Wow, Danny Hurley is getting me too hyped up. He's organized, focused, able to develop and follow a plan, and seems to have put together a staff that is just as committed as he is to making UConn great again. Will Chief be making and distributing the celebratory hats?
"Coach [Dan] Hurley laid out five things that stuck with me," Gaffney told ESPN. "The style of play, opportunity to make an immediate impact, exposure, player development, and trust. I trust Coach Hurley, he's won everywhere he's been, and I trust the entire staff and have a great relationship with them."
Assistant coach Kimani Young, who also spearheaded Bouknight's recruitment, has a relationship with Gaffney's father that dates back almost three decades, and was pivotal to UConn's ability to make up ground when the new staff arrived this spring.
While Hurley's arrival at Connecticut certainly marked the beginning of a new era, he and his staff have worked hard to connect to the program's rich history and, with Jalen Adams set to graduate following the coming season and Alterique Gilbert's first two seasons in Storrs being characterized by shoulder injuries, selling Gaffney and Bouknight on the chance of becoming UConn's latest dynamic guard duo was just the latest example of that.
"We've talked recently," Gaffney said of Bouknight. "He actually kind of started recruiting me himself. I think our games complement each other. We're both athletic and able to score. Together we could be that new duo and help the program get back to its glory days. That was definitely part of the allure of it."
"Coach [Dan] Hurley laid out five things that stuck with me," Gaffney told ESPN. "The style of play, opportunity to make an immediate impact, exposure, player development, and trust. I trust Coach Hurley, he's won everywhere he's been, and I trust the entire staff and have a great relationship with them."
Assistant coach Kimani Young, who also spearheaded Bouknight's recruitment, has a relationship with Gaffney's father that dates back almost three decades, and was pivotal to UConn's ability to make up ground when the new staff arrived this spring.
While Hurley's arrival at Connecticut certainly marked the beginning of a new era, he and his staff have worked hard to connect to the program's rich history and, with Jalen Adams set to graduate following the coming season and Alterique Gilbert's first two seasons in Storrs being characterized by shoulder injuries, selling Gaffney and Bouknight on the chance of becoming UConn's latest dynamic guard duo was just the latest example of that.
"We've talked recently," Gaffney said of Bouknight. "He actually kind of started recruiting me himself. I think our games complement each other. We're both athletic and able to score. Together we could be that new duo and help the program get back to its glory days. That was definitely part of the allure of it."
