Hurley, Huskies begin transition back to Big East

By Ken Davis

The NCAA basketball tournament was scheduled to begin Thursday. Of course, it did not.

Like almost everything else in our country, March Madness was shut down last week by the pandemic threat of COVID-19 and replaced by a new event known as March Sadness.

For fans, coaches, and players who look forward to the drama and excitement of the tournament’s opening rounds, Thursday felt hollow and empty. It will continue to feel that way until April 6, when the national championship game would have been played in Atlanta.

 We are left holding on to our personal tournament memories, the highlights from past Final Four weekends, the release of awards honoring performances from the 2019-20 season, and all the uncertainty created by the shutdown of conference tournaments last week.

 Connecticut coach Dan Hurley took time from his new and unusual schedule Thursday for a conversation with reporters about the Huskies. Much of the teleconference call focused on the future, specifically the fact that the next time UConn takes the floor for a game the Huskies will be back in the Big East Conference.

The excitement has been building since the move was announced last summer. Of course, the Big East gave Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun and the Huskies their platform for increased prominence and national championships.

Now UConn will move from the American Athletic Conference, which had been projected to land only two spots in this year’s NCAA field, to a conference that was expected to send six or maybe seven teams to the Big Dance. Hurley knows the challenge will be enormous, but it is the logical next step as he goes into the third season as coach of the Huskies.

 “To play in a basketball conference of this caliber, as we’re on the upswing, is just incredibly exciting for the players,” Hurley said. “We saw [the players] at the beginning of the week, as we’re turning the page, looking to next year, and there’s a tremendous amount of excitement around the program with this move.

 “It’s a great thrill for us. It’s an exciting level of basketball and it’s a level that UConn should be playing in.”

Hurley, who played for Seton Hall at a time when Ray Allen was making headlines for the Huskies, knows the neighborhood well. Seton Hall, Villanova, Providence, St. John’s and Georgetown are still in the league. Creighton, Butler, Marquette, Xavier and DePaul have moved in as the conference went through its reconfiguration. It isn’t the same place that UConn joined during the historic transformation under Dave Gavitt in 1979, but the Huskies and their fans will feel more at home when next season begins.

Hurley said he looks forward to the Big East bus rides – as opposed to the crazy flight schedules of the AAC that took the Huskies to Houston, Tulsa, Tulane, Memphis and other distant destinations.

“We’ll be in a lot more familiar territory,” Hurley said. “UConn back in the Big East; obviously with some of our old rivalries from when we were in the Big East. With the travel, we’re going to be at a lot less competitive disadvantage. It’s going to be so much more exciting for our fans.”

Anticipation for the 2020 Big East tournament was high heading into last week at Madison Square Garden. Creighton, Villanova, Seton Hall, Butler, Providence and Marquette were all expected to make the NCAA tournament bracket with Xavier clinging to the bubble and needing a strong run in New York City.

Before the chaos that led to the tournament stoppage, several Big East coaches expressed their excitement about next season and the addition of the Huskies.

“I think it will be great for the Big East, having another school that was there from the inception,” Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing said on a Big East teleconference call. “Their school has a lot of history, a lot of tradition and they’ve won multiple championships. So, I think it’s only going to help, especially at times like this. Their fan base travels, so that’s also going to help the exposure of the Big East.”

Ewing, who played in the Garden for the Knicks during his NBA career, understands the majesty of the arena. He also has the longest connection with the Big East, dating back to the early years when he was at Georgetown and one of the most scrutinized players in college basketball history. Later, he watched the epic battles between the Hoyas under coach John Thompson and the Huskies under Calhoun.

 “I was fortunate enough to play four years in the Big East tournament and also fortunate enough to win the majority of the ones that I played in,” Ewing said. “I think all of them rank right up there.

“Being here three years [as coach], I haven’t been able to get past the first game as yet, but I think that day is coming. We’ve had some memorable times and memorable games. I can’t put one above the other. I think the whole experience is great.”

DePaul coach Dave Leitao has a unique perspective from his days as one of Calhoun’s assistants at UConn. Last week, in the first round, DePaul upset Xavier 71-67 to advance to the Big East quarterfinals for the first time in six years.

Leitao cited the Big East’s continuity in New York and the opportunity to make special memories as the selling point for the conference tournament. As examples, he point to UConn’s classic six overtime game against Syracuse and the great performances by Huskies such as Ben Gordon and Kemba Walker.

“The first thing that comes to my mind [about UConn] is that they’ve made that a home for them for a long period of time,” Leitao said. “They’re going to bring a lot of people, a lot of fan base, a lot of energy and a lot of excitement. Ben Gordon’s  name became ‘Madison Square Gordon’ for his performances. I think the people of Connecticut will lean on that as they enter the league.

“It kind of feels like a home game. For UConn, whether it’s the Big East tournament or other times they’ve played in the Garden, it felt like a home game. Not just for the amount of fans that show up, but the passion they bring. Obviously when you have really good teams – and that’s what they’ve brought into the Garden in years gone by – that makes it special and makes for those magical moments. With Ben, or Kemba, or anybody that’s been through there and performed at a high level, the close proximity and the energy is something that’s very unique.”

 The legend of UConn and the Garden, which includes early season tournaments, doubleheaders and even a NCAA East Regional championship in 2014, is well known throughout the college basketball community.

 “I haven’t experienced UConn in the Big East tournament but I’ve heard the stories,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “It sounds like they really bring a great following to New York City, much like some of our other teams. I think it’s just going to add to the excitement of that particular event. It has certainly been good without them but I think they’re going to add some value to it.”

 UConn’s move will also rekindle the long rivalry with Providence.

 “I think Connecticut is going to add value to our league,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said. “We’re excited that they are part of our family. We look forward to competing against them. I think it’ a great regional game for Providence College. We’re all excited about it.

 “The bright lights playing on that stage [in New York], there’s nothing greater. It’s just awesome.”

 Don’t expect Villanova coach Jay Wright to do joyful backflips over UConn’s return.

“Yeah, I don’t like them being there at all, honestly,” Wright said. “I remember playing all those games with all those crazy UConn fans at the Garden and wondering ‘Did they get more tickets than the rest of us or what? How do they do this?’

“They have a great impact in the Garden. They do a great job.  But I’ll be honest with you, you don’t like playing them though. You don’t like playing them in there. But it’s great for the league and Danny is doing a great job with that team.”

After a slow start this season and some major injuries that altered the lineup, the Huskies won their last five games and six of their last seven before heading to Fort Worth for the AAC tournament, where they never played. In year two of Hurley’s tenure, the Huskies finished 19-12 overall and 10-8 in conference play.

Hurley’s turnaround is in overdrive. The 19 wins were the most at UConn since 2016, the last time the Huskies played in the NCAA tournament. That was also the last season UConn had a winning record in a conference season. UConn finished that season with a 25-11 record (11-7 in the AAC) after losing to Kansas in the NCAA.

 “We played them in the Garden last year in a regular season game [an 81-58 Villanova win],” Wright said. “The electricity in there was incredible. When those old Big East schools come to the Garden, I think every school will tell you there’s something special about that.”

 UConn was undoubtedly headed to the National Invitation Tournament this March. Just a return to postseason play would have been a big step for a program that has been in a tailspin since the 2014 NCAA championship. The Huskies were denied their opportunity to make a run at the NCAA in the AAC conference tournament. For a coach like Hurley, who wants to make the Huskies relevant again, that’s hard to digest.

 “The program is trending up,” Hurley said repeatedly on Thursday.

 It’s a bit premature and feels totally unnatural, but now the focus turns to the future. Hurley has already begun the transition to the Big East, breaking down film of each team in the conference and assigning each of his assistants with in-depth breakdowns of certain programs.

 “We have to start studying the conference really closely so that we have a lot more familiarity with the different styles of play,” he said. “Get a better feel for the league. We played Xavier [a 75-74 double OT loss] this year, and we played Villanova [a 61-55 loss].

“At Rhode Island we had the opportunity to play Providence yearly and Seton Hall, and played Creighton in the [2017] NCAA tournament. I have a decent feel for the league but we’ve got to study the conference.  Beyond that, I don’t know that there’s much more for us to do.

 “We just want to get past this difficult time as quickly as possible, continue doing a great job in recruiting, continue to engage our fan base and to get them ready for one of the most anticipated seasons in a while around here.”