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Dan Hurley Eager to Attack the Recruiting Trail

STORRS, Conn. – In order to build the future of the UConn basketball program, Danny Hurley is busy selling the Huskies’ past.

Since being hired as head coach in late March, Hurley and his staff have hit the recruiting trail promoting the school’s rich basketball tradition in trying to land some of the top players in the country.

"The bigger selling points for us obviously are history, tradition of the program, the player development piece," Hurley said after Friday’s practice at the The Werth Family Center UConn Basketball Championship Center. "The more that we can get on visits when we are out on the court doing what we are doing today, serious players are impressed by that type of work."

"Players that want to get better they see an environment like that they say ‘wow, I’m going to be challenged every day and I’m going to get better playing in a competitive environment like that."

Hurley has also been selling his family, too, with not only his success as a coaching, but his father Bob’s lengthy resume at St. Anthony’s along with brother Bobby’s success at Duke as a player and coaching at University at Buffalo and Arizona State.

"We have two great brands here,” Hurley said. “You have the UConn brand which is THE best brand in all of college basketball and then just my personal brand. The reputation of my family in basketball is I think pretty strong. You have this Hurley brand and this UConn brand, and come here, we’ll help you build your brand, so that’s kind of been the pitch."

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The pitch already helped the Huskies land three players that will contribute this season in fifth-year seniors Tarin Smith and Kassoum Yakwe plus freshman guard Brendan Adams, who followed Hurley from University of Rhode Island.

After Hurley left URI following a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, Adams re-opened his recruitment and ended up coming to UConn as well.

"Part of the reason I committed to URI was coach Hurley," Adams said. "I believe his coaching style is best for my development as a person and as a basketball player, so when I left it was kind of a weird situation for. Once I was granted my release he called and once he called, I knew this is where I wanted to be because coach Hurley was here."

Despite two straight losing season under former head coach Kevin Ollie and the program not having a player taken in the first round of the NBA Draft since 2014 (Shabazz Napier), the Husky name remains strong.

"I think when you think of UConn, first you think of the four national championships,” Adams said. “They are one of the most prestigious schools in the country for basketball, and they definitely still held in high honor."

The Huskies will find out how high this summer on the recruiting trail with five open roster spots for the 2019-2020 season.

Hurley and his staff can’t discuss targets, but UConn has been active this spring. Among the players on its radar are Putnam Science Academy’s Akok Akok, from AAU Mass Rivals, along with Woodstock Academy’s Tre Mitchell and Loomis Chaffe’s Jaiden Delaire. Mitchell reportedly took an unofficial visit Thursday to UConn.

Five-star forward Precious Achiuwa (ranked sixth in Class of 2018) and guards Rocket Watts and James Bouknight are among some of the other players in the mix.

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