"I met my wife in college at a time when I was a little bit of a mess": Dan Hurley reflects on family amid Jim Calhoun comparisons

The UConn Huskies, coached by Dan Hurley, are having an inconsistent bid to a national championship three-peat thus far in the 2024-25 season. As the 25th-ranked program in the nation, they stand at a 6-3 Big East record, 14-6 overall, after succumbing to the Xavier Musketeers by four points, 76-72, on the road on Saturday.

While Hurley is looking for ways to improve his squad's gameplan and overall performances, it can't be denied that things are not looking too good for the Huskies right now. But, through everything happening on-court, the tenured coach reflected on off-court life recently.

During an interview with 247Sports uploaded to YouTube on Saturday, Hurley detailed his sentiments regarding his family situation through comparisons he is facing with former UConn coach Jim Calhoun.

"With Coach Calhoun, I hope to coach in a style that makes him proud," he shared (9:33). "He's one of my coaching idols. He's been an incredible mentor ... The amount of time he takes to mentor, call, text me, to come spend time with the team and the staff and help us get better, I owe him dearly for that ... I've got two things in my life that are my biggest and only priorities.

"That's my program at UConn and my family, my wife, Andrea, and my two sons, Danny and Andrew. It's my family and it's my team, and that's where all of my focus goes ... I met my wife in college at a time when I was a little bit of a mess. That relationship and how she has helped me grow and develop into a better man has changed my life."

Hurley, with the support of his whole family, has been at the helm of the UConn coaching staff since 2018, steering the program to two national titles thus far. Six years before him, Calhoun stepped down from the role after commanding the men's team from 1986 to 2012.

Adam Finkelstein lays down the similarities between Dan Hurley and Jim Calhoun

Jim Calhoun in 2024 with former NBA player Rip Hamilton. - Source: David Bulter II, Imagn

Dan Hurley's comments during the 247Sports interview were in direct response to host and college basketball insider Adam Finkelstein. The insider mentioned parallels he observed between the two UConn coaches, having worked for Jim Calhoun before.

"One of the parallels that I see, because I was a manager for Coach Calhoun, you both have this larger-than-life persona about you on the sidelines," Finkelstein shared (8:35). "People have said about Coach Calhoun when he walks into the gym, everybody knows it. The same is said for you.

"A parallel, though, is when you used to see Coach Calhoun with his family, his wife ... He turned into a softie."

Much to the delight of Calhoun, Hurley has made the UConn Huskies men's basketball program into a much bigger success, as the team is gunning for a third straight national title this year.