UConn HC Praises Veteran Guard Despite Butchered Opportunities

The UConn Huskies tipped off their 2025–26 season with a 77–59 win over New Haven. Despite the team having 10 returners, the match wasn’t all smooth sailing. The Huskies controlled the game from the jump, building early leads behind Alex Karaban’s 19-point double-double and Solo Ball’s versatile 18-point outing.

It was a night of firsts, the Division I debut for the Chargers and the official UConn debut for newcomers Silas Demary Jr., Eric Reibe, Malachi Smith, Alec Millender and Dwayne Koroma. However, it was also a reminder that even elite teams have some early-season rust to shake off.

Still, amid the buckets and the occasional missed layup, Dan Hurley saw exactly what he wanted from one of his most trusted veterans. In fact, he broke it down in the postgame media address.

Dan Hurley Sees the Bigger Picture in Solo Ball’s Start

If one is looking at the box score alone, then Solo Ball’s 18 points and five rebounds might look like business as usual for one of UConn’s most experienced guards. However, Hurley’s postgame tone revealed a mix of praise and perspective.

“Well, I mean, you know, Solo has not shot it well in the exhibitions, and then tonight,” Hurley said after the game. “But I thought he set that off to start the game with the way he attacked the rim, just with no shot blocking out there for them.”

For Hurley, it wasn’t about how many shots Solo Ball made; it was about how he played. The junior guard had five rebounds and a team-high three steals in 33 minutes, attacking relentlessly even as his jumper betrayed him.

Ball went just 4-for-14 from the field and 3-for-10 from deep, but he compensated by going a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line and consistently setting the tone with his aggression. Still, that aggression came with a cost.

UConn as a team shot 48.2 percent from the floor but left plenty on the rim, going just 13-for-31 in the first half before finally finding rhythm after halftime. Hurley, of course, noticed. “I was probably more disappointed in what we did at the rim, the amount of layups we missed,” he said. “We just butchered opportunities.”

The Huskies dominated the glass 40–25 and outscored New Haven 36–30 in the paint, but they could’ve widened that gap even more had they converted easier looks. That “we’ll shoot it well enough” line was pure Hurley, confident but demanding.

Ball, now entering his junior season, has come a long way from being a spot-up shooter off the bench. After averaging just over 3 points as a freshman, he exploded for 14.4 per game last season, earning Second Team All–BIG EAST honors.

Ball also earned national recognition for his 41.4 percent clip from three-point range. However, the New Haven game showed another side, the attacking, physical guard that Hurley has been pushing him to become. And this transformation didn’t come out of nowhere.

Ball’s preseason showed glimpses of it. He had 12 points against Boston College, then a team-high 18 versus Michigan State. Hurley also hinted at how Ball’s aggressiveness will fit into a new offensive structure.

Inside Dan Hurley’s New Blueprint

With freshman center Eric Reibe still finding his footing and Tarris Reed Jr. working his way back from a hamstring injury, Hurley knows his frontcourt is still a work in progress. Reibe, in his official UConn debut, made all three of his field goal attempts and added a rebound, block, and steal in just 18 minutes.

Hurley called him “developing,” but the 7-footer’s touch and mobility around the rim hinted at long-term upside. Dwayne Koroma, meanwhile, had four rebounds and added a pair of steals, but went just 1-for-4 from the floor.

Hurley acknowledged that while Koroma isn’t a “throw-it-to-him” scorer yet, his energy on both ends keeps UConn’s tempo high and its defensive identity intact. And that’s where Reed’s return could shift everything.

Reed was on a “game-time decision” going into the season opener and is expected to anchor the offense once fully healthy. Hurley made it clear how pivotal Reed will be.

“Tarris is going to solve a lot of offensive issues,” he said. “By having a guy that’s going to have the ball in his hands every other possession, or every third possession, we’ll create better threes," he said.

In Hurley’s system, that inside-out balance is non-negotiable. Once Reed reclaims his spot in the paint and Reibe’s confidence catches up to his frame, guards like Ball will find themselves surrounded by cleaner looks and better rhythm.

So, yes, UConn “butchered opportunities” at the rim, but in the bigger picture, it looked like a team building layers, not losing polish. The veteran guard attacked, the young bigs learned, and the Huskies once again opened their season with a win, making it Hurley’s eighth straight at UConn, and his fifteenth in sixteen years as a head coach.

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