UConn Huskies coach Dan Hurley takes a timeout for some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby before his team takes the court this season to defend last season’s national championship.

Q: What are you telling your team about being “the hunted”?

A: You come in with a target at UConn, the basketball capital of the world. The target’s always big when you coach or play here. It just happens to be bigger ’cause we’re the reigning champs.

Q: Have you talked to anybody about how to handle success?

A: Yeah I have, I’ve talked to my dad [legendary St. Anthony H.S. coach Bob Hurley] about it, I’ve talked to my brother [Bobby, 1991 and ’92 Duke national champion] about it — they’ve both had great success. I’ve talked to Coach [Jim] Calhoun and Geno Auriemma about it. I’ve talked to Tom Izzo, I’ve talked to Jay Wright, I’ve talked to Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski], I’ve talked to Billy Donovan about it. I’m smart enough to use my network of mentors.

Q: Was there a common theme that resonated?

A: I would just think that the accomplishment in and of itself was never the driver for all those people. It was their love of the process. It was their love of the pursuit of the big accomplishment. Just loving that pursuit daily of going after the championship, and the amount of lives that that changes, that’s the good stuff.

Q: Pat Riley used to talk about the “disease of me.” How do you prevent that, and are you able to recognize that?

A: I allow for the “me” season here. My “me” season goes from when our season ends in March into April to June 1. I allow for, and I’m on board with [the idea], if you’re not valued the way you believe you should be valued, then from April to June you have the portal. You have your NIL valuation. You have the NBA draft which you could go enter. All that stuff goes from April to June. But once these guys step on campus for summer school, the “we” season starts, and I’m not dealing with any “me” s–t until April. June to April: “We” season.

Q: Would Dan Hurley the player want to play for Dan Hurley the coach?

A: Yeah, if I ever got around this person. … No. 1, he’s gonna drive me and push me to absolutely max out my abilities while I’m in college, which is gonna maximize my value. He’s going to pour everything he has into the relationship, into making you a better player, and to helping you win a championship. I think that that’s the only things you should want from your college coach.

Q: Do you study or read books about successful people?

A: Yeah, I’m an avid reader, a serial reader. So I’m just constantly consuming either self-help or personal development or biographies. I try to read probably four books a month. In season it probably slows down a little bit with the amount of film.

Q: What are the most impactful books you’ve read?

A: I would say early on for me, Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning” had a deep impact. Your why, your ability to … endure suffering, the strength you gain from that. That’s something I’ll read periodically. I like “The Alchemist” [by Paulo Coelho], too, has been an impactful book. Things happen for you, not to you. I’ve dealt with struggles at different points, especially when I was in college with my mental and emotional health, so always looking to strengthen it.

Q: What did you glean from Billy Donovan and your brother from the challenges of repeating as a national champion?

A: Bob, we help each other more in a relational way, support each other. With Billy it was like just turn off the external noise and stick to the script. … Find that balance between keeping your people hungry and not driving everybody crazy looking for complacency.

Q: Do you sense a hunger in this team?

A: Yeah … there’s no fat New York City rats here. Everyone here when you play basketball with UConn, you never really seem to get probably the credit that you deserve within the basketball universe with the amount of championships we’ve won. So you learn to coach a player with a chip on each shoulder.

Q: And being picked to finish third in the Big East doesn’t hurt that chip, does it?

A: My coaching style doesn’t win lots of popularity contests. We’ve won more of the things that other programs want than anybody else. Most people, when you accomplish the things we do, they’re not happy for you (laugh).

Q: Why doesn’t your coaching style win popularity contests?

A: My sideline intensity, I think, the other coaches, the other staff or the other fan bases get taken back by maybe that level of energy … that emanates from our sideline, it’s way beyond me. It’s me through my strength coach through my GAs through my managers. That energy bothers some people, but that’s my New Jersey, that’s my north Jersey, that’s Jersey City.

Q: Have you discussed being picked third in the Big East by the coaches with your team?

A: No. I’ve mentioned individual honors maybe. If you’re Alex Karaban and you should have been Rookie of the Year last year in the Big East, that you weren’t picked and maybe that should get you in the gym even more. But Jordan Hawkins wasn’t picked for an all-conference team last year’s preseason, and he led us to a national championship and he was a lottery pick, so … these guys have no idea what’s going on in Storrs, Connecticut.

Q: Do you try to make your practices harder than the games?

A: Yeah, I think that’s the secret sauce that I learned from my dad. When NBA people or different people come to watch our practice, it’s something like they rarely see at other practices. You may see it at Michigan State with Coach Izzo the way he rolls, but I think it’s rare in today’s game. The secret sauce is when you practice with that intensity level, you don’t gotta get ready for the game, you just go to the game. We’re so well-prepared because we’re executing under high-stress situations like a Navy SEAL approach that we’re able to keep our composure and just execute.

Q: Have you had a Navy SEAL talk to your team?

A: We have. The great Mike Hayes, who also is not only a Navy SEAL, but he also served in multiple White House administrations and is involved at a high level in the business sector. He also is a great author of “Never Enough.” That also is a great, great personal development book. Read the book, brought him in to talk to the boys … last preseason and this preseason.

Q: What did your players take out of his message this year?

A: The true definition of execution, the true definition of being on a strong team. Obviously, Navy SEALs, it’s life or death. Ours at times (laugh), it feels that way but it isn’t. The true meaning of the team, the true meaning of practicing to the point where you can’t get it wrong.

Q: Is it a blessing and a curse being the perfectionist that you are?

A: I think it’s gonna lend itself to a shorter career. I won’t be the coach holding on later in my career because the money’s so great and my identity’s too attached to the position. When I can’t give my players and the university what I’m giving ’em right now, which is like everything I got, then I’m out.

Q: Why do you want to be great so bad?

A: I think part of my drive is I know my purpose with changing the lives of my players by helping them be at their absolute best, and growing up and becoming obviously a well-rounded man but maxing out the value that they can put into their career. And then the second part of it is I know deep down inside with my college career, I didn’t max out. I didn’t max out my playing career, and that bothers the s– t out of me. So I feel like I over-pour into the coaching part of my basketball career because I know I let myself down as a player.

Q: Do you still one day aspire to be an NBA coach?

A: Maybe not. It’s weird. … I’m ambitious, I want to keep challenging myself. And then sometimes I feel that way, but then I also feel like my coaching style and the way I do it is unique and maybe not conducive to the way that the NBA functions today. I can’t answer that today.

Q: Congratulations on your new six-year, $32.1 million contract.

A: I’ve come a long way from the [St.] Benedict’s days. It’s been a crazy ride for the last several years.

Q: The money will never make you less hungry?

A: No, everything I wear is free. I wear UConn-issued Nike stuff. I pay for my underwear, which is the undies that I wore in the NCAA Tournament last year, and maybe my wife has made me get a couple of nicer pair of shoes and a good belt, because I never really had a nice belt.

Q: What do you like best about this year’s team?

A: I like how we’re playing offense. I think it looks like a group that has the potential to be one of the best offenses.

Q: What about defensively?

A: That’s not what I love most (laugh). My teams typically, over the course of my career, they were known for a defensive-minded first, playing so much harder than the other team, just all-out intensity in defense. But that got me eliminated from the first round of the NCAA Tournament twice. Just evolution as a coach to win six games in a tournament versus all different teams, you gotta be able to score.

Q: Why are you so optimistic about the offense?

A: We got a lot of shooting. We’ve got potentially a two-headed monster at center that could be potentially close to what we had last year, which was devastating for our opponents. I’ve got a backcourt, I’ve got a perimeter right now of two fifth-year guards that have played a lot of basketball that are both really good players. I’ve got two potential lottery picks [Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan]. I’ve got a kid in Alex Karaban who eventually will be an NBA draft pick, probably a first-round pick … should have been Rookie of the Year last year. We brought in a top-three recruiting class in the country.

Q: How do you view the Big East a conference in general?

A: We proved that we had the best league last year, and I think the league is better this year. Ed Cooley to Georgetown is great for the Big East and Rick Pitino to St. John’s is great for the Big East.

Q: Your thoughts on Pitino?

A: I think it makes the league just more compelling. One of the best coaches of his generation. A great St. John’s that’s competing for big things makes the league better. I think everyone at UConn just wants as great a Big East as we could possibly make it. It’s gonna drive television ratings, it’s gonna help us negotiate a better TV deal.

Q: Is it realistic for St. John’s fans to dream about a Final Four with Pitino?

A: Yeah. I think if you’re in the best basketball conference in the country, and you play in the conference — since 2014, Villanova’s won two, and UConn’s won two — so they play in a conference where two other programs have won a couple, so it definitely could be done. Obviously the excitement of playing at MSG, the Mecca.

Q: What makes Pitino a Hall of Fame coach, specifically?

A: Obviously his recruiting, the player development, the tactics, the leadership. … There’s several different aspects of coaching that coaches are all trying to master so you can become a master coach.

Q: Have you read any of his books?

A: When I was younger. I don’t want to give him too much credit, I gotta coach against him.

Q: Describe the feeling of standing on the ladder cutting down the net.

A: Just a total elation, this incredible feeling of love and admiration for the people you are hugging — my wife, my two sons, the players, the staff, the athletic director that hired you … Kemba Walker (laugh), the people that did it with you … just love, man.

Q: What did your dad and mom say to you?

A: Just the typical parents’ stuff: “I’m so proud of you, we love you so much.” You don’t have much time, there’s so many people tugging at you at that point, you don’t get a chance to go second-, third-level deeper.

Q: Does your dad think you’re a good coach yet?

A: I don’t know what he thinks that way. Our relationship has evolved so much in my 30s and 40s now into 50 years old, that it’s way more father-son, it’s definitely more like a loving friendship than I kind of viewed myself for a while as his player. Just because of my own makeup.

Q: How tough are you on your son Andrew?

A: (Laugh) At times the fuse will get lit if he’s in a drill and he gives me a casual cut or a nonchalant pass. I’ll jump him a little bit. But I’ve purposely kind of shielded my boys from sports. I didn’t push them in sports the way that we were pushed. I wanted it to happen for them a little bit more organically.

Q: What was the most meaningful texts you received in the weeks after the championship?

A: Coolest interaction was Bill Clinton. Coolest text for me was George Brett, former Royal who was one of my sports heroes. Ja’Marr Chase football, I think my agent got me a Joe Burrow jersey signed. And I paid him back with the extension that he did for me in the offseason. Whatever he paid for the Burrow jersey, he definitely got it back (laugh).

Q: Do you have a relationship with Bengals coach Zac Taylor?

A: I’m a well-known Bengal fan, so when we were in Houston, he sent me a cool note with a Ja’Marr Chase-signed football. And then I texted him after we won it. That was really cool, ’cause outside of my family, my team, I got a couple of interests in my life and the Bengals are one of ’em.

Q: How did you become a Bengals fan?

A: Freezer Bowl [27-7 win over the Chargers in the AFC Championship on Jan. 10, 1982], first game I ever saw. It’s like the two sports moments, Freezer Bowl with the Bengals and the Pine Tar Game with George Brett [1983].

Q: How did the Clinton interaction happen?

A: Was at a charity event right after we won it, we beat Arkansas in the Sweet 16, and he was surrounded by all the Secret Service, and he’s like waving at me to come over and looking at me. He takes me through my whole team and our game versus Arkansas (laugh). He’s like, “Man, you kicked my Hogs’ ass. I love your center Clingan. What does he got one more year? Andre Jackson, what a great player, he’s probably gonna go into the draft.” He knows ball. He knew ball at a high level. He remembered my dad as a high school coach. That was pretty cool.

Q: What are the most fun things you did over the offseason?

A: There was a parade in Hartford with our fans, key to Jersey City, my second grade Little League coach was there (laugh), Mr. Santalanza, seeing him again was crazy, and then walking into that room with the president, that was crazy.

Q: Do you dream about a UConn dynasty?

A: I’m focused on right now going into every season for me just trying to have this program in a place where we could look at ourselves and we’re competing for big things. … I know what repeating potentially could mean but we’re real locked in on the next practice.

Q: You had no doubt when you took over that you would raise this program to where it is. Why was that?

A: Just my background in basketball. My dad is one of the best coaches of his generation, like Rick Pitino and some others … Phil Jackson. I’ve learned from a master coach. I’ve got my playing career to draw from to use on how I coach my players in terms of pushing them and then also building up their confidence. And then my background as a coach — unlike coaches today, I didn’t skip steps. I was a high school assistant, I was a college assistant, I was a high school head coach, I was a low-Division I head coach, I was a mid-major head coach. I’ve had to earn every opportunity, and I’ve had to take all the appropriate steps. So I’m prepared for anything I gotta deal with.

Q: How do you want to improve as a coach?

A: I had to address our approach to offense coming off those NCAA losses, and take a good long look in the mirror and change our offensive identity and philosophy going into last year. I think a lot of what I focused on this year is some wrinkles defensively and my emotion on the sideline, being able to channel it a little bit better.

Q: How proud of yourself are you for what you’ve accomplished?

A: The journey of basketball to that moment, I faced a lot of failure, struggles as a player. As a coach that played out over the course of like 30 years in basketball, the ability to stay with it and keep fighting and keep pushing and not getting discouraged when that elite moment had eluded me. … I’m proud as a Hurley I was kind of able to stay in there and have that elite moment like my brother and like my dad.