One of the most respected voices in college basketball essentially told UConn coach Dan Hurley not to do it.
The coach of the two-time defending national champion Huskies criticized his officiating, which longtime analyst Jay Bilas called “an excuse for bad behavior” on the set of ESPN's “College Game Meme” on Saturday. I have a problem with the recent criticism of his sideline behavior. ”
“That's what he is. Be real. And he's competitive. Take Dan Hurley out of it, you can say that about any coach, but it's just an excuse for bad behavior.” I think so,” Bilas said. “My thing is about the perceived competitive advantage of what they call 'working'.
“It's not just once they cross the line and lose their mind and get the technical stuff and all that. The referees can handle that. The whole game where I think the fans are influencing the calls. It's a constant condemnation of officials…and we have to address that. If it doesn't affect the calls, that's really bad optics for college coaches compared to NBA coaches. I don't think it's doing much. And I don't think it looks very good.”
Hurley has been shown to be unrelenting in berating officials in the recent UConn game against Butler, and he said earlier this week that he wants “they to put more cameras on the other coaches.” I did.
I'm fine with that. ESPN analyst Jay Williams disagreed. “I'm not saying it's the right thing to do, but it's who Dan Hurley is.
“I think sometimes in today's society, we want everything [about] So many morals… It feels – I hate to use the word – but it feels a little soft at times in how we treat the players and how we treat them. [officials]but it's a competitive game. When you're as competitive as Dan Hurley…these guys lose their minds sometimes with the competitive juices. ”
Williams added that he refers to such coaches and former players, including Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, as “competitive P-KS.”
And he clearly meant it as a compliment.
“When you're that competitive, you say things that aren't right, but you tell me where the lies are,” Williams said. “Dan Hurley is the best coach in the country. And I don't know what could go wrong.”
