UConn’s men’s basketball staff continues to take shape, and on Wednesday the program made three moves official: Charlie Stevens is in as general manager, Andrew Hurley is the assistant GM, and Connor Creech has been named video coordinator/analytics director.
Stevens had already been expected to land the job, but now it’s confirmed. He spent the last five years with the San Antonio Spurs, finishing there as Director of Grassroots Scouting. He’s a relatively young hire, having graduated college in 2021, but he brings NBA experience and overseas connections, which is part of what UConn reportedly wanted in the role.
Hurley’s promotion keeps things in the family. The son of head coach Dan Hurley, he was a walk-on on UConn’s 2023 and 2024 national title teams and has spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant. Now the school says he’ll serve as a bridge between the administration and the program while also being involved in NIL strategy, operations and the roster.
Creech is also staying in the mix after working as a graduate assistant last season during UConn’s run to the national title game. He played four years at Northern Colorado.
That title game ended in a loss to Michigan, UConn’s third appearance in the championship game in four years.
There was more news around the Big East landscape, too. St.
John’s added fifth-year senior Reed Bailey to its roster, and that’s the kind of move UConn will be paying attention to. Bailey spent three seasons at Davidson, where he became an All-Atlantic 10 selection, before moving on to Indiana for one year in the Big Ten.
He averaged just over 8.0 points per game and four rebounds with the Hoosiers.
His arrival helps St. John’s offset the departures of Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell, both headed to the NBA, along with the season-ending injury to Donnie Freeman, who was an impact transfer from Syracuse.
ESPN also rolled out another “way too early” bracketology on Tuesday, and UConn again landed as a No. 3 seed. The projection reflects the roster losses of Alex Karaban, Tarris Reed and Solo Ball, who is injured, along with a brutal non-conference schedule that figures to add more losses before the calendar turns to March.
In Other News...
UConn Faces A New March Reality Even Under Dan Hurley
Joe Lunardis early bracket picture has UConn sitting in a place that has become less automatic than it felt during the programs recent run of dominance. The Huskies were projected as a No. 3 seed in ESPNs first look, a reminder that even under Dan Hurley, the road back to the top line of the bracket may look a little different this time around. The early forecast also reflects a schedule that figures to test them, along with a roster shaped by key departures and a group that still needs to prove it can absorb those changes quickly.
UConn landed in the East Region in Lunardis projection, which would start with a first-round meeting against Yale before the path could tighten in a hurry. Purdue, North Carolina State or Cincinnati could be waiting next, the kind of mid-early March collision course that leaves little margin for a team still sorting out its identity. For a program that has spent recent seasons setting the standard, the bigger question may not be where the Huskies are seeded, but how soon they can look like the team that belongs higher. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Still Has One Big Hurdle With Nation's Top 2027 Recruit
Kaleena Smiths early recruitment has already started to take shape, and UConn remains in the mix for one of the most coveted players in the Class of 2027. The Huskies are still selling what they usually do in these races: a championship-level program, a long track record of developing elite guards and a national platform that keeps them in the center of the sport.
The challenge, though, is the same one UConn often faces when chasing top West Coast talent. Smith has plenty of schools to weigh, from Baylor and Tennessee to USC, UCLA and Texas A&M, and the pull of staying closer to home could matter in the end. UConn is still on her visit list, but among the schools she is considering, it is the one farthest from California. [Read more 🡒]
St. Johns Just Made A Late Move UConn Fans Will Notice
St. Johns has quietly made a roster move that UConn fans in the Big East will want to keep an eye on, adding Reed Bailey ahead of the 2026-27 season. Bailey has already logged four years of college basketball, and his availability comes through a recent court injunction that has opened the door for some players to return for a fifth year, giving the Red Storm a chance to add an experienced piece at a time when roster construction matters more than ever.
The timing matters because St. Johns is trying to fill in for players headed to the NBA Draft while also covering an injured transfer, and that kind of late roster help can change the balance in a league where every edge counts. Baileys status is not fully settled, though, because the NCAA is challenging the fifth-year ruling, which leaves one important part of this move hanging in the air even as St. Johns continues building for the future. [Read more 🡒]