PHOTOS: Dan Hurley's UConn stars Alex Karaban, Jaylin Stewart & others get busy on the court as they prepare for the upcoming season
Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies are coming off a disappointing season. After back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024, the Huskies lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament this past season. Now the team is focused on getting back into national title contention.
Offseason workouts have started for UConn players. On Wednesday, the UConn men's basketball account on Instagram posted several photos, showcasing Alex Karaban, Jaylin Stewart and other members of the Huskies working out. Dan Hurley was also featured in some of the images.
"Settling in," UConn men's basketball wrote.
Dan Hurley is returning for his eighth season with the Huskies. When he arrived, the Huskies were coming off one of the worst stretches in the program's history. The team did not qualify for the two years prior to Hurley's arrival.
Then, when Hurley arrived, they did not participate in his first two years. However, in the second season, they likely would have qualified had the COVID-19 pandemic not caused the cancellation of the postseason.
In 2021, Hurley led the Huskies to their first March Madness appearance since 2016. They lost in the first round. However, Hurley continued to improve his team and became the national champion in 2023 and 2024.
Dan Hurley shuts down New York Knicks rumors
For the second year in a row, Dan Hurley was linked with a move to the NBA. Last year, there were rumors that the Los Angeles Lakers were interested in his services. However, he shut that down by signing a six-year, $50 million extension with the Huskies.
On June 3, shortly after Tom Thibodeau was fired as New York Knicks coach, Dan Hurley was linked with the job.
When speaking with members of the media, he simply said:
"Not another summer of that."
Hurley also spoke about how offseason practices have been going:
"Two days into practice, not everyone is on campus, but we’re thrilled with the way we’ve been able to put it together."
The Huskies lost in the second round this year to the future national champion Florida Gators and will hope to bounce back.