UConn head coach Dan Hurley believes that his players can not handle his typical coaching style.
Hurley was asked about the current state of the Huskies on Mad Dog Sports Radio on Thursday, and he opened up about some of the difficulties coaching this year’s squad.
“I started the year breathing fire, talking like a coach that believes his team can compete for a three-peat,” Hurley said on the show. “I still think that this team has the potential to get on a roll late in the year.”
However, Hurley continued by suggesting that it doesn’t feel like this year’s squad can handle “hard” coaching.
“I realized that I couldn’t coach this team as hard as I’ve coached some of my other teams,” Hurley continued. “When you have guys like Cam Spencer, Andre Jackson, Donovan Clingan, these guys could take hard coaching. This year, our confidence got rattled so early in Maui, you know, 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’s come with the success we’ve had the last two years. I think that’s been heavy for all of us.”
Hurley made headlines last fall for turning down the Lakers’ head coaching job, opting to stay in Storrs to coach the Huskies.
UConn’s season has been full of ups and downs, which has ultimately put the Huskies in fourth in the Big East.
At the start of this season, UConn suffered an abysmal last-place finish at the 2024 Maui Invitational, which saw it lose games to Memphis, Colorado and Dayton.
UConn then turned things around with an eight-game win streak following the tournament, defeating top teams like Baylor and Gonzaga in the process.
The team’s success was abruptly halted, however, with their most recent loss coming from Big East bottom-dweller Seton Hall on Feb. 15.
UConn is set to face off against St. John’s on Sunday after the Johnnies knocked off the Huskies in Storrs on Feb. 7.
