Hurley Comments on Hunter Leaving | The Boneyard

Hurley Comments on Hunter Leaving

I’ve said for a few days on the board that the lack of goodbyes from both sides is extremely off brand for Hurley. He had so many good things to say when Freeman left and he only worked for a month. So yeah it’s weird. I think Kenya jumped to work with an old friend, kinda a rival to Hurley. Kimani in all honesty is the all star coach. Let’s not twist it. He’s our crown jewel. I’d rather lock him up than keep Kenya. Freeman says he doesn’t intend to leave. Stability will help
 
kansashusky said:
His comments today combined with pumping up Kimani as a next head coach have to make you wonder if the move from Kenya was not exactly amicable.



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Sounds like Hurley was blindsided. I would expect a coach like Hurley who is all about process and working together is still feeling a bit betrayed by the lack of heads up and the timing of the move.

There is a ying and yang between an HC and his assistants. You want good assistants and you want to develop them. If you do that good, they become desirable for other programs. Ideally the HC and the assistants have a full dialogue discussing goals and timelines so the HC can plan for replacements. When those timelines go awry, people can get ticked off.
 
Remember Kenya missed A LOT of time, like half a year, with a mysterious illness. He wasn’t around for a lot of team building stuff early last year.
 
UcannUconn said:
Remember Kenya missed A LOT of time, like half a year, with a mysterious illness. He wasn’t around for a lot of team building stuff early last year.
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Kenya made a lateral move at an unusual time (cusp of the season). For a guy who values loyalty as much as Hurley, the timing of the move rankles. Don't think anything more should be read into it than that.
 
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Timing, maybe a few calls to Hawkins to ask him to change his mind too could have irked him a bit but again like Waq said he did good things here. Good luck and thank you for allowing us to bring Kevin Freeman back, all good!
 
No one here knows (maybe not even Chief) the real reason Kenya left. It really is unusual to see a coach at a major program make a lateral move to a program that's done little in the past 33 years (compared to UConn).
Maybe Miller feels some heat and believes Kenya will get Sallis to commit and help him retain his job.
 
Maybe Kenya read the tea leaves and concluded he would never leapfrog Kimani or Tom M in the eyes of Dan Hurley for more responsibilities,etc.. His move to IU ..with a HC who knows him and likes him.. Provides him and his family with the job security they need at this time.. I don't think Dan Hurley is worried about the loyalty factor with any of his existing assistants.. Including KFree.. I'm sure Kenya did what he thought was right for Kenya.. Time to move on to the 2020 season and 2022 recruiting..
 
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Waquoit said:
C'mon, we don't to knock the guy on the way out the door, Ajs. He did the job for us while he was here.
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Wasn’t trying to knock him. I’ve said great things about Kenya when the move was announced. Just saying in an ideal world if Kenya didn’t live but maybe Kimani left sooner it’s a worse outcome the other way around. I think Kenya Is an excellent assistant and wish him well.
 
"Next!!!" would have been pure gold.
 
Grey Goose said:
Maybe Kenya read the tea leaves and concluded he would never leapfrog Kimani or Tom M in the eyes of Dan Hurley for more responsibilities,etc.. His move to IU ..with a HC who knows him and likes him.. Provides him and his family with the job security they need at this time.. I don't think Dan Hurley is worried about the loyalty factor with any of his existing assistants.. Including KFree.. I'm sure Kenya did what he thought was right for Kenya.. Time to move on to the 2020 season and 2022 recruiting..
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Was he really 3rd on the totem pole though? Correct me if I’m wrong but when hurley got thrown out vs Tulsa didn’t Kenya take the lead chair? That leads me to believe he was as close to the lead assistant as you can get.
 
Jbirdp5 said:
Was he really 3rd on the totem pole though? Correct me if I’m wrong but when hurley got thrown out vs Tulsa didn’t Kenya take the lead chair? That leads me to believe he was as close to the lead assistant as you can get.
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I asked in a prior thread if the AHC for Kimani was in motion before or after the Kenya announcement.

Dan Hurley said it was in motion post Adama. Wonder if it played any part still
 
selles said:
Kenya made a lateral move at an unusual time (cusp of the season). For a guy who values loyalty as much as Hurley, the timing of the move rankles. Don't think anything more should be read into it than that.
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As I posted previously, Danny likes to lock down the coaching staff before the summer and has a very intricate plan preparing for the season with various milestone dates. This did not sit well with him. I appreciate his public honesty. It’s not so much personal - it’s not in his comfort zone.
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This is life in the fast lane
We all get caught off guard a few times in our lives - you slam your fist and then get on with it
Dan Hurley would do the same thing for himself and his family if he thought it would be the best move
Sour Grapes is not good in this profession
The Hawkins thing is so common in these situations - of course Hunter made a call to him and I am sure Dan Hurley was on top of it - if the young man is comfortable with his original decision he won't leave Storrs. Dan Hurley would do best if he immediately put Hawkins and KFree together.
I don't buy the crap that "Kevin was the 1st person that came to mind" I am sure that KFree doesn't but that either. Dan Hurley had to say that.
I am elated that KFree is back in Storrs, it's where he belongs
Dan Hurley has a good staff and a dynamic looking team - let's play ball!!!
 
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Chin Diesel said:
Sounds like Hurley was blindsided. I would expect a coach like Hurley who is all about process and working together is still feeling a bit betrayed by the lack of heads up and the timing of the move.

There is a ying and yang between an HC and his assistants. You want good assistants and you want to develop them. If you do that good, they become desirable for other programs. Ideally the HC and the assistants have a full dialogue discussing goals and timelines so the HC can plan for replacements. When those timelines go awry, people can get ticked off.
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As I said, Hurley looks for loyalty and longevity with his assistants as any smart person would. You support your people when they make a level up. KardashianKen made a weak move, and a disrespectful move.

That is why KFree was the easy choice over Webster. No drama like with BigTenKen who despite being the weakest assistant on staff in results was paid the most.

#BelieveinMagic
#BigTenKenTrixAreForKids
 
gtcam said:
This is life in the fast lane
We all get caught off guard a few times in our lives - you slam your fist and then get on with it
Dan Hurley would do the same thing for himself and his family if he thought it would be the best move
Sour Grapes is not good in this profession
The Hawkins thing is so common in these situations - of course Hunter made a call to him and I am sure Dan Hurley was on top of it - if the young man is comfortable with his original decision he won't leave Storrs. Dan Hurley would do best if he immediately put Hawkins and KFree together.
I don't buy the crap that "Kevin was the 1st person that came to mind" I am sure that KFree doesn't but that either. Dan Hurley had to say that.
I am elated that KFree is back in Storrs, it's where he belongs
Dan Hurley has a good staff and a dynamic looking team - let's play ball!!!
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Is it #chiefcertified that Kenya tried to pull Hawkins?
 
Ajs120102 said:
I’ve said for a few days on the board that the lack of goodbyes from both sides is extremely off brand for Hurley. He had so many good things to say when Freeman left and he only worked for a month. So yeah it’s weird. I think Kenya jumped to work with an old friend, kinda a rival to Hurley. Kimani in all honesty is the all star coach. Let’s not twist it. He’s our crown jewel. I’d rather lock him up than keep Kenya. Freeman says he doesn’t intend to leave. Stability will help
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I also found it interesting how Hurley came out and said he was blind sided by Hunter's decision. When the news about Hunter leaving first broke, I wondered how Hurley felt deep down because I thought there was some friction between himself and Archie Miller. It would have made things interesting if we were playing IU this season.
 
MDHuskFan said:
Is it #chiefcertified that Kenya tried to pull Hawkins?
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I would bet he’s reached out. The divorce doesn’t seem amicable.
 
Jbirdp5 said:
Was he really 3rd on the totem pole though? Correct me if I’m wrong but when hurley got thrown out vs Tulsa didn’t Kenya take the lead chair? That leads me to believe he was as close to the lead assistant as you can get.
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The moves Dan Hurley has made since his departure would suggest to me that Kenya was not at the top of the totem pole.. My speculation only.. Re: JHawk... In business and in CBB..When you are negotiating with a prospective new employer..One of the bargaining chips you're leveraging is your "pipeline"/contacts/Rolodex.. To try to close the deal.. Sometimes the "pipeline" is legit..Sometimes it's fluff.. I believe JHawk knows that he chose the right Program.. All that matters..
 
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Vancat said:
Article in Courant this morning says talks were underway to promote Kimani when this happened. Guess Kenya wasn't happy with that (my speculation).
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Dude, this is exactly right. Hurley did not have a named associate head coach even though Kenya was to my knowledge holding the largest salary. However, according to that article, after Kimani landed Adama Sanogo talks were underway to promote Kimani Young to the position. Seems fairly obvious that Kenya left to become Archie Miller's associate head coach because of this. I am speculating but still, there it is. It explains the timing too. No promotion here, open spot there, see ya.
 
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