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Report: Dan Hurley Has Agreed To Become UConn's Head Coach

Well, the next big coaching domino fell. As of early this morning, Dan Hurley agreed to become the next head coach at UConn. This was an important get for UConn as they weren’t just battling him staying at URI, but also him mulling an offer from Pitt. More importantly, this means UConn gets its No. 1 choice at head coach and they don’t have to figure out where to go from here.

Hurley spent the last six years at Rhode Island, bringing the program back to the NCAA Tournament and starting to become the flag-bearer for the A-10. They won the conference this year and made the NCAA Tournament the last two years. What Hurley really has shown though is the ability to recruit. As of today, Rhode Island has the 30th best recruiting class for next year, led by 4-star Jermaine Harris from Maryland. That’s going to be the key for Hurley as he moves from UConn. It should be easier to recruit at UConn as it is a well-known program and the AAC is a step up from the A-10. He also has important connections to the DMV area and NJ/NY area – obviously with the Hurley name holding weight in north Jersey/New York.

Hurley will inherit a roster that finished 14-18 this last season and could possibly lose Jalen Adams. We already know Terry Larrier is gone, but Adams is the key here. If Hurley can keep Adams, there’s a chance for success in year one. One of the things Hurley does incredibly well is work with guards, especially lead guards. Go back and take a look at his group at Rhode Island and you’ll see the success of the team came from that position. If he can keep Adams, possibly bring a couple recruits with him and develop Christian Vital or keep Alterique Gilbert healthy, UConn could possibly be a tournament team next year.

As for Pitt, the question is where do they go from here? That’s not an easy job as I’ve discussed numerous times before. You can’t just recruit western Pennsylvania and you’re inhering a roster with just massive flaws – and the fact that pretty much everyone has a full release for a transfer. I’m still hearing they are having initial discussions with Ryan Odom at UMBC, but keep an eye out for a guy like Eric Musselman, Nate Oats or Brandin Knight.

If you’re URI, there’s only two names you should have on your radar. That’s either promoting David Cox or hiring John Becker from Vermont. Either one of those makes sense and ultimately would be the correct hire.

Now, let’s hope Hurley can turn around UConn, because college basketball is better when UConn is actually relevant.