University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn MBB Staff Set, Awaits Season Format
9/6/2020 11:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Sept. 6, 2020
STORRS, Conn. --- With the promotion of Kimani Young to associate head coach and the addition of assistant coach Kevin Freeman, UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley has now set his coaching staff for the 2020-21 season.
Whatever form 2020-21 season may take.
Although at this point, the details of the coming season are far from determined, Hurley and his staff are proceeding as usual, with team workouts for an hour a day four times a week. So, when an assistant coaching staff position opened, Hurley already knew the qualities he was seeking in a replacement.
"He's got to have a passion for the game, have a love and passion for basketball," Hurley explained. "You have to love your players. You have to wake up every morning and be grateful that you have a chance to impact the lives of 12, 13, 14 young people. Really, it's about the kids. You have to be passionate about the game because I don't have an off switch. And if you don't love it the way I love it, then we're going to have a bad relationship."
Hurley already knew Freeman possessed those qualities – from knowing Freeman's playing history at Patterson Catholic High School, to his playing accomplishments at UConn, to his 11-year professional career overseas, but especially from the two months Freeman worked with Hurley in 2018. Freeman remained as the director of basketball administration when Hurley took over the UConn program in  March, 2018, until Freeman accepted a fulltime assistant coaching job at Penn State in June, 2018.
"What won him the job in my eyes really was the way he handled himself professionally in the month or two that he was here when we first got the job," Hurley said. "It was like he was interviewing for this opportunity every day when we first got here. I saw how well-respected he was and how well-liked he was by the players. I got a chance to see his work ethic and his communication skills."
Plus, Hurley sees Freeman's UConn pedigree as a huge advantage.
"His UConn story and what he achieved as a player and what his UConn playing experience has turned into his life, the stories he can tell about championships and what you can accomplish here is going to resonate with the current team and obviously with recruits," Hurley said.
The passion Hurley was looking for is evident in Freeman.
"When it (the assistant coach position) did open, my eyes got big, my mind was running and racing," Freeman said. "My wife could see the wheels turning in my mind of how to figure out how to get back and join Coach Hurley's staff. I was extremely excited and elated and honored to get back to UConn."
Coach Young's move to associate head coach had been in the works for quite a while and was announced just a few days before Freeman came on board.
"Kimani has been awesome and I don't think he's ever really gotten his due," Hurley said. "Kimani is one of the best assistant coaches in the country. He's an incredibly well-rounded guy. He's got all the requisite skill sets to be a successful head coach, which if we do what we're supposed to do on the court, that'll come for him in the near future."
The UConn coaching staff, which also includes veteran assistant Tom Moore, is working to prepare the team to face whatever kind of season awaits. Hurley feels that the "bubble" format seems to be the most likely scenario.
"It just makes the most sense to me, being able to get to one site, where there's a level of confidence, one set of protocols, one set of testing done in one place," Hurley said. "For me, that's by far the lost likely scenario, a non-conference bubble, then let's see where the numbers are, what's going on on college campuses.
"I'm wrapping my mind around bubbles and what's that going to be like for two weeks. What would it be like in a bubble in you lose your first two? It could get interesting. That bubble could be a very scary place." Â
