"They have a responsibility to work harder": Dan Hurley speaks on high expectations from players since the start of the NIL era

The job hasn't been the same for Dan Hurley and several other coaches in collegiate athletics since the introduction of NIL. College athletes are now allowed to profit financially from their popularity, a concept that was absent in the landscape for its more than a century history.

Nonetheless, UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley has taken this chance to raise the level of expectations of his players. In his Friday press conference ahead of the Final Four game against Alabama, the coach disclosed his efforts on the players and their responsibility in representing the program.

“I coach the hell out of these guys because of everything that they get,” Hurley said. “And they have a responsibility to work harder and to represent UConn and to fight their absolute ass off to win games for our donors, our fans, the university because of everything that they get, that past players didn’t get.”

Dan Hurley believes there has to be a return on the university’s investment

UConn has made a lot of investment in its basketball program over the years. The university has invested in many areas to ensure success, including a $40 million state-of-the-art practice facility. Dan Hurley believes this comes with a lot of expectations from the players.

“The resources that the University of Connecticut and its program now invest in these players are not for their attendance. It’s not just to be on campus. It’s to produce and to produce winning. The way we travel, the residence, the full-service dining, we have in our 40 million plus practice facility, the NIL opportunities.”

While many coaches have criticized the perceived negative impact NIL has brought to college, Dan Hurley has instead taken it as an opportunity to push his players much harder now that they can capitalize on the concept to make money. Without a doubt, this has brought the needed results for the program.

Can UConn retain the national title?

It's been almost two decades since a men's college basketball team has succeeded in retaining the national championship title. Nonetheless, the Huskies looked poised to achieve this goal after what has been a brilliant season so far for the program in 2023-24.

Dan Hurley’s team claimed both the Big East regular season and tournament titles and entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall-seeded team. The Huskies have been convincing in March Madness so far with large-margin wins. The Huskies undoubtedly have a strong chance at the ultimate goal.