Amid Meltdowns, Dan Hurley Must Remember: A Team Is Sacred

A team is a sacred thing. Ask anyone from any squad and they’ll tell you—it’s about the collective, not the individual. 

The concept of team is one of the reasons why playing sports is so fundamental. I love the lessons team teaches so much that I built an entire podcast on the subject! (At this point I’m contractually obligated to ask you to subscribe, like and comment!!)

But when someone forgets the sacrosanct nature of a team, that person sticks out like a sore thumb. Unfortunately for UConn’s Dan Hurley, he’s fitting that description more and more often. 

Don’t get me wrong, the 53-year-old college basketball coach is already a legend. Not only does he come from a famous basketball family—his father is a Hall of Fame high school coach and his brother was an iconic player at Duke—but as the coach of UConn, he won back to back NCAA titles in 2023 and 2024. 

But more recently, watching UConn games has turned into the Dan Hurley Show and it’s not going great. 

On Saturday, Hurley was tossed in a nailbiter for arguing with an official. A ref said Hurley bumped him during the heated exchange and that’s why he called the second technical foul. Hurley disputes the claim. 

The technicalities don’t matter. The technicals do. 

And Hurley got his with one second left in a tight contest, a contest his team might have been able to win until their coach unraveled. That can’t happen. In what was a two-point game with precious few ticks left, Hurley’s actions gave UConn’s opponent—Marquette—extra free-throws. UConn lost 68-62. 

To no one’s surprise, Hurley blamed the refs even after the game, too. Sadly, it’s moments like Saturday that make those who care about him concerned. On top of that, he’s costing his team—that most sacred of things. 

I appreciate Dan. Watching him steward the UConn program has been remarkable. As a writer, I’ve never had a bad interaction with him. I loved his book, written with my friend Ian O’Connor. But moments like those over the weekend—and other recent Hurley explosions—make you worry. 

As a leader, there have been few better than Hurley. But that sheen is eroding. With the loss on Saturday, UConn was kept from sharing the Big East regular-season title with No. 18 St. John’s. The team also probably lost a shot at a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Not good. Perhaps the $25k fine issued by the Big East Sunday or the upcoming postseason will change things for Hurley. Perhaps he’ll remember himself and what set him apart from his peers in recent years. But there are those who fear he might not turn it around. 

Over the years, I’ve interviewed thousands of folks, from MVPs to champions to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and one thing I’ve learned is that no one—especially a leader—should put themselves ahead of the team.

The reason a team is sacred is simply because it’s more important than any single person. And if a team is to achieve its lofty goals, those who comprise it must work together, as if rowing a boat in the same direction. 

While Hurley may say to those who ask that he is doing just that—fighting for his team in the waning second of a close game—there’s a line. A limit. 

We can’t blame others for our mistakes. We have to own our behavior. “I’ve been ejected before, and I’ve been back out there,” Hurley said after the game. “It’s not my first rodeo.” 

That’s not exactly Hurley saying he learned a lesson. 

“We hold our coaches to high standards of sportsmanlike conduct during game competition,” Big East commissioner Val Ackerman explained in a statement.

Hopefully now Hurley will, too.