Uconn rivalry finds a perfect villain
Connecticut coach Dan Hurley left the sideline, hands digging holes into the pockets of his sport coat, and began walking. He walked past one side of the 3-point arc, past the Huskies’ huddle, past the Memphis dance team, and didn’t stop until he was clear across the other side of the court Sunday afternoon to protest a foul call.
After a game in which his sideline antics stole the show, from profanity-laced tirades to mood swings that spanned seconds, this was the final flourish from the newest villain Memphis basketball fans are going to love to hate.
As Hurley completed this jaunt to the courtside seats at Fedexforum during the final media timeout of the Tigers’ 78-71 win, he stared menacingly at one fan pointing at him to go back to where he came from. And Hurley shouted right back.
“Sit down!” he said, and there might have been another expletive in there depending on who you asked.
But Memphis didn't sit down, and Hurley didn't stop screaming. It's exactly what you should want.
Because as Memphis snapped a three-game losing skid Sunday in a game coach Penny Hardaway deemed a “must-win,” perhaps the more important development was that these two slumbering college basketball powerhouses gave us a preview of what might be once they become powerhouses again.
Forget Rick Barnes and Tennessee: Hurley, and his over-the-top hijinks, is actually the perfect foil for Hardaway.
Because the success of one program will help the other.
Because both teams were on parallel tracks heading into Sunday’s matchup.
Both have first-year coaches with famous last names. Both came in with a 13-10 record. Both have top-20 recruiting classes coming in next year. Both need to be what they once were if the American Athletic Conference is to reach its full potential as a league.
And for the first time all season, Hardaway wasn’t the coach everyone in the arena was looking at.
They were watching the maniac
stomping up and down the visitor’s sideline, who was somehow the loudest person among the 17,162 at Fedexforum.
Hurley was as crude as Hardaway was calm. He looked at the officials as if they’d murdered his dog and never stopped hounding them.
But here’s the most surprising part, other than the fact that Hurley somehow made it out of Memphis without a technical foul: He’s actually quite charming and reasonable off the court.
He grew up in a basketball family in Jersey City, N.J., a place that’s a lot like Memphis, where basketball matters more than other places. His outbursts, he said, are more necessary right now for this first Connecticut team because they "need that battery in their back from their coach to help in that habit of fighting and competing."
He sounded a lot like Hardaway did Thursday, when he questioned the Tigers' toughness. Heck, Hurley even apologized to the Memphis dance team.
It's why before Sunday’s game started, before Hurley lost his mind over and over again, he shook hands with Hardaway and told him this could be the start of the rivalry everyone dreamed it could be when these schools joined the AAC five years ago.
“With what we got coming in and what we’re going to build, and what he’s got coming in and what he’s going to build … I wouldn’t expect us to come into these matchups 13-10 very frequently in the future,” Hurley said. “I think both programs are going to spike in terms of what we look like. The next time we meet on the court potentially could look a little bit different, not necessarily in terms of the result, but in terms of what it looks like and what’s at stake.”
Then, of course, once the ball was tipped and senior Jeremiah Martin said something to the Uconn bench after hitting the first shot of the game, Hurley became incensed.
“You better shut his (expletive) mouth!" Hurley said to one ref, and away we went.
Hardaway didn't mind the theatrics.
He’s known Hurley for years, ever since he attended a basketball camp with Hurley and his brother, current Arizona State coach and former Duke star Bobby Hurley.
Hardaway likes him, too. Even if he started laughing before the question about Hurley’s behavior was finished.
“It’s hilarious, Hardaway said, "but it’s him fighting for his team."
For Hardaway's team, Sunday was about getting back on track after a concerning two weeks, after he challenged them so publicly Thursday night.
So it was good to see senior Kyvon Davenport support Martin and score 26 points. It was good to see freshman Tyler Harris hitting shots and finding open teammates. It was good to see Memphis lead from start to finish before two more road games await this week.
Although it was concerning to watch the Tigers nearly give away a 16-point second half lead, to watch them get pounded on the glass late, they never completely wilted. They always had a response.
When senior Raynere Thornton soared through the air for a putback dunk with 43 seconds remaining to provide just enough cushion, the crowd roared because holding off a team with the tradition of Connecticut still means something.
And then, as Hurley left the floor, he looked out into the stands and soaked in the boos being showered upon him by almost everyone wearing Memphis blue.
Except Bill Davis, who leaned over the railing and got Hurley's attention.
"I'm not booing you, Coach," he said
"Why aren't you?" Hurley shot back with a smirk.
Every good rivalry needs a villain. Hurley will work just fine for this one.
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @mgiannotto