Dan Hurley was one of the hottest names on the coaching market thanks to his success turning the University of Rhode Island into a contender in the A-10 and leading them to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
When Hurley’s Rams were knocked out in the second round by Duke after taking down Trae Young and Oklahoma in thrilling fashion in the first round, the push from bigger programs to land him began in earnest. There were two programs in particular hot on Hurley’s trail in UConn and Pittsburgh, with Rhode Island hoping to find a way to keep him.
On Thursday morning, we learned Hurley had chosen the Huskies, taking the job vacated when the school fired Kevin Ollie and entering a situation that many believe is one of the tougher spots in the country.
It's official! Dan Hurley named Head Coach of @UConnMBB. pic.twitter.com/G5ppW9fneO
— UConn Huskies (@UConnHuskies) March 22, 2018
The problem with taking over UConn right now is that the fan expectations is to compete for national championships, but since leaving the Big East for the American Athletic Conference they have struggled to recruit the caliber of player to allow them to meet those incredibly lofty expectations. Hurley appears to want that challenge of reviving a former national powerhouse as ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reports he passed on more money from Pitt and more job security from Rhode Island to take the Huskies job.
BREAKING: Dan Hurley is headed to UConn, multiple sources told ESPN. Chose the Huskies over a more-lucrative offer from Pittsburgh, and also a long-term deal from URI. 6-year deal with UConn.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 22, 2018
Hurley’s first task will be to hit the recruiting trail and improve upon UConn’s 68th ranked recruiting class, per 247Sports. The good news for the Huskies is that Hurley had the 30th ranked class committed to Rhode Island before his departure.
