UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley had his father on his mind as he celebrated a second-straight national championship at the White House last week.
We often think of those we owe gratitude to during our most celebratory moments, so it’s no surprise that Hurley was thinking of the man who taught him so much about basketball.
That man happens to be Bob Hurley, former legendary coach of St. Anthony High School (Jersey City, New Jersey) from 1972 until 2017. Hurley is widely considered the greatest high school basketball coach to ever live. He entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 thanks to an illustrious career in which he won four national titles, 26 state titles, three USA Today National Coach of the Year awards, and much more.
Beyond his trophy case, Hurley’s most important accomplishments have to do with the hundreds of young players whose lives he positively affected.
He wasn’t a bad basketball coach, either.
In an interview from the White House, Dan Hurley shared some of the most memorable tokens of basketball wisdom that he still carries with him from his father.
When asked what his favorite “coachisms” are, Hurley immediately shed light on Bob Hurley.
“My dad had a bunch of (coachisms) that still kind of ring true in my mind,” Hurley said.
“You know, one I think he stole from Coach Wooden: be quick, but don’t hurry.”
“Two hands on everything.”
“Be fundamentally very sound.”
“For me, I understand the impact that a great coach or a great teacher can have on the lives of young people,” Hurley added. “The things that you can learn through sports and through, you know, being on a team that strives for excellence. You know, those are lessons that are going to take you out through the rest of your life.”
As Hurley enters a possible three-peat season, he continues to rely on the lessons of his father to carry him into the history books in Storrs and beyond.
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