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Things are looking pretty good for Huskies head coach Dan Hurley. His team is deep into this year`s March Madness, hunting down a probable second-straight national title.
A lot of analysts and fans like UConn`s chances this year, and Hurley is a big reason. However, Rome wasn't built in a day, nor was Hurley's reputation.
Here`s a quick look back at Dan Hurley's pre-Huskies coaching career.
Dan Hurley`s early coaching days
After playing his entire hoops career at Seton Hall from 1991-1996, Hurley`s coaching career started at the high school level. He was hired as an assistant at his hometown of St. Anthony HS in Jersey City, where he stayed for a season until 1997.
He finally made it to coaching college ball when Rutgers hired him as an assistant in `97, staying there until 2001. Things were good for him during his time with the Scarlet Knights, which then led to his first-ever head coaching position (though not college-level) at St. Benedict`s Prep.
He stayed with the Gray Bees for 10 total seasons, being credited as the man who helped build it into one of the best high school programs in the nation.
Phase II: Collegiate Head Coach Role
After a successful run with St. Benedict`s Prep, Dan Hurley got his first collegiate head coaching job as the man at the helm for the Wagner Seahawks. He coached the team from 2010-2012, ending his stint there with one losing and winning season each.
He was hired next by Rhode Island. He had relatively more success with the Rams, staying there from 2012 to 2018 and leading the school to two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in his final two seasons. Rhode Island had 25 and 26 wins in those two seasons, respectively, and in both years, Hurley led them to the second round.
It was this level of success that made the UConn Huskies scout him next.
UConn gig
After a disappointing 14-18 season in 2017-2018, the Huskies let go of former head coach Kevin Ollie and were looking for his replacement. They saw what Dan Hurley was able to accomplish in Rhode Island and were able to lure him to Storrs.
Hurley`s time at UConn started in 2018-2019, and he's stayed there since. He started off slow, with two mediocre years before picking up the pace in 2020-2021. Most notably, Dan Hurley led the Huskies to four straight March Madness appearances in as many seasons, topped off by a national championship last year.
As a result, he inked a massive six-year, $32.1 million extension to remain as UConn head coach through to the 2028-2029 season.
