SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
It was like a familiar reunion for Dan Hurley.
As the final minutes ticked down in his Connecticut men’s no sweat win over Miami Saturday in the Final Four of the national basketball tournament, the television cameras zeroed in on the stands.
And there sat Bob Hurley, Sr., a Nasmith Hall of Famer who was legendary head boys basketball coach of the powerhouse St. Anthony High School program in Jersey City, N.J.
He had to be stunned back when they closed the small private school, so were Dan and his younger brother Bobby, who presently coaches boys basketball at Arizona State.
Right in back of his dad was Bob Hurley, Jr., the college basketball career record-holder in assists when he was named All-America in Duke’s national championship years.
And now they and the other Hurley family members will be assembled again at NGR Stadium in Houston for Monday night‘s UConn-San Diego State game for the championship.
All three have experienced big-time wins, pappa Bob nationally and state-wise with the Friars of St. Anthony, Bob on those teams and with Duke, and Dan has done so with St. Anthony and the Huskies.
UConn has had a magical season, but a weird one. It went 13-7 in a tough Big East Conference, losing twice to Xavier and splitting with Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Marquette and Creighton.
But against its non-conference schedule, it has not lost a beat, has won all of these 17 games, and made it to the finale by dominating Rick Pitino’s former Iona team, St. Mary’s, Arkansas, Gonzaga and Miami.
It is more than ready for the Aztecs out of the Mountain West Conference, who became the other finalist by getting past Florida Atlantic on a game buzzer-beater by Lamont Butler after being behind 40-33 at the half and by seven points with 1:37 remaining.
It is the Huskies’ sixth trip to the finals and first for San Diego State, which arrives at 32-6 and on a 13-game win streak. It got here by also defeating Charleston, Furman, Arkansas, Creighton, FAU, and St. Mary’s.
Now can it cut UConn down to size, so far no one has. Coach Hurley stands 6-2 and he has to look up to his players.
His roster has plenty of size, depth, teamwork and confidence, and Hurley has a capable coaching staff. He himself played college ball at Seton Hall, so he also has court experience.
How big is big, well the Huskies start with 7-foot-2 freshman Donovan Clingan, next comes 6-10 sophomore Samson Johnson, 6-9s Yarin Hasson, a freshman, junior Adamo Sanogo from Mali, junior Richie Springs, and a 6-8 senior in Jordan Hawkins.
Tristen Newton, a 6-5 senior, usually generates the offense, then there’s inside and outside threat 6-3 graduate student Andrew Jackson, and down to the smallest player in 6-1 senior Joey Calateara, a transfer from University of San Diego.
The Aztecs have some size, maybe not as tall and talented as the Huskies have, but they also have one of the better guards in 6-4 senior Matt Bradley and he shares the backcourt with sharpshooting Butler.
The big guys stand 6-10. There’s junior Damaslly Johnson, there’s Nathan Mitchell, a senior from Ghana, and they can also bank on 6-9 seniors Jardon La Dee and Cade Alger, with a 6-8 freshman in Elijah Saunders, and a 6-7 senior in Keshard Johnson.
The shorty on the roster is 5-10 sophomore Damon Trammell.
Sanogo has been tough on everyone that plays him. He is averaging 17.2 a game, has brought down 289 rebounds, and has a .607 field goal percentage making 272 of 448 tries.
Newton is at 13.6 in scoring average, has handed out 179 assists and has turned in 277 3s. Of the other big guys, Karaban is averaging 14.1 points per game and taking down 9.3 rebounds.
On the San Diego State side of statistics, Bradley is scoring at 17.4 points a game and dishing out 5.2 assists. Mitchell has tallied at 13.5 a game and hauling down a norm of 6.8 boards and adding 3.7 blocks.
Kudos to the two programs that made it this far. This is it, one more once, a chance to celebrate and hoist the championship trophy or lose, be happy to have gotten there and just congratulate the other team.
Remember, no one else has gotten this far in the quest for 2023 honors.
