As a function of time, everyone turns into their parents. They start complaining about how today’s music isn’t as good as their music, and eventually, they are yelling, “We aren’t paying to cool the outside!” The newest iteration of the old man in college basketball, screaming, “Get off my lawn”, is Uconn head coach Dan Hurley.
Venting to the associated press about small forward, Alex Karaban, being left off the AP All-American team, Hurley made the following statement:
“Alex does a sh***y job of drawing attention to himself. Maybe if he did more TikToks, he’d have solidified his All-American status. We value the wrong things in sports…We don’t value champions, but maybe that’s a societal issue.”
It’s less likely a societal issue, and more an issue of Hurley not understanding the game of basketball. Pre-season All-Americans are chosen as sort of a prediction about who will have the best seasons in college basketball this year. Someone needs to tell him it’s not a collection of guys who were the third-best players on a championship team.
Karaban had a fine season last year for Uconn. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. The AP All-American team is made up of players who are all seniors (except one), and all of them had better seasons than Karaban last year.
Johni Broome, a senior from Auburn averaged 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists last year. Kansas senior big man Hunter Dickinson averaged 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Caleb Love, a guard from Arizona, averaged 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. RJ Davis out of North Carolina, averaged 21.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Rounding out the seniors, is Mark Sears from Alabama, who averaged 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
Does Hurley actually believe that five players who are returning from seasons better than Karaban, only made the team over the UConn junior because they are more active on TikTok? Hurley is either delusional, an old man out of touch, or maybe his issue is with an incoming freshman being on the team.
Cooper Flagg will play for the Duke Blue Devils this season, before leaving school and getting drafted to the NBA. He is the consensus, practically unanimous, top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. His summer after high school was spent playing on the USA Select team, and schooling NBA players that would take home the gold in the Paris Olympics. Some scouts said that Flagg was the best player in the gym for either team.
In exhibitions played by Duke so far this year, Flagg has impressed with his shooting, athleticism, and defense. The game looks too easy for him, as he lights up college kids versus NBA all-stars. On what planet does he belong lower on a list than UConn’s third-best player?
It’s understandable to defend and support “your guys”, but Dan Hurley has embarrassed himself and his program with his public statements. He’s made it seem like the Los Angeles Lakers were fools for wanting to sign him, the Huskies are bigger fools for actually signing him, and he is the biggest fool of all. It’s shameful that the Division I basketball coach doesn’t understand the game well enough to evaluate talent.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
