UConn's Return To The Big East Already Having A Major Impact On The Program
Despite being in the middle of a pandemic – and with sports fans unsure of when they will be able to gather in large groups again at games – there was a bit of a rush on Connecticut men’s basketball season tickets when they went on sale earlier this week.
Head coach Dan Hurley isn’t surprised.
The school’s move back to the Big East, where it was a founding member in 1979 and later a dominant force before leaving for the American Conference in 2013, has had a perceptible impact throughout the program, from the fans to the returning players to even the coach, a former Big East player.
“I would say the biggest thing I’ve noticed immediately is how it really re-energized our fan base,” said Hurley, a 1,000-point scorer at Seton Hall during his playing days. “The American Conference is a great league but from the standpoint of geography, history and renewing some old rivalries, getting back into the Big East has been a game-changer for us, especially for the fans.”
The biggest impact of all, though, may be on the recruiting front.
Hurley has reeled in a Top 20 recruiting class nationally, snatching away from Syracuse 6-6 Andre Jackson, a four-star recruit from Albany, N.Y. Syracuse coaches have been babysitting Jackson for years.
He also landed coveted big man Adama Sanogo of the Patrick School in Elizabeth, N.J. – Seton Hall’s backyard. The 6-9, 240-pound Sanogo, also a four-star recruit, appeared to be Hall-bound until Hurley – who will now compete with his alma mater in the Big East – managed to persuade him come to Storrs instead.
He completed his recruiting class with 6-11, 230-pound center Javonte Brown-Ferguson, who was attracting major attention on the national recruiting front.
Despite its various permutations through the years the Big East is still the Big East when it comes to basketball. The brand matters.
“If you’re recruiting a kid from New Jersey you can make the case to his family that if he comes to UConn and plays in the Big East they can watch 15 of his regular season conference games,” Hurley said. “Obviously, Creighton, Butler, Marquette, Xavier and DePaul are too far to drive to. But when you look at Villanova, Seton Hall, Providence, St. John’s and Georgetown you’re talking about games that are certainly within driving distance for that player’s family.
“So being back in the Big East has definitely had an impact on recruiting.”
Just having old Big East rivals St. John’s, Villanova, Seton Hall, Providence and Georgetown back on the schedule as conference opponents has ratcheted up the fans’ excitement level at a program that has four national titles to its credit.
The American never came close to providing anything like that. It also doesn’t have the history the Big East does. That still resonates with recruits and fans.
Then there’s the end-of-season payoff: The Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, just the way UConn fans and players remember it to be.
“There’s nothing like the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden,” said Hurley, who has a solid nucleus returning from a 19-12 team a year ago. “The fans know that, the players know that and it’s a big part of the basketball tradition at Connecticut. It’s the best college basketball tournament in the country. And now we’re back to being part of it.”