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

[Improviser]

Well , he is not Gregg Marshall.

 

[8893]

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

I don't think anyone is suggesting that he lives unhinged 24/7; just that he becomes unhinged, which he himself admits, and that it's not a good thing when he does:

Obviously, I’ve come unhinged at different points

 

[Chief00]

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.

Technical Fouls at the end of a close game show a lack of discipline and judgement. You don’t want your players to mirror that. I did like what Danny said previously in regards to playing with emotions vs. emotionally.

 

[JMick]

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.

I didn't read anything that suggests he wants to change. That's why I'm concerned

 

[CL82]

I don't think anyone is suggesting that he lives unhinged 24/7; just that he becomes unhinged, which he himself admits, and that it's not a good thing when he does:

No doubt. I just think the portrayal of Hurley in that post was a little over the top.

 

[Vancat]

 

[JohnFSilver]

Yelling and animated is fine. Two things he can't do.

1. Second half technicals are a NO-NO. Absolutely no technicals last 10 minutes. Get it together.

2. Stop getting into it with crowd, other coaches and players. I did not like Hurley asking where the fan was who yelled at him in Creighton game. Can't have rabbit ears as a coach.

You gotta be Teflon. Hurley wouldn't stand for his players to get into it with the crowd or the opposing bench. This is a Benedict issue that he as to address. Hurley coaches like he is playing the game, which is what you want. But ya gotta control yourself. Calhoun was a maniac, but he never went after fans or opposing players.

 

[HuskyHawk]

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.

Didn't work for me

 

[CL82]

Didn't work for me

Try double tapping the AA on the left hand side.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

slo news day, i guess.
kick 'em in da nutz, coach dan. i'll buy the pointy shoes for you.

 

[Chief00]

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.

Calhoun generally got his technicals before the end of a close game. You need some time for make up calls and you don’t want to give away valuable points at the end. Sometimes it would motivate the team or crowd too.
When Chief would tell people Calhoun was sometines quiet at practice - some well meaning casual fans think Chief is crazy. But, I do think Jim viewed games as being on a stage and putting on the best show he could to get the win.

 

[Tyler2Rings]

Having fire is one thing. Directing that fire strategically towards accomplishing a goal is another. Right now Coach Hurley is a fully stoked fireplace. You get some good heat but the house would be warmer and use less fuel with an efficient wood stove. He’ll get there. Just dont burn the house down by accident Dan

 

[HuskyHawk]

Try double tapping the AA on the left hand side.

There is no AA on the left hand side.

 

[Rumrunner]

More unsolicited advice from the peanut gallery, but Hurley should try to sit down on the bench and watch his well-coached and disciplined team execute his game plan without him raving on the sidelines. Believe in your players. Sit down and watch for a few minutes, reflect on what you see. Then make adjustments. The jump stomping constant whirlwind of energy sometimes backfires.

Ironically Hurley's coaching background is as privileged as one could ever hope for. He's been given advantages that few others have. You would think the act of game day coach would be settled by now, considering how old he is. It is ironic that his game day persona and game day coaching is the weakest part of his game.

 

[Dean Wormer]

Yelling and animated is fine. Two things he can't do.

1. Second half technicals are a NO-NO. Absolutely no technicals last 10 minutes. Get it together.

2. Stop getting into it with crowd, other coaches and players. I did not like Hurley asking where the fan was who yelled at him in Creighton game. Can't have rabbit ears as a coach.

You gotta be Teflon. Hurley wouldn't stand for his players to get into it with the crowd or the opposing bench. This is a Benedict issue that he as to address. Hurley coaches like he is playing the game, which is what you want. But ya gotta control yourself. Calhoun was a maniac, but he never went after fans or opposing players.

“Hurley wouldn't stand for his players to get into it with the crowd or the opposing bench”.

This right here^^^

 

[AntG168]

This whole story is overblown. The thing with the fans was nonsense. But he has 1 T all season. I don’t even know why he’s addressing it. Let it go.

 

[JMick]

This whole story is overblown. The thing with the fans was nonsense. But he has 1 T all season. I don’t even know why he’s addressing it. Let it go.

His emotions are getting in the way of winning. That's a bigger problem than getting a technical or yelling at a fan.

 

[BGesus4]

Is there anything funnier than ppl “remembering” that Calhoun’s outbursts were always done very deliberately and strategically?

 

[8893]

Is there anything funnier than ppl “remembering” that Calhoun’s outbursts were always done very deliberately and strategically?

I purposely didn't say "always," but don't let the facts get in the way.

I said "usually," and I'll add that they were also usually effective; and that I don't recall him going after fans or being reprimanded by the conference and the school for inappropriate comments about officials.

I'll concede that I have never met Hurley, and I met and spoke with Calhoun a few times over the years, so I'm sure that also has an effect on my impressions. Calhoun is incredibly engaging and very far from seeming tightly wound or unhinged. He is very comfortable in his own skin.

Hurley, to me, sometimes seems like the kind of guy who might have body parts in his basement. Or at least you wouldn't be too surprised to find out that he did.

 

[gtcam]

All coaches are intense in their own way. Some hide it better some control it better.
To me, DH still appears to be in player mode - he gets into body bumping, slapping arse etc with his players. I can count on one hand the times JC showed that type of emotion and I have never seen Cronin do that stuff.
I take some of the stuff that DH said in this article to be alibis - he is trying to use emotion as a reason for some of the things he does but which common sense would otherwise say don't. It's never good for a coach to interact with fans - home or away. If emotion allows him to do these things than I can now see why the guy loses focus in tight game situations.
Ive coached for almost 30 years. I was/am known to be a ref baiter. If I see that a ref has rabbit ears the more I tend to talk. It took me a while to try and overcome this habit and did so because one of my assistants had the guts to tell me that I was allowing myself to focus more on the ref than on the game itself. I did my best to curtail that habit and I noticed myself seeing more things that allowed coachable moments. Ive had to quiet parents and fans on the sidelines but I would never allow myself to be confrontational with fans.
I can't get into DH's head but admitting to looking for two gentlemen tells me that he is not able to shut things out and/or he has a hard time facing negative comments, perhaps a sense of insecurity.
In no way have I seen him unhinged.
But as I have said on several occasions, it would be a wise move on his part if he acquired the services of a mentor, a retired longtime coach who can help him in a lot of areas. His father and JC are not the answers.

 

[HuskyFich]

Why do we compare Hurley to coaches with insanely long tenures?

Do we think JC, Bobby Knight, Coach K, etc. worked the refs with the same success in years 1-5 as in years 15-20? Do we think they learned nothing along the way? Better yet, do we think Hurley can't grow as a coach? He's still earning his pinstripes so to speak.

I'm just over the moon that THIS is the complaints we're having about the coach. I remember a not too distant past when we were making excuses for giving up when down 20 points.

 

[UConnSwag11]

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.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

i have two close friends, one in his mid 20s, and the other near 40. each, and in private to me recently, said,
1. 'it must be my add,' and
2. 'well u know, i have ocd.'
'no, u don't' sez me. 'ur just uniquely u, like almost everrbuddy else on the planet.' or, as ol georgy t sez in 1 bourbon, 1 scotch, 1 beer, 'i know. everybody's funny, now u funny too....'


welcome to the 21st century, where psychoanalysis is the daily pastime.
on the udder hand, ol george will be on stage tomorrow nite at the seminole casino, down in Florida.

 

[Tenspro2002]

His emotions are getting in the way of winning. That's a bigger problem than getting a technical or yelling at a fan.

This is an emotional take and not a rational one. Where's the evidence that "his emotions are getting in the way of winning"?

 

[Improviser]

I purposely didn't say "always," but don't let the facts get in the way.

I said "usually," and I'll add that they were also usually effective; and that I don't recall him going after fans or being reprimanded by the conference and the school for inappropriate comments about officials.

I'll concede that I have never met Hurley, and I met and spoke with Calhoun a few times over the years, so I'm sure that also has an effect on my impressions. Calhoun is incredibly engaging and very far from seeming tightly wound or unhinged. He is very comfortable in his own skin.

Hurley, to me, sometimes seems like the kind of guy who might have body parts in his basement. Or at least you wouldn't be too surprised to find out that he did.

I do remember seeing one game on TV, where Calhoun was coaching against Lute Olson, the coach at Arizona. On the sidelines, Olson seemed to be yelling directly at Calhoun, who gave Olson an icy stare and appeared ready for something, but Calhoun did not yell back or walk towards Olson.

I don't recall if it was about a disputed call or what it was about.

Not sure if anyone else here recalls this game.