Storrs – UConn is facing a familiar challenge this season.

The Huskies are in reloading mode after losing four starters from one of the most dominant men’s team in college basketball history.

Been there, done that before and still won a national championship

That’s why coach Dan Hurley is confident the Huskies will be in the running for a historic third straight national championship, something that hasn’t been done since UCLA won seven in a row from 1967-73, despite losing four of their top five scorers and rebounders.

The Huskies reloaded after the departure of Jordan Hawkins, Adama Sanogo, Andre Jackson Jr., Joey Calcaterra and Nahiem Alleyne from the 2022-23 national championship team and still cut down the nets last April for a second straight season.

“We lost five critical players and we had one of the best teams in the last 30 years,” Hurley said. “So we’re not spooked by everything that we lost because we lost so much the year before. We’ve got young players that are going to be in some critical roles that are going to have to grow up quickly.”

Last season’s standouts Tristen Newton, Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle and Cam Spencer moved on to the NBA.

This season’s promising newcomers include transfers Aidan Mahaney and Tarris Reed Jr., as well as a talented freshman class headlined by McDonald’s All-American Liam McNeeley.

UConn will begin the 2024-25 season Wednesday as the preseason No. 3 team in the country.

“We’ve got some really exciting pieces potentially,” Hurley said. “If we get the best out of everyone, what it could look like is in line with being a championship-contending program. But we gotta hit. We gotta hit on Aidan. We gotta hit on Tarris. We’re banking on the sophomores to come through for us. We need Alex to play like an All-American. We need Liam to play like Steph for us.

“We’re banking on that we’re going to be able to get everyone where we’ve gotten those past teams.”

Five things to watch as UConn is about to begin its epic quest for a three-peat.

Backcourt makeover

UConn’s backcourt has undergone a major makeover after losing Newton (an All-American), Castle (Big East Freshman of the Year) and Spencer, a fiery sharpshooter, to the NBA ranks.

Hurley will rely on different players to fill those important roles and keep the Huskies at the level of a championship contender.

Veteran Hassan Diarra, the Big East Sixth Man of the Year last season, will be expected to be more than a defensive stopper and energizer and increase last season’s numbers (6.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 19.3 minutes) across the board.

Mahaney, who helped lead Saint Mary’s to back-to-back NCAA tournament trips while averaging 13.9 points per game each season, has the tools to be a reliable perimeter weapon, steady play-maker and veteran presence. He’s a career 37.5% 3-point shooter.

Sophomore Solo Ball showed signs last season in a limited role that he’s ready to have a breakout season. Hurley has raved about Ball’s improvement.

Sophomore leaps

Player development is a key to Hurley’s success in Storrs.

Hawkins and Clingan are two prime examples, both going from freshman reserve roles to sophomore standouts. Hawkins climbed from 5.8 to 16.2 points per game while Clingan jumped from 6.9 to 13.0 points. Both achieved NBA lottery-pick status.

Hurley is counting on his sophomores — Ball, Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross — to make a big leap this season.

A 6-foot-7 forward, Stewart has the strongest foundation to build on after appearing in 37 games last season. The Huskies likely wouldn’t have won the Big East tournament championship without Stewart, who buried three big 3-pointers against Marquette.

Ball, a 6-3 guard, looks ready for his moment in the spotlight. He certainly delivered when an injured Castle was sidelined early last season, scoring a career-high 13 points in a win over No. 9 North Carolina in the Jimmy V Classic in New York.

Hurley is encouraged by what he’s seen from Ross, a 6-7 forward, during preseason. After appearing in just 23 games and averaging 4.4 minutes, Ross will finally get a chance to contribute. To stay on the court, Ross will hold his own on the defensive end.

UConn history under Hurley indicates the sophomores will make that jump.

“If you look at every player that’s played for us really since we’ve been here, even on the (NCAA tournament) first-round flameouts that we had, the players have come back and all look a year better,” Hurley said. “And we need them to be a year better.”

Centers of attention

Few, if any, college basketball programs in the country had the lethal center combination that UConn possessed the last two seasons. Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan formed a dynamic duo in 2022-23 and then Clingan combined with Samson Johnson last season.

Johnson and transfer Tarris Reed Jr. will be the down-low duo this season. Time will tell if there will be a fall-off in production from that spot.

Up until now, the athletic 6-10 Johnson has scored the bulk of his points within five feet of the basket, averaging 5.4 points and 2.8 rebounds last season. He’s worked on expanding his shooting range. He also has to stay out of foul trouble, which has been an issue during his career.

Reed, a Michigan transfer, has the size (6-10, 260 pounds) and athletic ability to make an impact. UConn is trying to get Reed to simplify his game and play a similar style as Sanogo did as a Husky. He averaged 9.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last season.

Experience matters

UConn’s final destination this season will likely be determined by its three veterans — redshirt junior Alex Karaban, Diarra and Johnson, all owners of two national championship rings as well as a Big East regular season and tournament title.

By far, they’re the most battle-tested and experienced players on the roster.

“They’re critically important,” Hurley said.

They’ll need to step up as leaders.

And they’ll need to raise their level of play for the Huskies to have another terrific season.

Counting on McNeeley

Hurley regularly raves about McNeeley, who has the potential to develop into an NBA Draft pick by next spring. McNeeley comes in with impressive credentials as a McDonald’s All-American and top 10 recruit.

A 6-foot-7 forward, McNeeley appears to have the mentality and maturity level to be a difference-maker in his first season.

“He’s the best freshman that we’ve brought in in terms of how good he is right now,” Hurley said. “I think there’s few young players in the country that can match his all-around ability.”

But life in the national spotlight and playing in the unforgiving Big East can be a challenge even for a seasoned veteran.

No doubt there will be growing pains. Injuries disrupted McNeeley’s practice time during the summer and preseason workouts.

g.keefe@theday.com