The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Coach presses right buttons with Vital
New coach’s message: ‘Be confident, not delusional’
STORRS — Dan Hurley says he loves Christian Vital’s confidence. Christian Vital says he loves Dan Hurley’s message.
And the new UConn coach’s message to his returning junior guard?
“Be confident, not delusional.”
With four words, Hurley hit the bull’s-eye. With the first word starting with B, he needed only three more for anyone who has watched Vital the past two years to yell, “Bingo!”
As Hurley spoke Friday
during the Huskies’ summer workout session, he described a conversation he had with Jalen Adams. He told Adams he wants everyone attending a UConn practice, whether media or visiting recruit, to leave saying they just saw one of the best guards in the nation. And if they’re not, he failed that day.
Those words pressing for an unrelenting work ethic are inspirational. They will drive Adams to AAC Player of the Year and a spot in the 2019 NBA Draft. Hurley’s four words for Vital are more aspirational and, as concise as they are, it is more complex than mere perspiration.
“He is the most competitive guy we have,” Hurley said of Vital. “The fire burns. It’s got to burn the right way. You have to do it in a manner that isn’t off-putting, for the lack of a better word. He has the confidence and swagger that you need in sports. He believes in himself. You respect the heck out of his competitiveness. We’ve just got to help him direct it the right way. That’s my responsibility.”
Vital has the moxie to take the big shot and make it. He has the foolishness to force a contested shot and miss it. He has an irresistible personality to ignite a dormant crowd and lift his team. He has a distasteful way of celebrating a 3 when the team is down 18.
“There’s definitely a fine line,” Vital said. “The great ones find it.”
So the two meet in the office, grab lunch, gab for a couple of minutes in the weight room. When warranted, Hurley said, there are tough moments in front of the group. When a relationship is built, when players are convinced coaches have their best interest at heart, honesty can be delivered and accepted.
“Being from New York, you can’t really be a soft guy,” Vital said. “I take passion into the game.”
We’ve heard that before from Vital. We’ve heard it after he got into pregame warmup or post-game handshake line shoves with opponents. We’ve heard it from a guy who averaged nearly 15 points, but shot only 38 percent. What we hadn’t heard before was this:
“I was immature,” Vital said. “I will say that. I wouldn’t say selfish, but I didn’t know how important it was to think about your teammates. If I had a good game of scoring 20, I’ll be like, ‘All right we lost, but at least I had 20.’ Now I understand that I need all my teammates and I need to help my teammates just like they need to help me. It’s a team.”
When Vital declared himself eligible for the draft a few months ago, the sound of crickets from the NBA sent him a message. He quickly returned to UConn, but he gained something as important as humility. He gained wisdom.
“The reason I’m happy about (testing the NBA) is because I learned a lot about myself,” Vital said. “Although it didn’t go necessarily the way I thought it would, I felt like everything happened the way it was supposed to. Me coming back and being able to play for a great coach is going to be more beneficial for the rest of my career, for my life.”
When Hurley watched film of last season’s Huskies, he saw a soft team. That, he said, is the first thing that needs to be fixed. He showed his players a dozen clips. No, not missed shots, or turnovers. He showed them Villanova getting four offensive rebounds on one possession. He showed them clips of getting beat to the ball and guys staring down refs and “acting like an idiot.”
“There’s a lot we need to work on and learn from,” Vital said.
Hurley is establishing a hypercompetitive culture. Every drill is timed. Every drill is tough. Every drill has a winner and a loser. The cumulative standings are posted around Werth Champions Center.
“We’re competing every day,” Vital said. “It’s a good competition. Everyone is getting better. When we lace them up against another team, it’s going to be kind of scary for them. I’ve got a few teams circled.”
For now, the Huskies circle each Friday for Hurley’s Book Club. They’re taking “Chop Wood Carry Water” 30 pages at a time, discussing the process of becoming great. Good for bonding, Vital concludes, and good for life.
“The thing I really like about coach Hurley is he came in and built relationships with everyone,” said Vital, once recruited by Hurley when the coach was at URI. “He tells us the good things we’ve done. He tells us the things we need to work on. It’s never all negative. It’s never all positive. He’s going to tell you what you need to hear. Sometimes you may like it, sometimes you may not. You know it’s the best thing for you.”
When Vital called Hurley to tell him he was returning to UConn, he said he was coming back with no strings attached.
“I said, ‘Listen, I’m not coming back with any agendas. It didn’t work out the last two years. You say you have a plan, I’m willing to listen and I’m going to buy in with my teammates and work to the hardest level we can.’ ”
Hurley told him he loves the way he’s in the fight, always in the mix. He also told him he has to do a better job with the way he interacts and presents himself on the court. Half positive, half negative. All truth. Truth, Vital concedes, he needed to hear.
“Coach Hurley definitely wants players to have that flair,” Vital said. “He has that flair about him. He also knows he has a better idea than I do of how to control it. He’s telling me sometimes tone it down. He also knows we’re going to need it at times. He loves that energy and toughness I bring. It’s on me to learn how to channel it and know what that fine line is of when we need it and when we don’t.
“Even in practice this past week, our first week, you go back to old habits, bad habits. I’ve had two years of doing some things the right way and some not the right way. That’s when the learning process comes in. That’s when it’s time for me to be quiet and just listen to a great coach. God works in mysterious ways. He’s the perfect coach for me personally.”
Hurley calls Vital an alpha. When he walks through the door, you know he’s in the room.
“You love his confidence,” Hurley said. “His confidence is good for the program. This isn’t the most confident group right now based on the last two years. I’m not comparing him to the J.R. Smiths of the world, but he has an athletic arrogance about him. It’s directing it in a way that is going to empower your teammates.
“Be confident, not delusional.” Four words. Bull’s-eye.