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As Dan Hurley prepares to lead UConn into yet another Final Four, the story behind his sideline intensity runs deeper than any championship ring. Coaching isn’t just a career for the Hurleys — it’s a birthright, passed down through one of the most remarkable basketball families in American sports history.
It Starts With Bob Sr.
The whole thing begins in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Bob Hurley Sr., a former probation officer who moonlighted as a high school basketball coach and, in doing so, built something no one has matched since.
Hurley Sr. took over at St. Anthony High School and never really left. Over 45 seasons, he turned a tiny Catholic school with no gym of its own into a national powerhouse, winning 28 state championships (he was assistant on two others) and four mythical national titles recognized by USA Today. When he retired in 2017, he had produced more than 150 Division I players, all on full scholarships.
In 2010, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame — only the third high school coach ever to receive that honor. The orange jacket didn’t go to a college legend or an NBA lifer. It went to a guy who coached teenagers in Jersey City for four decades.
His wife Christine was at nearly every game, keeping score from the bench. Literally, she served as scorekeeper for much of Bob Sr.’s tenure at St. Anthony.
GettyLOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 12: High school coach Bob Hurley Sr., accepts the best coach award onstage at The 2017 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater on July 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Bobby: The Prodigy Who Became a Coach
The eldest Hurley child, Bobby, played for his father at St. Anthony before heading to Duke, where he became arguably the greatest point guard in college basketball history. He left Durham as the all-time assists leader in NCAA history — a record that still stands — and was the seventh overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.
After five seasons in the league, a near-fatal car accident, and a long recovery, Bobby eventually found his way to the other side of the clipboard. He built his head coaching career at the University at Buffalo, where he turned a mid-major program into a legitimate NCAA Tournament contender, before landing the Arizona State job in 2015.
Bobby spent 11 seasons with the Sun Devils, going 185-167 and becoming the second-winningest coach in program history. Arizona State elected not to renew his contract in March 2026, a quiet end to a long run, arriving at the same moment his younger brother was chasing another national title.
GettyTULSA, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 22: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils yells to his team during the first half of the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against the Buffalo Bulls at BOK Center on March 22, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Dan: The One Still Hunting
Dan Hurley also played for his father at St. Anthony, then bounced through college ball before finding his calling as a coach. He rebuilt Saint Benedict’s Prep in Newark, then turned around Wagner, then Rhode Island, programs that had been struggling before he arrived and were tournament contenders by the time he left.
UConn hired him in 2018. Five years later, he cut down the nets. Then he did it again.
Now, with his father retired and his brother freshly out of work, Dan Hurley carries the family’s coaching legacy on his own. Every possession, every timeout, every sideline eruption echoes something Bob Sr. built in Jersey City a long time ago, the idea that the game deserves everything you have.
The Huskies are still playing. The Hurley story isn’t finished.
Erik Anderson is an award-winning sports journalist covering the NBA, MLB and NFL for Heavy.com. He also focuses on the trading card market. His work has appeared in nationally-recognized outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press , USA Today, and ESPN. More about Erik Anderson
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