Bobby Hurley was notified Wednesday that his contract was not being renewed at Arizona State, where he served as head coach since 2015. Is he interested in coaching with his brother again at UConn?
Speculation popped up Wednesday afternoon that two of Dan Hurley’s assistant coaches -- Luke Murray and Kimani Young -- could be candidates for the head coach job at Syracuse, open with the firing of Adrian Autry.
Later in the day, Arizona State officials announced that Bobby Hurley would not return next season as head coach of the Sun Devils, with the university declining to extend his expiring contract.
If Dan Hurley winds up losing an assistant coach, would he consider hiring his older brother for his staff?
It’s a moot point, according to Bobby, who is 18 months older than Dan. Bobby told Matt Norlander of CBS Sports that he wants to find a job as a head coach.
"I wouldn't," Bobby said. "I don't think I would take an assistant position at this time. I may look in media if there wasn't something that made sense for me this year in the cycle, but I don't want to waste time. I got, like, 10 years I think in doing this and I think I have more to give to the game and I don't want to stop."
The sons of a legendary high school coach in their home state of New Jersey, the brothers have worked together before.
When Dan was the head coach at Wagner (2010-12), Bobby was on his staff. Bobby then spent one year as associate head coach at Rhode Island (2013) under his brother before Bobby got his first job as the top man at Buffalo (2013-15). From there, he was off to Arizona State.
Dan Hurley (left) was the head coach and his older brother Bobby his assistant at Wagner, shown here as they strategize during a game against Pitt on Dec. 22, 2011. Wagner won 59-54. Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesThe Bobby Hurley file
Bobby, 54, was an All-American guard and two-time national champion at Duke (1989-93). The Sacramento Kings selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.
Bobby Hurley was an All-American point guard for Duke. Here, he is playing against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C., in 1993. Credit: Imagn ImagesJust weeks into his rookie season, Bobby was involved in a car accident after leaving a game when his Toyota 4Runner was broadsided by a Buick. He wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the car, landing in a drainage ditch.
He suffered life-threatening injuries and never was the same player. He retired in 1998 and later became an NBA scout and then a coach.
Bobby Hurley had a record of 185-167 in 11 seasons at Arizona State, trailing only Ned Wulk for most wins by a Sun Devils head coach. Wulk, the coach from 1957 to 1982), won 406 games.
Where could Bobby Hurley wind up?
The job at Syracuse is one power-conference opening, with more undoubtedly to come as conference tournaments wrap up this week.
Also vacant are head jobs at Boston College, Georgia Tech and Kansas State. Providence head coach Kim English also has been informed that he will not be retained.
That last one could be an interesting landing spot for Bobby Hurley. Can you imagine two fiery Hurleys doing battle at least twice each season? Watching that chess match would be worth the price of admission.