UConn head coach Dan Hurley credits players for season turnaround after national championship win

For the fifth time in program history, UConn is cutting down the nets as national champions. Head coach Dan Hurley saw his team dominate for the entire NCAA Tournament, taking down San Diego State in the title game on Friday night. Being considered the best team in the country on both bookends of the season, a trophy is heading back to Storrs where a party will be waiting.

There was a stretch when UConn was being doubted as a serious title contender. Hurley saw his team struggle through Big East play at times, with all of their losses coming against conference opponents. He credited the players with getting the Huskies back on the right track at the right time.

“Well, they buried us before the season,” Hurley said during his postgame interview with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. “And then they buried us at the mid-point. We weren’t ranked going into the year so we had the chip on our shoulder. We knew the level that we could play at. So, even through those dark times and when you have a guy like Andre Jackson — who’s the captain of your team. And Adama Sanogo, it’s easy to get back on track.”

Hurley is a popular name in the college basketball world, with there now being a national championship in the family. Dan’s brother, Bobby, got a special shoutout as he thanked the older Hurley for helping him become the coach he is today.

“It means everything,” Hurley said on his family. “Obviously, I am not here without that special group of players and coaches. But I am probably also not here if I didn’t have to deal with that adversity or if I didn’t have tough people that raised me. Like a tough older brother that prepared me for all the adversity that you have to face in life and battle back from it.”

Dan Hurley helps UConn win fifth national championship

After taking down Miami in the Final Four, Hurley admitted those in the northeast have waited a long time for the program’s fifth national championship. He was the one to deliver it to them, with Houston becoming quite a popular place for UConn.

While Monday night’s game was a close one, the Huskies dominated opponents from start to finish. They will end the year without losing to a nonconference team and winning by a large margin. Before San Diego State, Alabama was the smallest margin of victory at 15 points. A truly dominant stretch for Hurley and his team before cutting down the nets in Houston.