Hurley begins first step of rebuilding process
Storrs — There was a price to pay for a brief bobble during a drill. A shaky pass led to another series of cross-court runs.
First-year coach Dan Hurley set a demanding tone during his first official practice with his UConn basketball team on Saturday. He's trying to shake the Huskies of their losing habits from the last few seasons. It was an old school-type practice. Hurley refused to allow the Huskies to walk off the practice facility court until they perfected the last drill. He dished out punishment in the form of extra running.
"If you think it is appropriate at UConn to lose the last drill and go back to your room, you're in the wrong place," the fiery Hurley barked at one point. Boot camp is just beginning for the Huskies. Hurley is determined to change the culture and restore the program to an elite level.
Saturday's first practice is the first small step.
"It's good to get out here and get our first one under our belt," Hurley said. "Obviously, we've got a lot of work to do. Just trying to develop the type of habits that you want to have as a team. Also trying to implement a style of play that's just so different for these guys. Its' just going to take a little bit of time.
"Overall, these guys came in with good energy and good intentions. It just a process that we've got to go through to develop winning habits and for these guys to understand how important fundamentals are. And it's simple stuff that leads to winning, like catching the ball with two hands, landing or jump stopping, blocking out, being in the right defensive position."
The Huskies already have found out that Hurley is a stickler for proper fundamentals. He also demands nothing but maximum effort.
When they did something wrong on Saturday, Hurley let them know it during the fastpaced practice.
"No matter what you do, every shortcut you try to take, he's right there calling you out," senior Jalen Adams said. "You feel him on everybody's back just trying to create good habits."
The intense, spirited workout lasted 20 minutes longer than planned because Hurley wasn't satisfied with the execution of a fullcourt, three-man weave drill. The Huskies couldn't stop until converting 23 straight layups in two minutes.
"That's a drill where if one guy lets you down, it sinks the drill," Hurley said. "We're going to need everybody this year. We'll know that we're where we need to be when we get that right the first time. I don't know how many takes that was. If we were in Hollywood, it probably would have been like seven takes."
Practice finally ended when graduate transfer Tarin Smith's floater barely beat the buzzer, much to the relief and delight of his teammates.
"We're still out there running probably right now unless we got it, so I'm glad I made it," Smith said.
They couldn't celebrate until Hurley yelled, "(Expletive) count it!"
Hurley is just the kick-in-the butt that the Huskies need and also want, judging from the players' reactions to the grueling first workout.
"I love him," redshirt sophomore Alterique Gilbert said. "His intensity is really big. He's very passionate about the game. We have to match his intensity."
It's a good sign that Gilbert completed the entire workout. He says his shoulder feels great.
Two Huskies dealing with minor injuries sat out practice.
Adams, who sprained his left pinky and suffered a laceration on his hand on Wednesday during a skills workout, watched from the sidelines.
"I probably could have practiced today but I just wanted to let it heal properly," he said.
Graduate transfer Kassoum Yakwe is dealing with a foot injury. He's expected to return in about a week. Reserve forward Mamadou Diarra is working his way back from knee surgery, so he'll be out for awhile.
In other news, Hurley reacted to the news that UConn received a notice of allegations from the NCAA, regarding allegedly violations under former coach Kevin Ollie. He said he's been kept informed throughout the process and will continue to trust the judgment of the administration. He's met with athletic director David Benedict and president Susan Herbst.
"Nothing has changed for me," Hurley said. "Obviously, I wasn't aware that it was coming out (Friday) night."
Hurley added that the players don't pay attention to anything that's not on their instagram.
"They have zero awareness," Hurley said. "I haven't heard a whisper from these guys. It's probably something that maybe our staff is probably more aware of because it impacts conversations that we have to have with recruiting. These guys are completely oblivious. Obviously, they care about Kevin and the staff that they played for. But they've focused on their season." g.keefe@theday.com