REPORTS: URI’s Hurley Among Top Candidates for Pitt Coaching Job
GoLocalProv Sports Team
REPORTS: URI’s Hurley Among Top Candidates for Pitt Coaching Job
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Hurley is Pittsburgh’s number one option to replace Kevin Stallings.
About Hurley, the Gazette writes, “The question for Pitt isn’t whether Hurley would be a great fit, but whether he’s a realistic candidate, especially since he wasn’t interested in the position when it was open two years ago. For Hurley, it may come down to his options. If Pitt’s the best choice in what may be a relatively barren job market this offseason, does he go for it? Or does he bank on remaining a hot commodity?”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTYahoo Sports adds, "The race for Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley will be fascinating. Pittsburgh should have the jump on landing him."
Pittsburgh fired Stallings after the team went 0-18 in the ACC this past season.
Hurley at URI This Season
This season, Hurley led URI to an overall record of 23-6 and a conference record of 15-3, good enough to clinch the programs first ever regular-season A-10 championship.
Hurley tied program records for most home wins (15), most road conference wins (7) and had a 16-game winning streak, the second longest in program history.
The Rams also were ranked in the top 25 in both national polls for the final seven weeks of the regular season, the longest streak in team history.
They ranked as low as 16th in the country, and currently rank 25th heading into the A-10 Tournament.
Hurley also became the second-fastest coach to 100 career wins at Rhode Island, doing it in his 177th game.
Only Frank Keaney reached the milestone faster, doing it in 149 games.
Rumors of Hurley Leaving Continue
The rumors and reports of Hurley potentially leaving URI are nothing new.
In 2016, Hurley was rumored to be the top candidate at Rutgers before returning to Rhode Island.
In the offseason of 2015, Hurley was rumored to be a top candidate for the St. John’s job before they hired Chis Mullin.
Three years before that, Hurley was rumored to be going to Rutgers.
URI Rams Basketball 2017-18 Projected Starting Lineup
Guard
E.C. Matthews - Redshirt Senior
E.C. Matthews returns for his redshirt senior season, now two years removed from ACL surgery. The Rams will need him to regain his form.
Matthews missed a couple of weeks during the preseason with knee tendinitis, but has since returned to practice and did play in URI's "secret scrimmage" against Harvard last week.
Prior to the start of this season, Matthews was named to the first preseason All-Atlantic 10 team during A-10 Media Day. He is also on the John Wooden Award Watch List.
Last season, Matthews averaged 15 points per game on 42% shooting from the field. In the A-10 Tournament, Matthews carried the Rams offense scoring 20, 19 and 19 points respectively in the three games to get the Rams the title.
Guard
Jared Terrell - Senior
Jared Terrell was named to second preseason All-Atlantic 10 team during A-10 Media Day.
He returns to the Rams after averaging 13 points, three rebounds and one steal per game in 2016-17.
Terrell will look to build off last season in which he shot 42 % from the field - the highest of his career.
Guard
Jeff Dowtin - Sophomore
Jeff Dowtin is coming off a freshman season in which he started the final 19 games, including both NCAA Tournament games.
He averaged six points and two assists in 22 minutes of action per game last season while also recording 17 steals on the year.
In URI's NCAA Tournament game against Creighton, Dowtin poured in a career-high 23 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the field.
Forward
Andre Berry - Senior
In two seasons with the Rams, Andre Berry has played in 30 games, but hasn't started any.
For his career, Berry has averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in an averaged of six minutes per game.
Center
Cyril Langevine - Sophomore
Cyril Langevine will make the start at one of the forward positions as the Rams will try to replace Hassan Martin, who they lost to graduation.
Last season, Langevine played in 35 games and started five games for URI averaging three point, five rebounds, and one block.
In URI's NCAA game against Oregon, Langevine had a near double-double with nine rebounds and nine points. He also had three steals.
