Can't believe Hurley said this but you know who he is talking about.

[LBird33]

Hurley has it right. Totally out of our minds.

The 10 basic requirements for being on the Boneyard:
1. Fully expects the team to score 100 or more points against any and all opponents.
2. Fully expects the team to hold any and all opponents' scoring to single digits.
3. Complains bitterly that the referees are out to get us and call fouls on UConn players for being on the court.
4. Convinces themselves that any opposing player coming within 6 feet of a UConn player has fouled him.
5. Understands the game and its strategy and flow better than any coach alive, especially the UConn head coach.
6. Calls for the immediate firing of the head coach if a UConn player misses any shot or commits any turnover.
7. Knows very clearly that anyone on the bench is a better player than a starter - the farther down the bench he goes, the better he is.
8. Cannot comprehend the lack of the head coaches understanding of when to call time outs and when to effectively substitute for a player on the floor.
9. Understands that any recruit that did not come to UConn and played for a school other than UConn that scored significant points against us in a loss is a result of the total lack of ability to recruit by the head coach and coaching staff.
10. Accepts as fact that the UConn program has the bluest blood of any 'blue blood.'

What say you? Did I miss any???

Just one. Thinks the coach yanks a player out to soon or too late when the make mistakes

 

[Luna]

Check out this story from Fox Sports
Amid NCAA Tournament chaos, blue blood UConn looks as good as ever | FOX Sports

Great article… we do have the greatest fans in the country… we come out and support them no matter where it is … and are very passionate.. but we do also have few idiots on social media

 

[king conn]

what a meathead interpretation

I will defer to your self description

 

[RJScootin]

Is the BY really that demanding? Half fans on here never thought the program could find a better coach than Kevin Ollie.

 

[Dogdeacon]

It is interesting that so many are bothered, either weirdly assuming he's talking about 'me' on the boneyard or twitter and weirder that folks think the random coach post-game comment is immediately part of the biosphere that every UConn recruit will become aware of.

1. It is normal to try and dissuade over reactions from fan base, at every level of sports the participants understand one team wins and one team loses each game.
2. It is entirely possible he's talking MOSTLY about people on instagram or tik-tok or wherever the players have social media accounts getting negative comments directly to these players. Regardless though, see #1 it is ok for coach to say its noise that isn't helpful to try and deter. If you feel shame upon hearing that, think more before you post that next something overly critical.
3. UCONN is and will get more recruits b/c this UCONN team is winning. They deserve the great pub and the fruits of their labors are some great accomplishments this year. Enjoy it now and enjoy later as the recruiting fruits fall into the 'yard for years to come!

 

[HuskyBaggins]

Twitter is fun if you don’t take it seriously.

No, Twitter is universally a dumpster fire of hot garbage. If there is some redeemable quality about it it is like 0.1% of it. The other 99.9% is pure trash

 

[Madmannsucks]

He's getting paid 3 million a year to put up with the fan base. I really don't care if people criticize him unnecessarily, however obnoxious it is.

My issue is when fans start going after individual players. There's no one on our team who isn't giving it their all every night. And they aren't being compensated to put up with the vile BS UConn Twitter will throw at them.

This. He doesn't like being criticized when his teams underperform. He came into a Blue Blood program with a rich history. Take your 3 mil plus bonuses and hush.

 

[HuskyBaggins]

Geno has been complaining about pressure from fans and the burden of expectations for decades. The right kind of players embrace it and take it as a challenge to prove the doubters wrong

Geno and the women's team get it from every direction. They lost in the final four at least twice to players playing out of their minds against them because of the aura and mystique that the NATIONAL MEDIA had created in relation to the greatest basketball program ever created. The nutty fans in CT aren't even close to the problem for the women

 

[Slick]

"Playing at UConn you deal with a lot more presure and criticism and, like, immediate meltdown on social media when you lose."

"It is more of a burden to play at UConn than it is an advantage"

The first statement might be true of college sports fans. But the second is aimed directly at a portion of our fan base. If there was ever an indictment of the Negative Nellies in Connecticut this is it. There is something in the character of folks from New England in general but Connecticut in particular that rings true in Hurley's quotes.

I see it in myself and have tried to step back from it. But darn, Hurley didn't pull any punches. It should make everyone think. And if you think this is true of everywhere, live in places like in the south or midwest. They are much less reactionary than the northeast.

Can we see a video of this statement?

 

[EnochRoot]

Here is the full quote.

"Playing at UConn you deal with a lot more presure and criticism and, like, immediate meltdown on social media when you lose. I think in the first round and even the second round of tournaments, it is more of a burden to play at UConn than it is an advantage"

I don't see how you can read that and not see he is talking directly at a portion of the UConn fan base.

First, fans in the midwest and the south are just as gung-ho about college basketball (midwest) and college football (south). Don't for a second think anything that's happened here (BY), or on Twitter doesn't happen at dozens of other schools.

Second, I think Hurley's talking about the fact UConn has had the most success of any college program in the first quarter of this century. Yet, the program had been driven into the ground by some previous coach (can't remember the name). He's indirectly saying the fans are antsy to get back to where they belong. Now that they've reached the S16, they can let it all hang out.

 

[CL82]

So is anyone else wondering if the Hurley quote above is at least in part caused by him reading the “Fire Hurley” thread, and not appreciating the mojo implications of it?

 

[auror]

Can we see a video of this statement?

 

[superjohn]

You don't think opposing recruiters will take it out of context? They will do so with honors.

It would be a weird thing to try and recruit against us with.

You don't want to go to UConn, they have the most passionate fanbase.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

So is anyone else wondering if the Hurley quote above is at least in part caused by him reading the “Fire Hurley” thread, and not appreciating the mojo implications of it?

How do you know that it isn't an attempt to stir the mojo up even further?

 

[BleedHuskyBlu]

Is there much of that on UConn twitter though? All I see from UConn Twitter is Mister fat balls and the other dorks and they worship at Hurley's feet and post about how they want to hang out with all the players. They're a bit embarrassing but all they do is promote how awesome UConn basketball is.

I don't doubt there are a few lunatics who creep onto the players social media after a bad game to flame them but every fanbase in the country has a few mouthbreathers.

If he's talking about the boneyard, it doesn't get personal here.

His presser was funny yesterday, he let an f bomb slip at the end.

I feel like a lot of the negativity is on Instagram in comparison to other social media apps.

When we went on our bad stretch I saw a lot of vile comments/posts towards AJax and Newton in particular you could probably still see them on post game instagram posts from that time period. And I’m sure the players were reading those comments as all young people do no matter how much you tell them not to read the negative comments because they are being made from people who hate their lives

 

[auror]

Hurley has said a few things lately that struck me is being a little tone deaf. Certainly, the quote above is one, but another one that comes to mind was his saying that providence was the best team in New England, and we were chasing them. If he wants to use that as motivation in the locker room, feel free, but saying it in a press conference just seems a little tone deaf.

The quote above makes me feel like Hurley is really feeling the pressure to succeed here. He’s a pretty tightly wound guy and that is part and parcel of what makes him a good coach, internal pressure to succeed. Hopefully a continued good run in the postseason will help him to take the pressure off himself.

The Providence quote was clearly just trying to blow smoke up their butt before the game so as not to give them bulletin board material. From the Belichick school of everyone on bad teams being incredibly impressive.

 

[OkaForPrez]

No, Twitter is universally a dumpster fire of hot garbage. If there is some redeemable quality about it it is like 0.1% of it. The other 99.9% is pure trash

what are your thoughts on the boneyard?

 

[superjohn]

The Providence quote was clearly just trying to blow smoke up their butt before the game so as not to give them bulletin board material. From the Belichick school of everyone on bad teams being incredibly impressive.

Didn't he say it right before the game started or right after. I remember hearing him say it and thinking to myself, what the hell did he just say???

 

[Echo Hawk]

I hear that. I go to both Oakland As games and SF Giants games, and even though the Giants games are more packed, the small crowd at Oakland is way better. Going to Giants game is like going to the opera. All sorts of rules about not going to get a beer or going to bathroom in the middle of an at bat. Stand are full of corporate ticket holder groups that are just at game to socialize and don’t really care who wins.

Sports is about passion my friend. I'd prefer the Oakland games hands down.

 

[king conn]

It would be a weird thing to try and recruit against us with.

You don't want to go to UConn, they have the most passionate fanbase.

It's also a weird thing to totally make something up when you respond to a post, instead of referring to the quote I have been referencing.

Who does that?

 

[Chin Diesel]

Put me in the camp of DH puts a ton of pressure on himself, sometimes more than needed, and it showed in tight games. Now that he has a few wins under his belt, he'll be more comfortable.

 

[Ports21]

Obviously teams losing or struggling is one thing and is certainly going to bring out negativity. But there is an insane difference in what I see from the players/coaches that generally affects HOW negative fans get.

In college sports, you can tell when people are giving it their all and laying it on the line. I think as long as you see that you gotta support that and can drop some of the negativity.

I've seen UConn be at the peak, fall down, and seemingly get back up. For the most part, I have never seen a lack of effort and passion (maybe later Ollie days aside).

Compare that with another team I have ties with, Miami -- mostly for football but I support all. The football program was the cream of the crop, the elite of the elite. But it has slowly eroded away. However, in addition to added losses, there was a large sense of apathy around the program, from coaches to players to administrators. That is disheartening. That brings out negativity.

I have not sensed that from UConn.

Which is my long way of saying, yes be mad that your team lost, be passionate; but take a step back and you can see the passion the kids play with here has never waivered. That is something to get behind.

PS: Was at both games in Albany yesterday so it was a fantastic day for me, thanks!

 

[REB1094]

He’s not wrong when you take the full quote. I’m not sure what happens in the private conversations with donors, but at least on here and the popular social media apps, people wanted heads to roll after we were 15-5 and a top 20 team because of a few bad losses

There was a not insignificant group of “fans” on social media that would probably have preferred Hurley get fired and for the university to expel Andre and Sanogo just 2 months ago.

Imagine if the reaction if lost in even R32 this year. Sports fans are generally unable to celebrate accomplishments and progress if it doesn’t end how they want, which, for a program as blessed as ours, will always be a championship.

But at the end of the day, Hurley is paid millions of dollars a year to deal with it. And this year, he has done that pretty well overall imo. Sure it’s not “professional” to say that publicly, but he’s not wrong.

I’ll never understand the reason people shift their anger and vitriol to the players. Especially the people who are above college age themselves. These are 19-22 year olds playing basketball, they’re not professionals.

/endrant

 

[CL82]

How do you know that it isn't an attempt to stir the mojo up even further?

 

[CL82]

The Providence quote was clearly just trying to blow smoke up their butt before the game so as not to give them bulletin board material

Then his timing was a little bit off, because he said it after the game.