“A hard worker and smart basketball mind”: UConn HC Dan Hurley heaps praise for Princeton asst. coach Mathew Johnson
Princeton has added to its coaching staff, and UConn coach Dan Hurley praised the new hire. The Tigers have hired Mathew Johnson as an assistant coach after he was on the Huskies' coaching staff since 2019. Princeton announced news of Johnson's new position on Monday.
Hurley reflected on Johnson's success at UConn. Johnson served as a graduate assistant, program assistant and Video and Scouting Coordinator in his time on Hurley's staff and helped guide the Huskies to back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024.
"Mat has done great things for us the last few years and played an important role in our championship success," Hurley said, via the Instagram post.
"He is a hard worker and smart basketball mind who can connect with players at a high level. Mat will do a tremendous job at Princeton as he takes the next step in what will be a long and successful career in coaching."
Johnson played under Hurley's father, coaching legend Bob Hurley Sr., at St. Anthony High School. He became the fourth all-time assists leader at The University of Tampa before joining UConn's coaching staff. Now, he will take his talents to Princeton with Hurley's support on his side.
Dan Hurley discusses what Dwayne Koroma brings to UConn
UConn picked up Le Moyne star Dwayne Koroma this offseason, and Dan Hurley spoke about what the big man brings to the Huskies.
"Dwayne is a physical, talented big who can play a variety of roles for us," Hurley said. "His game experience is extremely valuable, and he is coming off his best season. Dwayne is an efficient scorer and gets on the glass, which is crucial to our success."
Koroma, a Berlin, Germany native, is heading to the fifth school of his college career, having spent stints at Iona, Salt Lake Community College, UR Arlington and Le Moyne.
In his standout season at Le Moyne, Koroma led the team in rebounds (7.2 rpg) and steals (1.4 spg). He contributed 11.5 points and 2.0 assists per game and knocked down 71.4% of his shots, including 35.7% from 3.
Hurley picked up Koroma to add forward depth to the Huskies after Liam McNeeley declared for the 2025 NBA draft. McNeeley was UConn's star forward in his sole season, and Koroma shares his rebounding and scoring success. The transfer pickup is also an efficient shooter and successful ball-stealer, adding skills that McNeeley lacked.