It pains me to say this, but Danny Hurley is the best coach in CBB right now

[Newhouser]

Well, are we taking age out of play or just the best coach? Because Bill Self has been to the final 8 or better 9x in the last 20 years. His stupid statement yesterday not withstanding. With 2 National championships.

Until Hurley gets caught cheating I put him above Self. Personal opinion.

 

[dasher]

Until Hurley gets caught cheating I put him above Self. Personal opinion.

That is fair. But you can't knock his level of success. 9 elite 8's or better in 20 years is amazing. By the way, I don't know if you were here to see it but the video the legend of toupee Bill is hysterical. Google it.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

That is fair. But you can't knock his level of success. 9 elite 8's or better in 20 years is amazing. By the way, I don't know if you were here to see it but the video the legend of toupee Bill is hysterical. Google it.

Think you’re grading Bill on a curve here. Yeah, he won in 22, but the 08 chip is a lifetime ago. He’s had a great career, but his arc is descending, while Hurley is on the way up. Building a team today, you absolutely choose Hurley.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Well, are we taking age out of play or just the best coach? Because Bill Self has been to the final 8 or better 9x in the last 20 years. His stupid statement yesterday not withstanding. With 2 National championships.

You can make an argument for him or Scott Drew. Tony B has had a rough few years. I agree with Newhouser that until Hurley gets caught cheating he would be my number 1. Starting a team including age then Hurley is a no brainer.

 

[jordoo]

I feel like I read the same thread every year about a handful of big-time coaches at other schools.

 

[SkyTopBus44]

Until Hurley gets caught cheating I put him above Self. Personal opinion.

Can you even cheat anymore?

 

[JimBoston]

Imagine having Geno, Calhoun, and Bob Hurley Sr as coaching mentors? And, Hurley built the program slowly and he didn't run off players in the beginning and focused on building culture. That is why we have to be patient with Red and let him build the team and culture. And, do you realize that they played 9 games in NYC this year vs 0 for Syracuse? Syracuse needs to play 1 to 2 games at MSG every year.

 

[dasher]

Think you’re grading Bill on a curve here. Yeah, he won in 22, but the 08 chip is a lifetime ago. He’s had a great career, but his arc is descending, while Hurley is on the way up. Building a team today, you absolutely choose Hurley.

Yeah, he won in '22 When Hurley can have a run like Self has had, I will give him that type of credit. I think he will blow up before that however. He just won his first league title at UConn. Let's give this time to breathe. I suspect they will come back to the pack next year. They hit home runs in the portal this year. That is not easy to do. Let's see next year.

 

[JimBoston]

Yeah, he won in '22 When Hurley can have a run like Self has had, I will give him that type of credit. I think he will blow up before that however. He just won his first league title at UConn. Let's give this time to breathe. I suspect they will come back to the pack next year. They hit home runs in the portal this year. That is not easy to do. Let's see next year.

They got one player from the portal this year, Cam Spencer from Rutgers and lost one Naheim Alleyne to St. John's. Newton and Diarra were transfers 2 years ago. I think they are finding the balance between portal, development, and freshmen. The key is how to you keep and develop the prospects on your bench.

 

[Sherman20]

Lengthy article but it provides a nice sense of the offensive scheme Hurley has put in place.
And a little more about him and his personality.

No iso-ball.
Perhaps something the Orange need to shake.

Dan Hurley's desire to adapt helped UConn evolve into an offensive juggernaut | FOX Sports

Two years ago, UConn coach Dan Hurley made a commitment to embracing offense with NCAA Tournament success in mind. Michael Cohen explains how Hurley's desire to adapt has helped transform UConn into an offensive juggernaut.

www.foxsports.com

Key section of that article:

Hurley and his assistants envisioned a movement-based offense that emphasized off-ball screening over isolation plays or traditional pick and rolls. They dreamed of a roster stuffed with high-level passers, shooters and "game processors" who could operate a system culled largely from overseas concepts. Change arrived in the form of a four-pronged plan that would touch nearly every corner of the program: from rewriting the core offensive principles to revising the player profiles used in recruiting; from reconfiguring the coaching staff's study habits to rearranging the way practice time was apportioned.

"I feel like there's less pressure on you as a coach when you can win a game in non-rock fight fashion," Hurley said. "When you can go on runs, it's more fun, and it's less pressure to get a stop. I think you coach more relaxed.”

 

[Newhouser]

Key section of that article:

Hurley and his assistants envisioned a movement-based offense that emphasized off-ball screening over isolation plays or traditional pick and rolls. They dreamed of a roster stuffed with high-level passers, shooters and "game processors" who could operate a system culled largely from overseas concepts. Change arrived in the form of a four-pronged plan that would touch nearly every corner of the program: from rewriting the core offensive principles to revising the player profiles used in recruiting; from reconfiguring the coaching staff's study habits to rearranging the way practice time was apportioned.

"I feel like there's less pressure on you as a coach when you can win a game in non-rock fight fashion," Hurley said. "When you can go on runs, it's more fun, and it's less pressure to get a stop. I think you coach more relaxed.”

It's not hard to envision that offense is easier with willing passes. The hard part is finding them in an AAU culture. I'm still most impressed with the passion they play with every game from the jump. Motivated players.

 

[Sherman20]

Bill Murrays kid is a key asst and really big on that offense.

If GMac takes the Siena job, we need to find an offensive mastermind assistant who can get us playing cutting-edge modern basketball, like Luke Murray has at UConn and that Hurley embraced.

I have no doubt that Red can get this program turned around and we can start making NCAA tourneys again and competing for top 4 finishes in the ACC. But that shouldn’t be enough. We want to win national titles at Syracuse again, just like UConn. That should be the goal. And there’s no reason we can’t if Red commits to making this an elite program that embraces offensive innovation and defensive toughness, and we recruit smart, talented players that can shoot, pass and are fundamentally sound and will commit to playing defense with intensity and focus.

 

[Sherman20]

It's not hard to envision that offense is easier with willing passes. The hard part is finding them in an AAU culture. I'm still most impressed with the passion they play with every game from the jump. Motivated players.

The article talks about how much of a key Karaban has been to their success.

 

[jncuse]

How's that saying go, I'd rather be lucky than good?

Think you are parsing their record a little too fine. The goal IS, to win National Championships, not to have the most aesthetically pleasing cumulative record over a given time span.

Anyway, don't believe there is a program in the country that would turn down an offer of 5 NCs in the next 24 years, even if you told them there would be a few down years and even some sub-.500 seasons mixed in with that. Let's not even ponder they are the favorites to win number 6 this year, which would give them back-to-back championships.

Turning down UCONNs basketball accomplishments of the past quarter-century because the down years are unacceptable would be like the guy who considers turning down a winning MegaMillions ticket because he doesn't want to pay the taxes. File that under, problems I'd like to have.

I feel like you are taking my comments totally out of context. I never claimed many of the things you are implying I did. Self admittedly sometimes I can ramble and things become unclear , but I can tell you for sure, my whole point was not to cherry pick a bad period to put down the great overall run of UConn.

I never claimed that the overall stretch was not great or to be admired, or that this entire run was based on luck. In fact I never even addressed one single thing prior to 2011. which makes sense since why in this quickly changing college basketball world would we want to follow a "model" of 12 to 30 years ago - of any program!.

They have been a great and outstanding program overall since 1990 with results. They have had great teams in 2023-2024, and a number of great teams from as early 1990-2011. Heck those teams from 1990-2011 could have won more than 2 national titles. But given how basketball has changed so much I don't think we should "follow" how teams were built 15 to 30 years ago. Not only for UConn, but Syracuse or anybody.

There were 2 specific reasons I brought up the very modest period from 2012-2021. (none of which was downgrading there run since 1990)

1) As a means to praise Danny Hurley to support the OP's claim , that this is team is no longer in their lucky phase. They are now without a doubt a dominant team like some of the teams they had before (1999, 2002, 2006). That modest period of 2012-2021 didn't have any great teams, and they needed breaks to win that 2014 title. Hurley didn't inherit anything special - he inherited a team that had been middling for about 7 years, and would for a few more, despite the title. He has developed this program from a modest situation and developed the most dominant UConn teams since arguably 2006.

There is plenty of stuff we could try to learn from how Danny Hurley has turned UConn around. We should absolutely figure out what the hell they are doing right now, to change things around, and acknowledge they are great right now.

2) It was also in regard to the specific comment I was replying to, that said we should look at UConn's history as something to follow. And really what I was getting at, was other than the Hurley era, there is not much to follow. As I said above there is not much you can learn form anybody pre 2010 - college basketball has changed too much. But there is also not much we can productively learn from UConn's 2012-2020 era either even with the National Title. We can't aspire to be a team to be a 7,7.9 seed. Since then, or if you want to start with the date Danny Hurley was hired (2018) then there is lots to try to follow. That is what we aspire to.

 

[SmilinBob]

I'd love for SU to have UConns assist to basket ratio.

 

[dasher]

They got one player from the portal this year, Cam Spencer from Rutgers and lost one Naheim Alleyne to St. John's. Newton and Diarra were transfers 2 years ago. I think they are finding the balance between portal, development, and freshmen. The key is how to you keep and develop the prospects on your bench.

In the last two weeks, Hurley has got in to it with rival fan bases. Somewhere along the line, something bad is going to happen with him.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

In the last two weeks, Hurley has got in to it with rival fan bases. Somewhere along the line, something bad is going to happen with him.

Or, as he ages, he’ll mellow at. Especially after he wins another trophy.

 

[dasher]

Or, as he ages, he’ll mellow at. Especially after he wins another trophy.

I don't think so. Did Knight mellow? You don't encourage fans to come down and fight you as he did after winning at Providence.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I don't think so. Did Knight mellow? You don't encourage fans to come down and fight you as he did after winning at Providence.

You’re thinking short term. Could also be behavior he uses to motivate his team.

 

[jncuse]

Or he could evolve into trying to set an opponents jersey on fire during a game. Some hockey coach tried that in Italy many years ago. (80s or 90s)

 

[Scooch]

It’s a shame how not being in a Power 5 conference has ruined their hoops program.

That’s probably my favorite colossally stupid take that’s ever been offered here.

 

[Cuseball]

Yep, Basketball is fine for them. Not being in a P5 has ruined any hope they ever had for football. It's too bad men's basketball is my favorite sport because we are far better than them in everything else. Two lax titles by the Cuse this year and a vastly improved Cuse football team will take some of the sting off.

Cuse!

 

[Scooch]

Yep, Basketball is fine for them. Not being in a P5 has ruined any hope they ever had for football. It's too bad men's basketball is my favorite sport because we are far better than them in everything else. Two lax titles by the Cuse this year and a vastly improved Cuse football team will take some of the sting off.

Cuse!

They correctly recognized that they never had any hope in football. Hence the move back to the Big East.

I’m sure they’ll be devastated if we win titles in a sport they don’t play.

 

[grepal]

Pains me to no end, but UConn is the best time by a country mile. Would be a huge upset if they did not win again this year.

Not the best coach IMO but he is doing a good job and he has a chance. These things go in cycles, no more dynasties like UCLA but if he gets two in a row he will be a HOFer most likely.

 

[cuse_future]

I'm not sure if its been that dazzling prior to the last 2 or 3 years (at least going back to 2012). 2023 and 2024 are really the only two really good teams they had all that period. I don't see what they did between 2012-2021 (or even 2010-2022) as anything we would want to emulate in terms of program performance. Because teams that do that aren't going to get as lucky in March.

I agree with the OP that Hurley has now taken UConn back to being a dominant team He has clearly elevated the program from where it was. Them winning the NC is not a major surprise mor filled with breaks now. Where the 2023 and 2024 teams fit the profile of a truly dominant team, rather than a team that is remarkably lucky in March like 2014 (and 2011 as well). Last year even as a 4 seed, they just felt dominant from the beginning, and this year they were dominant all year.

Is this our goal over our next 10 regular seasons? (UConn between 2012-2021)
Make the tournament 4 times, miss it 6 times.
Get seeds as follows - 7,7,9.9
Have a 3 years in a row where we are below .500

Sure they got a national title in there, but 99%+ of teams that follow this path over a 10 year period are not sniffing a national title. If we get a 7.7.9,9 in the next 10 years we are not getting a national title either, and likely not even a FInal 4.

Our goal could be what Hurley has done to re-elevate the program. But I don't think we want to learn a single damn thing from what they did between 2010-2021. Getting 2 national titles out of that was luck.

This is a banana land take. You would take those other seasons for 2 national championships.

You would take UVA’s past few seasons for one.

We are an NIT/first weekend team and have been for a while. If we can take that and sprinkle it in with a national championship that would be AWESOME.

Also, they knew they had down years, and fired their coach who won a national championship, something it took us WAY too long to do with JB.