Top college programs are recruiting NBA players to manage and recruit for their basketball teams, but the UConn Huskies opted to go in a totally different direction, showing why they are ahead of the pack.
As the NCAA navigates revenue sharing, NIL, the transfer portal, and new recruiting tactics, college basketball has turned into an arms race. One of the most popular trends, as of late, is alumni returning to school to be a team's general manager, mostly serving as a celebrity face of the program and helping out with recruiting.
Trae Young, Damian Lillard, Desmond Bane, and Stephen Curry, among others, have taken on front office roles with their old schools, often to much fanfare.
So far, the San Antonio Spurs don't have a player going back to school, although Devin Vassell, Dylan Harper, and Julian Champagnie are all the best NBA players from their school. Stephon Castle went to UConn and could have been Dan Hurley's pick to be the Huskies' next general manager, although his alma mater made a much smarter choice.
UConn Hires Spurs' Scout to Be General Manager
While having a flashy name like Lillard or Curry at the forefront of your basketball program might help garner some interest, these NBA players are not active in the day-to-day operations and can't really help solve the roster issues that happen week in and week out.
That's why the best programs hire full-time front-office figures. UConn is a true college blue blood, and instead of hiring Castle, Andre Drummond, Kemba Walker, or Ray Allen to hold a key role, they turned to Charlie Stevens.
Stevens spent five seasons with the Spurs, mostly as a scouting coordinator. He has no ties to UConn, but he has a long history of identifying overlooked, high-level basketball talent.
The social media post announcing his being hired (if he even gets one) won't go viral as Curry's did for Davidson, but he will have the capacity and know-how to help Hurley build winning rosters year in and year out.
For serious programs, that's the main priority.
Since Hurley took over in 2018, the Huskies have won two national titles and been the picture of excellence. Ten of his players have gone on to be selected in the NBA Draft. He doesn't need a household name to help him recruit; his program and his success do that for him.
In a way, Hurley is the ultimate Gregg Popovich disciple. He was never an assistant on Pop's bench, but the intensity, dedication to winning, and eagerness to avoid flashy headlines in favor of long-term success are reminiscent of the best ever to do it.
