STORRS – Make no mistake about it: UConn men’s basketball is a coach-led program.
So as much shake up as there has been this offseason, with nine new players (and counting) and a new assistant coach in Mike Pegues replacing Luke Murray, Dan Hurley says there won’t be much change in the way the program operates.
“Our model’s a little bit different than maybe some other college programs that are heading toward that NBA model of like, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and then the head coach manages it,” Hurley said Thursday. “I’m comfortable with calling the offense, calling the defense, and then getting input from (assistants). Those guys get great responsibility in terms of scouts, each assistant coach, they split up those scouts a third each.
“But I sub every player, I decide who goes in and out of the game, I call every offensive possession, I call every defensive possession, so things pretty much stay the same.”
There will be a different dynamic in the locker room without a four-year player like Alex Karaban, who knew the system like the back of his hand and was a mature presence on and off the court. UConn has had strong leaders like Karaban and Donovan Clingan, Andre Jackson Jr. and Adama Sanogo, on its championship teams.
But this year especially, with only six upperclassmen on the roster and only four who’ve played a full season in a Huskies’ uniform, leadership will largely come from the top.
“In college basketball, because these guys are young for the most part … This is a coach-led program. We want them to develop over time and develop into leaders, but to think that I can have an 18-, 19-, 20-year-old lead our team, lead our program… I know a lot of other coaches talk about, ‘A player-led team is better than a coach-led team,’” Hurley said, unconvinced.
“You’re absolutely expecting in the locker room contributions from Silas (Demary Jr.), from Braylon (Mullins), from Jayden Ross – the guys that have been here and been part of the success and know how we do it. You want them, certainly, to develop as leaders and to contribute in practice, in the locker room, in the dining hall, in the facility that they live in, to be leaders,” he continued. “But the thing about college basketball is, in most of the successful programs, the coach is the driving force that is pushing people on a daily basis to work to the max.
“So I think coaches here accept that responsibility. We’re trying to develop leaders, but 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds, if you ask them to lead your college team they’re going to lead you into TikTok, into video games, ‘Call of Duty,’ or something like that.”
Yeah DC! 🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/DoV7sfRwNs
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) June 16, 2026
Big man visit
UConn’s three new sophomore big men — Najai Hines, Oskar Giltay and Elmir Dzafic — got the opportunity to work out with an NBA starter when Bristol’s 7-foot-2, 280-pound Donovan Clingan returned to campus this week.
Clingan wrapped up his second NBA season with the Portland Trail Blazers, who selected him seventh overall in 2024, last month after falling to former teammate Stephon Castle and the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. The former state champion at Bristol Central High and two-time national champion with the Huskies started in all 77 games he played and averaged 12.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game this past year.
“You forget how big of a man he was,” Hurley said. “It was just fun seeing him. I got a chance to hang out with him, talk to him, and then he jumped in and played the ones, played some of the threes. Different guys will be jumping in earlier in the week, especially, to jump in with the team and work out. But it’s always great to get Mr. Connecticut, two-time champion Clingan, that was great.”
Huskies looking for a more forceful Jayden Ross
Ross found his groove down the stretch of last season and into the NCAA Tournament, when his contributions at both ends of the court were critical in helping the Huskies advance.
Now entering his senior year as the only healthy four-year player on the roster with Solo Ball in a cast after wrist surgery, Ross has a chance to crack a larger role in the starting lineup, and it starts with his physicality.
“You want to see a number of guys come into the next season with a more physical stature, stronger body, more explosive athleticism,” Hurley said. “We’re looking for a greater physicality from him, he’s a fourth-year senior in the program, he looks the way he should look, like a guy that’s really looking to take the next step in terms of his role on the team.”
