How Defeat Fueled UConn

In partnership with

The loss was excruciating.

No. 5 seed UConn had just fallen to No. 12 New Mexico State in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament — and now in four seasons leading the Huskies program, Coach Dan Hurley had yet to win a tournament game.

But instead of lamenting the disappointment or simply continuing with the same strategies he always had, Hurley opted to do three things that have since propelled his program to the top of the sport.

We as leaders may want to draw from these when we face our own struggles:

1. Acknowledge there’s an issue

Hurley had enjoyed plenty of success as both a high school coach and as the coach at the University of Rhode Island. But he didn’t let his past achievement stop him from recognizing his ways of doing things was no longer the most effective.

"Without a high-powered offense and being able to score the ball, you can’t win a six-game tournament," Hurley recently told FOX Sports.

So, the coach focused less on rebounding and general toughness drills and instead further emphasized spacing on offense, cutting and precision passing — elements that have made UConn arguably the best offensive team in the sport.

While it may sound obvious, the first step toward reaching the next level is often admitting our present way of doing things may not be the most effective.

Your team's efficiency, reimagined. Revolutionize your work management with monday.com. Automate tasks, integrate seamlessly, and gain full visibility. Take every project to completion with ease.

Try monday.com free today

2. Study our craft

Hurley is the son of one of the best high school coaches of all time and had enjoyed success in his previous coaching roles. But despite his past achievements, he remained a student of the game willing to look at other ways of doing things.

That’s what led him to concentrate more on European basketball featuring some systems of offense that he felt could carry his team further in the tournament.

“He refrained from watching the NBA and dedicated more time to EuroLeague, EuroCup, FIBA and some of the better college offenses around the country,” according to FOX Sports.

When we’re struggling, we’d be wise to dig deeper into our fields and find tactics and strategies that may differentiate us from our competition.

3. Be adaptable to new ways of executing

“What is this analytics s---?" Hurley acknowledged he previously thought.

But after identifying a key element he wanted to transform — his offensive system — Hurley became more receptive to data.

He came around to embracing numbers he felt were relevant to UConn’s success — and as a result, Hurley’s teams the last two seasons have been among the most offensively efficient in all of college basketball.

UConn will take on San Diego State on Thursday in the Sweet 16 — a rematch of last year’s National Championship game.

But the Huskies may not be where they are now had they not first failed, drawn the right conclusions from defeat, and made the appropriate adjustments along the way.

It’s a valuable reminder for us that while they may be agonizing, the hardships of today can trigger the successes of tomorrow.

Let us know what you think...

Want to Advertise with us? Click here.