I don't agree with touching football. But, losing Hurley should 99% be blamed on KO and 1% be blamed on Calhoun for saddling us with KO.
It's not that black and white. If we lost him to Pitt, who's in a way worse situation than us basketball-wise, it's because of conference, and the reported huge money being thrown around.
If we lost him to URI, it's a tough blow. But it's not because of KO. It would be due to several factors, including the incubent principle, the fact that Hurley is very loyal, he and his family loves their situation, and URI stepped up significantly in some way. Some of these are unique to Hurley.
KO didn't help at all, but the top five factors in no order sound like:
- Commitment to basketball from the school
- Money
- Family/lifestyle
- Loyalty
- Conference
If KO hadn't sunk the program, he wouldn't be getting this opportunity anyway.