Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies keep going strong. The toughest team in the nation put on a strong outing vs. the Xavier Musketeers, who made life difficult with a 94-89 overtime loss.
This was their first win in a home conference opener in the past 13 seasons, which only speaks volumes about how tough it is to win in this kind of setting, even for a top-notch program.
Moreover, it seems like the Huskies may have had a secret weapon. Apparently, Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla paid them a little visit in the locker room, and coach Hurley was quite thankful for it.
Dan Hurley thanks Joe Mazzulla for locker room visit
“Shoutout to Joe for showing up. I think he enjoyed it. He likes Big East basketball,” Hurley told Joe Arruda.
Hurley talks about Mazzulla’s philosophy
Even so, as much as they’re both champions in their own craft, Hurley admits Mazzulla’s offensive approach isn’t what he’s looking for with the Huskies, who are more of a defensive-oriented team:
“I know Joe’s got a different mentality. He wants to be an aggressor with the Celtics this year,” Dan Hurley said. “We look at it in a way where we’re gonna defend it with our lives. Somebody’s gonna have to rip it out of our lifeless hands this year.”
At the end of the day, coaches need to adapt to their players and not the other way around. There’s no correct way to win a championship, and getting the job done is all that matters.