UConn's Dan Hurley Admits Hassan Diarra Should've Been Starter: 'I Screwed Up'
Great leaders know that admitting a mistake isn’t a sign of weakness but rather a way to build trust.
It’s no surprise that two-time national champion head coach Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies practices such a philosophy.
After Huskies senior point guard Hassan Diarra drove UConn to a comeback victory over Providence on Sunday with 19 points and 8 assists, Hurley took the opportunity to publicly admit that it was wrong to bring Diarra off the bench to begin the season.
“It would have made more sense to start him from the opener,” Hurley said during Sunday’s postgame presser.
“Just (to) have him at that natural point guard position rather than … force that on Aidan (Mahaney).”
“I screwed up the early part of the season there. Hass is the heart and soul of the team along with (Samson Johnson). Just the passion that they put into it.”
Hurley credited Diarra with being the main reason UConn was able to “cheat death” on Sunday and overcome a 14-point deficit to defeat the Friars.
“The game for us obviously was about Hassan Diarra, and his will to not allow us to lose what would have been a really rough game,” Hurley said.
“He carried himself with the spirit and will of a two-time national champion.”
Hurley also praised Diarra’s character while admitting that his relationship with the senior point guard is complicated.
“Whatever you ask Hass to do, he goes and does it.”
“I got so much respect for how hard he plays and all the different ways he helps a team in terms of the energy, the competitive fire, the do-whatever-it-takes to win a game (mentality), the being as selfless as he is,” Hurley said.
“I’m very grateful to coach him because he’s a winner. He’s a champion.”
“But it’s a stressful relationship because you’re on him about decision-making. That’s the pre-eminent position for decision-making.”
“He’s gotta make so many decisions during the game. Maybe 80 percent of them are really good, 20 percent of them aren’t good, so you’re relationship kind of tilts back and forth between praising him and ripping him.”
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Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org