Dan Hurley has reportedly been hired at UConn and will be asked to turn the Huskies around just like he did at Rhode Island. What is UConn getting in the 45-year-old coach?
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HURLEY WINS AT EACH STOP
Hurley got his start in coaching under his father, Bobby Hurley, at St. Anthony’s as an assistant before then bouncing around to Rutgers as an assistant. He then turned St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey into a powerhouse program. He got his first head coaching gig in college at Wagner in 2010, where he went 25-6 in just his second season at the helm. In 2012, Hurley took over Rhode Island's program and found success with the Rams. URI went 8-21 in his first season, but made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in his fifth and sixth years, winning a first-round game both seasons.
The 45-year-old has shown that he can resuscitate a program and return it to its prior winning ways. He left Wagner and Rhode Island in better shape, but Hurley will be stepping up in weight class at UConn.
BATTLING THROUGH THE ADVERSITY
UConn has won more national titles than any other program since the turn of the century, but has fallen on hard times since its last championship in 2014. The Huskies have posted back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the 1980s and, to make matters worse, an ongoing NCAA investigation could potentially lead to sanctions.
Hurley takes over a proud program that has been mired in mediocrity in recent years and the roster reflects that reality. The Huskies could lose their top two scorers in Jalen Adams and Terry Larrier to the NBA Draft and, compared to the program's heyday, UConn's recruiting efforts have not been very impressive.
The American Athletic Conference has also not helped the Huskies’ cause. While the conference's recent addition of Wichita State has helped, along with jump starts at Houston and UCF, the AAC remains behind the Big East and the ACC.
HOW TO WIN
There is a lot of work to be done in Storrs, but Hurley is capable of engineering a swift turnaround at UConn.
Hurley's final URI staff included former UConn assistant Tom Moore, who should be able to give Hurley the lay of the land. In terms of ace recruiters, Hurley's addition of former AAU coach Ty Boswell paid immediate dividends at Rhode Island. Boswell has a close relationship with Huskies' star Jalen Adams, which can only help if there's any hope of Adams returning for the 2018-19 season. Looking forward, Boswell’s former AAU team remains chock full of talent and boasts arguably the best freshman in America in Terrence Clark. Look for the Huskies to develop a pipeline into that program in the years ahead.
David Cox, Hurley's associate head coach this past season, is expected to be heavily in the mix to fill now vacant position at URI. If Cox remains at Rhode Island, look for Hurley’s final assistant spot to go to someone with ties from outside of New England due to the geographical reach of the AAC.
THE FUTURE
It's probably too much to expect UConn to earn an NCAA Tournament berth next season. Hurley could lean on the transfer market, junior college realm and best available lists to solidify the roster in the early years.
Look for the Huskies to really get going with the 2019 and 2020 classes. Akok Akok, Jaiden Delaire, Noah Farrakhan, Tre Mitchell and Taelon Martin are just a few prospects that could become priorities for UConn.
Another year of middling results may be in line at UConn, but if history can repeat itself again with Hurley, the 2019-20 season is when things will turn around.
