Hurley said this during half time show interview

[HailUConn]

When Clark and Charles asked “coach, what have changed?”

Dan said he used to fight with refs all the time and it became distraction to the team and he owned that up and stopped fighting and instead started paying attention to his players, game situations, and the things he can control.


There it is! He will soon become the coach we all want him to be!

 

[housekeys]

Yep. You are not winning an "us vs. the refs" battle. Avoid at all cost.

 

[UCTitleTown]

It even p'd me off when JC would get technicals. I'm a firm believer that riding refs has more negative effects than benefits. No one, ref or otherwise, likes to be told they're bad at their job, and retaliation is the more likely result.

 

[BarkingDog]

There was no doubt that Hurley’s sideline demeanor and especially as it related to the refs was hurting his team. We all saw it.

That he recognized it and made the change shows real maturity as a coach and a human.

To admit it to a national audience shows humility.

We are watching the evolution of Coach Hurley in real time.

 

[NJHoops]

It’s a story that plays well, so I don’t mind it, but they got great again when they figured out how to balance letting Andre play free and giving him some limits and explicit directions on his offensive (shooting) role.

 

[Giddyup5]

It’s a story that plays well, so I don’t mind it, but they got great again when they figured out how to balance letting Andre play free and giving him some limits on his offensive (shooting) role.

I’ll give this a like because yes it was very important.

More important was the improvement in defense. We played terrible D during that stretch and you can definitely argue that Andre’s offensive struggles effected his and the team’s defensive focus.

 

[BarkingDog]

It’s a story that plays well, so I don’t mind it, but they got great again when they figured out how to balance letting Andre play free and giving him some limits on his offensive (shooting) role.

No doubt the changes Hurley made on the court had a much larger impact in turning around the mid season skid than the changes he made on the sideline.

But still. Hurly learning to keep his emotions in check has certainly helped. And those kind of adjustments will continue to pay dividends for years .

 

[giddyup]

No doubt the changes Hurley made on the court had a much larger impact in turning around the mid season skid than the changes he made on the sideline.

But still. Hurly learning to keep his emotions in check has certainly helped. And those kind of adjustments will continue to pay dividends for years .

It’s the changes in his focus that lead to changes on the court. He is paying attention to game situations and players instead of burning cycles being enraged and chasing refs. He’s working the game not the refs. That’s huge.

 

[HailUConn]

It’s the changes in his focus that lead to changes on the court. He is paying attention to game situations and players instead of burning cycles being enraged and chasing refs. He’s working the game not the refs. That’s huge.

That’s Dan’s whole point. He see things more on the court when he has emotion in check.

 

[TheChamps990411]

When Clark and Charles asked “coach, what have changed?”

Dan said he used to fight with refs all the time and it became distraction to the team and he owned that up and stopped fighting and instead started paying attention to his players, game situations, and the things he can control.


There it is! He will soon become the coach we all want him to be!

This is the second time hes mentioned big east refs. He should really knock that off.

 

[NJHoops]

So much of it is just perception. In any case, I am enjoying the heck out of this season, and it seems like more UConn fans are starting to figure out their coach a little more. He can be a tough guy to get to know, but it’s worth it, imo.

 

[98Uconn]

After the run this year, Dan Hurley also gets some more cred as a legit coach. This should hopefully carry over to the officiating in the BE next season as he’ll have earned some respect.

 

[NJHoops]

I’ll give this a like because yes it was very important.

More important was the improvement in defense. We played terrible D during that stretch and you can definitely argue that Andre’s offensive struggles effected his and the team’s defensive focus.

Defense was atrocious for a stretch. It was the most un-Hurley like defense I’ve seen from one of his teams ever, especially one with this much talent.

 

[Drumguy]

This is the second time hes mentioned big east refs. He should really knock that off.

I took it exactly opposite. He put the blame on himself and said it was his fault. He didn’t apologize for the bad officiating but said he needed to stop his distracting behavior.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I took it exactly opposite. He put the blame on himself and said it was his fault. He didn’t apologize for the bad officiating but said he needed to stop his distracting behavior.

Yeah thats one way to take it. Id just rather he not mention the refs because they may take it the way they want to take it.

 

[Rondogg]

Not sure what his contract situation is but Storrs is about to back up the truck for him...

 

[Kitaman]

Helps when you have a HOF dad somewhere around.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I mean, it's mostly because he got Sanogo to face up, had Jackson cut to and lurk on the baseline, and made Sanogo a willing passer.

But it'll be good if Hurley is able to work the refs into at worst a neutral whistle and not start every game behind the 8 ball.

 

[jleves]

Probably a really smart move to do that in a public interview. Let's the refs know he won't be riding them, sorry for doing it. Good will and all.

 

[UCfor3]

Helps when you have a HOF dad somewhere around.

And Calhoun and Geno as well. 3 of the best to do it at your disposal. Great staff as well. What a luxury. Dan Hurley is sometimes defined as stubborn but it seems he is actually very introspective. It might take him a minute to get there, but with time and self reflection he seems to eventually get it right. I like people that don't think they know it all and are constantly willing to learn and evolve.

 

[GlastonTim]

Throw in a little painting therapy too

 

[navery12]

Yeah thats one way to take it. Id just rather he not mention the refs because they may take it the way they want to take it.

Nobody on Earth is taking it this way except for you. It couldn't be more obvious

 

[FfldCntyFan]

 

[MTBingNinja]

When Clark and Charles asked “coach, what have changed?”

Dan said he used to fight with refs all the time and it became distraction to the team and he owned that up and stopped fighting and instead started paying attention to his players, game situations, and the things he can control.


There it is! He will soon become the coach we all want him to be!

 

[MTBingNinja]

 

[RedStickHusky]

Throw in a little painting therapy too

Seriously though, Jackson Pollack vibes.

 

[ctchamps]

This is a strange narrative. Hurley has always paid attention to the team. We were 14-0 and Hurley was over the top with refs during that stretch. Now we’re making a case that it was this change in his attitude that helped his focus during games?

Certainly his behavior was detrimental to how refs called games and it negatively impacted the team. But we all know he changed a long time ago while the refs continued their retaliation.

We’re in the national spotlight now. Hurley has cache as a result of this run. Look how the switch turned on in this forum regarding his coaching. He could have coached the exact same way and if he lost that first game we would be all over him. Outcomes create our opinions and attending narratives.

There is no better time to point out a problem than when you have the public’s attention and that attention views you in a positive way. High stepper will know a lens will be focused on him now. I expect much fairer reffing in the future.

I almost forgot. I have spoken!

 

[giddyup]

This is a strange narrative. Hurley has always paid attention to the team. We were 14-0 and Hurley was over the top with refs during that stretch. Now we’re making a case that it was this change in his attitude that helped his focus during games?

Certainly his behavior was detrimental to how refs called games and it negatively impacted the team. But we all know he changed a long time ago while the refs continued their retaliation.

We’re in the national spotlight now. Hurley has cache as a result of this run. Look how the switch turned on in this forum regarding his coaching. He could have coached the exact same way and if he lost that first game we would be all over him. Outcomes create our opinions and attending narratives.

There is no better time to point out a problem than when you have the public’s attention and that attention views you in a positive way. High stepper will know a lens will be focused on him now. I expect much fairer reffing in the future.

I almost forgot. I have spoken!

I suppose its possible that when Hurley himself said he made changes and refocused, that was just throwing cookies to the media pack… but I think I’ll take his word for it.

 

[Deleted at users request]

This is a strange narrative. Hurley has always paid attention to the team. We were 14-0 and Hurley was over the top with refs during that stretch. Now we’re making a case that it was this change in his attitude that helped his focus during games?

Certainly his behavior was detrimental to how refs called games and it negatively impacted the team. But we all know he changed a long time ago while the refs continued their retaliation.

We’re in the national spotlight now. Hurley has cache as a result of this run. Look how the switch turned on in this forum regarding his coaching. He could have coached the exact same way and if he lost that first game we would be all over him. Outcomes create our opinions and attending narratives.

There is no better time to point out a problem than when you have the public’s attention and that attention views you in a positive way. High stepper will know a lens will be focused on him now. I expect much fairer reffing in the future.

I almost forgot. I have spoken!

Idk man Hurley has definitely made a lot of changes to himself and the team since that skid. Ways he used Jackson and Sanogo, during the last game that was probably the first time I’ve seen him laugh it up with a ref.

This might be the biggest year of Hurley’s career and something he’ll look back on if he continues on this trajectory. He really had to make a lot of changes to himself and for the better.

 

[ctchamps]

Idk man Hurley has definitely made a lot of changes to himself and the team since that skid. Ways he used Jackson and Sanogo, during the last game that was probably the first time I’ve seen him laugh it up with a ref.

This might be the biggest year of Hurley’s career and something he’ll look back on if he continues on this trajectory. He really had to make a lot of changes to himself and for the better.

I agree with this. He's made a lot of changes. But he's been developing teams and players since he's arrived.

This season the changes are more noticeable because he has more players who have been able to develop better and quicker than in prior seasons.

That skid was the result of coaches having enough game tape to scheme against our strength. We've had to counter and that takes time and players who are flexible to change and can do it quickly.

Let's focus on Adama. During that 14-0 run one of the most frequent criticisms in this forum was Adama's inability to pass out of a double team. Fast forward to February and he is not only able to do that from the post but we can put him at the top of the key and have him create from there. This adaptation could not be accomplished with most players. Adama is that special individual who learns quickly and works on it to perfection quickly. As a result of this change we can now take the liability of Andre's perimeter shooting and create schemes in which opposing teams will pay a price if they sag off of him. Why? Because doing so either results in them losing where Andre is on the court or the player guarding him has to keep an eye on him which negates the effectiveness of double teaming Adama.

My issue is with individuals who think the change of Hurley's interaction with the refs and the statement he is focusing on the game more has lead to better in game performance by the team. It does have some impact obviously. So not zero. But close enough to zero imo.

I have spoken!