Taliek Brown Joins UConn Men’s Basketball Staff

Since UConn’s rise to a men’s basketball power, the Huskies have been very conscious of keeping “the family” together. Kevin Ollie’s staff for his first four years was composed entirely of either former players or former assistants under previous head coach Jim Calhoun.

The first assistant Ollie hired that did not have previous UConn experience was Raphael Chillious, who left Washington to come to Storrs. As Ollie’s tenure continued, it became apparent that a new voice was needed and to David Benedict’s credit, he hired Dan Hurley, formerly the head coach at Rhode Island.

Hurley has done a good job of getting new coaches into the fold while keeping UConn guys around, as former Calhoun assistant Tom Moore is back on staff, along with three new names in Kenya Moore, Kimani Young and director of basketball operations Eric Youncofski.

The balancing act continued on Tuesday as the school announced that Taliek Brown will become the team’s director of player development.

Brown was a captain on the 2004 NCAA Champion Huskies and is the school’s all-time assists leader.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Taliek Brown back to UConn,” Hurley said in a statement. “Obviously, his history with the program speaks for itself, but when you add that to his professional basketball career and life experiences since he left college, plus his upbeat, outgoing personality, and strong work ethic, it makes him ideal for this position. I’m really looking forward to him working with our student-athletes.”

The director of player development will assist with tutoring sessions and will also organize community service outings. He will also be in charge of alumni events.

Brown is the only player in UConn history to score 1,000 points and record 700 assists and he has spent the last 10 years playing professionally, both in the United States and abroad.

Brown is also the last hire that Hurley will make for his support staff this season.