UConn's Staff, Schemes Praised By Top Analyst: 'Nothing Short Of Tremendous'
UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley has become the face of college basketball, but his trio of stellar assistants are flying under the radar as powerful pillars of UConn’s success.
Measuring the impact of college basketball coaches can be a chicken-and-egg scenario. Does an elite staff make a head coach successful, or does a head coach raise the men around him to a higher level?
Both things are probably true for UConn, and it’s one of the key reasons why the Huskies are one of the best college sports teams in America (regardless of sport). Let’s not understate Hurley’s importance in that success — he’s undeniably the best head coach in the country, and there’s a reason the Los Angeles Lakers tried to lure him away.
At the same time, it’s difficult to name a stronger stable of assistants in the nation than Hurley’s superteam of Kimani Young, Luke Murray, and Tom Moore.
Between recruiting, player relationships, and basketball schemes, Hurley and his staff are like the Fab Four of college basketball at the moment.
FOX Sports’ leading analyst John Fanta recently lauded the foursome in an episode of ESPN’s The Sports Reporters, during which Fanta was asked by host Jeremy Schaap whether a UConn three-peat is possible.
“It is absolutely possible because what Dan Hurley has built is a masterful offensive system that is intricate, that is based on European basketball,” Fanta said.
“(Hurley) and his staff, Luke Murray, Kimani Young (and) Tom Moore … what they've been able to piece together here is nothing short of tremendous.”
“(In the) last two years they've … been the best offensive team in college basketball. They've also been at the top of the charts in blocked shots. Currently, in college basketball, they lead the country in blocked shots.”
“Defensively, they funnel everything towards the rim and they're averaging 10 to 11 blocks per game here the last three seasons.”
Hurley and Co. have a chance at history this season, and they are still building for the future, too. The Huskies have one of the nation’s top recruiting classes for 2025. It’s a great time to be in Storrs.
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
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