Growing up in Buffalo, New York, there’s not much to be proud of. The Buffalo Bills haven’t been relevant in almost a decade. The Sabres were never really a popular theme growing up in my household or anybody else I knew, the University of Buffalo Bulls football had hometown heroes that choose to stay home and play at UB so that made them relevant. But then there came a man named Bobby Hurley.
A former Duke Blue Devils star became a basketball coach who accepted the Bulls and no one knew what to expect. I remember sophomore year walking into my head football coaches classroom and saying “Bobby Hurley just landed a four star point guard from Wisconsin“, he’s turning the program around”. For once, I was proud of a sports team in my hometown city. That choice of words was the start of something big, a start to a winning program under Hurley for two years.
Under the leadership of Bobby Hurley, for two years the bulls posted a record of 42-20. His first year going 19-10 started to turn heads around the local residents but what Bobby Hurley did this season was incredible. For once Buffalo had a team to be proud of, I remember watching the game that sent UB to their first ever NCAA tournament appearance in school history, knocking off Central Michigan in a thrilling game on ESPN2.
Bobby Hurley and his UB Bulls turned the heads of every local, sports fans or not, people had something to be proud of, and not embarrassed of. My small city folks of Buffalo had hope, hope of an upset over West Virginia. I remember being in class and the teacher pulling the projector down and stopping class work for the UB vs West Virginia game. People had hope of a bright future for our Buffalo mens basketball team, for once we had something to believe in and be proud of.
When it was announced Bobby Hurley was leaving UB to accept the Arizona State job, I was shocked. Bobby Hurley leaving Buffalo to me and everyone else in this city was like a blow to the gut, a feeling that can’t be explained in a million words. The residents of Western New York thank Bobby Hurley for everything he has done for us, he installed pride that was once a lost hope.
Bobby Hurley is the start of something special, the UB means program will rise to greater heights with the support of locals and under the leadership of the next UB Bulls head coach. Now with the blueprint laid down maybe for once the University Of Buffalo can keep hometown talent in-house, and get 2015 top 60 point guard Howard Washington to come back home.
