Dan Hurley Named Naismith College Coach of the Year

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PHOENIX – UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley has been named the Werner Ladder Naismith College Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Sunday (April 7). Hurley becomes the first head coach on the men's side in UConn history to earn Naismith Coach of the Year honors.

The honor for Hurley comes amidst a dream season for the Huskies, one still continuing with the National Championship game on deck tomorrow night. UConn has won a program-record 36 games this season, currently sitting at 36-3 on the campaign. The Huskies are playing as the number one overall seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, also a first in the history of the program.

Hurley's charges set the UConn regular season win record this year with 28 wins and went 18-2 in BIG EAST play. That set the league record for wins in a single conference season, and the Huskies also tied the league record with a +13.9 scoring margin in BIG EAST games. Connecticut won the BIG EAST regular season by four games and cruised to a BIG EAST Tournament title. Those championships were the 11th and eighth in UConn history, respectively.

The Huskies have marched their way back to the NCAA Title game with a commanding run through March Madness, winning their five games in the Big Dance by an average of 25.0 points per game. UConn has won 11-straight NCAA Tournament games by double-figures, an all-time record.  

Under Hurley's tutelage Tristen Newton became the seventh consensus First Team All-American in program history and the third Husky to win the Bob Cousy Award, honoring the nation's best point guard. All five of UConn's starters average double-figures, part of an offense honed by the Husky gaffer that ranks No. 1 in Kenpom offensive efficiency. UConn also ranks fourth in Kenpom's defensive efficiency metric, giving the Huskies a devastating two-way punch.

The Huskies are seeking to become the first team since Florida in 2006-07 to win back-to-back titles, but what has been particularly impressive in UConn's case is the fact that the Huskies lost five of the top eight in their rotation from last year's title-winning squad. Conencticut lost over 60 percent of its scoring and more than 70 percent of its rebounding from the 2022-23 team, retooling to possibly become even better than that championship outfit which started 14-0 and finished with 31 wins.

Hurley and the Huskies look to put a capper on their historic campaign on Monday night, taking on fellow 1-seed Purdue at State Farm Stadium.