The UConn Huskies lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to the eventual champion Florida Gators last year. Dan Hurley's squad lost their chance at a three-peat after a sluggish season saw them barely make the dance. In a book co-written with Ian O'Connor, Hurley spoke about the struggles of the season. Amid a rough UConn season, Dan Hurley thought about resigning as the head coach.
“I thought about leaving, taking a gap year. Resigning as head coach of the UConn Huskies,” Hurley wrote, per The Athletic's Andrew Marchand. “I knew my mind, and I knew my body, and I could feel that I was completely cooked. Just burnt. I didn’t even know how I was standing. I stared at the office walls, muttering, conducting a brutal review of our season.”
Hurley has been known to lose his temper at times during his UConn career. He went on to cite his infamous crash out in Maui as a reason he almost stepped down. “I let everyone down in Maui.” The coach said, “I lost control, emotionally, at various points. I came in here some days sad and defeated, when I needed to be positive and inspiring. Then I went through the self-lacerating what-ifs: What if we’d played a little bit better in Maui? What if we hadn’t blown that game against Seton Hall? What if we’d been a better seed than an eight seed and hadn’t needed to face a number one in the second round? Who knows?”
The Huskies have reloaded and are looking for their third National Championship in four seasons. But the will-he-won't-he with Hurley's employment will continue. There were rumors about him taking the Los Angeles Lakers job before last year. And now, he is admitting that he discussed an analyst role with Fox Sports.
UConn opens the season on November 3 against the University of New Haven.
