UConn coach Dan Hurley hinted at a significant issue with his UConn Huskies players in a new interview.
In an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio on Friday, Hurley had some honest comments on his players as the back-to-back champions have struggled this season. Hurley suggested his current team has not been able to take the sort of intense coaching he has offered in years past.
The UConn coach also suggested that the weight of expectations has been a major challenge for everyone associated with the program.
“I started the year breathing fire and talking like a coach that believed his team was going to compete for a three-peat. I still think that this team has the potential to get on a roll here late in the year,” Hurley said. “I realized I couldn’t coach this team as hard as I’ve coached some of my other teams. Guys like Cam Spencer and Andre Jackson, Donovan Clingan, these guys could take hard coaching. This year, with how our confidence got rattled so early in Maui, I’ve had to build this team up.
“I don’t think any of us were prepared for the level of scrutiny throughout the year that has come with the success we’ve had for the last two years. I think that’s been heavy for all of us.”
Hurley is coming dangerously close to calling his team mentally soft here, even if he is trying not to be too critical. For a coach who is known for being very intense and passionate, however, it is entirely possible that he is having a harder time connecting with his current crop of players.
UConn entered the year with high hopes of another title. Any sense of inevitability fell early when the team lost all three of its games at the Maui Invitational, and they are a modest 10-5 in Big East play this season.
The Huskies’ season has been characterized by some surprising losses, including one recent defeat in which they completely lost their composure down the stretch. That may reinforce Hurley’s point about his team being much more fragile than previous UConn squads.
UConn only returned three players this season that were a part of the team’s back-to-back titles. They have had to learn some hard lessons, and Hurley has as well.
