EXCLUSIVE: URI Hires Hurley
Friday, March 16, 2012
GoLocalProv.com has learned that former Wagner men’s basketball coach Danny Hurley has accepted the job to become the new men’s basketball coach at the University of Rhode Island. While URI has yet to officially announce the deal, sources tell GoLocalProv.com that Hurley will sign a multi-year deal to succeed Jim Baron in Kingston and that the deal could be worth just over $735,000 per season which would be in line with the median salary in the Atlantic Ten Conference.
Hurley just completed his second season at Wagner College where he led the team to a (25-6) overall record this season. In his first season at the helm, he led the Seahawks to a (13-17) record which was an 8-win improvement from the previous season for the program. His teams went (24-12) in the Northeast Conference in his 2 seasons on Staten Island.
The 39-year old Hurley built St. Benedict's Prep of Newark, NJ into a national power during his 9 years there from 2001-2010. Hurley led the Grey Bees to a 223-21 record, coached four McDonald’s All-Americans and developed four teams that were ranked in the top-five in the nation.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTGoLocalProv.com was the first to report that URI's top target was Hurley and that they wanted to get a new head coach in place quickly. That's exactly what Thorr Bjiorn and the school did.
Efforts to contact URI officials were unsuccessful. There is no word from the school on when an official announcement will be made.
The following comes from his bio on Wagner College's website Wagnerathletics.com:
Hurley, a 1991 graduate of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, NJ where he played for his father Bob Hurley, a legendary coach who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this past summer. At St. Anthony, Hurley was a member of a National Championship team in 1989 and a member of a team ranked No. 2 in the nation in 1991.
Following a successful prep career, Hurley headed to Seton Hall where he graduated in 1996. While with the Pirates, he played under former Wagner head coach P.J. Carlesimo and current UConn Associate coach George Blaney. For his career, Hurley scored 1,070 points while helping the Pirates to three NCAA Tournament appearances and one berth in the NIT.
Hurley got into coaching following graduation and spent the 1996-1997 season as an assistant coach at St. Anthony before latching on at Rutgers from 1997-2001 where he helped lead the Scarlet Knights to a pair of NIT appearances.
Hurley is the younger brother of former Duke All-American guard, NBA lottery pick and current Wagner assistant coach Bobby Hurley, Jr.
Hurley and his wife Andrea are the proud parents of two sons; Danny (12) and Andrew (10).
