Peers Vote UConn HC Among Top College Coaches
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The hype around UConn Huskies basketball is finally growing. After a slightly disappointing 24-11 season last year, the Huskies look a revamped squad, that is rearing to play. With incoming freshman five-star talent Braylon Mullins and four-stars Eric Reibe and Jacob Furphy, along with three-star Jacob Ross, come four-star transfers Malachi Smith and Silas Demary Jr.
The Huskies have already been touted as a team to watch out for, and head coach Dan Hurley was also recently nominated by coaches from across the nation as one of the best in the business, thanks to Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish’s Candid Coaches series.
“He does a good job with, A) scouting. What he's going to go against. How he plays off his offensive menu. His pace. Style of play,” an unnamed coach said. “And if he has a really good point guard, they're always going to be good. The way he recruits toward his system with shooting is dangerous."
Last season, the Huskies totaled the 41st-best shooting splits in the nation with a 47.5% mark.
"I just think Hurley, or his whole staff, which I'm sure it's all of them, but they call sets on the fly in loud arenas and they execute extremely well,” another coach said.
“That's so hard to me. It's not coming out of a timeout or a dead ball. It's in the middle of game flow. I think it shows how much work they do on all the different reads and sets, because guys seem very flawless in getting from one action to the next. And it's complicated stuff, not just, like, drag ball screens."
Hurley’s squad is 22-12 when playing away from home over the last three regular seasons, and has a career UConn record of 165-69 with two NCAA National Championships in hand.
Hurley came 2nd in overall voting with 18% of the votes from the anonymous coaches. Only Matt Painter of Purdue registered more with 19%.
The Huskies are set to take to the hardwood on November 3rd, with former Division II school New Haven receiving the invitation, and facing the Huskies in Storrs, Conn.
Connor is a recent graduate from the esteemed Sports Media and Analytics program at Virginia Tech. He first found himself writing for recruiting database Rivals.com for just about two years before moving to Virginia Tech On SI. Connor has interviewed some of the highest-ranking members of Virginia Tech Athletics and looks to one day be a full-time writer covering Manchester United, his favorite soccer team.