Imagn/David Butler II
Based on what UConn’s men’s basketball team has achieved over the past couple of years, it would be fair to argue Dan Hurley is currently the best coach in the game. He appears to think that’s the case based on what he told a ref during an outburst on Tuesday night, and he hinted he temporarily blacked out while addressing the viral moment.
UConn has been a basketball powerhouse on both the men’s and women’s front since the 1980s, and Dan Hurley has more than managed to sustain that success when he took over in the wake of Kevin Ollie’s departure in 2018.
It did take the new skipper a few years to find his footing after arriving in Storrs, but he followed up two one-and-done showings in the NCAA Tournament with a national championship in 2023 before the Huskies successfully defended that crown with a decisive win over Purdue in the title game last season.
Hurley had the chance to replace Darvin Ham as the head coach of the Lakers in the offseason, but he opted to remain with the program and headed into his seventh year with the team in search of a threepeat.
All signs point to UConn earning its fifth consecutive March Madness bid when the regular season wraps up, as the #19 Huskies improved to 14-5 (and 6-2 in Big East play) with an 80-78 overtime victory over Butler on Tuesday.
As the final score suggests, it was not an easy win for Hurley’s team, and the fiery head coach was not shy about voicing his displeasure with the refs at various points during the game—including the moment where he berated an official for turning his back on him during a tirade where he appeared to refer to himself as “the best coach in the f—king sport.”
As I previously mentioned, Hurley has a pretty strong stake to that particular claim, but the clip still caught the attention of plenty of people.
That included a reporter who got the chance to ask him about it after the game before Hurley implied he didn’t even realize those words came out of his mouth and said he was asking for more communication from the ref in question after Alex Karaban failed to draw a foul call he thought was deserved on what ended up being a jump ball.
Honestly, I get why people don’t love Dan Hurley. But the guy is just the best version of a basketball crazy person. I love the entire experience. He gets who he is, he’s unapologetic about it. Just an incredibly fun dude to have around the game of basketball. pic.twitter.com/o91aU4OQna
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) January 22, 2025
Hurley elaborated on his issues with the officiating while implying UConn got the short end of the stick and also noted he’s far from the only “demonstrative” coach roaming the sidelines while pushing for more equitable coverage on television broadcasts.
If you already hate Dan Hurley, this will probably only cement your feelings, but I kind of have to appreciate the cockiness.