Connecticut is a small state with only one big time Div1 basketball program, UConn, unlike Ohio which has a half dozen or more. So, the hiring of a new BB coach for the State's flagship university, and one the Nation's most successful BB programs over the past few decades, is a very big deal, indeed.
Dan Hurley has pushed Donald Trump out of the news over the last few days. He is hailed as a Jim Calhoun clone...and his arrival is front page news...not a sports page item. Calhoun still is a UConn employee and actively involved in UConn affairs....Calhoun (who recommended Ollie as his successor) loves Hurley and very strongly supported the hire.
Also, the UConn AD's job likely hangs in the balance. AD Dave Benedict acknowledges that Hurleys' hiring is the most significant thing he's ever done professionally. In that regard, among the many factors that had Benedict focused on Hurley, and only Hurley, from the outset is Benedict's experience with the A10, a conference he said he watches closely because of his (Benedict's) time at VCU.
With that in mind Benedict said re his focus on Hurley,..."That
Rhode Island really has placed itself above
Dayton and VCU right now is pretty substantial. Because I know what those programs have from a resource standpoint, and Rhode Island doesn't have those things. So he's done a great job".
Interesting comment, I thought.
