The beloved college basketball figure has an opinion on what Syracuse should do after the firing of Adrian Autry.
The Syracuse University men's basketball program is looking for its next head coach in the wake of firing Adrian Autry on Wednesday morning.
Autry, 54, held the job for three years, going 49-48 and missing the NCAA Tournament each year. SU was just beaten by SMU in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament on Tuesday.
As of now, there are six names being linked to the Syracuse opening, including former players Mike Hopkins and Gerry McNamara.
However, college basketball legend Dick Vitale weighed in on social media with another suggestion: Bobby Hurley, who was just fired by Arizona State.
A grr8 hire for @syrbasketball would be BOB HURLEY !Has had some quality years in a tough job at Arizona St. To win 17 games this year in the @Big12Conference was due to his winning mentality . Did a fab job at @UBuffaloMBB
About Hurley as a coach
The brother of UConn head coach Dan Hurley, Bobby Hurley went 185-167 in 11 seasons with Arizona State, advancing to the NCAA Tournament three times. He had the Sun Devils ranked in four separate seasons, reaching as high as No. 3 in 2017-18. Hurley also won 20 games or more in four separate seasons, including 23 on two occasions.
He was under .500 in two of the last three seasons, precipitating the coaching change at ASU.
As noted by Vitale, Hurley also spent two seasons at Buffalo, winning 19 and 23 games in those two campaigns. He made the NCAA Tournament once there as well.
ASU Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley yells out to his team as they play the Kansas Jayhawks at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, on March 3, 2026.About Hurley as a player
A four-year standout at Duke, Hurley started 139 of a possible 140 games in his career. The point guard on two national championship teams, Hurley was a three-time All-ACC selection and a consensus All-American in 1992-93. He netted 12.4 ppg and 7.7 assists. He led the ACC in assists/game in both his junior and senior years.
He was the No. 7 pick of the Sacramento Kings in the 1993 NBA Draft, playing five years in the NBA with the Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies. He averaged 3.8 ppg and 3.3 assists.
On the timeline for Syracuse
There has been no defined timeline for a hire, but with Syracuse about to finalize the hiring of a new athletic director, the process can kick into another gear.
Of course, SU will want to see how the NCAA Tournament plays out for potential candidates, including McNamara, who just helped Siena punch its ticket out of the MAAC.
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