that fast.
Tarris Reed Jr., the center from Michigan who’s trying to model himself after Adama Sanogo, is embracing every minute of it. He played well in his debut but was called out by his head coach for his attention to detail during Saturday’s game, immediately after and again on Tuesday.
“The process of it all, it’s such a beautiful thing,” Reed said Tuesday, before going to play a few notes on his saxophone. “The Lord put me in this position to struggle, to suffer, to have joy and patience. It’s hard at times, but you look back to where I was in the summer to now, I mean, there’s been some dark times… I feel like going through the process – the good, the bad and the ugly – and then in the end, you see yourself as a monster.”
How far is Reed from becoming a monster?
“Very far away,” he said. “I’m far away, but I know Coach, I have faith and I trust that I’m here for a reason, and this coaching staff can get me there. If I just lock in, develop new habits, get rid of my old habits and really buy into what the coaching staff is telling me to do, I feel like I can get there.”
UConn’s entire unit – far from monster status, too – is going through a similar process. It is regular at this point of the season, but can’t persist as the schedule heats up and the target on the team’s back grows.
The early buy games are for making adjustments, testing out lineups and concepts that may or may not work. UConn didn’t have an efficient first half against New Hampshire, but came together in the second for a 39-point win their last time out on Saturday.
“We’ve got a long way to go, defensively, offensively, for where we want to be, just like most teams in the country are experiencing,” Hurley said. “As we’re trying to develop our identity and establish roles and rotations, and exactly how we’re gonna play it, we gotta be able to win games by being tough and well-prepared and doing winning things until we actually get good at basketball. Which, right now, we’re not.”
UConn will return to Hartford on Wednesday hoping for a more cohesive start as they welcome in Le Moyne, which Hurley says reminds him of his own team with its offensive ability.
The Dolphins (1-2), who just moved to Division I last season, led Syracuse at halftime of their opener at the JMA Wireless Dome and made two 3-pointers in the final minute to keep the score within one. But the Dolphins turned the ball over down two with six seconds left and Chris Bell put the 86-82 win away for the Orange with a pair of free throws.
Headed by fifth-year coach Nate Champion, Le Moyne prides itself on offensive efficiency and has averaged 28.3 attempts from beyond the arc through three games this season, making 32.9%.
“They remind you of the way we play,” Hurley said. “Play really hard, just really, really good offense, really good schemes, really good offensive players, I think just everyone on the court is a really good offensive player for them… By far the best offensive team we will have played against. I just like watching them play. I always love playing against people that you think are really good on offense, I’ve got a lot of respect for how they play.”
The Dolphins don’t have a traditional big man and were outrebounded 45-29 as they lost their second game of the year to Cal State Northridge, before lighting up Division III SUNY Poly, 107-72 on Saturday.
UConn’s defense, an area of particular focus at this point, will be tested at some level by the smart, fast-moving offense of Le Moyne.
“We don’t have to see March-level, championship-level, deep run in the NCAA Tournament-level defense. There’s a lot of teams that aren’t there – 99% of teams are not there – but we just need to see growth,” Hurley said. “I mean, we need to see significant growth guarding the ball, transition defense, and then awareness of our scheme – both ends of the court, really, it’s not just defense.”
What to know
Site: XL Center, Hartford
Time: 7 p.m.
Records: UConn: 2-0, Le Moyne: 1-2
Series: First ever meeting.
TV: FS1 – John Fanta, Jim Spanarkel
Radio: Fox Sports 97-9 – Bob Joyce, Wayne Norman
Pregame reading:
