UConn head coach Dan Hurley was “completely cooked” after last season and seriously contemplated resigning from the Huskies, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Marchand, via his X page, noted that Hurley’s thoughts about stepping down come from a new book he wrote with The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor titled, “.” Hurley, per Marchand, held early preliminary talks with Fox Sports about possibly becoming a television analyst.
UConn’s Dan Hurley Reveals Stunning Admission in New Book
Hurley is one of the best head coaches in college basketball these days. He guided UConn, out of the Big East Conference, to consecutive national championships in 2023 and 2024. But Hurley says in his new book that he thought about resigning as UConn’s head coach after the 2024-25 season. Why? Because he felt tremendous pressure, and was emotionally drained, after trying to win a third straight national title in 2024-25.
“I knew my mind, and I knew my body, and I could feel that I was completely cooked,” Hurley wrote in his book. “Just burnt. I didn’t even know how I was standing.”
On the face of it, it’s a bit surprising that Hurley would consider leaving UConn, given how much success he’s had with the Huskies. However, the grind of being a college coach is tiresome. Even more so these days, because of the transfer portal’s explosion, schools paying their athletes directly, NIL and other factors in big-time college athletics.
Hurley is an emotional, high-energy coach who leaves it all on the sidelines, for better or for worse. He likely put a lot of pressure on himself in 2024-25 to win a third championship in a row. There was also a ton of pressure from fans, boosters, the media and other stakeholders.
In his book, Hurley says that he didn’t build a strong enough roster to compete for a title last season. He thinks he wasn’t a positive, inspiring leader. Hurley acknowledges that at several points in the 2024-25 season, he lost control, emotionally speaking.
Dan Hurley Contemplated Resigning After Tough Season
Hurley’s 2024-25 team wasn’t dominating, but it was a solid group. UConn finished at 24-11 overall and 14-6 in Big East competition. Early on, the Huskies went a disappointing 0-3 at the Maui Invitational. Then, however, UConn bounced back with excellent wins over non-conference foes such as Baylor, Gonzaga and Texas.
Hurley cited a heartbreaking loss at Seton Hall by one point in overtime, when UConn held a seven-point lead late in the game, as one of numerous “what-ifs” in 2024-25. The Huskies, as a No. 8 seed, conquered No. 9 seed Oklahoma in the round of 64. UConn would then lead No. 1 seed Florida—the eventual national champion—for most of the second half, but the Gators prevailed by two points.
That was another “what-if” for Hurley, as he wrote in his book. That is, what if the Huskies had earned a higher seed and didn’t have to play a top seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament’s second round?
Hurley Has a Title Contender in 2025-26
Hurley, the former Seton Hall point guard who previously served as the head coach at Wagner and Rhode Island, enters 2025-26 with a 165-69 mark at UConn and an overall record of 316-174. In his book, he said that he considered a career in TV, because of the less-stressful lifestyle.
Still, after much soul-searching, Hurley is back with the Huskies. UConn, in the upcoming campaign, appears to be a legit Final Four contender and a major player in the Big East. In its preseason rankings, CBS Sports has the Huskies at No. 5 overall. Over at ESPN, UConn is No. 4.
Hurley will be back at it this fall and winter, showing his emotions, arguing with refs and doing whatever he can to lead the Huskies on a deep March Madness run. More importantly, the hope is that Hurley is in a better place emotionally and feels good to be coaching again.
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