UConn’s Hurley, Auriemma have developed a friendship that helps each other succeed
Storrs — When Dan Hurley arrived in Storrs in 2018, he compared the state of the struggling UConn men’s program to the successful women’s team.
It was a humbling feeling.
Hurley, the men’s coach, drew motivation from coach Geno Auriemma’s women’s team, which has 11 national championships to its credit.
“I used Geno to help me,” Hurley said. “I think peer pressure is a great thing. It was really humbling when we first got here. … Just where their basketball organization was compared to ours was a great motivator.
“Because it’s uncomfortable when you share a building with people and your level was nowhere near theirs at the time. There was a little sense of embarrassment to it. I don’t know if a lot of it was necessarily our doing because we were off somewhere else.”
In his first six seasons as head coach, Hurley has elevated the men’s program to new heights, winning back-to-back national championships for the first time and raising the overall title total to six.
“We’ve obviously been able to build something that you’re now proud of,” Hurley said.
Hurley will be attempting to lead his Huskies to a three-peat, something that hasn’t been done since UCLA pulled it off in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Auriemma already is in the three-peat club. In fact, the women’s program won four straight national titles from 2013-16, topping their run of three straight from 2002-04.
There’s plenty of preseason buzz around the two programs this fall.
Both teams are legitimate national championship contenders. They’re both ranked in the top three in the Associated Press preseason top 25 poll, the men at No. 3 and the women at No. 2.
Excitement has never been higher in the UConn fan base for the upcoming college basketball season. Tickets for home games are selling fast.
“Obviously, the men are coming off two national championships,” said Auriemma, who guided the women to the Final Four last season. “So they’re doing something that hasn’t been done in forever. And people are all caught up in that, as they should be.
“And we haven’t had a full team in three years (due to injuries), so there’s a lot of excitement about what we would look like if we had everybody available. And it’s Paige’s (Bueckers) last year. All that great stuff. … So the expectation for this year is off the charts. I’m glad it’s back that way.”
Hurley and Auriemma share similar winning formulas, revolving around a tireless work ethic, player development and a team-first mentality.
They feed off each other’s success.
“The constant familiarity that you have breeds a little bit of competition,” Auriemma said. “The more that one of us wins, the more we all win. It affects everybody.”
On Friday night, the men’s and women’s teams participated in the annual First Night at Gampel Pavilion. Players showed off their dance moves during introductions, competed in a coed 3-point shooting contest and ran a scrimmage that alternated between the two programs.
Right now, neither UConn coach is happy with their respective teams.
“Nothing is as good as you want it to be,” Auriemma said.
With Hurley and Auriemma in charge, there’s no doubt that the two programs will eventually improve and reach an elite level.
Hurley will be rooting for the women’s team to succeed and to enjoy some good luck.
“If there’s a program in the country that’s due for a healthy winter, it’s those guys,” Hurley said. “I think it’s an impressive roster of players. It’s going to be a fun year there.”
And if Hurley feels the need, he’ll walk across the way in the Werth Center to seek out Auriemma’s advice.
They have a close relationship.
“I’ve learned a lot and tried to emulate some of the things that I see with Geno,” Hurley said. “I’m able to call him, stop by his office, and see him in the weight room. I’ll see him doing a mutual event and I can just bounce ideas off him, ask direct questions. Sometimes he’ll just offer up feedback on things that he sees.
“I utilize the resource and then there’s also a personal friendship that’s important to me, too. He’s just a good person.”
News and notes
Freshman Liam McNeeley will miss some practice time with the men’s team after suffering a lower calf strain in a practice Thursday. “We’re hopeful that he’ll be alright, maybe a two week type of thing,” Hurley said. “Not thrilled about that, but it happens.” … Auriemma has been impressed with the play of transfer Kaitlyn Chen, a graduate guard, in practice. “People are going to be surprised by how much she gets done on the court,” Auriemma said. … The UConn men’s team received their 2024 national championship rings in a private ceremony at Gampel Pavilion Thursday night. “It was a special night for everyone that was there,” Hurley said.
g.keefe@theday.com
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