Hurley, Huskies excited about return
Dan Hurley has twice brought UConn into the Prudential Center in Newark to play in front of big crowds since he took over as head coach of the program, most recently in a Dec. 11 win over St. Bonaventure in the Never Forget Tribute Classic.
He also brought the Huskies into “The Rock” to play Seton Hall, his alma mater, on March 3, 2021 — scoring an impressive 69-58 win before a sparse “Senior Day” crowd that was the Pirates’ only home game in front of fans last season.
“I don’t recall any ‘Hurley sucks!’ catcalls,” Hurley joked on Thursday. “The people were great to me there last year.”
On Saturday, for the first time, Hurley will lead UConn into the building to face Seton Hall before what promises to be a big — if masked — crowd. The reception may be a bit more hostile as the Huskies (10-3, 1-1 Big East) and 24th-ranked Pirates (10-3, 1-2) look to overcome their recent COVID-19 situations and score a Quad 1 victory.
“These types of games are great for you because they’re a great opportunity only,” Hurley said. “They’ve got a great NET, they’ve had a great year, they’re clearly an NCAA Tournament team and a Big East championship contender, a team that can win games in March. It’s not like you’re going into a game against a team with bad metrics that could
really hurt you by losing. So, games like this are really exciting and fun, because it’s nothing but an opportunity to get an unbelievable win, as opposed to avoid a loss that’s going to wreck what we’ve built to this point.”
Hurley played five seasons at Seton Hall, notching over 1,000 points in what he used to call “the real Big East.” His father, Bob Hurley Sr., told Hearst Connecticut Media earlier in the week that Saturday’s trip to “The Rock” will be different than his prior three as UConn coach.
“You can’t say it’s a homecoming, because they want to chop your head off,” Bob said. “But, you’re coming back to a place where you have good memories.”
Indeed, while Dan Hurley never played at the Prudential Center — it wasn’t built yet — his memories of the entire area are special. He coached at St. Benedict’s Prep, just a few blocks away from “The Rock,” for nine years before becoming a college coach.
“Growing up in Jersey City, which is right there, and Newark — those two cities mean everything to me,” Hurley said. “I grew up in one, and learned how to be a leader and a coach in Newark. Being down the street from St. Benedict’s, that place means so much to me. So, I always feel a little emotional when I go in there. The Seton Hall piece, but also what St. Benedict’s, that time there, meant to me in my life.”
It’ll be a sort of homecoming for more than just Hurley. Five UConn players — grad point guard R.J. Cole, junior guard Jalen Gaffney, sophomore center Adama Sanogo, freshman forward Samson Johnson and freshman guard Corey Floyd Jr. (who’s redshirting) — all are either from or played high school ball in New Jersey.
“It’s always exciting to go back home and play,” said Cole, who leads UConn and is fourth in the Big East in scoring at 16.3 points per game. “I’m just happy I get a chance to come out and play with my teammates again. The whole me-being-from-Jersey is cool. But, at the end of the day, we’re just trying to go over there and get a win.”
Indeed, this is UConn’s first game since a 78-70 win at Marquette on Dec. 21. The Huskies had nine players test positive for COVID-19, beginning on their return to campus from Christmas break on Christmas Day, and have had to cancel their past two scheduled games because they haven’t been able to field the requisite roster of at least seven scholarship players and one coach.
Cole said he came down with the virus, while senior wing Tyrese Martin reported he was one of the six players who tested negative. The only other player known to have tested positive is walk-on Andrew Hurley, the head coach’s son.
And Andrew Hurley caught it from his dad, who said he is feeling “great physically” after battling the virus last week.
Seton Hall may not have much sympathy. The Pirates (who reportedly have several unvaccinated players) had three games canceled in December and returned to play shorthanded last week, losing to Providence and Villanova without third-leading scorer Tyrese Samuel (10.8 ppg) and shot-swatting 7-foot-2 center Ike Obiagu (2.6 bpg).
The Pirates fell precipitously in the AP Top 25 poll, but bounced back to win at Butler earlier this week.
“A lot of teams in the country have dealt with it,” Hurley said. “It’s our turn to deal with it, and we’re just going to get better as we go and get better on the court.”
And that begins on Saturday. It almost feels to Hurley as if the Huskies’ season is starting over.
“When we got in here on Monday, you feel like you probably needed two weeks to get ready for a game of any kind, not a team of Seton Hall’s caliber,” he said.
“It feels great to be back, for the fans, to give them a muchneeded distraction during the winter,” Hurley added. “It’s a challenging situation, but we can’t wait to get on the court to start playing again.”