UConn basketball just moved to 19-1 on the season, and 9-0 in Big East play. It took overtime for UConn to knock off Villanova. Legendary head coach Jim Calhoun was in attendance for the game, and after the game, current head coach Dan Hurley revealed the topic of their conversation.
“I think Coach rattled off about four or five things we suck at,” Hurley said to the press after the game, per Jaden Daly of A Daly Dose of Hoops.
While UConn has just one loss this year, falling to Arizona by four points early in the season, they have had some struggles as of late. First, it was a five-point victory on the road against Seton Hall in which the Huskies turned over the ball 17 times, lost the rebounding battle, and shot just 62 percent from the free-throw line. Then it was a two-point victory over Georgetown in which the team struggled to shoot. They shot just 36 percent from the floor and 19 percent from three. Last time out, the team needed overtime to take out Villanova.
“I just wanted to ask him how he was feeling, thank him for being there, and tell him I love him. I appreciate everything he’s been able to do,” Hurley added, but he got a lot more from the coach than a simple hello.
“I quickly went in the locker room and put in the notes section of my phone all the s**t he said about the things we need to get better at. I actually went right in, bypassed the team and took those notes down. Every time I get a chance to be around Coach, I learn something. From the day I got here, every time I get a chance to see him, he’s a treasure,” the UConn coach concluded.
Calhoun knows what it takes to win. From 1986 through 2012, he led UConn to a 625-243 record, winning the Big East ten times, making the Final Four four times, and winning the National Championship three times.
Hurley has been great at UConn in his own right. He is 184-70 at UConn, making the tournament in each of his first five seasons and winning the National Championship twice. He has a team at UConn that will be in contention for another title this season. The Huskies return to the court on Tuesday night against Providence.
