"Had to cancel going to a Billy Joel concert": Dan Hurley reveals he had to prioritize Cooper Flagg's visit, calling it a 'big moment' in his career

Dan Hurley, known for his candor, recently spoke about prioritizing the visit of highly-touted basketball recruit Cooper Flagg over some serious personal business.

The UConn head coach referred to Flagg's visit as a pivotal moment in his career during an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Thursday.

Humorously, Hurley mentioned canceling famous American singer-songwriter and pianist Billy Joel’s concert to accommodate Flagg and his family for an official visit. Hurley shared that he wasn't willing initially to miss a Billy Joel concert at the Garden.

Now, with the hope of meeting Flagg in the Final Four next year, after he chooses Duke over UConn, Hurley said:

"You know, Cooper, appreciate you, hope you have a great year, hope to meet you in the Final Four next year," Hurley said. "But we had to cancel going to a Billy Joel concert last September to accommodate Cooper and Kelly [his mother] and his family for an official visit.”

"And as big a moment it was in my career to make a huge decision, I was not missing Billy Joel at one of his last concerts at the Garden [this week]."

A projected top NBA draft pick, Flagg verbally committed to play for Duke on Oct. 30, 2023, after having considered an offer from UConn.

He has declared for the 2025 NBA Draft after reclassifying to the 2024 recruiting class and playing one season at Duke.

Cooper Flagg reclassified to the 2024 recruiting class

Duke Blue Devils commit Patrick Ngongba (left) and Cooper Flagg.

Cooper Flagg has been reclassified from the 2025 recruiting class to the 2024 class. This means he'll be playing one college basketball season at Duke before entering the 2025 NBA draft.

According to the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, players must be at least 19 years old in the calendar year of the draft. They also need to have at least one NBA season elapsed since high school graduation to be eligible.

Flagg will meet these requirements by the time of the 2025 draft. ESPN's draft expert Jonathan Givony projects Flagg as the likely number one overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

In the 2023-24 season, Flagg had impressive stats in high school, averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game.