UConn coach Dan Hurley isn’t the only member of his family looking out for his players. Hurley’s wife, Andrea, also keeps a watchful eye on them, and that came in handy toward the end of the team’s dramatic Elite Eight win over Duke.
After freshman Braylon Mullins hit what would be the game-winning shot against the Blue Devils, cameras caught Andrea Hurley telling players not to climb on the bench chairs. Most assumed she was trying to prevent the players from picking up a technical foul, but she says that’s not really what happened.
Andrea Hurley joined CBS Sports Network ahead of Monday’s national championship game, and she explained that she was worried about the players’ safety. Hurley said she had recently stood on one of those folding chairs, and it didn’t end well.
“We have Final Four chairs in our little sports room,” Hurley said. “Don’t be shocked by this, but I was changing lightbulbs two weeks before that. I stood — and I know this is not nice — but I stood on the Final Four chair to change the lightbulb, and it folded in.”
So, when Hurley saw UConn star Tarris Reed Jr. step onto the chair, her instincts took over as she instructed him to get down.
“They’re heavy,” Hurley said. “I thought I passed away. I laid there for a while, and I was hurting for like two weeks. When I saw Tarris jump on, it was like PTSD. That freaked me out.”
UConn fans might be able to thank Hurley for making sure the team entered the Final Four without any chair-related injury designations.
Braving rain (and getting a police escort) for holy beads
Anyone who has watched a UConn game has likely noticed the beads that Dan Hurley wears on his wrist. Those are holy beads, and Andrea goes to great lengths to make sure they are in game shape.
Hurley told CBS Sports the beads are prone to snapping and rolling everywhere, which is what happened at some point on the night of UConn’s Elite Eight win over Duke. Andrea had plans to fix them prior to the Final Four, but in the chaos of the week, she forgot.
Just as Hurley got to her seat on Saturday, she got a call from Huskies assistant coach Luke Murray, and she leapt into action. Hurley endured rain — and watched part of the Final Four game in the hotel — before calling in some backup to make sure Dan received the beads.
“He broke them before we left, and he said, ‘Make sure you fix them before the next game,'” Hurley said. “I said, ‘I will.’ … I forgot. I get to my seat last night. Luke Murray called me last night and says, ‘Where’s the holy beads?’ … I had to leave the arena last night and get the beads. I was watching the start of the game in the hotel room. Then I got a police escort back with the holy beads.”
At least Hurley only has to keep the beads in working order for one more game this season. Plus, the forecast is calling for sunny skies in Indianapolis on Monday. So, if she has to make another sprint to the hotel, it’ll be a dry one.