What makes UConn Men’s basketball so dominant?

Where does this UConn team rank among the all-time greatest teams?

That’s back-to-back Men’s College Basketball National Championships for UConn.  Was this year’s team one of the greatest seasons ever?  Where do you rank them?  In the #CJJblog this week, I give you my thoughts and what I felt separated them from the rest.  Enjoy.

• Defense.  They were consistently great on the defensive side of the ball.  They contained the dribble and limited dribble penetration better than any team I’ve seen in a long time.  Their gameplans from game to game were incredible – Purdue shot just 1-for-7 from three point range in the title game.
• Rebounding.  Need a perfect example of how to team-rebound and get everyone bought into boxing out?  Look no further than the 2023-24 Huskies. 
• Offense.  They always got a good shot.  Always.  Tremendous versatility made them extremely hard to guard and match up with.  They also moved the ball like those vintage Golden State Warriors teams from a few years ago.
• Chemistry.  Yes, their players were talented, but the key was to get the buy-in from everyone to put the team first.  Coach hurley built a culture of We > Me.
• Effort.  It is well-documented that the UConn practices were extremely tough.  This lead to consistent effort during games and tremendous success in the second half of their games.
• Accountability.  Their system has worked these last two years because everyone is held accountable on and off the court.  Always together.
• Leadership.  You can’t say enough about the job that Dan Hurley has done since becoming the head coach at UConn in March of 2018.  He sets a high bar and has created a winning culture there in a relatively short time.

Did You Know? Coach Jim Johnson knows a thing or two about a winning culture.  Not only did he close out his coaching career with 14 straight Final Fours in his NYS Section V Sectional boys basketball tournaments, but he also has a “Building a Championship Culture” leadership presentation.

Life Tip #3:  Leave a profit everywhere you go.  Everything you touch turns to gold, not garbage.