By PHIL CHARDIS
Special to uconnhuskies.com
STORRS – Dan and Andrew Hurley are a team within a team.
Watch a full UConn men's basketball practice, and more than a few times, you'll catch Coach Dan whispering something into the ear of senior walk-on son Andrew and Andrew answering. More often than not, the moment ends with both cracking a smile.
"Most of it is trying to get me to think logically, sensibly, less emotionally," Dan explained. "He uses levity, 'It's going to be OK, Dad, no need to rev up.' "
Andrew knew that was going to be part of the job when he signed up for the position in the fall of 2020 after two years at East Catholic in Manchester.
"Me and him are basically the same person and I kind of know what I would want to hear," said Andrew, a psychology major who will graduate in May. "I've been doing this for four years, so I've got a pretty good feel on the situation, whether it's in practice or a game, or traveling. I just kind of know what to say. I'm always ready to fire something off. That's part of the experience of being here. That's what made it really special, our connection."
Dan and wife Andrea left the decision about coming to UConn up to Andrew, who felt it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. Remember, this wasn't the UConn team of recent success. It was a UConn team coming off a losing season in 2018-19 and the Covid year of cancelled conference tournaments in 2019-20. Andrew, though, had faith in the program building and coaching prowess of his father. He felt spending the next four years with his dad and the team was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
But there was a whole lot more to consider than just the fun of spending time together and playing basketball.
"Coach's kids -- it's exciting in some ways, Big East Tournament, going to the Final Four," Dan said. "But when things aren't going good, it takes a toll on the family. Sometimes, they read stuff about their dad on social (media) that scar. It's tough. But it makes me so proud of him because he's been such a huge part of the locker room and just his relationship with the players and the coaches."
Indeed, for the coach's kid – especially a demanding coach like Hurley – to be accepted by the players as one of them, while remaining true to his family, Andrew had to be a special person with a winning personality. To say he has handled the situation admirably would be a gross understatement. He is the only four-year player on the team and one of the most popular.
"He's done so much damage control for me, on coaching these guys hard, and tough practices," Dan said. "He humanizes me a little bit with the players."
Not one to crave the spotlight, Andrew worked hard as a freshman to establish himself as a hard worker, a team player, and a positive influence in the locker room. By now, as a senior, he has firmly done so.
"It took a little bit of time," he said. "I started off doing anything I could to earn some sort of respect just to be able to be a voice and what I have now. We both had an idea of what my role was going to be and what was expected of me."
Senior Day this year has many honorees, with grads Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer and senior Hassan Diarra joining Hurley, as well as team managers Tyler Ruff, Joe Gaudio, Cam Turley, Nate Herman, Zac Condon, Isaiah Harris, Natalia Rukaj, Jack Stein, Miles Kee and Jahki Pettway.
The Hurleys -- Dan, Andrea, older son Danny and Andrew, are an extremely tight knit family – and the animated, hard-nosed coach that UConn fans are used the seeing on the sidelines will show a completely different side as has accompanies his family to center court.
"He's a very sensitive guy," Andrew said about his father. "He's very sentimental, very emotional. And especially when it comes to me and my brother, he's always invested in what we're doing and he cares so much."
It's Senior Day for the Hurley Team.
