Dan Hurley, Alex Karaban helping UConn shake off early slump this season

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Syndication: Austin American-Statesman

STORRS, Conn. — The last few pictures were taken with the basketballs honoring Dan Hurley winning his 300th career game as a college head coach and Alex Karaban scoring his 1000th career point. Without saying a word, they began to walk off the court and headed in different directions.

It might be the only time in the three years of their partnership that Hurley was eager to get some distance from his star player.

With a game to win and a chance to move one step closer to a third straight national title, neither Hurley nor Karaban were ready to bask in the glow of previous accomplishments. Their relationship has worked so well because they both focus on what is ahead of them.

In the transfer portal era when star players either bolt for the NBA after a season or two or seek out greener pastures at another program, Hurley and Karaban have chosen different paths. By staying together, they have been the key pieces at a UConn program that has gone from trying to recapture the glory days to be the unquestioned kings of college basketball.

Karaban is in his third season as a starting forward. In Hurley’s four seasons without Karaban on the court, the Huskies went 73-32 with no NCAA Tournament wins. In the last three seasons, the Huskies have a 77-14 record with a pair of national championships. The 11th-ranked Huskies next play at DePaul on Jan. 1 as the Big East schedule settles in.

The Huskies are trying join the John Wooden-coached UCLA teams as the only programs with three consecutive men’s NCAA Division I national titles. None of this would have happened without the Hurley-Karaban partnership.

“It is special,” said Karaban, who leads UConn with 16.5 points per game. “We have gotten so much more comfortable with each other. He truly knows who I am. He has seen me through my best days, he has seen me through my worst days. He has been there every step of the way and has seen me evolve as a player and a person.

“He has been the most…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dan-hurley-alex-karaban-helping-212804455.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-27 21:28:00

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