UConn men's basketball's Na'jai Hines breaks out after Dan Hurley adjustment
"With Na'jai, I think it was just about coming into a program like UConn that has championship expectations, not just for the season, but for every single day and everything that we do," Hurley said.
- HARTFORD — The challenge for Dan Hurley wasn’t teaching Na’jai Hines how to score.
- “In a way I just felt relieved.” Friday night didn’t start well for Hines, who was subbed out four minutes into the game.
- "Until you get into the UConn program and you start to feel just the daily grind of the next thing that you have to do, whether it's in the weight room, on the court, in study hall, back on the court or back in the weight room.
“I've been told to do certain things, and today (Hurley) just told me to rock out and do what I think is best,” Hines said.
“I think the challenge in this game, the path to victory, was for us to really kick their butt at the center spot.” Hines’ breakout game was a culmination of everything Hurley has been teaching him since he got to Storrs.
- For months, Hurley has pushed, corrected and prodded Hines in an effort to unlock the sophomore center’s potential.
- After trying to coach every detail of Hines’ game, Hurley found himself searching for a different answer.
- After scaling back his approach and allowing Hines the freedom to operate from positions of comfort, Hines delivered the most efficient and impactful performance of his career.
- With Hines on the bench, Ohio State made its run, cutting a 13-point deficit to two by halftime and eventually took the lead for a couple of minutes early in the second half.
- He scored a career-high 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field and 6-for-7 from the free throw line in UConn’s 84-68 win over Ohio State on Friday, Nov.
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