UConn HC Dan Hurley names 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan and "watching college football" as inspirations behind Huskies' gameplan
Dan Hurley led the UConn Huskies to their second consecutive men's national championship after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers in the final earlier this month. One of the Huskies' strengths during the season was their high-scoring offense, which dominated their opponents.
The coach recently went on to the latest edition of The Old Man and the Three podcast hosted by JJ Reddick to discuss what influenced the Huskies offense.
"I think the inspiration for the last two years, especially this year is watching college football now or (Kyle) Shanahan from the NFL," Hurley said. "They'll have these formations, and out of that formation, there are seven or eight different things they'll do out of it."
"We (the UConn Huskies) wanna have 10 different formations," he added.
Hurley's decision to draw inspiration from college football and Kyle Shanahan for the Huskies' offensive plan this season is creative considering the differences between the two sports.
He looked to college football, with its wide range of programs, each with its unique playing style which, unlike the NFL, pits the most skillful of players against a player who is nowhere near that level. College basketball does the same. Hurley had to find ways to ensure his offense could compete effectively against both weaker teams and top contenders.
The Shanahan-ran 49ers offense, led by former Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy, has had sets of plays that have been able to maximize the potential of the offense while having enough variety to prevent the defense from easily reading the plays. This can also be seen in the best college football programs as well.
Which Players led the UConn Huskies offense?
The UConn Huskies offense was incredibly strong, players were able to use the formations made by Dan Hurley to become high-scoring players during their championship-winning season.
The Huskies' top scorer was Tristen Newton, who scored on average 15.2 points per game last season and 6.6 assists per game, which put him in the top 25 in the country for assists Newton also won the NCAA tournament MVP for his strong set of performances.
Additionally, Cam Spencer also had a strong season for the Huskies. The senior scored 14 points per game on average during the season, as he put 11 points over the Purdue Boilermakers to help UConn win the national championship
Finally, Donovan Clingan led the team in rebounds per game with 7.5, and like Spencer and Newton, was also able to add many points to the Huskies' totals, scoring 13 points per game last season.
In total, the Huskies averaged 81.4 points per game. Interestingly, despite their incredible on-court performances. they ranked only 23rd in the nation. The Alabama Crimson Tide, whom the Huskies defeated by 14 points in the final four, were the top-scoring team, averaging 90 points per game.
However, next season's lineup will be radically different for the Huskies, as Clingan, Spencer and Newton have all declared for the NBA draft. This means that Dan Hurley is going to have to change his well-thought-out game plans if the UConn Huskies are to win a third consecutive national championship next season.
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