Dan Hurley takes aim at ‘Skip Bayless wannabes’ in national media

Dan Hurley doesn’t have many friends in the national media.

And that was well before his communications director allegedly threatened a local reporter over the weekend. The UConn Huskies head coach might be the next big villain in sports, leaning toward the notion that people like him are good for the sport.

But once he erupted on a referee — he lost an ally in Jeff Goodman.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Hurley didn’t appreciate how the national media covered his outburst at an official, but his frustration didn’t change the narrative. Jay Bilas dismissed his sideline antics as little more than an excuse for bad behavior. Scott Van Pelt had his own theory. Gus Johnson, on the other hand, wouldn’t change a thing about Hurley’s approach, while Mark Titus was far more blunt – flat-out calling him an a**hole.

With the criticism piling up, Hurley didn’t sit back and take it. He fired back at the press, twisting a question just to take a shot at reporters, claiming they’d been “a**holes” to him all season.

Which probably explains why he — and his communications staff — weren’t thrilled with how he’s being portrayed.

But even before he went viral for complaining about the referees and the bowels of the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, Hurley met with the local beat. He’d already warned Baylor’s coaching staff and had an emotional interview with CBS’s Tracy Wolfson before taking a shot at the national media — not the local reporters who cover him regularly.

In what turned out to be his final media scrum of the season, Hurley made a point to thank those who covered him from Storrs, Connecticut, those of whom he believed treated him fairly.

“And not the national talking heads, Skip Bayless wannabe’s,” Hurley said, per David Borges of ctinsider.com. “And you never will be.”

Hurley has drawn his battle lines. The national media may not be on his side, but he doesn’t seem to care—if anything, he’s doubling down. His critics see a coach who can’t handle the scrutiny that comes with success. His supporters see a defiant leader willing to take on the establishment.

Either way, if you’re not with him, you’re against him. And he’s just fine with that.