Dan Hurley often gets cast as a villain within college basketball. The head coach at UConn is not afraid to speak his mind and never backs down from a challenge.
That is often misconstrued as repugnant.
In reality, he is just the ultimate competitor. Hurley wants to win and expects nothing short of perfection. If that ruffles a few feathers along the way, so be it.
For example, Hurley torched Providence fans for berating him with insults while their team was down big during the second half. He doesn’t believe that was necessary and was fully prepared to fight if needed.
That same intensity translates to his own team as well. Hurley went nuclear on the Huskies while up by 25 points against a bad Georgetown team earlier this year and went ballistic on a referee in defense of his players.
All of this goes to say that people often see him as bad guy, when really he is just doing whatever it takes to win. Both on and off the court. There is no room for mercy!
On the flip side, Dan Hurley is someone who shows the utmost respect to people who earn it.
Quincy Olivari was that guy on Thursday. Xavier’s fifth-year senior star had a phenomenal season even though his team finished below .500. He dropped a game-high 17 points in a loss to UConn on Thursday.
Who else but @quincyolivari from DOWNTOWN?! 🤩
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 14, 2024
cc: @XavierMBB pic.twitter.com/VKwkCuOoKf
Hurley went out of his way to show Olivari the love he deserves after he checked out of the game for the final time. It was the ultimate sign of respect and dispelled some of the narratives about the head coach!
Despite what people think of Hurley, whether right or wrong, his intentions are always pure. There is nothing fake about him.
If you get on Hurley’s bad side, he will let you know. If you deserve praise, you will get it!