NCAA Basketball: Best head coaching hire from each of last 25 seasons
By Joey Loose
2018: Dan Hurley (Connecticut)
We’re getting much closer to the current day, and a number of successful hires from five years ago are still thriving at their current schools. After leading Florida Atlantic to the Final Four, Dusty May certainly secures a mention here, but can’t quite compare to the man who led Connecticut a few steps further this past April.
Hurley got right into coaching after playing point guard at Seton Hall, spending time on staff at Rutgers, and a long stint coaching high school ball in his native New Jersey. Hurley jumped to the college game in 2010 at Wagner and would later spend six seasons as head coach at Rhode Island. His time with the Rams was very successful, getting that program back to a pair of NCAA Tournaments and a pair of first-round victories. With all the drama surrounding Kevin Ollie, UConn was glad to bring in new blood back in 2018.
He came to Storrs with a plan and a dream and both have come true for Hurley, who led the Huskies back to the Big East after spending his first two seasons in the AAC. He’s led the Huskies to the last three NCAA Tournaments, though we’re obviously enamored with what happened this past year. Hurley led Connecticut to the national championship, the 5th in the school’s history, and secured his place in college basketball history in the process.