The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Hurley loves UConn fans, just not those Twitter “crazies”
To be clear, Dan Hurley said his postgame rant Sunday was directed only toward those who had skewered Alterique Gilbert on social media. No part of it was directed toward the more than 99 percent of UConn fans. Nor does he want them to think it was.
“Oh, no, no, no,” Hurley said in a phone conversation Monday. “Are you kidding me? Twenty percent of our recruiting pitch is our fan base. I love our fans. I just don't love the crazies.”
Twice, Gilbert had tried to win the game against Xavier at the Charleston Classic. Twice, he failed. At the end of regulation, his shot was blocked by Tyrique Jones. At the end of the second overtime, the little guard again got swallowed up in the paint, stumbled, and Christian Vital was left to throw up a prayer too late. Final: Xavier 75, UConn 74.
To say Twitter was unkind is probably the kindest way to put it. A sampling directed to the UConn point guard:
“Worst division one basketball player I've ever seen.”
“Another S..T game.” “You are a bum.” “Hot garbage.”
“Get Gilbert off this team now.”
“That dude probably has no business playing college ball.”
“I want Alterique Gilbert on the first flight out of Storrs.”
“Most selfish player in the country.”
As Hurley addressed the team after the Xavier loss, the UConn coach wasn't overwhelmed by thoughts of how his team had failed because of bad decisionmaking. He knew his guys were hurting. In a tough man's game against a Top 20 team, he was thinking how far his team has come since this time last year. Yes, there certainly are things to fix and improve, but change is happening. Good change. And as Friday night had turned into Saturday morning during a threehour game, he thought about how his guys in Year 2 are getting there.
He wasn't expecting Gilbert would “trend” on Twitter.
“What caused me to bring it up was seeing Alterique the morning after,” Hurley said. “He left his heart and soul on the court and to be made aware of the
firestorm of personal attacks and criticism for a college basketball player — not a professional — was disturbing.
“The world these kids live in, and how much a part of their lives is social media, I knew Al was aware of it. He was beat up by it. Thinking back to what I experienced as a player at Seton Hall, if there was Twitter back when I played, as great as coach (George) Blaney was to me, coming in and saving me, if there was Twitter then I don’t think I would have left my dorm room.”
So before a question was asked following the impressive 8055 rout of Miami for third place at the Charleston Classic, Hurley went off.
“You’re not a fan of this program,” Hurley said. “You don’t even know what you’re watching. You haven’t spent enough time studying this game, studying what we do, knowing what makes a championship program. You just don’t get it. The things that were said across the board spoke to how little people know about team, how little they know about the game, and to treat a college kid — some fans or some others — in that manner, it’s shameful and despicable. That guy is all heart …
“You’re a coward if you attacked a kid like that. A coward. And you don’t even know what you’re watching. You flip on a game 30 times a year and you watch the NBA, you don’t know s..t about what we do. Not a thing.”
Hurley was applauded for having his player’s back and addressing the insanity of anonymous people ripping college kids to shreds. And, hey, who knows how many of them had just lost a wager on the game or were simply trolls? Yet judging by some emails and messages I got and what I read on the message boards, there also seemed to be some level of discomfort that the broader fan base’s basketball acumen was called into question. That it didn’t understand what it takes for a championship program. Absolutely not true, Hurley said.
“We have one of the most knowledgeable and passionate fan bases in all of college basketball,” Hurley said. “Our fan base is one of our biggest selling points with our recruits. And you see how I engage them. I was talking to the one percent that were viciously attacking Al. He’s not the starting guard for the Celtics. You can’t tweet profanitylaced tirades at 18 to 21year olds if he doesn’t play up to what you hope he would do.
“I think people who attack kids on social media like that should put their full name on Twitter, where they work, put all your personal information up.”
One thought here: You wonder if something like this could be used by schools in recruiting as an example that UConn is a place where fans can eat a player up and spit him out?
“There are places for fans to discuss topics related to tactics and strategies,” Hurley said. “If a player isn’t playing in a way that will allow UConn to win, send it my way. Or tweet at me. I’ll gladly trend. That’s what they pay me for, to be accountable for how the team performs. The haters can come my way.
“Don’t direct it a collegeage athlete especially with Al’s back story and what that kid has been through since he has been here and all he has overcome (with multiple shoulder surgeries). The guy hasn’t got a full year in yet. This hits so close to home. He has been a tremendous leader for a program trying to rebuild. He is the most beloved player in the program by the coaches and players. He’s the one everyone adores. He was attacked. We were all sore over it.”
For more than 24 hours his teammates rallied around Gilbert. Hurley said his conversations with him leading into Miami centered on what adjustments the Huskies had to make based on the way they played against Xavier.
“We are a work in progress, very much so, with an exciting future, and obviously heading in a great direction this year and beyond,” Hurley said. “My message to Al was, ‘Hey, for every thousand UConn supporters, 999 are in your corner. Forget about that one voice. I know it’s human nature to listen to that one moron. You’ve got the support of all of us, the fan base, the student body, UConn Nation. Let’s learn. Let’s all get better from this.’
“The character he showed Sunday with the adjustments he made and the way he led, I couldn’t be prouder of him. He was courageous.”
As Gilbert left the floor against Miami after stockpiling seven assists against two turnovers, Hurley turned around and urged the UConn fans at TD Arena to cheer him.
“If this team this year dreams of playing in a postseason or showing great improvement, he is going to have to be the leader of it,” Hurley said. “Does he have to do it all himself ? No. For the first time since he has been here, he has got some weapons now. Just give him some time to understand how to use a talented roster. He hasn’t had the luxury of that.”
There are other options for the last shot, of course. Some were calling for freshman James Bouknight, so impressive in his first three games, to have ball at the end. Chances are a few weeks down the road in a tight spot, his number is called for a midrange jumper. But, good grief, he had spent more time in court after his driving mishap than on the court before the Charleston trip. Akok Akok, Brendan Adams, Bouknight, within a few short weeks, the team looks deeper and a sweet future closer.
“We’ve got a ton of moving parts right now,” Hurley said.
After the win over Florida, with the rise of the kids in Charleston, the fans are geeked up. They want it in a hurry. Hurley is the one left to nurture the young guys while trying to make Gilbert more of a hero by playing less hero ball. In the meantime, the more the Twitter heroes double down against Alterique the more Hurley double downs on them.
“I said it was cowardly and despicable,” Hurley said. “I still do.”