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The 2023 iteration of the NCAA Tournament easily lived up to the “March Madness” moniker thanks to the number of stunning upsets and unlikely runs we were treated to over the course of the beloved event.
When everything was said and done, the UConn Huskies walked away with the fifth national championship in program history with a decisive 76-59 victory over San Diego State in the title game.
I’d argue UConn’s mascot was the real star of the show, but you also have to give a ton of credit to head coach Dan Hurley for winning it all just five years after he arrived in Storrs in the hopes of returning UConn to its former glory.
Hurley led the team to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and 2022 but saw the Huskies get sent home after a single game. However, he was able to work out the kinks while leading his five-seeded squad to college basketball’s ultimate prize.
The head coach understandably had a lot on his plate after winning the title, but he wasted no time using the win to try to woo some new recruits—including one player who he inadvertently prioritized over the President of the United States.
Hurley discussed the aftermath of the national championship win with The Athletic during a conversation where he revealed he inadvertently sent Joe Biden to voicemail after the Commander-in-Chief attempted to reach out to congratulate him:
He was talking to a Class of 2024 recruit and saw a 202 area code number buzz in, but didn’t make the connection.
“It doesn’t come up on your caller ID, like Joe Biden,’’ Hurley says. “I just assumed when the President calls, it would be someone interrupting your call and saying, ‘The President is on the line.’
So, yeah, I’m on the phone with a ’24 (recruit) that I never saw and missed a call from the President of the United States. But I got a voicemail.’’
It’s safe to assume Biden wasn’t overly annoyed with the accidental snub, as the Huskies are set to visit the White House at an undetermined date in the coming months.