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Bob Hurley Sr. says his experience at UConn-Seton Hall games at Prudential Center in Newark has been so “unpleasant” and that a certain group of fans has been so “annoying,” that he and his family will no longer attend those games in the future.
The news was first reported by Dave Borges of CTInsider.com after Hurley made an appearance Thursday in Connecticut. Hurley, the father of UConn coach Dan Hurley, confirmed the report to NJ Advance Media during a phone interview Friday.
The Naismith Hall of Famer did not attend last year’s UConn-Seton Hall game, won by the Huskies, 69-64, and it snapped a four-game UConn losing streak in Newark. Hurley felt that was a good omen, and another reason not to attend games in Newark going forward.
Hurley said in the phone interview that there’s a group of adult fans at Prudential Center who are “stomping” up and down the aisle near his seats and “yelling stuff at you while you’re sitting there” behind the UConn bench.
“We didn’t go this year because the last two years, the behavior around the bench has been brutal and we decided not to go,” Hurley said. “And UConn won, so I don’t see us going back because we broke the schneid of two years in a row they lost while we were there. Now we’ll stay home and watch the game.”
Hurley, who won 28 state titles and 12 Tournament of Champions titles as the head coach at St. Anthony’s in Jersey City, is also a former Jersey City probation officer. He turns 79 next month.
Hurley said the poor behavior is coming from “one whole section” of adult fans.
“I don’t know that someone should get out of their seat and walk over and be in the aisle very close to where you’re sitting and start yelling stuff at you and not expect that there is going to be some sort of retaliation,” he said.
“It’s been an ongoing problem there,” he added. “The section of fans on the baseline closest to the visiting team’s bench, and families sitting behind the bench, the group of guys there, their behavior is just borderline crazy, how much they personalize their attacks on not the bench, or not even Danny as much, as the people sitting behind the bench.
“I’m not alone, [it happens] to Danny’s wife [Andrea]. Donovan Clingan became the subject two years ago, and he’s sitting next to me and he’s looking at me like, ‘What is this?’
“It’s ongoing. Someone there told me they had a problem with that group in the past. They chose not to make them move to another area or change their behavior. It’s a shame that people could be that disrespectful because I’ve never seen it at UConn games the way it’s laid out.”
Hurley added that these are adults, presumably sober for a noon tip-off, behaving this way.
“Can you imagine somebody sober acting like that on your time off to watch a college game?” Hurley asked incredulously. “What is that? That’s more alarming than the alcohol. I can see alcohol with college kids drinking too much. You’re maturing.
“When you’re in your 30s and your 40s, you should be past this, and if you’re not drinking, wow, that’s something to be confused by.”
Asked if any Seton Hall fans had threatened him at games, he quipped: “No, nobody threatened me. If I thought one of them was threatening me, believe me, I would wind up being in a bigger article. If someone personally threatened me, I would take care of it right there.
“I’m not used to that kind of behavior and you can’t address it in that venue. If it happened maybe in the parking lot and a guy came up to me that close, you’d say something about ‘You’re invading my personal space, get out. I’m giving you a warning.’ And then whatever happens, happens. I’m going to be 79 years old.
“And that’s why you don’t go. If I was 40, it might’ve been a bigger story if this was going on. But this is going on now and it’s repeated.”
Hurley says he’s called Seton Hall officials and that nothing has changed.
“We’ve called, we’ve complained about this,” he said.
Hurley, who has sent many key players to Seton Hall over the years, including Jerry Walker and Terry Dehere, said he hasn’t raised the issue with Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway because the coach has other things to worry about.
“We love Shaheen,” Hurley said. “I don’t know what impact [assistant coach] Ryan [Whalen] or Shaheen would have.”
Hurley said similar instances don’t happen when he goes to Allen Fieldhouse and pointed out that Kansas fans were especially good to Andrea Hurley, Dan’s wife.
“It doesn’t happen if you go to a Kansas game,” he said. “The Kansas fans will help Andrea when she’s leaving get out to the closest exit where she’ll catch the bus. They’re talking to her about, ‘Thanks for coming.’ They’re so nice.
“When you experience that and you experience the other side of it. And she went to Seton Hall. I sent so many players to Seton Hall, it’s crazy. The people that are doing it, I guess they’re just very unhappy.”
As for St. John’s and Big East games, Hurley plans to still go to Madison Square Garden. UConn and Virginia play at the Garden on Dec. 20.
“There’s been a couple incidents with the St. John’s people, I don’t think that detracts from going there,” he said. “But Seton Hall’s a whole different matter. I live in the state, my son went there, it’s a different thing.
“But the Garden, I’m a big boy, I have tough skin.”
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As for Providence fans, who are known for heavy drinking before and during games, Hurley said: “Everything about Providence I’ve only heard, I’ve never been to a Providence game there.
“But I know from the family, there’s an element of alcohol at Providence games, I’ve been told was a problem there.
“I have not been to a Providence game since Danny was in college.”
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