For the second consecutive July, Dan Hurley has thrown out a ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium to commemorate winning the NCAA men’s basketball title at UConn.
The Jersey City product hopes to return to The Bronx under similar circumstances next summer.
“We’re doing everything we did last year after we won it, precisely, everything. We’re not doing anything new. We’re superstitious, so if we do everything we did last year, we’ll be back,” Hurley said jokingly before tossing the first pitch before the Yankees’ 14-4 blowout win over the Red Sox. “It’s amazing when you walk in here, obviously the organization, they treat you so well, and just walking down the hallways, you see all the iconic pictures of all the champion Yankees, it’s amazing.”
Hurley, who spurned an offer from the Lakers for a chance for the three-peat with the Huskies, grew up a Royals fan, even though his father (Bob Sr.) and his brother Bobby supported the pinstripes.
“I would always go against the grain, so I was a Royals fan back then,” Hurley said. “But right now, it’s a tie between the Yankees and Red Sox, my second-favorite team. Because I’m sandwiched in Connecticut, I’m in a brutal spot today. I felt like [Rhode Island] was more Boston and New England, but I feel like Connecticut is more tri-state [area], it’s more New York and New Jersey and sandwiched in-between.”
Asked if he had any advice for manager Aaron Boone amid the Yanks’ recent slide, Hurley initially scoffed and said: “They’re the Yankees, man,” before offering an expansive answer.
“You go through tough stretches,” Hurley said. “We went through a really tough stretch the January before, the first year we won [the NCAA tournament in 2023].
“Getting through those tough stretches and coming together as a team, and getting back to your identity as an organization and staying together, gives you a chance to really form a strong team.
“They’ve had a tough last 20 games, but in the end, it gives them a chance to come together as a team and turn off the external noise. Obviously it’s incredibly hard to do that in New York, but to win championships you’ve got to go through some hard s–t and they’re going through it right now.”