
NEW YORK — The word “January” was essentially a curse word around the UConn men’s basketball program. Until, of course, the Huskies exorcised the demons of January, 2023 with a perfect January, 2024.

They can only hope. The Bronx Bombers had lost 15 of their previous 20 games heading into Saturday’s day game against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Perhaps the most brutal had occurred barely 12 hours earlier, when the Red Sox, down to their last strike, turned a two-run deficit into a two-run lead in the blink of an eye.
And so, on Saturday, there was Dan Hurley to bring a little championship mojo to Yankee Stadium. Hurley tossed out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game, and also offered some unsolicited advice to the struggling Yanks.
“I know they’re in a tough stretch,” he noted. “We went through a really tough stretch the January of the first year we won it. Getting through those tough stretches, coming together as a team, getting back to your identity as an organization and staying together gives you a chance to really form a strong team when you go through the struggles.”
Since that infamous 3-6 January of 2023, UConn has gone a remarkable 51-5, copping a pair of national titles while winning every NCAA Tournament game by double digits. The Huskies also went 9-0 in New York City last season (7-0 at Madison Square Garden, 2-0 at Barclays Center) and just a couple of weeks ago had two players taken in the NBA Draft lottery and four players selected overall.
The Yankees can only hope to go on a similar run.
“They’ve had a tough last 20 games, but in the end, it’s about the culture of the team,” Hurley continued. “Turn off the external noise. Obviously, it’s incredibly hard to do in New York. But, to win championships, you’ve got to go through some hard (stuff). And they’re going through it right now.”
Hurley’s first pitch resembled a Bill Lee eephus pitch, rising a good 15 feet in the air before landing in the mitt of a ball boy behind the plate. To be fair, the coach was dealing with some some injuries: shoulder soreness, and an inflamed elbow from hoisting up too many halfcourt shots during practice.
“I’m playing hurt,” he said before his first pitch.
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