Atlantic 10 Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | Jul 18, 2020

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 12: A general view of the Barclay Center prior to the start of the 2020 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament - Second Round on March 12, 2020 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. Tournament games will be played without fans amid growing concerns of the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

4 of 11

PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 15: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Rhode Island Rams (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

8. Dan Hurley – Rhode Island (2012-2018)

After a solid playing career at Seton Hall and an impressive run in New Jersey high school basketball, Hurley’s D1 head coaching career began with Wagner in 2010. The former Rutgers assistant spent just two seasons with the Seahawks, but managed to win 25 games in his second season and set up the program for future success. Rhode Island hired him in 2012 in a decision that stands out for both program and coach.

Hurley had his work cut out for him, but never hesitated, recruiting some great talent and rebuilding this program into a conference contender. They finished in 2nd place in his third season but settled for the NIT. His final two teams both made the NCAA Tournament and won their first-round games, ending the seasons of 6-seed Creighton in 2017 and 10-seed Oklahoma in 2018.

Following that success, Hurley was hired to lead Connecticut and is tasked with rebuilding a program that has stumbled greatly in recent seasons. As the Huskies move to the Big East, the challenge only grows for Hurley, but he’s clearly up to it. His work with Rhode Island far exceeds anything the program had seen since the turn of the century and he certainly set them up for future success.

Home/Atlantic 10