Husky rebounding, literally and figuratively, a chief concern for Hurley as UConn moves forward

Silas Demary, Jr. (left) and Tarris Reed, Jr. (right) fight Villanova’s Acaden Lewis for rebound in UConn’s win over Wildcats Saturday. Head coach Dan Hurley has voiced continued concern over Huskies’ rebounding issues. (Photo by Jessica Hill/Associated Press)

HARTFORD, Conn. — During his tenure as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, Pat Riley issued a stern, but simple warning to his team.

“No rebounds, no rings.”

The Showtime Lakers had one of the best collections of all-time talent then, with Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar donning the purple and gold, but for all their exploits on the scoreboard, Riley knew the number of points scored would not be as integral to reaching the summit of the NBA as winning the battle of the boards every night.

It is somewhat ironic that the Lakers preface the struggles that UConn has faced on the glass this season, given that head coach Dan Hurley notoriously turned down the siren song of the iconic NBA franchise less than two years ago to remain in Storrs, but it is somewhat apropos as the Huskies chase a third national championship in four seasons. Hurley has voiced his concerns about this iteration of UConn not matching the tenacity his championship outfits, particularly the 2023-24 team, displayed on the glass, and after only outrebounding Villanova by three in Saturday’s overtime win, the coach again stressed the importance of climbing the ladder, both on the backboards and in the long run.

“One of my biggest concerns is the rebounding,” he said after the Huskies eked out a 42-39 margin in their favor. “The rebounding is an issue. You can’t win championships unless you’re…Villanova’s a smaller team. Duke Brennan is an ass-kicker, but Tyler Perkins, that guy went and got ten rebounds (Saturday). Our wings and our guards need to get on the glass.”

“Our guys on the perimeter gotta rebound the ball like Tristen Newton used to rebound the ball, like Steph Castle used to rebound the ball, like Cam Spencer used to rebound the ball, like Andre Jackson used to rebound the ball. We’re just not rebounding the ball.”

On the year, UConn, even with a 19-1 record and ranked second in the country, is only averaging 37 rebounds per game. The Huskies’ opponents average just 32.2 per contest, equating to almost a plus-4.8 margin. By comparison, Hurley’s two national championship teams outrebounded their opposition by 9.2 (2022-23) and 8.7 (2023-24), respectively. Even last year’s Huskies, eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by eventual champion Florida, measured a plus-6 mark on the boards.

This season, only two players — Tarris Reed, Jr. and Alex Karaban — are pulling down more than five rebounds per game. Each has picked up his numbers in Big East play, but Hurley is still hoping for further improvement. In the case of Reed, who the coaching staff has implored to play with more of a killer instinct and a Kodiak bear mentality, the 8.1 caroms per game (8.6 in conference games) still leave much more to be desired.

“Tarris has gotta rebound the ball at a higher clip,” a frustrated Hurley adamantly emphasized. “Tarris in the second half (Saturday), he can’t end the game with four defensive rebounds. Tarris should have had 15 today…15 rebounds, 16 rebounds. So we gotta get there.”