Hurley in good spirits as season nears
STORRS — Dan Hurley prefers closed-door, “secret” scrimmages against Division 1 opponents over public exhibition games against Division 2 opponents.
The competition is better, and coaches can contour the scrimmages anyway they want (stopping the action in the middle of a play, etc.). That’s why UConn played Harvard behind closed doors on Saturday at XL Center and will play another scrimmage against a D-1 opponent this Saturday, rather than play an exhibition for paying fans against, say, Southern Connecticut State or the like.
“(An exhibition) becomes pretty useless, beyond maybe some opening night jitters — but generally, you don’t have a huge crowd for that, anyway,” Hurley said. “So, you can’t simulate what Opening Night is gonna feel like. That’s intense.”
Moving forward, Hurley would like to continue playing two closed-door scrimmages in the preseason, to go with a Blue/White scrimmage open to the public earlier in October.
So what did Hurley take from the scrimmage against Harvard?
“We were happy with some things,” he noted. “Overall, we were pretty happy with what we did defensively. Offensively, we didn’t finish well enough at the rim, I wasn’t happy with that. We fouled too much, so we’re bringing officials in for multiple practices leading up to the opener. It was mostly the guards.”
Hurley added that the rebounding could have been better, and the 3-point shooting by his power forwards — a key element to the team’s success this season, he believes — wasn’t overly impressive.
Still, as the season-opener looms just two weeks away on Nov. 9, Hurley is as happy as he’s been in his four seasons in Storrs.
“I’m sleeping better,” he said. “In general, I’m a lot more upbeat. I’m a lot more enjoyable to be around. My wife notices a more confident husband. My kids see their dad is in better spirits. I’m just a lot more pleasant to be around.”
If Hurley has decided on a starting five at this point, he wasn’t letting on — al
though he dropped a few hints when asked if being in the starting lineup was overrated, and that playing time was really the most important thing.
“The first frontcourt guy off the bench, whether that’s Akok (Akok) or Samson (Johnson) or Richie (Springs), they’re gonna have a shot at starter minutes,” the coach said. “The first guard off the bench is gonna get starter minutes, and even the second perimeter guy off the bench is gonna get close to 20. You want to be in the top 8. If you’re not in the top 8, you need to settle into the role we need you in.”
Hurley added that his starting lineups typically change throughout a season, anyway.
“This stuff is going to be in flux. Especially if Jordan (Hawkins, a freshman) is not quite ready now but he is in December, or he is now and maybe falters? This is competition now. This isn’t the same as it was a couple of years ago.”
RIM RATTLINGS
Former UConn star James Bouknight, who was taken with the 11th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets, has played mere seconds over the team’s first four gams.
“He got drafted to a team with some really good players and veteran guys — Gordon Heyward, (LaMelo) Ball in the backcourt with (Terry) Rozier when he’s healthy, and (Cody) Martin and (Kelly) Oubre, Ish Smith,” Hurley pointed out. “They’ve got guys. They’re trying to make the playoffs. It’s a long season.”
Hurley said he’s spoken to Bouknight recently about the situation.
“I told him, ‘the start of your career here didn’t exactly (go well). He’s been in this position before. The only way to change the situation is to be the first guy in the arena every day, practice harder and be more coachable than anyone in the organization, and stay longer and work harder and later than anyone in the organization. If you do those things, you’re going to have an unbelievable NBA career. But focus on that. Don’t be a baby.’ ”
Hurley wouldn’t divulge any players’ stats from Saturday’s scrimmage, saying they should be kept “in-house.” He did note that 10 different players played between 10 and 25 minutes.
Tyler Polley (ankle) and freshman Rahsool Diggins (knee) sat out of the Harvard scrimmage. Polley participated in some live action on Monday, and was slated to do more on Tuesday night in a practice with referees. Diggins has ramped up his activity and is “close” to returning, per Hurley.