As always, the UConn Huskies entered the prior campaign with high hopes and expectations. And with Dan Hurley turning down the Los Angeles Lakers, he may have felt like he was on top of the world.
Unfortunately, his decision to reject the NBA to return to college didn’t pay off. Besides the struggles on the court, Hurley brought plenty of negative attention upon himself with his antics.
Jay Williams called him a sore loser; he drew backlash for his temper tantrum after losing in the tournament, and his reputation just took a big hit. That’s why NCAA analyst Jeff Goodman didn’t hold back on him.
Jeff Goodman rips Dan Hurley
“I’m never going to kind of question Dan Hurley and what he can do. I just think last year was one of those—I don’t want to say humbling moments—but like one of those moments where hopefully Dan Hurley looks in the mirror this year and says, ‘All right, you know what, I’m not going to say a bunch of stuff to put a target on our back. I’m gonna go the other way. I’m gonna undersell and overdeliver this year’,” he said.
Hurley drew mockery and criticism for demanding to be ranked No. 1. Of course, he had earned his stripes as a back-to-back national champion, but he didn’t have the best team anymore.
He ended the season with a 14-6 record in the Big East Conference, and they never looked like a legitimate contender. Now, with so many enemies, Hurley will have to put in a lot of work to turn the narrative around him again.
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