UConn head coach Dan Hurley predicts Kings fans will be thrilled with Alex Karaban
KCRA 3, Sean Cunningham, thrilled to be joined by the UConn men’s basketball coach, Dan Hurley, who obviously knows uh the newest member of the Sacramento Kings, Alex Caravan, really well, selected with the 29th overall pick, trading up with Cleveland to do so and he spent draft night with them last night. Coach, how are you doing? How did you recover from draft night? Obviously, it was, it was, it was *** great night and, and we knew that we would be, you know, we, we’d be experiencing, you know, the, the, you know, the tension, the exhilaration. Um, you know, in the twenties, you know, so we were, you know, we were ready, you know, around 10 o’clock, we knew the action would start, the, you know, the agents would be buzzing, the phones, and, uh, and, uh, yeah, it was just, um, I think for both, you know, both our guys, they both, um, You know, they, they earned it, you know, they earned it through winning and through developing and, and going into the NBA as As, as men, um, that are ready to contribute to winning. Yeah, well said. I mean, I, I’m curious for you. I mean, did you, is, is there nerves? I mean, I know your brother, I mean, has *** connection to Sacramento Kings, *** former draft pick in his own right, and I imagine that draft night might be *** little bit different from what you just experienced last night. Yeah, um, yeah, just seeing Bob get picked 7th, obviously spending some time, uh, you know, in Sacramento with Bob. You know, for me, uh, you know, personally, coach as *** coach, I did uh. You know, I coached my first NCAA tournament game in Sacramento, and, uh, you know, we beat Creighton when I was *** coach at Rhode Island and then lost *** kind of *** thriller to the Dylan Brooks, uh, Peyton Pritchard, uh, Oregon team in around the 32. So, um, that was my last memory of Sacramento. So I, I got good vibes. Uh, I got good, uh, good vibes with the Kings. And it was really clear from, from about *** month ago talking to Alex’s agent that, um, that, that, that the Kings, you know, amongst, you know, amongst other teams were really, really high on Alex and really valued, uh, you know, the things he brings to the table. Yeah, and I’d love to talk about that with you. I mean, no one knows him probably better than you from *** basketball sense, having spent 4 years with him, winning 2 titles and 3 national championship appearances. Um, when I hear Pete, I kind of grimace at it as *** fan of college basketball myself when I hear people just say, oh, he’s *** good shooter. It seems like he brings more to the table than that, especially that winning pedigree, which when he came through here for that workout, he credits you *** lot for instilling that pedigree into him. What is it about his game that you feel will translate so well to the next level? Well, I mean, the, you know, the first part of it, Sean, that I, that I, you know, I talked to, talked to BJ Armstrong this morning and, and, um, You know, he asked me how I felt and I said, uh, you know, well, how I feel is that, you know, we got worse last night with Alex leaving and, and you guys got better with, with Alex joining your team. So, um, you know, that, that’s the thing about Alex is, um, you know, he’s *** really, really, really good basketball player in every aspect of the game with the exception of, you know, he’s not going to be *** guy that you’re going to give the ball to. That’s gonna have the, you know, this, the, the, the handles, the wow handle or, or this ridiculous above the rim athleticism. Every other aspect of basketball, the guy’s really good at, to great at, um, you know, his, his shooting, It is probably underrated because the types of shots that he shot at UConn from the three-point line are *** lot different than the type of threes he’s going to shoot in the NBA, you know, with Sacramento. Um, there’s, at UConn, you got to take any of our shooters’ numbers, uh, from the three-point line with, with *** grain of salt because, We shoot so many of our threes off of full speed sprinting, moving, sprinting off pins, flares, stagger screens, all types of actions that are full speed, whereas those are hard shots to make. Um, whereas the type of shots like the toes to the line, catch and shoot threes that he’s gonna be able to step into while playing off of, You know, the, the top 2 or 3 players on an offensive team, he’s highly efficient at. So like those high movement 3s, you know, guys don’t really shoot him in the NBA because people don’t move in the NBA. You know, there’s, there’s, there, you know, it’s ***, it’s *** heavy ball screen in isolation games. So I think the shooting numbers are going to be way more efficient than he, than, uh, than he shot in college because I think he’s going to get easier shots than he got in college. And then, um, you know, the guy’s an excellent passer. He’s an excellent rebounder, uh, on both backboards. He’s an underrated defensive player. He’s especially good as ***, um, as *** switch defender at guarding guards because he’s really smart. He’s got surprising length, and he knows how to play like distance and angles, um, and still contest trees while keeping the ball in front. Um, you know, he’s an excellent passer. His processing skills on offense, defense are, are high level, and then he’s *** great situational basketball player. I mean, you saw it in the playoffs this year, how important it is to have guys on the court, um, that know. How to play situational basketball down the stretch of games. Uh, he’s *** master of that. So, um, I just thought he was one of the best available players in the draft, plug and play, role player, um, that is used to playing, um, In *** major role alongside other talented players. Yeah, and, and, and it was funny, something that leaped off the page to me and just especially this past season, compared to obviously maybe the, the, the first year he spent with you guys, it seemed like he didn’t shy away from physicality, uh, nearly as much, and I, I, I kind of wonder if he doesn’t get enough credit for maybe some being as tough as he is. Yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, listen, it’s, it’s like, Yeah, he, he looks *** little bit like ***, like *** regular guy. He looks like *** nerd. I mean, he, you know, but I, I promise you, you know, with him, it’s like *** little bit of an alter ego. Um, you know, at times you could come across, especially early, early in his career, you know, as *** little bit introverted and soft-spoken, but, you know, like you see him, um, when, when the game begins, as he goes through like the high fives in the starting lineup, he kinda pulls back his jersey and he, and he, He kind of becomes *** different guy. He’s *** real ferocious competitor. Um, you know, he plays hurt, he plays sick, um, he plays through contact. You know, I don’t know the guy missed ***, missed *** practice while he was here. Um, you know, he might have missed 3 games over the course of the 140 that he played. Um, the guy’s an Ironman. And I thought what they did was really smart in the draft, you know, going and getting *** young talent like an Acuff, uh, you know, *** young, talented, on-ball creator, you know, and then going and getting ***, ***, *** veteran champion, you know, *** guy that’s gonna come into that facility every day, be in that locker, locker room every day. You know, he’s ***, he’s *** rotation NBA player that brings championship habits. And for an organization that’s trying to learn how to win again, you know, I think that’s, uh, Yeah, I think it was, he was *** great addition. I’m glad you mentioned Acuff there cause I, I look back at it and maybe I’m *** little biased being here in Sacramento, but it seemed like they had *** really good draft. If you look at in terms of college basketball, Acuff and Caravan are two of the biggest names over the past year in college basketball. Uh, what did you just make of the draft class and, and just the fit together? Yeah, I mean, I, I love the fit. I think when you, when you look at, um, you’ve just drafted *** guy, um, you know, that’s gonna have *** very high usage rate. Obviously, at the offensive end, the ball is going to be in his hands *** lot and rightfully so. The guy’s *** magician with the ball. Um, and I think starting to, um, you know, stack around that type of *** talented guard player, you know, somebody that’s going to be able to space the floor. Uh, somebody that can play well, uh, without having the ball in his hands. You know, Alex plays great basketball, uh, without, uh, dribbling it *** whole lot or having it *** whole lot because he is, he’s *** great cutter. He’s great at getting on the offensive glass. Um, you know, he’s great as ***, as ***, as ***, as *** screener, *** guy that’s slipping screens on switches. He’s just, he’s just the, uh, the perfect player to play along, uh, to play next to. Uh, *** high usage talented guard that needs to play next to people that know how to play without the ball in their hands. Yeah, when you have *** guy that you spent so much time with 4 years, I mean, that’s such *** rarity in college sports these days, especially to be able to go to 3 national championship games and win 2 of them. Um, I, I mean, it, it probably is. No secret. I mean, he probably made your job *** hell of *** lot easier. I’m just, I’m curious off the court, just what he meant to you as ***, as *** player, as *** student-athlete, and obviously becoming the winningest player in UConn history. Yeah, I mean, you know, AK coming in here, I mean, it changed, um, I mean, it changed my career. I mean, I, I couldn’t get out of the first round of the tournament at UConn until that guy stepped on campus and put the uniform on. Um, and it’s, you know, it, it obviously it changed. The trajectory of my career changed, um. Um, it changed the standing of, of UConn basketball and college basketball. I think, you know, right, right now, fairly, he’s helped establish us as, You know, as, as maybe the premier program or at least, you know, one of two that are considered the best right now in college, and um, You know, I, I think *** lot of it was, you know, his, his production, um, you know, his, his, his winning mentality, his winning habits, um, you know, the, the, the clutch nature of, of, of how he plays, you know, he’s *** guy that’s made huge, huge shots, um, in, in critical moments, and he’s, um, you know, he’s played in big spots. He’s just coming in with, You know, the highest level of of winning experience that you could have, uh, as *** college player. The guy’s played in, he’s played in 3 national championship games, you know, this, this guy is, uh, he’s just *** grown man coming in. And, and I think one of the things that, you know, that like he’s *** talented guy. Like he’s, he’s, um, you know, he’s *** really good basketball player. You know, and he’s great at so many aspects of the game. He’s more athletic than you think. Um, you know, and I think once he gets there, uh, over the course of from game one to game 82, you know, the fans are gonna grow to love the guy cause he’s just, he’s, he’s *** winner. Um, he’s all about team, and, and he’s gonna help elevate the organization. Final few for you. I, I, I, I’m, this might sound corny, but just given that response there, is Alex, do you, do you kind of have *** different connection to Alex and maybe any other player that, that you, that you’ve spent time with? Yeah, you know what, I, I, I’d say, you know, just because of the, um, the common interest. I mean, we, we both obsess over basketball. You know, like I was with him last night at the, at the, um, you know, at his draft party, and I could already see the wheels turning of like how quickly he could get into the facility and get shots. You know, I think he was thinking about trying to charter *** flight so that he could get in, maybe this morning and get his first of 5 workouts in there. So, You know, I, I, I think that we connect because of, of the obsession with basketball that we both share. It’s not *** love, it’s not something that we do. It, it’s an absolute obsession. Yeah, I mean, in, in your family, I know all about it. I mean, the obsession of basketball is crazy. So if you’ve got *** guy like that who can match that energy, that’s pretty special. Uh, what do you, what do you see for the Kings? I mean, uh, obviously you got this draft class, but, uh, as someone who’s *** fan of basketball itself, and obviously I think the Kings are *** little special to you as well, I mean, do you see some bright things on their horizon? Yeah, I do. I, I, I, you know, I do. I think obviously, this was ***, uh, you know, this, this was ***, ***, ***, *** great draft and I, and I think it’s ***, I think it’s ***, it’s obviously, it’s *** great NBA town. Um, you know, I think, uh, you know, just having been *** basketball fan my whole life and, and, um, you know, watching those great, those great, uh, you know, Kings teams, um, you know, with Mike Bibby and, uh, uh, Stoyakovich and Chris Webber and those awesome, Uh, Western, you know, Hito Turkolu and Christie in those Western Conference Finals versus the Lakers and the cowbells and Phil Jackson with the earplugs. And, um, you know, you, you’re, you’re obviously, you know, in ***, in *** situation with the, you know, with the Fox trade and, and, you know, you’re rebuilding the program and, and, uh, and the organization with, uh, um, you know, with this draft and, and, and, and this direction, but, Um, I, I think it says *** lot to me about, you know, what, what they’re valuing right now in Sacramento that they made *** move for *** player of Alex’s pedigree. It, it, it, it tells me that they’re very serious. Uh, they’re sending *** message to their fans that they’re very serious about putting *** winning product on the court for them that’s in playoff contention, and that they’re building towards wanting *** championship team as opposed to just, acquiring talented assets that will never win for them, which, unfortunately, I think *** lot of NBA teams do as they go through the draft, especially as you get into the twenties and, and late twenties and, and right around the range where Alex was drafted. I just feel like that is *** sweet spot where you can go and take, you know, *** guy who you know exactly what you’re going to get. You know, there’s like ***, there’s *** very, very high floor in terms of, You know, Caravan is going to be *** rotation piece that can help you from day one. He brings maturity, he brings championship pedigree, um, into *** locker room with *** lot of young players, you know, and, you know, who do you want in the locker next to, you know, Darius Acuff. You, you’d like *** guy next to Darius Acuff in the locker room that’s going to be pulling him into the gym, you know, not to the mall. Yeah, yeah, well said. Finally, as we let you go here, I know you started this interview by saying that Sacramento Kings got better and the UConn Huskies got worse. Um, if any UConn Husky fans are tuning in, as I’m sure they will be, uh, what message do you have for them and just maybe what the future of the Huskies program, uh, looks like for this foreseeable future? Yeah, I think we’re gonna be, you know, I think we’ll, uh, obviously, Alex is *** tough guy to replace. I think we, uh, you know, there’s, it tells you how much You know, we believe in, in, in the type of player that Alex is that, you know, we identified ***, an archetype in, in, uh, in Nick Jaminia, you know, *** California boy, you know, who transferred in from Duke, who’s, you know, who’s ***, who’s *** similar player to Alex, you know, that tells you, um, just how impactful *** player with Alex’s skill set, you know, is to, to winning championships. So, um, You know, I think, you know, he’s got *** chance to be ***, you know, *** breakout star in college next year. I think he’s gonna be great. Braylo Mullins, obviously, people remember the Duke shot, and then obviously my interaction with the referee, but, um, you know, I think he’s got *** chance to be *** really, really high draft pick next year. I think he could be ***, you know, an All-American and easily *** top 10 pick. Um, and then Silas Demery, so, you know, as *** returning point guard who, you know, I think is going to be in ***, you know, kind of *** similar draft range to Alex next year, you know, an all-American caliber point guard. So, you know, I think, you know, for us, we’re, we’re, uh, we’re in *** pretty, *** pretty good groove right now playing in Final Fours and producing pros. So hopefully, that’s what you’ll keep seeing from us. Yeah, well said. I know that people will be thrilled to see the excitement for the Huskies this coming season. Uh, I can’t thank you enough for doing this, Coach Hurley. Uh, I really, uh, value the insight that you were able to kind of share with us and, uh, we’re looking forward to seeing Alex when he touches down here in Sacramento. You’re gonna love the guy. He’s, uh, he’s too good to be true. I appreciate you, sir. Thank you so much. Later, brother. Sir, bye-bye. Sure, be good, brother. You too. Thank you, coach.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley predicts Kings fans will be thrilled with Alex Karaban
Updated: 1:53 PM PDT Jun 25, 2026
When UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley hugged Alex Karaban shortly after being picked by the Sacramento Kings in the first round of Tuesday night’s NBA Draft, it officially signaled the end of a storybook run.Coach Hurley knew the reality that Karaban had already played his final game as a college player back in April, when UConn fell in the NCAA Championship to Michigan. And while he was thrilled for his former player for his incredible four years with the Huskies and getting to now make the leap to the NBA, he still felt a void.”I talked to BJ Armstrong (Kings assistant GM) this morning and he asked me how I felt and I said, ‘How I feel is we got worse last night with Alex leaving and you guys got better with Alex joining your team,'” Hurley told KCRA3 on Wednesday morning. It was natural to feel a sense of loss with Karaban’s departure. Hurley credits the 6-foot-7 forward for not just getting him to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his coaching career, but also reaching the National Championship three times and walking away with titles in two of those games.Karaban averaged 13.2 points per game, shooting 46% from the floor and 37% from the perimeter, while pulling down 5.3 rebounds and dishing 2.4 assists per contest in his senior season with the Huskies. The 23-year-old became known for his winning pedigree and his ability to deliver in clutch situations while playing on a national stage throughout his four seasons at UConn. Karaban holds program records in 3-pointers, games played, career starts and minutes played. Hurley says Karaban, who also became the Huskies’ all-time leader in career wins (126 games), led the evolution of UConn’s men’s basketball, elevating the program into one of the elite college programs in the country, and believes he can have a similar impact with the Kings. “He’s a talented guy, he’s a really good basketball player,” Hurley said. “He’s great at so many aspects of the game, he’s more athletic than you think. I think once he gets (to Sacramento) over the course from game one to game 82, the fans will grow to love the guy because he’s a winner, he’s all about team and he’s going to help elevate the organization.” That’s the hope the Kings have after beginning Tuesday’s first round with former Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh overall selection, envisioning the 19-year-old as the point guard of the future and new face of the franchise. Coupled with Karaban, Sacramento hopes they have the start of a foundation that can turn its fortunes around following last season’s dismal 22-60 overall record.(Video below: Sacramento Kings GM Scott Perry discusses NBA Draft, selections of Darius Acuff Jr. & Alex Karaban)See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google
When UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley hugged Alex Karaban shortly after being picked by the Sacramento Kings in the first round of Tuesday night’s NBA Draft, it officially signaled the end of a storybook run.
Coach Hurley knew the reality that Karaban had already played his final game as a college player back in April, when UConn fell in the NCAA Championship to Michigan.
And while he was thrilled for his former player for his incredible four years with the Huskies and getting to now make the leap to the NBA, he still felt a void.
“I talked to BJ Armstrong (Kings assistant GM) this morning and he asked me how I felt and I said, ‘How I feel is we got worse last night with Alex leaving and you guys got better with Alex joining your team,'” Hurley told KCRA3 on Wednesday morning.
It was natural to feel a sense of loss with Karaban’s departure.
Hurley credits the 6-foot-7 forward for not just getting him to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his coaching career, but also reaching the National Championship three times and walking away with titles in two of those games.
Karaban averaged 13.2 points per game, shooting 46% from the floor and 37% from the perimeter, while pulling down 5.3 rebounds and dishing 2.4 assists per contest in his senior season with the Huskies.
The 23-year-old became known for his winning pedigree and his ability to deliver in clutch situations while playing on a national stage throughout his four seasons at UConn.
Karaban holds program records in 3-pointers, games played, career starts and minutes played.
Hurley says Karaban, who also became the Huskies’ all-time leader in career wins (126 games), led the evolution of UConn’s men’s basketball, elevating the program into one of the elite college programs in the country, and believes he can have a similar impact with the Kings.
“He’s a talented guy, he’s a really good basketball player,” Hurley said. “He’s great at so many aspects of the game, he’s more athletic than you think. I think once he gets (to Sacramento) over the course from game one to game 82, the fans will grow to love the guy because he’s a winner, he’s all about team and he’s going to help elevate the organization.”
That’s the hope the Kings have after beginning Tuesday’s first round with former Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh overall selection, envisioning the 19-year-old as the point guard of the future and new face of the franchise.
Coupled with Karaban, Sacramento hopes they have the start of a foundation that can turn its fortunes around following last season’s dismal 22-60 overall record.
(Video below: Sacramento Kings GM Scott Perry discusses NBA Draft, selections of Darius Acuff Jr. & Alex Karaban)
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google