Kevin Freeman knows all the shortcuts driving around Storrs from his days as a player and basketball staff member at UConn.

He chose the long way on the first day back to his alma mater to start his new job as an assistant coach on Friday. He soaked in every moment of his drive.

"I was extremely excited and elated and honored to get back to UConn...," Freeman said during a Zoom call with the media on Friday. "It's a surreal feeling, just pulling up on campus this morning just overwhelmed with joy, just thinking back to when I was 18 years old pulling down that hill seeing that UConn sign and seeing Gampel."

While Freeman had hoped someday to return to UConn, he fully expected to begin his third year working with head coach Patrick Chambers at Penn State. He was extremely happy there.

Then UConn assistant Kenya Hunter recently surprised coach Dan Hurley by leaving for Indiana, opening the door for Freeman, 42.

"When it did open, my eyes got big, my mind was running and racing," Freeman said. "My wife could see the wheels turning in my mind of how to figure out how to get back and join coach Hurley's staff."

UConn announced Freeman's hiring on Wednesday.

It was an easy decision for Hurley.

"Kevin was the first name that came to my mind," Hurley said.

It should be a smooth transition.

UConn is home for Freeman.

It's where he earned a well-deserved reputation as a warrior on the court and gentlemen off. It's where he helped the Huskies win the program's first national championship in 1999. It's also where he spent seven years as the director of administration.

Freeman embodies everything that Hurley looks for in an assistant. He has a strong passion for the game, loves the school and puts a high value on building relationships with players.

He got to know his future boss better during the roughly two months spent helping out at UConn during the transition when Hurley was hired as head coach in March 2018.

"The big thing I got from him is his hard work and dedication each day that he came in with was relentless from the beginning, from the wee hours of the morning until late night," Freeman said. "The conversations that we had where he picked my brain about what I thought about the program and where it was going and how could he make it better."

Hurley learned a lot about Freeman, too. He previously knew Freeman from watching him play for Paterson Catholic in New Jersey. Freeman's team lost to St. Anthony, coached by Hurley's father, Bob, in the state finals one year.

"I've always been very aware of Kevin," Hurley said. "I always loved the way he played. What won him the job in my eyes really was the way he handled himself professionally in the month or two that he was here when we first got the job.

"It was like he was interviewing for this opportunity every day when we first got here. I saw how well-respected he was and how well-liked he was by the players. Just got a chance to see his work ethic and his communication skills."

Freeman returns to UConn with far more experience than when he left for Penn State, which was his first job as an assistant coach.

He spent the last two seasons learning about recruiting, player development and the daily grind of being an assistant.

Recruiting for the first time was particularly challenging. Even a bit overwhelming at first.

"It was a learning experience and it helped me grow the last couple of years...," Freeman said. "It was another challenge in my life. It was something that I looked forward to. It was something that I took head on. I was going out to a Big Ten school and I hadn't recruited at all, so I knew that was the one underlying issue that everybody said I couldn't do."

Freeman replaces Hunter who had strong recruiting ties in the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia areas. He joins a veteran staff that includes assistant Tom Moore and Kimani Young, who was promoted to associate head coach this week.

Hurley has faith that Freeman, a Springfield native, can be an effective recruiter.

"What stands out about Kevin, he's great with people," Hurley said. "He's a great communicator. He's a very genuine person, a high, high quality guy with great people skills. Coaching and recruiting, it's all about relationship building and building trust.

"So, he'll be a natural in terms of connecting with people. His UConn story and what he achieved as a player and what his UConn playing experience has turned into in his life, the stories he can tell about championships and what you can accomplish here is going to resonate with the current team and with recruits."

For now, Freeman will settle into his new job. He attended his first practice on Friday.

A former forward, he'll be working with frontcourt players. He's considered himself a player's coach.

"I think I'm a great player-coach relationship guy in a sense of connecting coach Hurley's message to the guys...," Freeman said. "I always try to put myself in their shoes."

Freeman looks forward to helping restore the program to elite status. He's excited about the Huskies returning to the Big East.

He plans on sticking around in Storrs.

"To be honest with you, I want to be blessed in the sense of being on the staff for a very long time," Freeman said. "I want this to be home for my family. We've moved enough. I've traveled overseas. I've done a lot. I want to make this my home basketball-wise."

News and notes

Hurley on promoting Young to associate head coach: "We started having conversations about the associate title shortly after Adama (Sanogo) committed (in May). Maybe the next day because that was a big one. Kimani has been awesome. I don't think he's really ever gotten his due. Kimani is one of the best assistant coaches in the country." ... UConn is practicing four times a week, one hour per session. ... Akok Akok and Tyler Polley continue to make progress on their comebacks from injuries. Brendan Adams (foot) and Andre Jackson (knee) are limited to individual workouts. Jackson is expected to start participating in team drills by Oct. 1 while Adams will be ready by the season opener in late November. ... Hurley hopes to hear an update about Rhode Island transfer Tyrese Martin's waiver status within the next week or two.

g.keefe@theday.com