STORRS, Conn. — Basketball and pizza are a lot alike. Neither was invented in Connecticut, but the way both are served up here is envied just about everywhere.

UConn’s basketball glitterati like it this way, rings and trophies their preferred toppings.

“For us it’s a unique opportunity,” men’s coach Dan Hurley said Friday, as the program’s staged First Night, the traditional party to celebrate the approach of a new season. “When people look at UConn basketball, they look at what you do in both men’s and women’s basketball, and you say it’s one of the best basketball organizations in the world regardless of pro, college, European, international. UConn’s a world class university, it’s an awesome state and it’s one of the best basketball organizations in the world in terms of how they do it.”

This has recently become a theme for Hurley. UConn has been branding itself “The Basketball Capital of the World,” and after winning back-to-back national championships, the university’s fifth and sixth in the men’s game, Hurley envisions a UConn brand that is recognized worldwide, as the game is now played in just about every corner of the world.

As the programs shift gears in practice, the start of the season three weeks away, the men are ranked No.3 in the AP Poll. They’ve lost four starters from last year’s team to the NBA, but Hurley was a little annoyed they weren’t ranked No.1 until someone knocks them off.

The women’s team, which has won 11 national championships, checked in at No.2 behind defending champ South Carolina. Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma, beginning his 40th season, has Paige Bueckers, now widely considered the face of women’s college basketball. The Huskies reached the Final Four last April for the 15th time in 16 years.

Both programs won national championships together in 2004 and 2014; no other school has ever done that once. Currently, UConn is the only school with both its basketball teams ranked in the top five.

College sports is ever-evolving. Conferences are realigning, players can be compensated for use of their name, image and likeness, can transfer from one school to another with little or no restriction and soon will be paid as part of a revenue sharing agreement. These changes have had major impact in basketball, but have not disrupted the winning habit at UConn, at least not yet.

“We, in this building, have built a culture that can withstand the initial blunt force of what’s happened,” Auriemma said. “Ten years from now, who knows? But when you have a strong foundation, like what exists in this (Werth Center), on both sides of this building, you can withstand a lot of things that other programs maybe cannot. You don’t have to get caught up in some of the stuff other coaches have to deal with.”

Jim Calhoun drove the men’s basketball program into the national consciousness and, in 1999, 2004 and 2011, to the top of the mountain. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005, and retired in 2012. Kevin Ollie took over and won the championship in 2014, but then came three consecutive losing seasons. Hurley, hired in 2018, revived the program and has broken new ground.

“When we first got here, and we were where we were and the women’s team was top of the sport,” Hurley said. “It’s uncomfortable for you, when you can’t measure up to a level and you share a building and you bump into each other in the hallway, in the weight room, you’re a little embarrassed that you don’t have your stuff together and they do. It’s just another log on the fire of motivation.”

In November 2022, Auriemma was one of the first to predict that the UConn men could win the championship that year, which they did. He remains an admirer, from his backstage vantage point, of the way Hurley runs his program.

“I saw (junior) Alex (Karaban) upstairs earlier and I asked, ‘Does this count as a day off?'” Auriemma said. “And he said, ‘No, those are rare and luxuries.’ They work exceptionally hard at what they do, they’re relentless in their approach to teaching the game and making sure every single person completely understands exactly what it is (the coaches) want. They’re very dynamic and forceful when it comes to that. You can be that way with a certain type of player, and that’s what they’re able to do because they have the right kids.”

The men’s team has several new players. Karaban, Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson return with two championship rings, and several sophomores from last year’s team will now play more prominent roles. No team has won three in a row in men’s basketball since UCLA completed its long era of dominance in 1975, under very different rules of engagement.

“As a coach right now, you’re just trying to build the best of habits,” Hurley said. “The players have shown enough for us to believe we’re right where we want to be at UConn going into the season.”

That’s the history Hurley’s program is chasing now. As they do, his personal brand has grown, especially since he entertained, but ultimately turned down a chance to coach the Lakers in June. This week, a fictional character appearing to be inspired by Hurley, a coach who won back-to-back championships and turned down a lucrative contract, turned up dead in an episode of Law and Order. Disclaimer: The coach, as Hurley pointed out, did have a full head of hair.

So what’s next? 60 Minutes? Stay tuned. An invitation to host Saturday Night Live? Don’t bet against it.

Auriemma and his associate head coach, Chris Dailey, are celebrating their 40th year together. The UConn Dairy Bar is planning milkshakes, sundaes and flavors in their honor. The men now have a wave of players representing UConn in the NBA and in pro leagues overseas, the women had at least one alum on every team in the WNBA this past season, and seven competing in the Olympics. The WNBA Finals, with New York and Minnesota set to play a decisive Game 5 on Sunday, are led by former UConn stars, Breanna Stewart of the Liberty and Napheesa Collier with the Lynx.

The UConn stamp is everywhere. The 12th championship, though, has eluded UConn women’s basketball since 2016, with several heart-wrenching defeats and devastating injuries. Auriemma, 70, has a new five-year contract, but he senses a greater urgency at the moment, because nothing lasts forever.

“The thing I have talked to Paige about,” Auriemma said, “is that, when you’re young, you think you have forever. She, especially, is starting to realize that there’s a sense of urgency because (her college career) is almost over. There’s a different vibe because it’s urgent right now. We don’t have forever. This is it. This is a big year, for her and for us.”

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