For UConn's Andrew Hurley, NCAA final was one spiking moment
Apr. 6—HOUSTON — Andrew Hurley walked off a basketball court as a champion before.
He was part of East Catholic High's CIAC Division I boys basketball state championship team in 2019.
Hurley experienced that feeling again Monday, only this time it was with UConn, and it was on the biggest stage of college basketball: the national championship game.
"I'm going to be honest with you, I really have nothing going on in my mind right now," Hurley said following UConn's win. "I'm just numb right now. I can't feel anything. This is just a crazy, crazy experience."
Hurley is the third member of his family to hoist the NCAA Division I men's basketball championship trophy.
His dad and UConn coach Dan Hurley experienced it with him for the first time at NRG Stadium Monday. His uncle Bobby won two national titles as a player at Duke.
Andrew gets a kick out of the fact that he joins his uncle in the player champion club, something his dad never did during his playing days at Seton Hall.
"You know, now that you bring that up, maybe," he said with a laugh when asked if he'd hold that over his dad's head. "But just bringing home this championship just means everything for us. It means everything for the fans, and we're so excited to be a part of it."
Kidding aside, Hurley is thankful he has a new memory that he and his dad will be able to share forever.
"I think this is definitely up there," he said. "He's such a great father and obviously he's a great coach. It's hard to put a lot of things before many of our experiences, but I think this is definitely up there for sure."
Hurley, a junior walk-on whose family moved to Glastonbury when his dad got the UConn job in 2018, played in all six tournament games for the Huskies. He didn't score, but grabbed two rebounds and recorded a steal.
"I hope that means something," the 6-foot-1 guard said with a laugh. "That's cool though. Being a walk-on, it's something I'm super grateful for."
But what Coach Hurley — and Andrew's grandfather, Naismith Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley Sr. — were quick to point out were his fouls and turnovers. Hurley recorded two of each in six games, with both dad and grandad saying he "stuffed the stat sheet."
"I might get a lot for that, but I think I'm just an impact player, there's nothing I can do about it," the younger Hurley joked. "I think that's what it is."
Hurley was the one who dribbled out the clock in the national championship game. When the final horn sounded, he spiked the ball to begin the Huskies' celebrations.
"I'll be honest, going towards the end of that game I didn't think I was going to get in there," Hurley said. "But I remember Donovan (Clingan) told me, I think it was Shabazz (Napier) spiking the ball (in 2014). He said it was a tradition. So I just knew that if I was in there and I had the ball, I had to spike it. I had to keep it going."
Hurley will be back with the Huskies next season. But it will be hard for year four to top year three.
"I'm just grateful to have been a part of it all," he said. "I'm just super thrilled for everyone on the team."
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