NEW YORK – Dan Hurley stepped to the table at Big East Media Day and before he could take a seat, he was asked a question.
Hurley, the head coach of defending national-champion UConn, decided to leave the bling at home, defying his wife. A bold move, to say the least.
“That Big East tournament loss still stings,” he would later add. “Walking in here, it’s kind of eating away a little bit at the left side of my ribcage.” “I’m 50 years old,” Hurley said. “My pursuits in basketball started as a player in high school, so it’s 35 years of my basketball life as a player in high school and college and as a coach at all levels, for me, I pursued that moment of elite status and doing something like that. Obviously, my brother had it as a player multiple times and was a lottery pick. My dad is a Hall of Famer.
“It’s all a bunch of bull anyway,” Hurley said. “It doesn’t matter. Jordan Hawkins wasn’t picked on an all-conference team last year and led us through a dominant run and was a lottery pick. We’re all about ball, all about pursuing championships. We’ll come into the season, maybe with more of a chip on our shoulder — maybe two chips — that’s why I think the program has been as successful as it’s been.