Dan Hurley’s Alter Ego Fuels UConn’s March To The National Championship Game, And He's Not Done Yet
The louder the noise, the better UConn plays — and Dan Hurley wouldn’t have it any other way at the Final Four.
INDIANAPOLIS — Dan Hurley walked off the court inside Lucas Oil Stadium like Vince McMahon would walk to a WWE ring.
Some may call it swagger, others may call it an alter-ego. Either way, UConn will play for a national championship on Monday night after defeating Illinois 71-62, with plenty of people predicting they wouldn't get past the semifinals.
To understand this basketball team, you have to look beyond the cliff-note versions that you see on social media or television.
"Once the game is over, that's my on-court alter-ego. Life or death. Doing whatever it takes to win the game, coach like I do in practice," Dan Hurley said postgame about his persona. "So, again, there are people who write all sorts of things about me, maybe standing here. If they really come to my games, spend time around our program. They take viral clips or what they see in a game, and then they attack me as a person.
"I think it's a joke. You don't know who I am. Do I deserve the boos? Absolutely."
For that alone, it's not hard to understand why this basketball team, who has won two of the past three national titles, follows their coach into battle on a daily basis. Not only is Hurley a fantastic coach, he's a motivator who knows how to get the very best out of his team.
Don't believe me, listen to what Braylon Mullins had to say about his head coach following the win over Illinois about being an underdog.
"I mean, he's so passionate out there," Mullins said postgame. "He brings the energy within us. You just gotta feed off of it, and I think he does a great job with that on the confidence within our team and makes us play better.
"I think we play better as an underdog, and I know by the next game, whoever wins, we're going to be the underdogs again. We just gotta play with that chip on your shoulder."
The freshman isn't wrong, which showed with his 15 points during the UConn win over Illinois. Leading by fourteen points at one time, their lead was trimmed to just four, but the Illini could never get any closer.
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In reality, this was personal for UConn, entering the game as an underdog after defeating Illinois by thirteen points earlier this season.
Call it a motivation tactic, or just clipboard material for the Huskies. It didn’t matter as the final seconds ticked off the clock, with Dan Hurley and his UConn team standing tall.
"You come into the game as an underdog against a team you beat by thirteen points earlier in the season," Hurley recalled postgame. "It was surprising, that's how we kinda came into the game and, obviously, I've been waiting to say that.
"I was sitting on that, though."
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Dan Hurley’s Alter Ego Fuels UConn’s March To The National Championship Game, And He's Not Done Yet
What's lost in this narrative about Hurley is that he's playing the role of a basketball coach, on the court.
Off the court, he's a normal person just living out his life with family. But, when you catch him coaching, you're not going to get the side that could be brought home to meet the family on a first date, without at least one confrontation.
He's got swagger, and Hurley truthfully does not care who notices. If you're going to preach to your team about being a warrior in the moment, then you better be able to bring the juice yourself.
And, like him or not, Dan Hurley has never shied away from the scrutiny that comes with his actions.
On Saturday night, in front of a pro-Illinois crowd inside Lucas Oil Stadium, the UConn Huskies sent the Illinii home for the season.
Monday night, whether you like him, despise him, or enjoy his on-screen character, Dan Hurley will be coaching for a national championship again. This time, UConn will face Michigan after the Wolverines destroyed Arizona on Saturday night.
"Yeah, we're a tough program. We're a tough program. We're a group of fighters. It's not appealing to everyone. I'm sure there are some people here that it's off-putting. But we are a group of fighters. We are incredibly tough. We've got incredible will. We go into these games, we're ready for battle," Hurley said.
Everyone needs a "heel" in their story, so Dan Hurley doesn't mind being the on-screen villain.
It's not as if he'd change your mind anyway.