Hurley easing into new role
New UConn men’s coach has leaned on Edsall, Auriemma and other colleagues
Early on in his new job, Dan Hurley began tapping into the wealth of resources on the UConn campus.
Hurley visited with football coach Randy Edsall, who's on a mission to duplicate the success that he had in his first stint in Storrs.
He's spent time with Hall of Fame women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma, who owns more national championship rings than he has fingers to wear them on.
He appreciates the advice and words of wisdom he's received from both, as well as other UConn coaches.
"It's an amazing group of coaches," Hurley said. "They've been real warm, open and friendly."
Hurley and his fellow coaches are spending four straight nights together on the UConn Huskies Coaches Road Show, which stopped at Stony Creek Brewery in Branford on Tuesday.
The support from his fellow coaches has helped ease Hurley's transition into his new job as men's basketball coach.
"It helps a ton," Hurley said during Monday's stop at the Glastonbury Boathouse. "Your season ends, then you jump right back into the fire. You've got so many things going on with the current roster, with recruiting, with putting a staff together, trying to get your life situated as well. We all have families.
"When you're able to get help from your fellow coaches, it just helps you get settled better and just get yourself organized and have a road map of how you want to attack things."
Edsall was one of the first coaches that Hurley reached out to on cam-
pus. They had a "great" 45-minute conversation for about the ins and outs of working at the university.
Hurley also had an opportunity to visit with Edsall and Auriemma during a trip to Monterey, Calif., where they attended a UConn alumni event in early May.
"He gave me some great ideas in terms of recruiting angles and just how the place works," Hurley said of Edsall. "Geno I've had a chance to spend time with on a couple different occasions. Just picking his brain on a bunch of different things, tactically on the court but also again program type of stuff."
In his 33 years at UConn, Auriemma has seen four different coaches occupy the men's basketball office. He's looking forward to building a relationship with Hurley.
"Danny's inundated himself with the job, so that it's 24-7 right now for him," Auriemma said. "Talk to him any time of the day and he's talking about the job. You see him anywhere, any time, he's talking about what he has to do for UConn basketball. That's where he is right now.
"I'm looking forward to it. I think all of us need to be successful and all of us need to support each other."
Edsall has the same agent as Hurley. His brother Duke, a college basketball official, has crossed paths with Hurley.
"He's a really good guy," Edsall said on Tuesday. "I know he's a good coach, just seeing what he's done. He's got that intensity and toughness about him, to me, you need to have."
Men's soccer Ray Reid is another resource for Hurley. Reid recruited soccer players at St. Benedict Prep in New Jersey when Hurley taught and coached there, so they've known each other for years.
Hurley is eager to chat with baseball coach Jim Penders. One of Hurley's mentors at Rhode Island was Tom Penders, Jim's uncle.
Penders can attest to the supportive staff at UConn.
Edsall tweeted a good luck message to the baseball team before the NCAA tournament. Auriemma texted Penders about Tim Cate's strong pitching performance in Saturday's win.
Before the Huskies left for South Carolina last week, Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun accepted a last-minute invitation. Calhoun drove to Storrs from West Hartford and gave an inspirational speech to the team.
"I'm texting him on the way in (to work) illegally, saying, 'Coach, any chance that you're in Storrs today. I've got a bunch of guys who feel like they got hosed out of a regional and I can't think of anybody better to speak to them about resilience and toughness than you.' And he called me back within five minutes.
"... So we moved our day around and I didn't tell them he was coming. ... There he comes, walking in like a cowboy in the back of the field house parking lot. And the kids were like, mouth agape, they couldn't believe it. He was awesome. It was like he was in a huddle in 1999 in St. Petersburg. He saved his best stuff.
"It was just incredible. Telling them about Duke not practicing the night before the championship game. Stuff that I never knew and I was in awe listening to him."
One day last week, men's hockey coach Mike Cavanaugh happened to be running by the baseball field and Penders called him over to speak.
"Pretty amazing family that we have at UConn," Penders said. "The resources that I'm blessed to have around me from our coaching staff, period, is just immense. (Field hockey coach) Nancy Stevens is incredible. Ray Reid, every day. We're office suite mates. I've got so many great resources around us, it would be stupid not to use them, so we use them as best we can all the time."