UConn AD reacts to Dan Hurley’s thoughts of stepping down

STORRS – Dan Hurley’s thoughts of leaving the UConn men’s basketball program to go into broadcasting after last season, which he revealed in an excerpt from his new book, never rose to a level of concern for Athletic Director David Benedict.

In his book titled “Never Stop: Life, Leadership, and What It Takes To Be Great,” Hurley revealed that he considered resigning from his post as head coach of the Huskies after last year’s second round NCAA Tournament exit. He said he even had preliminary discussions with a TV executive at FOX Sports about potentially following a path similar to former Villanova coach Jay Wright, who joined CBS Sports as an analyst in 2022.

“I thought about leaving. Taking a gap year. Resigning as head coach of the UConn Huskies,” Hurley wrote in the book, which was co-authored by The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor. “I knew my mind, and I knew my body, and I could feel that I was completely cooked. Just burnt. I didn’t even know how I was standing.”

UConn AD David Benedict addressed the book excerpt after a wide-ranging discussion about NIL and revenue sharing on Tuesday.

“Did it hit me out of left field? No,” Benedict said. “Look, we can all appreciate and I’m sure there’s people that love that side of Coach Hurley, where he’s unabashedly honest with his emotions and how he feels, which is not how people look at headlines like were reported last week… When you put it into context that you went through a season and you won a national championship when no one expected it, you’re on that roller coaster and then you start another year and you win another one, and then there’s expectations, whether appropriate or not, to win a third. I think everyone’s got to take a step back and appreciate what that group went through for three years.

“And when someone says that they’re fried or they’ve got no energy left, it’s because of the demands that he puts on himself and the rest of that program with how they operate, which is why they were in the position they were in. It’s why, outside of one individual making a couple of shots, we win that game against Florida. But I can appreciate the realities of what that roller coaster was like for three years in a row.”

Hurley has spoken candidly about his mental health on a number of occasions, from when he was a college player in his brother’s shadow to the panic attack he suffered days after winning the 2023 national championship.

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Last season, with his sideline behavior becoming a national talking point after a blow up at the Maui Invitational and again after the NCAA Tournament loss to Florida, Hurley expressed that he needed some time to regroup mentally.

“I’m never surprised by anything Coach says,” Benedict said. “I appreciate his honesty and the fact that he’s willing to share insight into things that most people would never provide outsiders (about) those kind of thoughts and emotions that run through his mind. Do I think that was something that lasted very long? No. At least based on what I saw, they were back in the office pretty quickly figuring out how they were going to move forward.

“I was never in a place where that was a concern for me. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t real, doesn’t mean that’s not really how he felt, but I think those are emotions. We all go through emotions at different times, and I think ultimately, once you can get away from the emotion you start to think rationally and you make good decisions. Dan is meant to be the UConn men’s basketball coach, he’s a great fit, he’s going to do unbelievable things and he’ll be the next Hall of Famer.”

Hurley’s book is set to be released on Sept. 30.

Originally Published: September 9, 2025 at 2:37 PM EDT