UConn’s Dan Hurley uses underwear analogy to explain take on college basketball transfer portal
BOSTON – A day after the UConn men’s basketball program learned it would be the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the transfer portal opened.
“I think we could wait until we get to maybe the conclusion of the season. That would be nice,” coach Dan Hurley said, echoing popular – and logical – sentiment.
UConn has had success working the portal over the last two offseasons, acquiring pieces that fit perfectly into the puzzle, focused on winning and willing to buy in.
Two years ago, the Huskies brought in Tristen Newton (now an All-American), Hassan Diarra (Big East Sixth Man of the Year), and Joey Calcaterra and Nahiem Alleyne – a pair of reserves who played important roles on the national championship team. This year it was Cam Spencer, who they got late after targeting former Towson guard Nick Timberlake, who chose Kansas. Spencer has been one of the most important players on this year’s team, both on the court and to its culture off of it.
UConn didn’t get involved early in the transfer portal last season, hoping the right pieces would wait for its main focus, the NCAA Tournament, to be over. But waiting puts the program at a disadvantage.
“It almost feels like in a way right now teams that are really, really successful and having great seasons, it’s almost becoming pro sports, where it feels like we’re going to have the last pick in the draft,” Hurley said. “A lot of the players will have made decisions because we’re not recruiting. We may be listed by some players on some lists of having shown interest, but I know that I don’t have interest right now because I’m just – all you can focus on, I think with the way that we function as a program, is on our team and coaching the season, and then we’ll make personnel moves once we’re done coaching this group.”
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Hurley explained his opinion on the dais inside Boston’s TD Garden, where the Huskies will play in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, beginning with a rematch of last year’s title game against San Diego State in the Sweet 16.
“I’m 100% focused on this year, but I’m doing San Diego State a disservice if I don’t have an eye on the future too, so I have to multi-task. I have to be able to do a lot of things,” said San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher. “The one-time transfer I’m good with, but once we got rid if you had to sit if you transferred twice, I think that’s not a good thing because the mission has to be to graduate from college… To have all this free agency in basketball, we lose sight of the most important mission we have, which is to graduate student-athletes.”
Hurley, with a rather ironic analogy, echoed the same sentiment.
“You can’t open up that window until the season is over. I don’t think you should play in five schools in four years or four schools in four years. I don’t think that’s healthy for the individual for the long-term 50, 60-year life after their playing career is over because there’s no connection with our university, a coaching staff, a network of alumni that can help create opportunities once basketball is over. I just think whether it’s a one-time – I don’t know. I don’t like the window being open right now,” he said.
“I just don’t think it’s healthy for somebody to be able to change schools like underwear.”
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Spencer is the only UConn transfer over the last two seasons who came in after already changing schools once. His situation was a bit different. A zero-star recruit in high school who only had one offer, Spencer started his career at Loyola Maryland, a Patriot League program that’s made two NCAA Tournament appearances in its existence. He earned the chance to play at Rutgers and entered the portal again as a graduate student looking to prove himself as a potential professional.
Hurley admits the program was “lucky” to get Spencer, considering the fact that it waited to recruit out of the portal until after the confetti fell at the Final Four. Now Spencer and Newton, both graduates who played a ton of basketball before getting to Storrs, have formed what Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright considers “the best backcourt in the country.”
“This team fits. I just think the pieces fit so well,” Hurley said. “I think a lot of it’s been trial and error. Those couple of years when we weren’t successful in the tournament, just the personalities, the skill set. Obviously adapting to the analytics and the modern game from an offensive standpoint, the growth there as a coach and in terms of roster construction… We finally have kind of figured out the formula.”
