Kevin Ollie won a national title as head coach of the Huskies in 2014 and was in the midst of the University of Connecticut’s rise to power in the NCAA.
O’Ree’s tenure at Storrs didn’t end well, as he was fired after four years amid a violations investigation, and the Nets’ interim coach announced Monday night that his successor, Dan Hurley, and UW were once again champions, their sixth since 1999. He was excited to see the program win its championship for the second time.
“Yeah, it’s great. Just to see what they and Dan Hurley have done and what a great coaching staff and players, just to continue that dominance, it’s great,” O’Ree said of the Nets in Brooklyn on Tuesday. spoke after practice. “Every time we make it to the Final Four, we reach the final game and never lose. I’m glad that record still stands.”
For the second year in a row, UConn won all six games in the Big Dance by double-digit margins and finished with a record plus-140 point differential.
“It’s really difficult,” Ollie said. “This shows how prepared they are, what they do behind the scenes when no one is watching. They’re all just locked in and unselfish. And to see that It’s really amazing.”
Asked if UW is now establishing itself as one of the NCAA’s “blue blood” programs, O’Ree replied: “Yes. we know what it is.They’re still trying to keep us out of it, but we just prove it with our work and they can’t keep us out. [any] It’s longer. “
UW was a member of the American Athletic Conference the year O’Ree’s team won the title, but returned to the Big East in 2020. In addition to Connecticut’s back-to-back championships, Villanova also recently won two titles.
“It’s just the toughness with which we play,” said O’Ree, who was a UW player when the school was previously a member of the Big East. “The only thing you go through before you get to the tournament is a war. I think it prepares you to play really well, and you don’t have a lot of time to prepare with the toughness and physicality that we bring to the Big East.” It’s hard to play with the team.”
Cam Johnson (toe) and Nic Claxton (ankle) have been upgraded to play in Wednesday’s final home game against the Raptors, but Dorian Finney-Smith (knee) and Dennis Smith Jr. (hip) are out. It remains as it is.
“When I feel comfortable enough to go out, I’m going to go out,” Johnson said.
