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Dan Hurley has joined the legendary list of college basketball coaches who have won back-to-back national championships after leading the UConn Huskies to their sixth title in program history. Hurley is now regarded as one of the top coaches in college hoops and will set his sights on a potential three-peat next season. With the basketball knowledge that Hurley possesses, many college hoops fans have wondered about his career as a player.
Did Dan Hurley play for Duke?
Dan Hurley never played for the Duke Blue Devils in his collegiate career, but he did compete in NCAA Division I basketball. Hurley began his college basketball career in 1991 when coach Mike Krzyzewski led the Blue Devils to back-to-back title wins.
Dan's brother, Bobby Hurley, played four seasons at Duke from 1989 to 1993. Bobby is Dan's older brother and was a two-time NCAA champion, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and three-time All-ACC during his time with the Blue Devils.
During Dan Hurley's time playing college basketball, Duke's roster also featured future NBA players like Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Brian Davis, Antonio Lang and Cherokee Parks.
Dan Hurley's college career
Hurley began his college basketball career in 1991 at Seton Hall, where he played point guard. In his first season at Seton Hall, Hurley averaged just 2.8 points and under one rebound and assist in limited playtime.
Hurley's sophomore season saw him take on an increased role, averaging 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Hurley would redshirt his junior season due to injury, as Seton Hall lost to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Hurley bounced back the next season and posted the best numbers of his career, averaging 13.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists. The Seton Hall Pirates went 16-14 that season and failed to make the NCAA Tournament.
In his senior season, Hurley paired with future NBA player Adrian Griffin to lead the Pirates to fifth place in the Big East. Seton Hall once again failed to make the NCAA Tournament, but Hurley averaged a career-high 14.3 points along with 2.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the final season of his college basketball playing career.
Dan Hurley's coaching career
Hurley's career as a coach began as an assistant at the high school level in 1996 at St. Anthony High School. He then coached at Rutgers as an assistant to head coach Kevin Bannon.
After Bannon left Rutgers in 2001, Hurley would return to the high school level as the head coach of St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, New Jersey. After 10 years, he would begin his collegiate head coaching career at Wagner.
Hurley went 38-23 in two seasons at Wagner before taking the head coaching job at Rhode Island. Hurley transformed the Rhode Island basketball program, going 8-21 in his first season and earning back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids in 2017 and 2018. Hurley went 113–82 in six seasons at Rhode Island before taking over for Kevin Ollie at UConn.
Hurley cemented his legacy as an all-time great coach at UConn, making the NCAA Tournament the last four consecutive years and winning back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024.
Where do you think Dan Hurley ranks among the best active coaches in college basketball? Let us know in the comments below.
