UConn Basketball head coach Dan Hurley met with the media to talk about his program following the team's open practice / scrimmage.
UConn Basketball head coach Dan Hurley met with the media today following the program’s open practice, as the media asked all about the scrimmage, the star players of the day and more.
Full Press Conference Transcript
Do you take anything from the fact that it was kind of a one-sided ball?
DAN HURLEY: Well, you know, it was a three-game series and Blue had won the series by 10 points and 12 points. And, you know, with Alex and Solo on that Blue team, you know, they can lose. You just don’t want to kill the two vets like that. But I just think it was all good, really good work for us. And then to be able to play some simulated 10-minute game-like quarters, get these guys out in front of some people with a little bit of nervous energy because people are watching. It was just a really, really good thing that we did this summer, the way we structured our weeks.
Did you feel like you accomplished what you wanted to accomplish this summer?
DH: I did. I think just being able to get Firth and Big Eric having missed summer one, Eric having a little bit of a foot in the beginning of summer two. But to be able to get Big Eric two weeks of good work like that and just to see some of the things that he could do, especially offensively with his size.Just seeing the way Jay Stew looked, the way Jay Ross looked out there, the way Silas has gotten better with each one of these outings throughout the summer. I know for me when I go and take a little 10-day break before the guys come back, I’m going to have a better time at the Jersey Shore. Just feeling better about the team. It’s hard not to feel good about the team when you see how the centers look. You know what you’ve got at point guard. You know what you’ve got on the wing. You know what Alex and Stew and those guys look like. You feel better. Very dynamic. We’ll leave it up to you guys. Braylon, clearly the kid could shoot. It just seems to fit in so fluidly with a lot that you guys are trying to do out there.
What are your impressions of him and the kind of transition he’ll have into this level of the game?
DH: Braylon knows how to play. It was kind of like a setting like maybe the McDonald’s game.It probably works to his disadvantage because in a game like that, he’s not just out there looking for his or what have you. The guy can pass and he knows how to move without the ball. Any good guard, I think he’s got a maturity about him.We’ve got to get him ready for November. Obviously, we’ve had this conversation with him. People are dying to see him play in terms of the freshman class. He’s a really exciting player. There’s a lot of anticipation for what he’s going to look like this winter. We just have to prepare him mentally for the high expectations and the high anticipation. Just get him ready for all that so he can handle it and go out and perform like you’ve seen he can perform.
Coach, what’s the dynamic like coaching the two brothers? Does one make the other better?
DH: The Ross brothers, JR2 and J. Ross. First of all, it’s an awesome family. Get well soon to Jackie. Jackie Ross is recovering from some surgery. She’s doing great though. Get well soon, Jackie. They’re just like everything you’d want in people in your program, culture-wise, talent-wise. You saw all the things that J. Ross could bring to the table today, minus making threes. He literally did everything else on the court. I think his brother is a very similar prospect. I couldn’t ask for more than what they bring to you on a daily basis with how hard they work. They’re just total soldiers.
What do you like about Eric’s offensive game?
DH: Eric is skilled as hell. He could face up and drive. He could make threes. He’s got a little post game.It’s getting that total buy-in from Eric that you’ve got to become dominant for us as a rim protector, as a ball screen defender, as a low post defender. You’ve got to become dominant as a guy that’s going to finish with great efficiency around the basket. When you do those things for us, you’re going to be able to play out behind the line. We’re going to get that motor, that defensive mindset, that warrior mentality. I don’t think there’s a lot of freshmen that come into college with his offensive skill set.
Does it help him every day to play against Tarris?
It helps him.He’s going through what Donovan went through with Adama. Donovan got his ass kicked a lot that summer. Then he started having days. Adama was pretty relentless. That was what got Donovan ready for the type of freshman year he had. Tarris is doing the same thing for Eric. Tarris could be one of the two or three best big guys in the country based on his talent. That’s what Eric’s got to deal with every day.
Obviously, Jalen was a lot better today than last time we saw him a couple of weeks ago. Is it safe to say that and I know it’s August, but he’s in a real battle at the wing for minutes and potentially starting spot?
DH: Yeah, yeah, yeah. In our mind right now, coming off the year that we had, I don’t think organic at UConn. We’re obviously not patting ourselves on the back by not winning either a regular season or a Big East tournament. Or by not making it out of the first week of the tournament. I don’t think anyone that was a part of that feels too secure in their job. I would say across the board, in our mind, we have a lot of offensive weapons. We feel like we’re too deep in a lot of positions. A lot of the starting is going to come down to who can help us get our defense fixed. We had issues offensively last year in different areas where we were not a well-rounded offense. But we were still a top 15 offense with no running game. We’re going to be a top offensive team, regardless of who plays. But who’s going to get us back to a top 10 defense? Jalen’s physical strength is tall. I don’t think there’s a lot of guarantees for anyone. Obviously, Alex probably feels great.You’ve got to earn your spot. Alex looks great. I think he’s coming into the season under the radar.I think he’ll respond better mentally to that. What he went through last season has mentally prepared him. There’s a mental toughness that you develop when you go through a year like we had as a team.The stretch that he went through has made him a lot tougher. His game is sharper. He’s addressed areas.When you’re a year before, you’re doing a lot of celebrating. He was deep into the pre-draft process. He didn’t have as much time to work on things.I think get back in the gym and put in the work on his body. He looks a lot different. Jalen has shown flashes over the last couple of years.What does it take to fully unlock it? Jalen’s put down the headset and the controller. Screen sucking his phone. He’s in the gym at the rate that you need to be in the gym at.Instead of being a gamer or an influencer, he wants to be a baller. He’s in the gym like Alex. He’s on a similar schedule to Alex.You can see it with the sharpness of his game today. He’s in a different maturity. He’s ready to take the next step in his career.
Is he a guy that could benefit from being more off-script? Or is he devout?
DH: Offensively, he’s taking the next step because his game is sharp. We just get him now to make a similar defensive commitment. It’s going to be hard to keep a guy with his size, athleticism, and offensive talent off the court.I think he was the first guy to announce he was returning after last season. Did you ever talk to him a little bit about that? Jalen’s a UConn guy. A lot of stuff swirls around the kids here. There’s a lot of stuff that swirls around him. He’s just a UConn guy through and through. I say this a lot about our players.He’s one of the best human beings you’ll ever be around. A total loyalty guy. There was no hard line negotiating with him.He loves UConn. He loves the program. He loves Connecticut.He loves stores. He loves being a Husky. I think he’s got self-awareness.He knows there were things he needed to do. It wasn’t necessarily us holding him back, but more things he needed to do, which he’s addressed. Now he looks like a different guy.
Is Tarris being a No. 2 or 3 center in the country predicated just on that intensity level being more consistent? Have you seen that?
He can’t show the flashes of lack of discipline. There’s a shot blocker.You’ve got to have timing. You have to be the second player to leave the floor. He never has to be the first person to leave the floor. He’s such a quick jumper. Again, we measure him out at 6-foot-10.5, 268lbs. He looks like he could weigh 220lbs. He moves better than most guards. Laterally running, vertical athleticism, off the board. He checks every box.I think with him, it’s motor, it’s intensity, it’s warrior mentality, it’s discipline. It’s losing your technique and fundamentals at times. If this guy puts it all together, he’s as good a center as there is in the country.He’s got it for the first time in his career. We’ve got to help him put it all together.
I’ve had a lot of guys come in and play big roles as a freshman and a junior and have banners up there.What does that take? I ask this with Braylon in mind. No matter the level of talent you possess, what does it take to come in and truly show what you’re all about at that young of an age in the Big East nationally?
DH: I think Braylon is similar to Steph and Donovan and Alex and Liam. The people that have really come in and been awesome their freshman years.They’re good people around them. It’s not a shitshow with a circus of people focused on mock drafts and all this stuff. He’s got people around him that just want him to work hard, get better, coach my son hard.No entitled, spoiled shit. That’s the common denominator. Maturity and the people around them aren’t poisoning the kids.You’re getting the same message that we have. Myself, Luke, Kamani, Mike Nardi with the player. It’s being echoed by the family.It’s not like a counter message. The other part of it is this year he’s going to play with experienced players. He’s going to be insulated by an older, more mature, more well-rounded group than Liam.That’s not to knock last year’s team. It’s just Braylon’s going to be surrounded by more maturity, more seasoned players. Just a better, well-rounded cast. That’s good for Eric. It’s good for Braylon. It’s good for Furph.
For Tarris, you said you guys need to help him. You tried last year with the Kodiak Bear. Is it something now where you show him pictures or video of Adama in practice, games, and then maybe some of his flashes where he did look really good? I noticed the first practice he looked really aggressive at times.Then even today he was pretty dominant.
Listen, at times it was last year. I would say if you asked him in December if he thought we believed in him, the coaches, he probably would have told you guys a lie detector test no.We were on him. The mistakes that centers make lead to exposing the rim on defense, to getting scored on at the rim. It’s like some of the fundamental technique things that you have to master. The communication as a center, being a great screener on offense, doing hard things well. It’s not exciting stuff. But those are part of your position as a center. You’ve got to be a great screener. You’ve got to guard screens well. You’ve got to hit people first when shots go up.You’ve got to understand how to post up big and small, like low and big to present a big time. It’s stuff that’s not very fun to master that you’ve got to master or else you’re not a good big guy. But we’ve spent a lot of time with Tarris and he’s worked his ass off. And I think that we believe that we’ve bet heavy that he’s going to have a dominant year.
The lob passes are back. Silas, I mean, looks like he’s doing exactly what you want. Yeah. In terms of looking to score, is that part of his game that’s still on him?
DH: Yeah. I mean, the thing with Silas that was most appealing was the Tristan qualities, the two-way player. Like he’s going to help fortify our defense because he’s competitive and he’s 6’3 1⁄2″, 6’4″, and he’s physically strong. He’s a veteran and he’s going to be in those positions a lot with the way we play offense and his own ability to get the paint. He’s just right now the decision-making of when I get to the logo, do I attack the rim, do I throw the lob, do I spray it to her? We’ve got big-time shooting out there. So he’s going to have a lot of space and options.And right now he’s just going through the processor decision.
Is J. Ross one more confident? He looks like he’s just moving a little better out there with a purpose.
Yeah, he’s stronger.I think he’s put on muscle and he’s older. I’m going back through and watching the season. I mean, he helped us at Georgetown. He played great at Marquette. He’s a big reason why we won that game, his defense, the work that he did in those games. So he had his moments last year.I thought he had some really bad luck. He had some threes that rimmed out that if they go in, it gets his confidence to a different level. He’s going to do it.
Coach, how’s Malachi’s injury recovery going? I saw no knee brace today.
DH: He feels good. I think he’s a critical piece for us this year.I think he’s going to give us a different look. He’s going to give us more pace. He’s going to give us a different look in terms of being able to pressure people and put him on the court with athletes where we can pick up and pressure and change the speed and pace of the game and the tempo.So we’re excited to put him in those positions. He’s got some pop. He’s got some swagger.He’s got some confidence. He won’t let me forget about the Dayton game. He just won’t let me forget about it.
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