ESPN: UConn's Dan Hurley doesn't just yell -- now he reads, listens and coaches differently

[slepers]

0-2 in March. Wake me when he gets us into the second weekend.

Amazing that you can type when you are sleeping

 

[navery12]

That may have been the point of the article, but the guy I responded to said "this article puts to bed that we have the right guy for the job".

Don't think I'm missing the point by saying that I love the article, love DH's attitude, think any concerns about that are overblown - but still recognize that he doesn't win, and soon, he needs to go. Not sure that everyone actually agrees on that.

That's the point of the post. The talk all over this board for the past month has been that Hurley is too insane to ever succeed here. This article shows why that's a ridiculous take. It's all going to come down to wins and losses in March

 

[Connecticut13]

This article would've made a lot more sense had he not gotten the technical he got in the Xavier game. I like Dan Hurley. But has he really changed that much? I thought maybe early on this season -- but I'm not so sure anymore. Still a good coach, with potential to be a great coach -- but he needs to get his emotions in check when the game is on the line.

 

[uconnfan68]

During the same time period (since 1999).

To be technically correct it said 25 years. Which is only 10 for the women, but why start the clock before the men win 1?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Hurley has mellowed a little, but he still goes too far with officials. He is maybe a 9 on a screaming at refs scale of 1 to 10. He used to be a 12.

 

[Chin Diesel]

View attachment 83421

Hawkins' rebounding numbers have really picked up since beginning of BE games. Averaging 4.8 RPG in the 10 BE games and 5.25 in most recent 8 games- 6,6,5,6,1,6,5,7 and the game with 1 rebound was the win against Creighton.

 

[PAHusky]

That's the point of the post. The talk all over this board for the past month has been that Hurley is too insane to ever succeed here. This article shows why that's a ridiculous take. It's all going to come down to wins and losses in March

Right - but that doesn't "put to bed that we have the right guy for the job". The point is that we won't know we do until the production matches his recruiting/charisma.

 

[evmore]

In all reality I do not see Hurley being here 20 years.. His stated goal was to get UConn back to prominence & given our current trajectory it is hard to deny that we are relevant once again & a recruiting class away from being a final 4 team (that can handle success). I could see him leaving in a couple years for, say, Kentucky.. or Nova with the goal of winning a chip. Definitely not NBA.. If that day does come & Kimani is available it is a no-brainer that he slide in to sustain the success achieved. DH is a winner, and as far as his coaching career achievments he is just getting started.

 

[Kembacity]

After winning that championship… I also thought KO was a great coach… that had to be the greatest coaching job ever(2014)… don’t know what happened after that.. he went from the best to one of the worst

He had a guy like Shabazz who was the coach on the court, I think that’s the variable that makes the equation make sense. Without that general he was just not a great coach. So how long until we have Mr Napier as an assistant??

 

[husky429]

I could see him leaving in a couple years for, say, Kentucky.. or Nova with the goal of winning a chip. Definitely not NBA.. If that day does come & Kimani is available it is a no-brainer that he slide in to sustain the success achieved.

Hurley needs to coach in the tri-state if he wants to be successful; it's where all of his recruiting connections are. He'll end up just like his brother if he moves too far from Jersey.

Nova isn't a destination for someone who wants to win a championship any more. They're a one-hit-wonder with Jay Wright as of now. UConn is a far better destination for someone who wants to win championships.

Hurley isn't a future NBA coach. Doesn't have the Xs and Os chops and he's never had to manage the egos. He's a recruiter, a motivator and great with skill development... none of that matters in the NBA.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Right - but that doesn't "put to bed that we have the right guy for the job". The point is that we won't know we do until the production matches his recruiting/charisma.

Let’s say he loses first round, in a close game to a p5 team that had some regular season losses. Like losing to an Illinois, if they get in: Do you fire him? Knowing you’re jeopardizing the incoming class, Is a loss like that worth tearing it all down?

 

[navery12]

I also think players families seem to really trust Hurley when they send their sons to be with him. Castles mom always seems to go out of her way to mention that aspect of his recruitment.

 

[1999GoodSon]

I didn't see the article as positive as many others. I thought we had the team last year, and I agree this team is even better. I've been known to delve into some new age stuff before, but my problem is with the books, the (shoeless?) practice, cardboard cutouts etc. When he arrived he also had books. One was Russell Wilson's book It Takes What it Takes. Since Hurley was recommending it, I grabbed a few copies and passed them around to key people. It's about neutral thinking, and owning decisions. Like a quarterback, a HC makes 100s of decisions a day, and some are great, others not so much. Point is, you own it, and your objective is of course to win. The most common criticism of Hurley seems to be the lack of in game adjustments, and I'm in that camp. Did he read that book that he recommended?

The only reason that matters is the Self-Sabotage to Self-Mastery book. I've known so many fantastic guys that just seem to always snatch defeat from the hands of victory. It kills me when I see it, and I see it in him all the time. They can bring you right up to heaven's gate, but can't quite open it.

Armchair quarterbacking here, but if you're in middle age reading a book about self sabotage, that's probably how you've diagnosed your recent performance or someone has suggested it to you. I'd love to see him get over the hump in March, but I've never seen reading one book fix that issue. But I do hope he reads it and it helps him.

UConn is a huge stage, I can't imagine walking onto that court with an intense fear of losing he says he used to have. But it does explain some of the inexplicable lapses in judgement and very poorly timed outbursts I've seen. Thank God I don't have ESPN reporting on my every move, go get em Dan!

 

[Luna]

I love that the fans from other schools hate Hurley…the same fans hate uconn…so Hurley and uconn are perfect match

 

[Luna]

I love that the fans from other schools hate Hurley…the same fans hate uconn…so Hurley and uconn are perfect match

He also makes us more of a brand

 

[uconngb]

I didn't see the article as positive as many others. I thought we had the team last year, and I agree this team is even better. I've been known to delve into some new age stuff before, but my problem is with the books, the (shoeless?) practice, cardboard cutouts etc. When he arrived he also had books. One was Russell Wilson's book It Takes What it Takes. Since Hurley was recommending it, I grabbed a few copies and passed them around to key people. It's about neutral thinking, and owning decisions. Like a quarterback, a HC makes 100s of decisions a day, and some are great, others not so much. Point is, you own it, and your objective is of course to win. The most common criticism of Hurley seems to be the lack of in game adjustments, and I'm in that camp. Did he read that book that he recommended?

The only reason that matters is the Self-Sabotage to Self-Mastery book. I've known so many fantastic guys that just seem to always snatch defeat from the hands of victory. It kills me when I see it, and I see it in him all the time. They can bring you right up to heaven's gate, but can't quite open it.

Armchair quarterbacking here, but if you're in middle age reading a book about self sabotage, that's probably how you've diagnosed your recent performance or someone has suggested it to you. I'd love to see him get over the hump in March, but I've never seen reading one book fix that issue. But I do hope he reads it and it helps him.

UConn is a huge stage, I can't imagine walking onto that court with an intense fear of losing he says he used to have. But it does explain some of the inexplicable lapses in judgement and very poorly timed outbursts I've seen. Thank God I don't have ESPN reporting on my every move, go get em Dan!

Yeah the fear of losing point stuck with me as well. It seems pretty clear to me we play scared and tight when games get close, late and that our coach tightens in those situations as well. If you're scared to lose, you're gonna lose a lot.

 

[evmore]

Hurley needs to coach in the tri-state if he wants to be successful; it's where all of his recruiting connections are. He'll end up just like his brother if he moves too far from Jersey.

Nova isn't a destination for someone who wants to win a championship any more. They're a one-hit-wonder with Jay Wright as of now. UConn is a far better destination for someone who wants to win championships.

Hurley isn't a future NBA coach. Doesn't have the Xs and Os chops and he's never had to manage the egos. He's a recruiter, a motivator and great with skill development... none of that matters in the NBA.

Nova is a stretch.. you right. But Kentucky after Cal is sacked, or a Duke after Scheyer fails.... etc, would be the next logical step...to limit him to the Tri state simply because that's what he's done goes against his nature.. IF he turms UConn around he might want to go far and succeed. Whatever, its all bullshit. i'd love to see him win championships in Storrs.

 

[AntG168]

Nova is a stretch.. you right. But Kentucky after Cal is sacked, or a Duke after Scheyer fails.... etc, would be the next logical step...to limit him to the Tri state simply because that's what he's done goes against his nature.. IF he turms UConn around he might want to go far and succeed. Whatever, its all Stop. i'd love to see him win championships in Storrs.

We have the most championships of anyone in the last 20 years, why would he go anywhere else to win championships?

 

[Luna]

Missing the point entirely, everyone agrees that he needs to win games in March or he'll be gone. But there has been a vocal minority calling out specific things like Hurley being wound too tight and him putting too much pressure on the players so they choke at the end of games. This article disproves those claims, even if there wasn't really a doubt they were ridiculous claims to any reasonable person

Coaches don’t lose their job when they win as much as Hurley…and are constantly in the top 20

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Amazing that you can type when you are sleeping

Post/handl?

 

[CL82]

Hawkins' rebounding numbers have really picked up since beginning of BE games. Averaging 4.8 RPG in the 10 BE games and 5.25 in most recent 8 games- 6,6,5,6,1,6,5,7 and the game with 1 rebound was the win against Creighton.

He just looks… more focused, more intense, like a man on a mission.

 

[CL82]

I love that the fans from other schools hate Hurley…the same fans hate uconn…so Hurley and uconn are perfect match

If he wasn’t our coach, I’d hate him too. He’s just one of those guys that you love when he’s on your side, but not so much the other way.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I take issue with people criticizing criticism of Hurley. What’s a fan board for if you can’t critique the coach.
In Dan’s case until he actually wins a meaningful game in March or shows he can win a majority of closely contested ones. Especially those decided in the last minutes , by good decision making, then he is fair game. To be honest in the BY tradition even past success doesn’t give you a pass. You’re measured by your last loss , unfair maybe but a lot of fun .
I’m sure I criticized JC for things , because even the greatest aren’t perfect unlike us impeccable basketball geniuses.

All Calhoun did in is first four years
2- NIT champs
3- third round of the NIT
4- Big East Champs , BE tourney champs , final 8
That was playing in a brutal conference were almost every Coach was a future HOFer
Given that history if there was BY in 1990-91 he would have be torched by some fans for that somewhat off year.

 

[uconngb]

I take issue with people criticizing criticism of Hurley. What’s a fan board for if you can’t critique the coach.
In Dan’s case until he actually wins a meaningful game in March or shows he can win a majority of closely contested ones. Especially those decided in the last minutes , by good decision making, then he is fair game. To be honest in the BY tradition even past success doesn’t give you a pass. You’re measured by your last loss , unfair maybe but a lot of fun .
I’m sure I criticized JC for things , because even the greatest aren’t perfect unlike us impeccable basketball geniuses.

All Calhoun did in is first four years
2- NIT champs
3- third round of the NIT
4- Big East Champs , BE tourney champs , final 8
That was playing in a brutal conference were almost every Coach was a future HOFer
Given that history if there was BY in 1990-91 he would have be torched by some fans for that somewhat off year.

And what this doesn't include is context. Yes, KO left a dumpster fire....but it was a dumpster fire on the heels of one of the great runs in recent history, so it was just a rebuild. We all know what Calhoun inherited. The leash for Hurley has to be relatively short from this point forward. We need meaningful wins in March......we don't put up banners because we reached #2 in December. That crap is reserved for a certain school in Southern Canada.

 

[PAHusky]

Let’s say he loses first round, in a close game to a p5 team that had some regular season losses. Like losing to an Illinois, if they get in: Do you fire him? Knowing you’re jeopardizing the incoming class, Is a loss like that worth tearing it all down?

It's a good question. I don't think you fire him, but assuming he didn't win the BET and he loses in the first round again, he's going into 2023 on a very hot seat. I would say that after next year, if he still hasn't won the conference/BET/a game or two in March, then it's time to talk about moving on. We're at the point now, 5 or 6 seasons in, where every player and facet of the program, for better or worse, is on DH.