UCONN and New Coach Hurley

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Sherman Sheridan & Grant

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Here's today's NYPost:

Dan Hurley will try to resurrect UConn
By Associated Press

March 22, 2018 | 9:32am
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Dan Hurley will try to resurrect UConn

STORRS, Conn. — Rhode Island basketball coach Dan Hurley has agreed to become the coach at the University of Connecticut. He succeeds Kevin Ollie, who was fired this month.

UConn made the announcement Thursday on Twitter.

Hurley was 113-82 in six seasons with the Rams, who went 26-8 this year before losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Duke. It was the second straight trip to the tournament for the Rams, who won the regular-season Atlantic 10 championship for the first time.

He takes over a program that won its fourth national championship in 2014 but has fallen on hard times recently. The Huskies went 14-18 this year, their second straight losing season.


I wonder how this will effect our recruiting and the Big East membership?
I prefer to focus on CM and staff and the SJU family - and what we can do with our own recruiting and progress. We shall see.

And from the Hartford Courant:

Dan Hurley Signs Six-Year Deal With UConn To Be Next Men's Basketball Coach





hurley






Dan Hurley and UConn have struck a deal making him the next men's basketball coach. It is a six-year deal worth roughly $3 million per year. (Keith Srakocic / AP)

March 22, 2018, 10:15 AM

UConn has landed Dan Hurley to be its new men’s basketball coach.

Hurley, who has coached Rhode Island into the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, was the school’s top choice when AD David Benedict fired Kevin Ollie on March 10 and with aggressive financing, Benedict got it done.


Hurley late Wednesday agreed to a six-year contract worth roughly $3 million per year, triple his salary at Rhode Island. He was heading to the Rhode Island campus to meet with his team early Thursday morning and posts from UConn appeared shortly thereafter on social media.

UConn must still resolve its issues with Ollie, who has more than $10 million remaining on his contract, and is contesting the school’s decision to fire him “with just cause,” citing an NCAA investigation.

Although the coaching search seemed to take forever for anxious UConn fans, it was actually fairly simple and quick. UConn discussed other candidates, but was fixed on Hurley, and while Hurley had other options, including a more lucrative offer from Pittsburgh, it was clear UConn was the job he wanted, if the money was comparable.

Once Rhode Island (26-8) was eliminated by Duke in the NCAA Tournament last Saturday, negotiations began in earnest, Hurley meeting with Benedict and UConn officials on Monday, and then with Rhode Island officials on Tuesday. URI made offers to keep Hurley there, and he spent the day Wednesday mulling his choices.
 
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Move makes complete sense for both parties. Hurley a Northeast guy his entire life. Not to say that he couldn't go to another region and be successful, but his roots are here which makes it that much easier.
 
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Interesting. However, isn't their the matter of an NCAA investigation to be dealt with? Or is this another example of how the North Carolina Athletic Association aka the NCAA looks the other way and everything just miraculously disappears?

I'll assume Hurley wasn't stupid enough to take the job without some assurance that whatever the NCAA is investigating will turn up nothing. Although how could they then claim that firing Ollie was "with cause". Huh, I guess we will all be entertained as this just fades away.
 
[quote="Monte" post=278043]Move makes complete sense for both parties. Hurley a Northeast guy his entire life. Not to say that he couldn't go to another region and be successful, but his roots are here which makes it that much easier.[/quote]

Agree on the geography but still very surprised, except for the money part which is obviously no small thing. Do not think UConn is a good job anymore and I would bet Hurley has a favorable buyout clause. It is all about power conferences and only going to get worse for non-football ones. At least a few years down the road, but while the BE has certainly carved out a major spot in basketball it is only going to get tougher to maintain. Certainly hope I am wrong about the tea leaves.
 
Per Braziller
Jim Calhoun on the UConn hire: “I have known Coach Hurley for quite some time. I trust that he will do a great job with the program. He has done a tremendous job during his time at the University of Rhode Island and I look forward to Coach Hurley keeping the tradition at UConn."
 
Pitt offered more money but Hurley has to know it’s tough to recruit as bottom dweller in ACC Heard Pitt is now interested in Kevin Willard now
 
I try to not follow UCONN hoops except to smile when they lose, but Ollie had a 127-79 record there, including the last 2 losing years, over 6 years—along with a National Championship in 2014-15 and a 25-11 record in 2015-16.
So what happened?
Dunno, but it seems to me the FBI investigation and the 2nd Tier Conference—alone—makes it tougher for Hurley to just ‘turn it around’.
So, yes, he’s a good guy and a very good coach but St. John’s is in NYC in one of the best college hoop conferences in the country, has been casting a wider recruiting net than the NY /Jersey Metro Area and it’s fate is in its hands.
Let’s go out and recruit and then coach, Nd not worry about UCONN.
 
What seems to be missing here or anywhere is that from a College B.B. standpoint UCONN is still in a 3 rd Rate League . Tulane ,Memphis, SMU and who cares Round out the Schools who play in that Conference . Playing in Storrs or even , Hartford can’t be exciting for any potential Recruit , regardless of the Hurley name . I’m surprised he didn’t wait for another Job in a better League to open up . I would not worry about potential recruits going there .
 
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Well, and Cincy who was a 2 seed and Houston who was a 6 seed. So yeah, no one in the NE cares which could be a problem for UConn but while the AAC is not the BE, it's not the A10 either.
 
[quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=278063]What seems to be missing here or anywhere is that from a College B.B. standpoint UCONN is still in a 3 rd Rate League . Tulane ,Memphis, SMU and who cares Round out the Schools who play in that Conference . Playing in Storrs or even , Hartford can’t be exciting for any potential Recruit , regardless of the Hurley name . I’m surprised he didn’t wait for another Job in a better League to open up . I would not worry about potential recruits going there .[/quote]

Not to mention they are facing sanctions. The reason the university is claiming they are firing the current coach and trying not to pay him and there is a job opening. Sleep with dogs.
 
Give Sampson another year at Houston and they will be getting all sorts of sanctions . It’s in his DNA . Oklahoma , Indiana , etc . Wherever he goes , trouble follows . Still , even with Cinn, Wichita , I cant see recruits lining up to play in that Conference . Like I said , who cares what League UCONN is in these days . I consider the BE lucky they are where they are .
 
[quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=278068]Give Sampson another year at Houston and they will be getting all sorts of sanctions . It’s in his DNA . Oklahoma , Indiana , etc . Wherever he goes , trouble follows . Still , even with Cinn, Wichita , I cant see recruits lining up to play in that Conference . Like I said , who cares what League UCONN is in these days . I consider the BE lucky they are where they are .[/quote]

I think first you should ask Danny Hurley to be his agent because clearly he doesn't know what he is doing.

If that fails then you should apply to SJU to be a publicist for Chris Mullin and the men's basketball program.

You can show them your posts from this board. You can tell them your first job was working as a Soviet propagandist for Pravda. I'll write you a personal recommendation.
 
Even with the law suit and possible sanctions you can be sure Conn is doing everything it can to move to a higher profile league. Now that they will be paying probably over five million a year to the two basketball coaches that effort will only increase. I just hope the big east doesn't listen to them.
 
[quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=278068]Give Sampson another year at Houston and they will be getting all sorts of sanctions . It’s in his DNA . Oklahoma , Indiana , etc . Wherever he goes , trouble follows . Still , even with Cinn, Wichita , I cant see recruits lining up to play in that Conference . Like I said , who cares what League UCONN is in these days . I consider the BE lucky they are where they are .[/quote]

The AAC has some good programs at the top with Cincy, Wichita St, and Houston. The problem with the league is that everybody else is bad, even really bad. They have no support from the other schools that were thrown in from around the country.
 
St. John's will regret not hiring Danny Hurley three years ago.

This is what happens when you have inept people in a position of power.
 
I do not believe it necessarily applies that St. John’s will regret not signing Hurley if Danny succeeds at UCONN.
Ollie succeeded at UCONN for 4 of his six years there—including a National Championship.
There are 2 keys.
The most critical is that we, St. John’s. must not blow this chance to revive the program. We are ‘close’.
The second key is that we can still succeed, on our own, with Mullin and recruits we are likely to get with a wider net than just NY Metro talent, but it will be a tougher challenge if the Conference allows UCONN once again to have a NYC stage.
Still very possible we could be a successful program with UCONN back in the BEC—because I do think our fate is on our hands—but it would be a much tougher task.
 
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If he succeeds at UCONN and Mullin doesnt, there will be regrets. Hopefully Mullin will be a success.
 
Chicago Days wrote: I do not believe it necessarily applies that St. John’s will regret not signing Hurley if Danny succeeds at UCONN.
Ollie succeeded at UCONN for 4 of his six years there—including a National Championship.
There are 2 keys.
The most critical is that we, St. John’s. must not blow this chance to revive the program. We are ‘close’.

Completely agree Chicago Days. However to do so, we need an all hands on deck recruiting/retention effort. Next few months should tell us a lot.
 
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