Over the past week, countless sports media personalities have voiced their complaints with the recent behavior of UConn head coach Dan Hurley following another incident where he was captured vigorously yelling at officials and boasting his status as the “best coach in the sport”. But on Saturday, Hurley got some much needed support from Fox broadcaster Gus Johnson.
Hurley’s emotion-filled coaching style has been picked apart by the likes of Jay Bilas, Scott Van Pelt, and Jeff Goodman as of late. But on the broadcast of Saturday’s Big East matchup between the No. 25 ranked UConn Huskies and the No. 9 ranked Marquette Golden Eagles, Johnson shared his opinion that Hurley’s passion shows that he is “engaged and invested” in his team’s success.
“First of all, I’ve known Danny Hurley since he was a player at Seton Hall,” said Johnson. “Called some of his games. I wouldn’t change anything about him. He is so passionate and is so engaged and invested in this job just like his dad Bob Hurley Sr.”
“I wouldn’t change anything about [Dan Hurley], Jimmy! He is so passionate! And is so engaged and invested in this job, just like his dad, Bob Hurley Sr.!” – Gus Johnson pic.twitter.com/FbqbEsX6UQ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 2, 2025
Jim Jackson, Johnson’s partner in the broadcast booth on Saturday night, largely agreed with Hurley but did make it clear that Hurley needs to avoid hurting his team in the process of showing his emotions.
“I love it,” said Jackson. “The only thing I would disagree with is at times he has to monitor that aggression (so) that it doesn’t boil over and hurt his team. He did that early in his first tenure where the tech’s cost. He has grown from that. And that is the beauty of not only players but coaches can mature in certain ways. I think Dan has been able to do that. But I have loved the passion. You know why Gus? Because his team reflects that in how hard they play.”
Say what you will about what Hurley’s treatment of officials says about him as a person. But considering he is a back-to-back National Champion and has put his team in a decent position to look for a third straight this year, his coaching ability certainly isn’t in question.
Gus Johnson is someone who understands the kind of passion and energy that Hurley brings to the court from the sidelines because Johnson has always had a reputation of calling games with that exact same intensity.
Perhaps at some point this year, Hurley’s propensity to argue with officials will cost his team in a big moment as Jim Jackson was alluding to.
Fortunately for Huskies fans, that was not the case on Saturday night. UConn came away with its biggest win of the season to date thanks to a 25-point performance from Solo Ball.
