Storrs — Kevin Ollie strongly encourages his Huskies to challenge each other.

Not just on the court, off the court, too.

"We have an open policy of challenging here," Ollie, who's entering his fourth season as UConn head coach, "so any time you can get challenged. You can't take it personally.

"... That's what I've been preaching. I'm on them at all times."

Ollie delivered his message Saturday during UConn's first official basketball practice of the 2015-16 season. The Huskies started out in Guyer Gymnasium and finished at the Werth Family UConn Basketball Champions Center.

Sterling Gibbs, a graduate student and former Seton Hall point guard, is one of several newcomers receiving his UConn basketball education.

He's quickly discovered that Ollie is all about accountability.

"It's a big part of being good," Gibbs said. "You have to hold everyone accountable. It's a brotherhood and you can't be scared to tell your brother if he's doing something wrong.

"That's one of the things that he's really pushing for us, pushing for us to speak up and really challenge each other in practice and make each other better."

Challenging is a good word to sum up Saturday's demanding first practice.

The Huskies strapped jagged boulders to their backs and ran through hot coals for a couple of hours.

Okay, it wasn't that bad.

But the workout certainly took a physical toll.

"That was the toughest thing I've ever been through," Gibbs said. "Right now, I can't even feel my legs."

Ollie praised his team's effort.

"It was a good first day of practice," Ollie said. "Now we'll just keep building on it. I think I've got a real great group in this gym."

"... We did a great job in the offseason of preparing them for this. A lot of guys got challenged today but they got through it, which is great to see."

It's already clear that this is Ollie's kind of team. The Huskies are talented, deep and versatile, and not afraid of hard work. They're determined to return to the NCAA tournament after falling short last season.

The first step toward achieving their goals is to do things the UConn Way.

"The one thing that I really focused on today is don't rush the process, but trust it," Ollie said. "So many people want to rush it.

"We're not going to be perfect in one day. We're not going to win a championship the first day but we're going to establish some principles that we want to live by."

Ollie added those principals are defending, rebounding, running and executing.

And, if a player messes up during a box-out drill or fails to touch the line during sprints, it's up to a teammate to point out the mistake.

"That's when we've got a total team," Ollie said. "I want a total team." 

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe