Hurley, Mullin share similar histories
DAYTON, Ohio — Bobby Hurley was a first-round NBA draft pick, he won two national championships in college at Duke and was part of one of the great high school basketball teams of all time at St. Anthony of Jersey City.
But the greatest experience of his basketball life didn’t include any of those accomplishments. It was as a member of a college all-star team that scrimmaged the Dream Team prior to the 1992 Olympics — when he shared a court with the likes of all-time greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
“It was the best week of my life,” the Arizona State coach recalled on Tuesday. “As a competitor and as a basketball player, you want to face the best players that you can. And they were all in one gym for a week.”
One of those players — Chris Mullin — will be on the opposing sideline in the First Four on Wednesday night, when 11-seeds St. John’s and Arizona meet in the NCAA Tournament at Dayton Arena. Hurley looked up to Mullin growing up in Jersey City, watching him and St. John’s in great Big East battles in the 1980s.
“That’s when I kind of fell in love with basketball,” Hurley said. “I remember all the Final Fours, all those Big East teams going, and Villanova beating Georgetown. And just so many great memories of watching the Big East and watching St. John’s and Chris Mullin.
“[St. John’s] was on par
with the Knicks at the time,” he added.
Mullin loved watching Hurley play just the same, and was impressed by him at the scrimmages against the Dream Team — thinking it helped Hurley get selected by the Kings seventh overall in the 1993 draft.
“He was a leader,” the St. John’s coach recalled. “He was one of those guys that always overachieved, played hard as nails and did whatever it took to win, made his teammates better.”
Mullin is familiar with the entire Hurley family — from Hall of Fame high school coach Bob Sr. to Dan, the head coach at UConn, and of course Bobby.
“It’s basketball royalty of New Jersey,” Mullin said.
Mullin wouldn’t say there are similarities to his basketball-loving family, though. “No, I’m the only idiot that decided to coach in my family,” he joked.
Hurley has enjoyed success as a college coach, reaching three NCAA Tournaments in six years. He has led Arizona State to the Dance in consecutive years, albeit both times being selected for the First Four. It is the first time the Sun Devils have gone dancing in back-toback seasons since 1980 and 1981. Like Hurley, Mullin took over a program with little recent success — St. John’s hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game in 19 years — and has it back in the Dance.
Now they’ll meet as coaches, with a spot in the tournament’s main draw on the line.