Anthony: Why UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley is so volatile: ‘Level of shame that comes with losing”

[8893]

Why UConn’s Dan Hurley is volatile: ‘Level of shame’ with losing

UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley has had recent verbal altercations with fans...

www.nhregister.com

 

[Kathy]

Why UConn’s Dan Hurley is volatile: ‘Level of shame’ with losing

UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley has had recent verbal altercations with fans...

www.nhregister.com

Can you give a synopsis, I don't have an account and won't open with outline

 

[8893]

Can you give a synopsis, I don't have an account and won't open with outline

“There’s a certain level of shame that comes with losing and it’s devastating for me when we’re losing,” Hurley said Tuesday after practice at Gampel Pavilion, where on Wednesday his 24th-ranked Huskies march deeper into the Big East house of mirrors with a game against Seton Hall, his alma mater. “I find it hard to breathe. When you know that could happen to you, if you lose — hence my sideline energy and intensity.”

***

Hurley screamed, chest-bumped Jalen Adams and barely acknowledged Jim Boeheim after a victory over Syracuse in Nov. 2018 at Madison Square Garden, an early sign of a new direction and an early step toward UConn building a certain identity. Hurley acknowledged his demeanor numerous times that season, saying his approach had to do with establishing the program’s energy and that he’d be much calmer in years three and four.


It’s Year 4. Hurley has been as animated as ever. It’s what makes him successful. It’s what makes him controversial. It’s also what bonds him with players who have helped him turn UConn back into a winner.


“After my freshman year, when Coach Ollie got fired, that was one of my main reasons for staying,” senior forward Isaiah Whaley said. “I saw the way he coached and I wanted to play for a coach like that. I loved his energy. Jersey guy. They don’t back down. We’ve all taken up that identity as well.”

***

“When we’re not playing well that tends to get directed at the officials out of frustration, which then creates that scene, which I desperately would like to avoid,” Hurley said. “But really, you feel like you’re fighting for your life on game night. So when you’re fighting for your life, it’s fight or flight and I fight my ass off.”

“I hadn’t had a technical this year until the Villanova game,” Hurley said. “My comments, which I never should have made after the Xavier game about the officiating, has created a narrative that has not been accurate for this year. … Obviously, I’ve come unhinged at different points, recently, but this is very intense, what we’re doing. There’s a lot of pressure on all of us to perform and to succeed here. Sometimes the emotion does run a little bit high.”

 

[Huskybass]

Great to have a coach with so much genuine passion. It certainly beats getting stomped by 20 or more points eight times in the season before he arrived. Hurley's task is to channel that passion and energy into productive uses. His ceiling is much higher if he can find it within himself to not "come unhinged". Nevertheless, I love the passion.

That said, some of his antics are truly funny. There was a 5 second outburst during the home Marquette game that I would pay to see again.

 

[JCSuperstar]

Can you give a synopsis, I don't have an account and won't open with outline

archive.ph

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

Can you give a synopsis, I don't have an account and won't open with outline

If you hit the "x" in the top left of the browser window just as its almost finished loading, the pop up doesn't show up.

 

[Kathy]

If you hit the "x" in the top left of the browser window just as its almost finished loading, the pop up doesn't show up.

I'll try it, thanks

 

[husky429]

Does anyone really care if he doesn't like losing and yells a lot? That's pretty standard for every CBB coach in this country. This article is odd to me. He is an intense coach... that's not the issue.

Being ready to fight fans multiple times and being so out of control he gets Ts that serve no purpose is the problem. Needing to be reprimanded publicly by the Big East is a problem. He thinks like a player and isn't concerned about the bigger picture.

He's unhinged. Many coaches are. He's also a very good basketball coach--better than most. He'll be an even better one if he can learn to keep his intensity without losing sight of everything else. Particularly when he's so amped up in games he seemingly forgets to coach at times. His anxiety is bad for the team in crunch time.

 

[polycom]

He needs to manage his emotions better because his team feeds off of his energy. But time will tell if he is able to do that and I'm willing to bet there is a direct correlation between him mellowing a bit and our more consistent performance

 

[8893]

Does anyone really care if he doesn't like losing and yells a lot? That's pretty standard for every CBB coach in this country. This article is odd to me. He is an intense coach... that's not the issue.

Being ready to fight fans multiple times and being so out of control he gets Ts that serve no purpose is the problem. Needing to be reprimanded publicly by the Big East is a problem. He thinks like a player and isn't concerned about the bigger picture.

He's unhinged. Many coaches are. He's also a very good basketball coach--better than most. He'll be an even better one if he can learn to keep his intensity without losing sight of everything else. Particularly when he's so amped up in games he seemingly forgets to coach at times. His anxiety is bad for the team in crunch time.

Passion, intensity: Good

Volatility: Bad

Many of the same people who complain when Calhoun comparisons are made will nonetheless point to Calhoun's temper, which--to me--was different, and usually employed intentionally.

Many will also say it's better than Ollie, but I saw a lot of fire in Ollie those first two to three seasons.

Whatever it is with Hurley, I don't love it because I don't think he is able to do his job when he is so overcome that he becomes unhinged, and he frequently looks like he's going to snap. But the bottom line is that I don't have to love it. The players do, and he needs to win.

 

[tennmike]

I don't think his emotions are his biggest problem. In fact, the sideline celebratory histrionics (Hawkins after a big 3, et al.), are replayed so much it helps recruiting. Mick Cronin is volatile, but the guy has been to the tourney every year since 2010. People that follow hoops more than me may not agree with this parallel.
To me, Hurley's bigger issue is his apparent stubbornness and unwillingness to adapt from a pre-game plan.

 

[Dean Wormer]

The best coaches do not jaw back and forth with fans. It’s just stupid. Be passionate all you want, but there’s a way to conduct yourself, especially under stress.
Of course he wants to win, who doesn’t? But whether you’re a professor, janitor, student, or head coach, if you represent UConn you need to find your big boy pants and stop acting like an out of control, entitled brat. No excuses, just grow the efff up!

 

[Kenny11]

We all love Calhoun but he was becoming unhinged towards the end and was in danger of having a bobby knight moment, especially with the media coverage becoming more critical of crazy coaches.

 

[JMick]

This article definitely doesn't make me feel better about his antics. I think it did just about the opposite. He needs to get it under control and stop hand waving it while he hides behind passion. He gets lost in the game and it hurts the team.

 

[Husky Alien]

If you hit the "x" in the top left of the browser window just as its almost finished loading, the pop up doesn't show up.

Nice! Worked for me, thanks

 

[Rico444]

This article definitely doesn't make me feel better about his antics. I think it did just about the opposite. He needs to get it under control and stop hand waving it while he hides behind passion. He gets lost in the game and it hurts the team.

I disagree. I've been critical of him going overboard at times, but the fact that he publicly acknowledges that it's a problem and needs to get better is a great first step.

 

[87Xfer]

If you hit the "x" in the top left of the browser window just as its almost finished loading, the pop up doesn't show up.

well, this is interesting.

 

[methodology]

“Pressure either bust pipes or it makes diamonds”

I think we know what pressure does to Hurley

 

[8893]

I disagree. I've been critical of him going overboard at times, but the fact that he publicly acknowledges that it's a problem and needs to get better is a great first step.

That wasn't my takeaway from his comments:

“I regret looking for the two gentlemen that were on my butt after we lost,” Hurley said. “I probably wish I could walk that back. But not that much. It’s not keeping me up. I don’t want to antagonize the crowd at home. … The road, I don’t really care about those people.”

“When we’re not playing well that tends to get directed at the officials out of frustration, which then creates that scene, which I desperately would like to avoid,” Hurley said. “But really, you feel like you’re fighting for your life on game night. So when you’re fighting for your life, it’s fight or flight and I fight my ass off.”

“I hadn’t had a technical this year until the Villanova game,” Hurley said. “My comments, which I never should have made after the Xavier game about the officiating, has created a narrative that has not been accurate for this year. … Obviously, I’ve come unhinged at different points, recently, but this is very intense, what we’re doing. There’s a lot of pressure on all of us to perform and to succeed here. Sometimes the emotion does run a little bit high.”

 

[Dean Wormer]

I disagree. I've been critical of him going overboard at times, but the fact that he publicly acknowledges that it's a problem and needs to get better is a great first step.

He says it’s a problem but i don’t see anything about trying to fix it, just a bunch of excuses.

“ “I regret looking for the two gentlemen that were on my butt after we lost,” Hurley said. “I probably wish I could walk that back. But not that much. It’s not keeping me up. I don’t want to antagonize the crowd at home. … The road, I don’t really care about those people.”

He sounds like a punk, not the HC of a program with the stature of UConn. This is not gonna end well.

 

[CL82]

If you hit the "x" in the top left of the browser window just as its almost finished loading, the pop up doesn't show up.

@Kathy Double tap the “A” on the left-hand side of the page and it should put you into reader view and allow you to read the article.

 

[polycom]

I don't think his emotions are his biggest problem. In fact, the sideline celebratory histrionics (Hawkins after a big 3, et al.), are replayed so much it helps recruiting. Mick Cronin is volatile, but the guy has been to the tourney every year since 2010. People that follow hoops more than me may not agree with this parallel.
To me, Hurley's bigger issue is his apparent stubbornness and unwillingness to adapt from a pre-game plan.

Look at Mick Cronin's career... I would argue that his teams have been good very good actually, and I think that he'll break through and win the big one at UCLA but I'm willing to bet that over the course of his career he has mellowed out a bit.

 

[Rico444]

That wasn't my takeaway from his comments:

“I regret looking for the two gentlemen that were on my butt after we lost,” Hurley said. “I probably wish I could walk that back. But not that much. It’s not keeping me up. I don’t want to antagonize the crowd at home. … The road, I don’t really care about those people.”

“When we’re not playing well that tends to get directed at the officials out of frustration, which then creates that scene, which I desperately would like to avoid,” Hurley said. “But really, you feel like you’re fighting for your life on game night. So when you’re fighting for your life, it’s fight or flight and I fight my ass off.”

“I hadn’t had a technical this year until the Villanova game,” Hurley said. “My comments, which I never should have made after the Xavier game about the officiating, has created a narrative that has not been accurate for this year. … Obviously, I’ve come unhinged at different points, recently, but this is very intense, what we’re doing. There’s a lot of pressure on all of us to perform and to succeed here. Sometimes the emotion does run a little bit high.”

The first step is acknowledging a problem. It's not the only step required, but it's a start. Even though he does qualify it a bit, he clearly acknowledges that he's become unhinged, and that he shouldn't have 1) gone after the two heckler fans at home, and 2) made the comments about the officials. I'm not in his head, so I have no way of knowing whether or not those comments are genuine, but I'll take him at his word and hope he's not just blowing smoke up our butts. Now, if he's not showing growth in the coming weeks, months, and years, then that's another story. But for now this is a good first step.

 

[Hi-Low]

We all love Calhoun but he was becoming unhinged towards the end and was in danger of having a bobby knight moment, especially with the media coverage becoming more critical of crazy coaches.

I remember a close call he had with Deandre Daniels....he was on the razor's edge.

 

[CL82]

Does anyone really care if he doesn't like losing and yells a lot? That's pretty standard for every CBB coach in this country. This article is odd to me. He is an intense coach... that's not the issue.

Being ready to fight fans multiple times and being so out of control he gets Ts that serve no purpose is the problem. Needing to be reprimanded publicly by the Big East is a problem. He thinks like a player and isn't concerned about the bigger picture.

He's unhinged. Many coaches are. He's also a very good basketball coach--better than most. He'll be an even better one if he can learn to keep his intensity without losing sight of everything else. Particularly when he's so amped up in games he seemingly forgets to coach at times. His anxiety is bad for the team in crunch time.

C’mon. I disagree that he was “ready to fight” anyone let alone that he was ready to fight fans multiple times. And getting technicals is a sign that he’s out of control. Likewise the fact that he was “reprimanded“ because he talked about bad officiating after the game is a particularly significant “problem.“

Now where we can agree is Dan Hurley is a pretty intense guy. Is he more intense than say Jim Calhoun? Hell no. Is he more intense than Geno? Nope. I agree though he needs to find a better balance between intensity and game day nerves, and being a laid-back coach.

Is he “unhinged“? Absolutely not. Wound a little tight, perhaps. Unhinged, no.