Dan Hurley reviews UConn’s 2 new additions Aidan Mahaney and Liam McNeeley
UConn coach Dan Hurley provided his early insights into new players Aidan Mahaney and Liam McNeeley hours before the Huskies' exhibition game against Rhode Island on Monday night.
Hurley, who will try to lead the Huskies to their third straight national title, believes the two players will be vital for the team's aspirations in the 2024-25 college basketball season. But he observed some areas that Mahaney and McNeeley would need to work out as the regular season closes in.
The 51-year-old bench tactician believes that Saint Mary transfer Mahaney has been excellent during practices but still needs to fine-tune his game to become one of the standout guards in the nation this year.
"Aidan has started to play I think his best basketball as we've gotten closer to the opener. Stylistically, there's a lot of adjustments that he has to make. I think he's ready to get out and play against somebody else," Hurley said of Mahaney [7:40-8:00].
On the other hand, five-star freshman McNeeley needs to work on his defense, but Dan Hurley expects the small forward to be a dependable player as the season progresses.
"Liam, it's been obviously lots of adjustments (especially on defense). But he's really an advanced, mature offensive player. By the time we start playing, I think he's going to be a consistent player this year," Hurley said [7:02-7:33].
Dan Hurley expresses concern about UConn's defense going into Rhode Island exhibition
Dan Hurley noted some key concerns going to the exhibition game against Rhode Island. Hurley, who is in his seventh season with the UConn Huskies, hopes the team will improve on rebounding, ball-screen and transition defense over the next few weeks.
Hurley sees the tuneup game against Rhode Island as beneficial for the team moving forward, as he'll see what areas the team needs to work on for its first nonconference regular season game against Sacred Heart on Nov. 6.
UConn will parade a 12-man roster in its 2024-25 college basketball campaign. The Huskies will be led by guard Hassan Diarra and forward Alex Karaban, who were key pieces of last year's championship-winning squad.
They'll be reinforced by transfers Aidan Mahaney and Tarris Reed, as well as high school recruits Liam McNeeley, Ahmad Nowell and Isaiah Abraham.
UConn is tied with Kansas for the best odds to win the national championship at +850 per BetMGM. Duke, who will bring a haul of high-caliber recruits for the 2024-25 season, is third at +900. Alabama and Houston round off the top five with +1200 and +1600 odds, respectively.