Dan Hurley Explained

Dan Hurley
Current Title:Head coach
Current Team:UConn
Current Conference:Big East
Birth Date:16 January 1973
Birth Place:Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Player Positions:Point guard
Player Years1:1991–1996
Player Team1:Seton Hall
Coach Years1:1996–1997
Coach Team1:St. Anthony HS (assistant)
Coach Years2:1997–2001
Coach Team2:Rutgers (assistant)
Coach Years3:2001–2010
Coach Team3:St. Benedict's Prep
Coach Years4:2010–2012
Coach Team4:Wagner
Coach Years5:2012–2018
Coach Team5:Rhode Island
Coach Years6:2018–present
Coach Team6:UConn
Tournament Record:14–4 (NCAA Division I)
1–1 (NIT)
Championships:NCAA Division I Tournament (2023, 2024)
NCAA Division I RegionalFinal Four (2023, 2024)
A-10 tournament (2017)
A-10 regular season (2018)
Big East regular season (2024)
Big East tournament (2024)
Awards:Naismith Coach of the Year (2024)
Sporting News National Coach of the Year (2024)
A-10 Coach of the Year (2018)
Big East Coach of the Year (2024)

Daniel S. Hurley (born January 16, 1973) is an American men's college basketball coach who is the head coach of the UConn Huskies.[1] In 2023 and 2024, Hurley led UConn to back-to-back NCAA Division I national championships.[2] [3] He previously coached at Rhode Island and Wagner.

Early life and education

Hurley was born to Hall of Fame high school coach Bob Hurley Sr. and Christine Hurley on January 16, 1973, in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he was raised with his siblings Bobby and Melissa.[4] His brother, Bobby, is a former Duke and Sacramento Kings guard and the current head coach at Arizona State University.

Hurley was a basketball star at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, where his father was the longtime coach. He led the team to a 31–1 record and a No.2 national ranking as a senior.[5]

He played five years of college basketball, including a redshirt year, at Seton Hall. He played under head coach P. J. Carlesimo during his first three seasons.[6]

During his years at Seton Hall, Hurley met psychologist Sister Catherine Waters, who changed his life.[7] He often talks with and thanks Sr. Catherine, even after his NCAA championship in 2023.[8]

Career

Hurley was head coach of Saint Benedict's Preparatory School (2001–2010), where he is credited with building the New Jersey school into one of the top high school basketball programs in America.[9]

He was the head coach at Wagner College for two years (2010–2012), where he set the school single-season win-loss record at 25–6 during the 2011–2012 season.[10]

He was then head coach at the University of Rhode Island for six years (2012–2018), bringing the team to the 2017 and 2018 NCAA tournaments, the first times since 1999. Hurley turned down a long-term offer from Rhode Island in order to lead the University of Connecticut Huskies.[11]

From 2010 to 2013, his brother Bobby was one of his assistant coaches at both Rhode Island and Wagner.[12]

University of Connecticut

He was named head coach of UConn on March 22, 2018. In 2021, he returned the Huskies to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2016, then again in 2022, losing in the first round both times. He won the NCAA championship with the Huskies in 2023.[13] In June 2023, he agreed to a six-year contract extension with UConn worth $32.1M.[14] In July 2024, he signed an extension worth $50M over six years.[15]

In the 2023–24 season, Hurley led the Huskies to a school-record 37 wins, a Big East regular season title, a Big East tournament championship, a #1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, and a second-straight NCAA national championship.[16] [17] [18] [19] He was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year and received the Sporting News National Coach of the Year Award.[20] [21]

In the days after winning the 2024 Final Four, Hurley received and declined a lucrative head coaching offer from Kentucky.[22] In June 2024 he interviewed with the Los Angeles Lakers, but declined their offer as well, choosing to return to UConn to attempt to win a third straight championship.[23]

Personal life

Hurley married Andrea Sirakides in 1997. They met while they were both students at Seton Hall. They have two sons: Danny (born July, 1999) and Andrew (born January 30, 2002). Danny graduated from Seton Hall in 2021. Andrew attends the University of Connecticut, where he was on his father's 2023 and 2024 NCAA championship teams.[24] [25]

On September 6, 2019, Hurley had surgery to replace two disks in his neck with artificial ones. Doctors told Hurley the condition was part hereditary and part the result of years of wear and tear associated with being a lifelong athlete. He returned to work less than two weeks after surgery.[26]

Hurley is a practicing Catholic.[27]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Dan Hurley leaving Rhode Island, named head coach at UConn. ESPN.com. Jeff. Goodman. March 22, 2018. March 22, 2018. March 22, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180322145339/http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/22862828/dan-hurley-leaves-rhode-island-become-uconn-men-basketball-coach. live.
  2. Web site: 2023-04-04 . UConn completes dominant run, takes NCAA title . 2023-04-04 . ESPN.com . en . 2023-04-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404035804/https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/36061720/uconn-completes-dominant-run-wins-fifth-national-title . live .
  3. Web site: Ronald . Issy . 2023-04-03 . Connecticut defeats San Diego State to win its fifth NCAA men's basketball title . 2023-04-04 . CNN . en . 2023-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230403125814/https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/03/sport/march-madness-championship-game-final-preview-spt-intl/index.html . live .
  4. Web site: Prajapati . Salim . Bobby Hurley Three Children and Family Members . Sportslulu . 1 July 2023.
  5. Web site: Dan Hurley . UConn Athletics . 1 July 2023.
  6. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/20/sports/a-little-brother-grows-up.html A Little Brother Grows Up
  7. Web site: Dan Hurley . NYPost . 5 November 2018 . 5 November 2018.
  8. Web site: Dan Hurley . Uconn Huskies Trophy Presentation Ceremony - 2023 NCAA National Championship . 4 April 2023.
  9. Web site: Dan Hurley . Wagner College Athletics . 25 June 2023.
  10. Web site: Dan Hurley . Wagner College Athletics . 31 March 2023 . 25 June 2023.
  11. Web site: Hurley Steps Down as Head Coach; Search for New Coach to Begin Immediately . The university of Rhode Island . 25 June 2023.
  12. Web site: Bobby Hurley . Coaches Database . Lakefront Digital marketing . 25 June 2023.
  13. Web site: Patterson . Chip . UConn wins 2023 NCAA Championship: Everything to know about Huskies' dominant March Madness run to fifth title . CBSSports.com . 4 April 2023 . CBS . 25 June 2023.
  14. Web site: UConn, Coach Hurley agree to new 6-year contract worth $32.1 million . NBCCT . 22 June 2023 . NBC . 25 June 2023.
  15. News: West . Jenna . UConn gives Hurley new 6-year, $50 million deal . 2024-07-09 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  16. News: Anthony . Mike . UConn's basketball team wins Big East, talks national title road map . 2024-04-09 . CT Insider . en.
  17. Web site: 2024-03-17 . With its first Big East Tournament title in 13 years, UConn will arrive at Big Dance as beast of the bracket . 2024-04-09 . CBSSports.com . en.
  18. Web site: Athletic . The . 2024-03-18 . UConn No. 1 overall seed . 2024-04-09 . The Athletic . en.
  19. Web site: Connecticut joins elite group of best men's NCAA national champs. Who else is on the list? . 2024-04-09 . USA TODAY . en-US.
  20. News: Borges . David . UConn's Dan Hurley named Naismith Coach of the Year . 2024-04-09 . Connecticut Post . en.
  21. News: DeCourcy. Mike. Sporting News' College Basketball Coach of the Year: UConn's Dan Hurley living up to his own standard . March 15, 2024 . Sporting News. March 14, 2023.
  22. Web site: Why Dan Hurley turned down Kentucky offer to stay at UConn . 2024-06-10 . FOX Sports . en-US.
  23. Web site: 2024-06-10 . Sources: Hurley spurns Lakers, stays at UConn . 2024-06-10 . ESPN.com . en.
  24. Web site: Dan Hurley's Wife Andrea Hurley – One Of His Biggest Supporter . Celebrity Mirror . 29 June 2022 . ecelebritymirror.com . 25 June 2023.
  25. Web site: Fleming . Kirsten . Dan Hurley's wife Andrea gives inside look into world of NCAA basketball WAGs . New York Post . March 2021 . 25 June 2023.
  26. Web site: Associated Press . Spinal surgery gives UConn's Hurley new outlook . ESPN . 18 September 2019 . 25 June 2023.
  27. Web site: Dan Hurley to speak at Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford Help and Hope breakfast in November. Hartford Courant. July 28, 2023. April 4, 2024.