Dan Hurley led UConn to a second consecutive national title on Monday night, and he enjoyed a special moment after the win with the man who put the program on the map.
UConn became men’s college basketball’s first back-to-back national champion since 2007 by defeating Purdue 75-60 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Following the game, Hurley celebrated on the court with former Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun.
Jim Calhoun and Dan Hurley have brought five national championships to UConn 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Y73K0I61nl
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 9, 2024
The two coaches shared a brief conversation.
Very cool moment between UConn legends Jim Calhoun and Dan Hurley. pic.twitter.com/PJfOcmnO7J
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 9, 2024
Calhoun coached UConn from 1986-2012. He inherited a program that was nowhere near contention and built it into a national powerhouse by winning three championships and producing a ton of NBA talent. Without the 81-year-old’s influence, UConn would not be where it is today under Hurley.
Like Hurley, Calhoun was an animated coach who was great at motivating players. It is easy to envision him doing something like the stunt we saw from Hurley late in Monday’s game. The mutual respect between the two was already there, but it probably grew even more now that both have won multiple championships with the Huskies.
