Rhode Island's Dan Hurley on Pitt, other openings: 'I could give two craps about that'
Moments after Rhode Island was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Duke, Dan Hurley was in no mood to talk about the future of his coaching career or the possibility of a new job.
Hurley is considered a top candidate for openings at Pitt to replace Kevin Stallings and Connecticut to replace Kevin Ollie, but was adamant that his focus is only on his Atlantic-10 regular-season champion Rams (26-8).
After losing to Duke in NCAA tourney, Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley is asked about his future: pic.twitter.com/5tfeXxXx1h
— Kevin Gorman (@KGorman_Trib) March 17, 2018
"I couldn't give a crap about who's got an opening anywhere," Hurley said after Duke's 87-62 victory over Rhode Island Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. "I haven't thought about it for a second. I couldn't care less about any other school in the country that's looking for a coach or talking about me on social media. I could give two craps about that.
"My heart is with the program and these players that just lost a brutal game after having an amazing last couple seasons. For me, it's easy. These are long and hard. I'm just going to go into hibernation for a day. Physically and emotionally, I'll try to recover. You know, these five-month journeys take a lot out of you."
When asked by the Tribune-Review if he's been contacted about any openings or has directed schools to contact his agent, Hurley sidestepped the question.
"We all have agents in this business and my agent was smart enough to have no contact with me while my season is going on because he know who I am and what type of people my family is," said Hurley, whose father, Bob Sr., is a legendary high school coach in New Jersey and whose brother, Bob, coaches Arizona State. "That is not typical of this business."
Dan Hurley touted the return of three players in the Rams' rotation, as well as what he called a top-30 recruiting class, but sent a message to Rhode Island and any potential suitors that the NCAA tourney success his teams have enjoyed the past two seasons comes with a price tag.
Dan Hurley talks about the future of Rhode Island, delivering a message about investment v. expectations that should resonate with #Pitt : pic.twitter.com/3XQ6tu9VVx — Kevin Gorman (@KGorman_Trib) March 17, 2018 "There's a whole lot more room for this program to grow around these players, and that's absolutely essential if the university and if the athletic department and our fans want us to be able to get beyond this point as a program," Hurley said. "But that's like that with any program that's trying to get better. You know, you have to rely on your expectations with your investment, and these players, you know, deserve to operate at the highest level of our league, if you want to stay there." Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
