Dan Hurley says it's an 'honor' to share Sweet 16 with mentor Tom Izzo
· Yahoo Sports
The group chat will be blowing up ahead of UConn and Michigan State's game in the Sweet 16. Seriously.
During UConn's win over UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Huskies coach Dan Hurley told Spartans coach Tom Izzo through the TNT cameras to expect his call "just to break the ice," while sharing some words of respect for his next opponent.
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"Talk about an honor to share the sideline with one of the greatest coaches and one of the most real coaches, not a phony in any way," Hurley said in his postgame interview. "What you see is what you get, and he's one of the greatest to ever do it, and he's always been my most respected coach that I've tried to model myself after at the college level. So I love Coach Izzo."
According to a report during the broadcast, Izzo and Hurley are part of a group chat of coaches who prioritize more traditional coaching values in an evolving college sports landscape. Both have been vocal critics of recent changes like in-season roster additions or allowing NBA draft picks to play college ball.
Hurley's No. 2 seed UConn (31-5) will face Izzo's No. 3 seed Michigan State (27-7) in the Sweet 16 after the Huskies' 73-57 win over No. 7 seed UCLA in Philadelphia. The Spartans beat No. 6 seed Louisville 77-69 Saturday in Buffalo. Their matchup in the Sweet 16 will be at 9:45 p.m. Friday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
It's a rarity for Izzo and Hurley to be on the sidelines together. Izzo won the only regular season meeting between the two coaches, 64-60, on Nov. 25, 2021 in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Earlier this season, Hurley and the Huskies downed the Spartans 76-69 in a preseason exhibition Oct. 28.
Though he didn't know at the time he was Hurley's model, Izzo was just getting started as Michigan State's head coach in 1996 when Hurley, 53, graduated from Seton Hall. Hurley entered the coaching profession as an assistant coach for his father, Bob Hurley Sr., before a stint at Rutgers. After nine years leading St. Benedict's Prep, the younger Hurley got his first collegiate gig at Wagner in 2010 with his older brother Bobby — who formerly held the NCAA career assists record as a Duke star — as his assistant coach. Dan Hurley moved on to Rhode Island in 2012 and won the program two NCAA Tournament games in 2017 and 2018 before taking the UConn job in 2018.
Hurley led the Huskies to back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Dan Hurley says it's an 'honor' to share Sweet 16 with mentor Tom Izzo