Passion for the game
UConn’s men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley looks for more than just talent when he’s recruiting
UConn coach Dan Hurley has a thorough checklist of qualities that he looks for in a basketball recruit.
Talent, athleticism and skill are obviously important.
That's just a start. Hurley's list extends far beyond that.
“Once you reach that first marker of being talented enough or athletic enough, I start looking for their passion for the game, their competitiveness,” Hurley said. “Do they understand sports? Do they have court awareness? Are they situationally aware on the court? How do they interact with their teammates? Do they love the game? Because we coach these guys pretty hard 11 months of the year.
“Obviously, you've got to share the passion for basketball that I have and my staff has.”
Hurley's three recruiting classes since his arrival in Storrs meet those requirements, including the recent group of point guard Rahsool Diggins, shooting guard Jordan Hawkins and forward Samson Johnson, who signed national letters of intent last week.
They comprise the eighth-ranked recruiting class in the country and also represent Hurley's third straight top 20 class.
“They have just all the potential in the world, plus these guys are really good players right now,” Hurley said. “Just three big impact players, three guys that want to be coached, three guys that want to go to a place like UConn and challenge themselves to measure up at an elite level. Guys that come from major, major high school programs, major, major AAU programs, these are the type of guys that come into a place and when the heat turns up, they don't blink.”
Hurley's success on the recruiting trail has helped put the program in position to be a significant factor in their first season back in the Big
“Once you reach that first marker of being talented enough or athletic enough, I start looking for their passion for the game, their competitiveness. Do they understand sports? Do they have court awareness? Are they situationally aware on the court? How do they interact with their teammates? Do they love the game?”
DAN HURLEY, UCONN COACH
East.
The rebuilding process didn't happen overnight.
Hurley laid a solid foundation with his first full recruiting class, bringing in James Bouknight, Jalen Gaffney, Akok Akok and transfer R. J. Cole. Richie Springs, who attended MacDuffie School in Granby, Mass., was a late addition after deciding to reclassify to the Class of 2019.
The group represents Hurley's most talented recruiting class at UConn so far.
Bouknight is expected to achieve star status this season while Gaffney, Akok and Cole all are competing for starting roles. Springs, a forward, sat out last season as an academic redshirt before becoming eligible to play this season.
“That class with Akok, Bouknight, Gaffney and R.J., will prove to be the class that really turned things around here with the help of Christian (Vital), Isaiah (Whaley), Tyler (Polley) and Josh (Carlton),” Hurley said. “That first full class was a big one.”
Hurley's second recruiting class added another layer of talent.
Center Javonte Brown, guard Andre Jackson and forward Adama Sanogo are promising freshmen on this year's roster. Jackson and Sanogo have the most potential to make an impact in their first season.
Transfer Tyrese Martin, another newcomer, left Rhode Island to play for Hurley, who first recruited the athletic guard while coaching the Rams. He's eligible to play right away after receiving a waiver from the NCAA and will be counted on to play a valuable role.
The Huskies have grown into a much stronger and deeper team with the additions in the last two recruiting classes.
“Our practices are a lot different,” Hurley said. “The present group is very talented. We're excited to play. Obviously, our future is bright with 2021 and beyond.”
Credit Hurley, associate head coach Kimani Young and assistant Tom Moore for engineering an impressive and relatively speedy rebuild. Kenya Hunter also made a key contribution before leaving for Indiana in August. Former Husky Kevin Freeman was hired to fill the spot.
“We all work together, the staff,” Hurley said. “I've always been smart enough to hire the very best people. … Just blessed to have a tremendous staff that doesn't get territorial about just recruiting their own guys.”
They've zeroed in on the fertile recruiting grounds in the northeast corridor. That's where their connections are and the Hurley family name is well-known and greatly respected.
Hurley's three recruiting classes reflect that.
Gaffney and Cole are from New Jersey while Johnson attends The Patrick School in Elizabeth, N. J, where Sanogo also played. Bouknight, Jackson and Springs are from New York. Martin is from Pennsylvania as well as Diggins, who attends Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, while Hawkins plays at DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md.
And don't forget Brendan Adams, who's from Baltimore. He was the first recruit to commit to Hurley. Adams first chose URI before changing his mind and following Hurley to Storrs in April 2018.
Brown and Akok are exceptions with the former coming from Toronto and the latter attending Putnam Science Academy. Akok was born in Sudan before moving to Manchester, N.H.
“Recruiting New Jersey, recruiting the metropolitan area is a huge part of our recruiting plan, the strong footprint that we want in terms of the geography and our approach,” Hurley said. “Guys that play high school, AAU and grassroots ball have the makeup. They've got the toughness, they've got the edge to come and play at a place like UConn and be able to handle the pressure and expectations of playing at a place like UConn.
“Guys from the northeast, they thrive at a place like this.”
While Hurley's recruiting territory has remained the same, his sales pitch has changed a bit since arriving in Storrs.
In his first season, with the program in a funk and residing in the American Athletic Conference, Hurley focused on selling the UConn brand and program history to recruits as well as his reputation as a successful program builder.
“The first recruiting class you're selling them on a dream or on a process or climb back up to the top,” Hurley said.
When UConn officially rejoined the Big East, the Huskies became a more attractive option to recruits in the northeast looking to play in an elite basketball conference not too far from home.
While Hurley pointed out UConn already was recruiting at a very high level prior to the Big East announcement, he added the league has helped his efforts.
“It has really changed the way we present our vision to players that we're recruiting,” Hurley said.
The coronavirus pandemic hasn't slowed Hurley's recruiting momentum. UConn has adjusted and adapted to the virtual recruiting world, finding a way to build relationships with its recruiting targets without having them on campus.
Just ask Diggins, Hawkins and Johnson who committed to UConn over the summer.
“When the ability to evaluate players in April and summer was taken away, we were very lucky to put together this class that we're very, very familiar with, that we were fortunate enough to see prior to things shutting down,” Hurley said.