The late spring is usually the quitest time for any major college basketball program, especially once the transfer and recruiting processes are mostly settled. This was not the case with the Huskies, however. Instead, the program had multiple coaches come and go from Storrs in just a few weeks. When the dust settled, UConn added one, of the most highly-regarded assistants in the country and a proven strength and conditioning coach who fits the program’s philosphies.
Below, I discuss the departures of one of the Huskies assistant coaches and their strength and conditioning coach, and the additions of Luke Murray and Gavin Roberts to take these positions. I believe Murray and Roberts are excllent hires and can make an immediate impact on the program and be extremely important to its success in the years to come.
Kevin Freeman leaves, Luke Murray replaces him
Freeman, who was a key cog on UConn’s 1999 title team, stepped down in mid-April after one season as an assistant coach. He will now lead UConn’s National C Club, a position previously occupied by current women’s assistant basketball coach Jamie Elliott. The UConn website says that the National C Club ““seeks to build and foster relationships through networking, mentoring and professional experience opportunities between former and current UConn student-athletes”.
Freeman attributed his decision to wanting to make a lifetyle chance that would allow him to spend more time with his young family while also staying within the UConn family. Freeman’s decision is certaintly understandable, and I am glad he will continue to be part of the program, where he previously served as the director of basketball administration from 2011-2018. However, it was concerning to hear that Dan Hurley was upset with Freeman’s decision to go on vaciation in early April when the Huskies were looking at players who could transfer to UConn (fellow assistant Kimani Young went on vacation as well). Like many fans, I wondered if the program could attract quality candidates for the position this late in the offseason. I shouldn’t have worried.
Murray wazs immediately seen as a top candidate for the assistant position by fans due to his success at Xavier and Louisville as an assistant to Chris Mack. Before that, Murray was an assistant for Hurley at Wagner from 2010-11 and at Rhode Island from 2013-15. While with the Musketeers from 2015-18, he helped the Muskeeters to an 81-26 record while bringing in three consecutive ranked recruiting classes. He then helped lead Lousville to a 57-28 record in three seasons and brought in a six-player class in 2019 that was ranked ninth in the country by ESPN.
Murray has connections to UConn’s program and and an understanding of recruiting in the Northeast beyond just his stints at Wagner and Rhode Island. Murray played his high school basketball at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan and went to UConn for his first semester of college before transferring to and graduating from Fairfield University. Murray built a relationship with UConn assistants while in Storrs, and seeing the success of the program helped encourage his interest in coaching in college. He worked for current Huskies assistantTom Moore when he was head at Quinnipiac, and has worked alonside Young in the New York AAU scene. He has coached with AAU programs in Springfield in addition to New York.
Murray checks all the boxes, as they say, for the type of assistant coach Hurley is looking for. He is a coach who Hurley has worked with before, can continue to strengthen UConn as a premier destination for top recruits in the Northeast, and should have a strong working relationship with the team’s other assistants. Most importantly in my mind, Murray has had demonstrated success attrracting recruits from throughout the Midwest and South and can help expand the Huskies recruiting footprint, something UConn will need to do if it wants to return to being an elite program.
Murry is highly regarded for his coaching ability throughout the college basketball world, and is seen as a future head coach. Murray was ranked 10th amoung ESPN’s list of coaches under 40 in 2020 and was named one of the top five recruiters in the country by 247sports. He also was a member of The Athletic’s list of 40 most influential figures in college basketball under the age of 40. After Murray was hired, a number of coaching figures and media members heavily praised the move. The Athletec’s Sam Vecenie wrote “Luke Murray is one of the smartest people I’ve met within basketball. One of the few that I think could legit work in NBA front office, coaching, college coaching, etc. Super smart, and REALLY knows hoops. Just a really great hire for UConn.”
I believe that Murray is about as perfect as a hire as UConn could have gotten. The 35-year old Murray will inject a lot of energy into the program, and his track record and ability to relate to high school recruits should allow him to immediately attract quality players in the 2022 and ’23 classses. In the few weeks since Murray arrived in Storrs, multiple top recruits whom Murray was going after while at Louisvillle have either expressed interest in UConn or officially gotten offers from the Huskies, and there has been indications that Murray and the staff are going after other top targets as well. With Murray there, I expect the program to get excellent classes for these two years. I am especially excited by the potential for Murray to bring in players from throughout the country and not just the Northeast. Throw in Murray’s relationship with Hurley and the rest of the coaching staff, and he is a home run hire.
Best of all, Luke is the son of Bill Murray. How awesome will it be to see him at multiple UConn games?
Strength coach Mike Rehfeldt replaced by Gavin Roberts
UConn’s second coaching departure came on April 30th when Rehfeldt left the program to return to Cincinnati, where he previously served as strength coach for eight seasons. Rehfeldt had served under Mick Cronin before he departed the Bearcats, and was hired by Hurley last July. He made a big impact on the program in his short time in Storrs, helping multiple yong players build their body strength. This effort was reflected in UConn’s rebounding prowness, as it was one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the country. Rehfeldt’s return to Cincinatti was spurred by the firing of John Brannan on April 9th and the hiring of Wes Miller as the new Bearcats head coach.
While Rehfeldt’s decision to return to Cincy was very understandable, it left UConn looking for its sixth different strength/conditioning coach in eight years. This lack of continuity definitely hurts the program, especially in the devlopment of younger players. The Huskies needed to find a proven replacement who they could trust to say multiple seasons.
Two weeks later, UConn hired Roberts. The 31-year old, who was previously at Purdue for three years as the the head strength and conditioning coach, also met all the qualifications the program wanted in a director of sports performance. While Roberts was at Purdue, the Boilermakers went 60-35. He brings to Storrs that conference’s reputation for size, strength and physical play, qualities that are part of Hurley’s philosophy. At UConn, Roberts will be responsible for in-season and offseason aspects concerning strength, conditioning, nutrition and wellness training for the program.
Following his hire, Roberts discussed his biggest prorities as a coach. Roberts cited ensuring players were healthy, building athleticism, and finding a system players need in order to thrive (from a mental, nutriotional and strenth standpoint) as his biggest immediate priorities.
I believe Roberts success at Purdue and his clear goals as a coach will make him successful as a director. If Roberts can help the players go stronger both physically and mentally, while still finding a way for a player’s increased size or weight to not take away from his athleticism, then he should make a positive impact up and down the roster. What will be just as important is ensuring Roberts will stay in Storrs for the long term so that there is some stability with the position.
The Team’s Chemistry Was Highly Visible
UConn’s chemistry has been on display all season, especially that shared by the more experienced players. But its only during this four-game winning streak that I’ve especially noticed it among all the players and the team having fun as a whole. The team was smiling and high-fiving after many big offensive plays and fastbreak baskets, and the communication and connection Sanago shared with both Cole and Jackson was unstoppable. That energy and dedication to pushing the tempo was there for all 40 minutes and allowed the Huskies to take a huge lead when they could have easily sat back and taken their foot of the gas. Whaley even said after the game that the chemistry with this year’s team was better than last year’s and the best he has experienced in his five seasons. If the players can maintain that chemistry and communication among one another against tougher teams and when everything isn’t going smoothly in the coming weeks, UConn can be one of the best teams in America.
The Defense Was Way Too Leaky
Based on the quality of the offense, UConn clearly had its worst defensive performance in Big East play Tuesday. While a couple of the first-half threes Georgetown hit were well-contested, way too many of them were wide open. What was especially annoying to watch was Husky defenders right there barely contesting threes, something that was inexcusable considering that’s by far the Hoyas biggest strength on offense. While the post defense was hurt by the foul trouble Sanago experienced, the defenders still did not contest shots well enough in the first half, with Mohammed especially taking advantage. It is clear that Hurley emphasized playing better defense at halftime. UConn absolutely came out more aggressive in the second half and pressured ball handlers while rotating well on outside shooters, turning the game into a rout. The Huskies had a lot of leeway with an opponent like Georgetown, but that still doesn’t give them an excuse to play flat on D to start the game. If the same thing happens on the road tomorrow at DePaul, they will quickly be in danger of losing.
HUSKY NATION 