Hurley and The Huskies

From Jersey City, New Jersey to Storrs, Connecticut, Dan, or Danny, Hurley is a National Champion! 

Hurley led the UConn Huskies men's basketball team to their fifth championship on Monday night in Houston, Texas. 

Led by 19 points from Tristen Newton, 17 from Adama Sanogo and 16 from Jordan Hawkins, the Huskies defeated San Diego State 76-59. 

UConn won all of their NCAA Tournament games by at least 15 points. Just dominance. 

So, yes, as someone living in CT, I am a UConn fan. 

The Hurley factor makes me root for UConn even more. And yes, I'm a little obsessed. Just a little. 

Let me explain. My parents are from Jersey City and know the Hurley family. 

A family of basketball greatness. 

From Bob Hurley Sr, who was a legendary basketball coach and President of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, to Danny's brother Bobby who played at Duke and with the Sacramento Kings in the NBA and is now the head coach at Arizona State. 

 

Danny's path was not an easy one, however. From playing for his father at St. Anthony, to playing at Seton Hall. Then his coaching career where he started as an assistant for his father, then became an assistant at the college level at Rutgers. 

He went back to high school to get his start as a head coach at St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey. Then it was on to Wagner, where Bobby was his assistant. Following Wagner, he spent time at Rhode Island, before coming to Connecticut. 

While playing at Seton Hall, Danny dealt with off-the court issues and having to live up to what Bobby, his older brother was doing. 

Due to that, Danny credits not only his family, but also George Blaney and PJ Carlesimo, who were his coaches at Seton Hall, for helping him get where he is today. I felt that was special how he made sure to shout them out when asked about the ride it's been for him. 

Hurley puts himself in the company of Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie as the three coaches to win championships at UConn. He also credits both Calhoun and women's coach Geno Auriemma for helping him along the way. 

At the end of the day, it's about what the players do on the court, but you need a good leader, or else there is chemistry issues, in order to be successful. 

It's UConn's fifth championship and Connecticut is once again the "basketball capital of the world."