Dan Hurley Loses It On Referee: ‘I’m The Best Coach In The F***ing Sport!'

Love him or hate him, you can't deny the passion of Dan Hurley — or his confidence.

The UConn men's basketball coach is famous for his sideline antics. But Hurley got especially riled up during a game against the Butler Bulldogs on Tuesday night. After a Huskies defensive rebound became a turnover with 2:58 left in the first half with UConn up 37-27, Hurley gave referee Nathan Ferrell an earful during a TV time out.

When the official had had enough, he turned around to walk away. And that set Hurley off.

"Don’t turn your back on me," Hurley yelled at Ferrell. "I’m the best coach in the f*cking sport."

That's an awfully bold claim when guys like Rick Pitino, Tom Izzo and Bill Self are still roaming the sidelines. But as head coach of the back-to-back defending National Champions, Hurley makes a strong case for himself.

When a reporter asked him about the outburst after the game, Hurley played coy.

"Did I say that?" he said with a smile.

But then last year's Naismith, Sporting News and Big East Coach of the Year made a valid point.

"I just wish they put the camera on the other coach more," Hurley continued. "I just wish they would show these other coaches losing their minds at the officials in other Big East games that I'm coaching where ... I'm not talking to officials; I see the other coaches as demonstrative as I am.

"But the camera, obviously ... I've created this for myself. I'm not the victim."

UConn went on to beat Butler, 80-78, in overtime Tuesday night at the XL Center.

The No. 19 Huskies got off to a slow start this season, losing three-straight at one point, but they've since reeled off 10 wins in their last 12 games.