Sports
NCAA Basketball Legend To Coach At Buffalo
< < Back to ncaa-basketball-legend-coach-buffaloThe University at Buffalo has hired former Duke guard Bobby Hurley as its new men's basketball head coach. He becomes the 12th men's basketball coach in Buffalo's history.
"As we consider to foster our role as the flagship athletic department for the state of New York, the appointment of Coach Hurley sends a clear statement that the University at Buffalo is committed to bringing big time college athletics to the Western New York community and the state at large," Buffalo Athletic Director Danny White said at a press conference introducing Hurley.
Hurley served the past year as an associate coach at the University of Rhode Island and spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Wagner college from 2010-2012.
In four seasons at Duke from 1989-1993, Hurley led the Blue Devils to three Final Four Appearances and two national championships. He was selected to the AP All-America First Team in 1993, and his 1076 career assists rank first in NCAA history.
"Bobby is one of the most intense and courageous competitors I have ever been around," said Jay Billas, ESPN analyst and former player at Duke. "He is a winner in every sense of the word, but he also has a refreshing humility and a blue-collar approach."
Hurley comes from a family of basketball minds. His father, Bob, Sr., is the coach of basketball powerhouse St. Anthony's High School (N.J.) and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. His brother, Dan, is the head coach at Rhode Island.
"The last few years we have coached together have been exciting, and I know he is ready for the next step," Dan Hurley said of his brother.
The next step for Bobby Hurley is taking over a program in Buffalo that finished 14-20 in 2013 and placed eighth in the MAC regular season standings. The Bulls did end the season with two MAC Tournament wins and a March 2 home victory against Akron, which was 14-0 in conference play at the time.
Hurley will have three of the Bulls' top four points-per-game scorers returning next seaon, including All-MAC First Team selection Javon McCrae. The 6-foot-7 forward led the Bulls with 18.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, good for second and fourth in the MAC, respectively.
"I'm confident, after our discussions, that (Hurley) is the right leader to take our program to the next level," White said.
Hurley and his wife, Leslie, have a son, Bobby, and two daughters, Cameron and Sydney.