Final Four Player Interviews

[Storrs South]

 

[Storrs South]

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Likeable dudes.

Hurley has these guys on the same page. Has there been an interview of a UConn player this season where the phrase "play to our identity" hasn't been used?

 

[Storrs South]

 

[Storrs South]

 

[Storrs South]

 

[XLCenterFan]

A massive shout out to @Storrs South for bringing it with the content. We love you brother! Thank you.

 

[Storrs South]

 

[BGesus4]

Cool to see guys like naheim and Joey get some real shine

 

[tzznandrew]

The hate for the bucket hat is real.

 

[NJHoops]

Nice words for Jalen and family, the post-game chat with Corey. I like well-resolved endings.

 

[Storrs South]

 

[TheChamps990411]

Naheime has been terrific of late. So glad hes got things turned around after a tough start.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

Naheime has been terrific of late. So glad hes got things turned around after a tough start.

He was giving me flashbacks of Gaffney early on but now when he enters games, I expect good things will follow and they have been.

 

[That Guy]

Hurley said in the press conference yesterday that "we would still be here" (Final Four) if we were still in the AAC. It was quoted and posted all over Twitter and the replies were 90% of people laughing it off and basically implying and even outright saying that our success has been dependent on being back in the Big East. It actually made me pissed that people just dismiss the prestige, pedigree, and winning tradition that was built at this program for the last 30+ years and boil it all down to conference affiliation. As Hurley once said, the UConn brand far outweighs whatever conference we're in.

 

[NJHoops]

It’s an interesting thought exercise, but

Nice words for Jalen and family, the post-game chat with Corey. I like well-resolved endings.

In the extended quote, he also mentions Whaley, Polley, Bouknight, Vital, Akok, and Adams by name as being part of the foundation.

 

[mauconnfan]

He was giving me flashbacks of Gaffney early on but now when he enters games, I expect good things will follow and they have been.

There was never a chance he was Gaff at all. He needed to get on a confident roll at some point because he was a very solid player coming in and I expected eventually he would be. Treated a little unfair actually at first the rope was way too short I felt but again, some of that was him trying to fit in. But he's a much bigger piece of this run than most understand and I am so happy for him, great kid hope he stays a little longer too.

 

[6xChamps]

Hurley said in the press conference yesterday that "we would still be here" (Final Four) if we were still in the AAC. It was quoted and posted all over Twitter and the replies were 90% of people laughing it off and basically implying and even outright saying that our success has been dependent on being back in the Big East. It actually made me pissed that people just dismiss the prestige, pedigree, and winning tradition that was built at this program for the last 30+ years and boil it all down to conference affiliation. As Hurley once said, the UConn brand far outweighs whatever conference we're in.

Not to mention we’re in a final four that includes teams from the Mountain West and Conference USA. Hard to know whether or not we would have made it in the AAC but this final four spread shows that it was definitely possible

 

[Travelman6]

Hurley said in the press conference yesterday that "we would still be here" (Final Four) if we were still in the AAC. It was quoted and posted all over Twitter and the replies were 90% of people laughing it off and basically implying and even outright saying that our success has been dependent on being back in the Big East. It actually made me pissed that people just dismiss the prestige, pedigree, and winning tradition that was built at this program for the last 30+ years and boil it all down to conference affiliation. As Hurley once said, the UConn brand far outweighs whatever conference we're in.

Twitter is a pretty bad place with lots of awful takes. Even some of the "best" stuff there makes some of the worst stuff here look like the work of Einstein and Shakespeare rolled into one. Instagram is also a hot mess of terrible takes.

 

[Ricker]

At the end of our team and player interviews, I followed the links to Larranaga & Miami player interviews which I found very inciteful. Larranaga seems like a delightful coach. Jordan Miller was very impressive, and, Nijel Pack changed my preconceived negative notion about him to liking the kid. Wong discussed believing Miami was the place for him and then taking his visit to UConn and having second thoughts, All the kids and Larranga dismissed the whole NIL / envy thing in the press last year and it seemed honest that it was a made up story by the press that never really existed or even discussed in the locker room. These players seem loose and comfortable and more focused on their own play than questioning how to stop particular UConn shooters or size. I came away feeling a little less confident in my own UConn predictions. All the Miami press conference is worth a listen.

 

[Husky25]

Hurley said in the press conference yesterday that "we would still be here" (Final Four) if we were still in the AAC. It was quoted and posted all over Twitter and the replies were 90% of people laughing it off and basically implying and even outright saying that our success has been dependent on being back in the Big East. It actually made me pissed that people just dismiss the prestige, pedigree, and winning tradition that was built at this program for the last 30+ years and boil it all down to conference affiliation. As Hurley once said, the UConn brand far outweighs whatever conference we're in.

I had that attitude in 2015. I didn't think the AAC would be a mid-major if only because UConn, and to a less extent, Cincinnati. As the rest of the decade wore on, and the AAC got two or three bids, it became apparent that the cache of the 90s-00s Big East just wasn't there.

One only needs to look at the conference tournament. The crowds were sparce a best when the "host" program wasn't playing in the AAC. Covid restrictions eased ahead of last year's Big East Tournament, but nearly every game, including the 1st round, was a sellout or close this season.

 

[Husky25]

What was with Laine Higgins' question about Connecticut beaches? That sounded like a kids' question from Nick Jr. at Super Bowl Media Day, yet asked by a professional journalist from the Wall Street Journal. Truthfully, I didn't realize WSJ had a regular sports section. Are they there for betting...ahem...I mean investment purposes?

 

[karstenkibbe]

What was with Laine Higgins' question about Connecticut beaches? That sounded like a kids' question from Nick Jr. at Super Bowl Media Day, yet asked by a professional journalist from the Wall Street Journal. Truthfully, I didn't realize WSJ had a regular sports section. Are they there for betting...ahem...I mean investment purposes?

WSJ has been covering sports for years, just not the way a regular daily would cover game action. Jason Gay, the primary sports reporter, is a very talented writer and a great read.

 

[Husky25]

WSJ has been covering sports for years, just not the way a regular daily would cover game action. Jason Gay, the primary sports reporter, is a very talented writer and a great read.

Thanks for the confirmation.

 

[superjohn]

At the end of our team and player interviews, I followed the links to Larranaga & Miami player interviews which I found very inciteful. Larranaga seems like a delightful coach. Jordan Miller was very impressive, and, Nijel Pack changed my preconceived negative notion about him to liking the kid. Wong discussed believing Miami was the place for him and then taking his visit to UConn and having second thoughts, All the kids and Larranga dismissed the whole NIL / envy thing in the press last year and it seemed honest that it was a made up story by the press that never really existed or even discussed in the locker room. These players seem loose and comfortable and more focused on their own play than questioning how to stop particular UConn shooters or size. I came away feeling a little less confident in my own UConn predictions. All the Miami press conference is worth a listen.

If we play defense without fouling too much and punish them on the glass and down low we should pull away from them. We just need to keep playing our game.

I want no part of a close game down the stretch, that would heavily favor Miami IMO.

Let's keep blowing teams out.