"You better have thick skin": When Dan Hurley shared how he followed Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun's footsteps at UConn

Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies are aiming for an unprecedented championship three-peat this 2024-25 season. The seven-year UConn tactician has found tremendous success after joining a program that has seen its share of amazing coaches.

During an episode of CBS Sports Network's "Home Court" in November of last year with fellow national title-winning coach Jay Wright, Hurley detailed how he was able to follow in the footsteps of legendary UConn coaches Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun.

"In a place like UConn, you're following coach Calhoun and Geno...You're going to coach at a place like UConn, you better be resilient. You better have thick skin. You better be really, really tough. I'm a really tough person because, I think, of the basketball journey," he shared. (7:45)

Auriemma is currently the head tactician for the UConn women's basketball team, where his 40-year tenure at the helm has produced a staggering 11 national championships. This season, he also became the winningest college basketball coach of all time, men's and women's.

Calhoun, on the other hand, was the UConn men's basketball head coach from 1986 to 2012. The Massachusetts native was able to win three national titles during his time at Storrs and was even inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005. He stepped down after 26 years with the Huskies and had a brief return to coaching back in 2018 with the University of St. Joseph.

Hurley took on the reins to be the Huskies men's basketball head coach after six seasons at Rhode Island. Since then, he has brought the squad to the Final Four twice, and on those two occasions, they've won the national championship.

He's hoping to add to the success he has garnered by gunning for a third straight title with UConn. With Big East play approaching, the Huskies will aim to gain more momentum heading into 2025.

Dan Hurley on how winning a championship has changed his life

It was a major blur for Dan Hurley when he made the big leap from being the Rhode Island Rams head coach to being at the helm of a powerhouse like UConn. Going through the ups and downs, Hurley eventually won the national title for the first time in his career in his fifth year with the school — which he says is an accomplishment that has changed his life.

"It's definitely a feeling of joy when you get the moments to think about what the whole thing meant in terms of everything you've put into this game that sometimes hasn't always been that good to you," Hurley said. (7:23)

"Now, you get this ultimate thing. You get recognized a lot more. A lot less people like telling you that you stink," he added.

Should Hurley and the Huskies pull off a rare feat in a national championship three-peat, he'll likely get that feeling once again as his name would be etched among the greats.