Barely into their first official practice on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley unleashed a classic outburst, shouting “What the (bleep) is going on!!!” after watching a particularly sloppy 5-on-5 drill. This is Dan Hurley, folks. A man whose own father admits isn’t happy unless he’s got something to gripe about, and Tuesday was no exception.
The Gripes, The Grumbles, and The “Oh My God, What Did I Do?”
Hurley’s frustrations were pretty clear, even before and after the three-hour practice. First up, sophomore sharpshooter Braylon Mullins was stuck on the sidelines with a “minor” undisclosed injury. Hurley downplayed it, insisting, “Not a big deal. Everybody calm down,” and expects Mullins back in a week to 10 days. But let’s be real, seeing one of your key guys out isn’t exactly a zen moment for Hurley. Then there’s that brutal non-conference schedule he packed, loaded with seven Power Four foes who are probably gonna be ranked high in the preseason AP Top 25. He even admitted, “Sometimes, when you have a bad day, or you look and Braylon’s on the side, you say, ‘Oh my God, what did I do,?’” Yeah, that sounds like Hurley.
He also laid out his disdain for the current college basketball landscape, where roster uncertainty is rampant. He’s not thrilled with former pros trying to play college ball again or 24-year-old Europeans battling 19-year-old American kids for minutes. Hurley hopes the Save College Sports Act passes Congress, despite Senator Chris Murphy’s objections, because he believes the joy of being a college coach comes from developing young people, a feeling he says the sport has “gotten away from.” It’s making it tough to even figure out who you’re gonna play, let alone develop them.
Stacked Talent, Fresh Faces, and a Blueprint for More Glory
Despite the complaints, Hurley was actually in positive spirits overall on Tuesday. He’s genuinely excited about the talent, even if it’s young. He feels like Mullins and Silas Demary Jr. could be the best backcourt in college basketball, which is a massive statement coming from him. Then there are the sophomore transfers Na’jai Hines and Oskar Giltay, who he sees as a “two-headed monster” at center, promising to be even better defensively than last season.
Duke transfer Nik Khamenia is already looking like a “reasonable facsimile” of Alex Karaban at power forward, and Wofford transfer Nils Machowski is stepping into the shoes of Joey California, or maybe even Cam Spencer. That’s big-time optimism! Plus, veteran Jayden Ross and ultra-talented freshman Colben Landrew are battling for small forward minutes, and freshman Junior County is showing “veteran moxie” backing up Demary at point. This team is *young*, younger than the back-to-back national champions of 2023 and 2024, and even last year’s squad. But Hurley knows his blueprint works. He admitted his “motivation, desire and ambition to achieve championship success is maybe even greater” now because he’s tasted it. He wants that “back in [his] bloodstream. Badly.”
UConn will tip off their season with an exhibition game against Syracuse in three weeks, with that “insane” non-conference schedule kicking off just three weeks after that. Get ready, college basketball, because a young, talented UConn squad led by a passionate, yelling Dan Hurley is coming for that championship.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply