If you are a fan of college basketball, you have probably heard of the Hurley brothers. Danny and Bobby Hurley are both successful head coaches in the NCAA Division I, leading UConn and Arizona State respectively. But how are they related, and what is their story? Here is everything you need to know about the Hurley family and their impact on the sport.
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The Hurley Brothers: A Basketball Legacy
Danny and Bobby Hurley are brothers, born less than two years apart in Jersey City, New Jersey. They grew up in a basketball family, as their father Bob Hurley Sr. was the legendary coach of St. Anthony High School, where he won 26 state championships and became a Hall of Famer.
Both Danny and Bobby played for their father at St. Anthony, leading the team to four consecutive Parochial B state titles and a 115-5 record in their high school careers. They were both Parade All-Americans and McDonald’s All-Americans, with Bobby winning the MVP award in 1989.
The Hurley Brothers: College Stars and NBA Players
After high school, Danny and Bobby went to different colleges, but both had successful careers as point guards. Danny played for Seton Hall from 1989 to 1993, averaging 13.4 points and 5.6 assists per game in his senior year. He also faced his brother in the 1992 NCAA Tournament, when Seton Hall lost to Duke in the second round.
Bobby, meanwhile, became one of the greatest players in Duke history, winning two national championships in 1991 and 1992, earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors in 1992, and becoming a consensus first-team All-American in 1993. He is the all-time leader in assists in NCAA basketball with 1,076.
Both Danny and Bobby were drafted by the NBA in 1993, with Bobby going seventh overall to the Sacramento Kings and Danny going 52nd overall to the Sacramento Kings. However, their professional careers were short-lived and marred by injuries. Bobby suffered a near-fatal car accident during his rookie season that affected his performance for the rest of his career. He played for five seasons with the Kings and the Vancouver Grizzlies before retiring in 1998. Danny played for only one season with the Kings before being waived in 1994.
The Hurley Brothers: Coaching Careers
After their playing days were over, Danny and Bobby turned to coaching, following in their father’s footsteps. Danny started as a high school coach at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, New Jersey, where he won four state titles and coached future NBA players like J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson.
In 2010, he became the head coach at Wagner College, a small Division I school in Staten Island, New York. He hired his brother Bobby as an assistant coach, giving him his first coaching opportunity. Together, they improved Wagner’s record from 5-26 to 25-6 in two seasons.
In 2012, Danny moved to Rhode Island as the head coach of the Rams, taking Bobby with him as an associate head coach. They stayed there for one season before parting ways.
In 2013, Bobby became the head coach at Buffalo, where he led the Bulls to their first NCAA Tournament appearance and win in 2015. He also won two MAC regular season titles and one MAC tournament title in his two seasons at Buffalo.
In 2015, Bobby left Buffalo for Arizona State, where he has been the head coach ever since. He has taken the Sun Devils to three NCAA Tournaments in six seasons, including back-to-back appearances in 2018 and 2019 for the first time in school history.
In 2018, Danny became the head coach at UConn, where he has been trying to restore the Huskies’ glory days. He has led UConn to one NCAA Tournament appearance so far, reaching the Sweet 16 in 2021 for the first time since 2014.
The Hurley Brothers: A Potential Matchup?
With both Danny and Bobby coaching at high-profile programs, there is always a possibility of a sibling matchup at the NCAA Tournament. In fact, there was almost a chance of that happening in 2021, when UConn and Arizona State were both placed in the West Region. However, Arizona State lost in the First Four round to UCLA, while UConn advanced to the second round before losing to Maryland.
The last time Danny and Bobby faced each other as coaches was in November 2018, when Arizona State beat UConn 72-64 at Madison Square Garden. It was an emotional reunion for the brothers, who hugged each other before and after the game.
According to FanBuzz , Danny said after the game: “It was a hard game to coach. It was a hard game to play in. It was a hard game to watch. I’m just glad it’s over.”
Bobby said: “It was a great experience for our family. It was a great experience for our programs. I’m just happy we won the game.”
The Hurley brothers are both competitive and passionate about basketball, but they are also supportive and proud of each other. They have made their mark on the sport as players and coaches, and they have continued the legacy of their father and their family. They are, without a doubt, one of the most famous and influential coaching brothers in college basketball history.
