So I have not followed Dan Hurley's career very closely and I would like the opinions of this board. I know he was a very good, not great, player at Seton Hall. I know that his brother was a great player at Duke and of course I know that his father is a high school legend in New Jersey.
Is he an exceptional coach or is he just a name that we know well? Is Pat Hobbs thinking of the family history or is he truly a coach that can recruit and win on a national stage?
I am a Eddie Jordan supporter, so lets discuss what makes Danny Hurley different from Coach Jordan.
In recruiting, Eddie wasn't playing the games that the AAU coaches want played. That's why you saw us basically shut out locally. Eddie relied on his profile and NBA resume to bring in players, i.e. Corey Sanders and DeShawn Freeman. Hurley will show up at Rutgers as the most connected coach in N.J. His father has been a staple in high school for 30 or 40 years, and he coached high school himself prior to leaving for Wagner. Eddie also tapped his short AAU stint to get guys like Nigel and Junior Etou. Those resources are about to run out as there are no more kids left to be recruited who he coached. Danny is still majorly connected in the area, more so than Willard or Mullin which is important.
I am angry about the way coach Jordan got fired, and don't feel he got a fair shake, but he made multiple mistakes when he was hired. #1, he trusted Rutgers....which all of us know is the number one no-no. He didn't ask for the 6th year of the deal which would have all but guaranteed him the shot to coach an improved roster next year. Hurley as a non-Rutgers guy saw the situation and requested a 7 year deal. Once Eddie got some pieces in place and brought the team further away from the scandal, Hurley's agent contacted the school (along with a lot of other agents for different coaches) because the team was wounded. So he basically waited out what he knew was a disaster and then strategically moved in.
#2. Eddie made no demands for facilities. I can guarantee you that right now, Hurley is making Hobbs iron out an exact plan on how the facilities will be improved to help him sell to potential recruits, as well as give him an out in the event that Rutgers doesn't deliver on its promises. EJ made no demands, and again, trusted Rutgers to do the right things and preached patience. This bit him in the behind in the end.
In my opinion, anything less than Danny Hurley is a phenomenal failure as far as coaching hires. We need the great recruiting ties in the area. All of these other up-and-comers in my opinion are just a bulldozing of what Eddie had started to bring in, and we can go back to 3 years ago with nothing. Hurley brings us instant credibility with HS coaches and the AAU crowd in NJ. He's a must get, so the boosters who helped fire Eddie better pony up when the negotiations are made on salary because right now, its Hurley or bust. Might as well not show up next season if we land anyone else, it will have been a waste of $2 Million. As much as I'm burnt up over the Eddie ouster, Hurley does make sense for the long term, while Eddie at his age was never going to be here forever. At the end of the day, I think he deserved a year to coach his own players, but he will be credited in the future for building a great foundation if we get the right coach to lead this team and add talent.
Hurley is the only answer. If Hobbs fired Jordan without having this ironed out, then it calls into question his credibility as an AD. If Hurley gets hired, then it will look like Hobbs is a guy with a plan, as sleazy as that plan was, a good sleazy plan none-the-less.
