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Wagner Assembles the Most Interesting Low-Major Staff in the Nation

May 7, 2010, 9:00 PM UTC

â†µâ†µWagner basketball probably doesn’t make a blip on the national radar of most sports fans. They were 5-26 in the 2009-10 season and they play in the Northeast Conference. So why do they wind up in this space? They’ve assembled probably the most interesting coaching staff of any low-major team in the nation.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Wagner Seahawks hired Dan Hurley, the 37-year-old coach from St. Benedict’s Prep, which has churned out four McDonald’s All-Americans under his watch. He’s the son of St. Anthony’s coach Bob Hurley, a high school coaching legend. And yes, he’s the brother of all-time college great Bobby Hurley Jr.â†µ

â†µâ†µIn fact, Bobby Hurley will join Dan at Wagner as an assistant. It’s a huge name for the Seahawks to have on their sideline. He should make a splash with recruits, too. I mean just look at his bio page. Can you imagine this conversation in the sports information department?â†µ

â†µâ†µ“Hmmm, what photo should we use for Bobby Hurley Jr.? We’ve got a standard department headshot ... oh wait, that’s right he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated.â†µ

â†µâ†µYes, that’s what they’re using for his headshot. I fully approve of this move. Had I been on the cover of SI or some national publication, I’d probably keep a copy of it on me at all times. So yeah, having the all-time assists leader will be one way to make some noise with recruits.â†µ

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â†µBy now you're probably wondering when I'll get to the part where I explain why Bill Murray is next to Bobby Hurley Jr. And no, Wagner has not hired the comedy legend, but they have hired his son, Luke.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Dagger got a chance to speak with Murray about his foray into college basketball coaching, a path that’s about as divergent from his father’s as possible. Except perhaps growing up to be an actual gopher or groundhog.â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥He doesn’t quote “Groundhog Day” or “Caddyshack.” He doesn’t speak in funny voices. In fact, he says he was so enthralled by basketball from an early age that he never even considered following in his father’s footsteps in show business.â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥“I was always driven by sports, particularly basketball,” Luke said by phone. “That’s been my life since I was a little kid. I have an older brother who didn’t really think about acting or anything along those lines either. There wasn’t any pressure to get involved in any of those things, and I think my dad’s probably happy that we didn’t.”â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µâ†µI don’t know if this group will actually do enough to course-correct and win some games -- 5-26 is a deep hole to dig yourself out of, particularly with little college experience on the staff -- but they’ll certainly be able to spin a few interesting stories when they’re visiting recruits’ living rooms.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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