Hurley discusses the roster:
After giving a detailed breakdown of his UConn basketball team, Dan Hurley joked that he barely took a breath during his informative talk. He just kept zooming along during a Zoom session at the Middl...
www.theday.com
On depth:
"We've got a deep team," he said. "I think the strength of the team, we could go 10, potentially 11 deep when we're fully healthy. That's the way I like it, because I want to play a pressure system at both ends of the court. And we've lacked the depth the last two years to really implement the way I want to play. We can do that this year."
On who will start:
Whenever Hurley is asked about the starting lineup, only two players come to mind — rising sophomore star James Bouknight and Isaiah Whaley, a senior forward coming off his best season. "Everything else is a little bit up in the air competitively," Hurley said.
On the point guard position:
Hurley added that transfer R.J. Cole and sophomore Jalen Gaffney are battling for the starting point guard spot. "That's a heck of a point guard competition right there to see who is going to start the opener. I'm very comfortable playing multiple guards or even starting two point guards at the same time. Those guys will play together a lot."
On the work of strength and conditioning coach Rehfeldt:
Gaffney has gone from 170 to 188 pounds, and is more explosive offensively while Bouknight is nearly 200 pounds after playing at 175 last season. "Physically, he looks impressive," Hurley said of Bouknight. Freshman Andre Jackson has made great strides, upping his weight about 25 pounds. He has a chance to be one of the top freshmen guards in the country, according to Hurley. "He looks like a junior in terms of his physical stature," Hurley said. "Obviously if you've seen any of his clips, he's a freak athlete in every way." Freshman forward Adama Sanogo has worked hard on his physical condition, according to Hurley. After arriving in Storrs over the summer at 268, he now checks in around 240. "He's done a tremendous job working on his body, becoming leaner," said Hurley, who added that Sanogo also has improved his mobility. Senior Josh Carlton is moving better than he's ever moved athletically in his UConn career due to weight loss, according to Hurley. He's listed on the roster at 245.
On the player most likely to surprise fans:
Hurley picked Gaffney. "Because Gaffney's numbers weren't great (last season)," Hurley said. "He was a top 100 player and the guy was recruited by some pretty good schools. He's very, very talented. People should not underrate his talent."
