'The pursuit is the best part': Inside Dan Hurley's quest to lead UConn to a 3-peat

STORRS, Conn. – Alex Karaban walked out of UConn's film room and into the lobby of the Werth Basketball Center with a smile on his face. He and his teammates had just wrapped an in-depth practice and video session with Dan Hurley that dissected every single area and detail within the 2024-25 roster. 

The junior forward sat down in front of a backdrop consisting of clipped nylon netting, a row of gold and wooden NCAA championship trophies representing the six national titles the Huskies have won since 1999, and a pair of Waterford Crystal NABC National Championship Trophies for the program's past two titles. And despite being surrounded by the incredible hardware and having played a key role in the program's back-to-back title runs, you'd never know it because it feels like Karaban is focused on chasing something bigger.

"I want to chase history," said Karban, who tested the NBA Draft waters this offseason before electing to return to school. "I want to be a part of history, and as a collective group, it's about chasing something that hasn't been done since the Wooden days and, individually, being one of the winningest college players of all time."

For a program that has won 12 NCAA Tournament games by a combined 260 points in record-breaking fashion, just how much better can it get?

Karaban and the Huskies are looking to find the answer to that question as the program looks to pursue something only John Wooden and his historic UCLA teams have accomplished: win three consecutive national championships. And as the 2024-25 campaign gets underway Wednesday night with a season-opening matchup against Sacred Heart, it's clear that Karaban isn't the only one with that mindset.

"Somehow, Coach Hurley has risen to a whole other