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BUSINESS THE PITCH INTERVIEW. Andrew Greif PHOTO. Joe Epstein/Saffran/Wagner College Danny Hurley Hurley is less a last name than a brand name in New Jersey, one that is synonymous with winning basketball. Danny Hurley, head coach at Wagner College (Staten Island, N.Y.), understands the name also carries pressure. Growing up in the St. Anthony tradition under his father and the program's coach for more than 40 years, Bob, and with a standout All-American brother, Bobby, Danny is making his own mark in a little-known corner of New York City's basketball Mecca. Hurley, now in his second season at Wagner, is not foreign to the college sideline. He played at Seton Hall and coached at Rutgers for four years, before returning to the high school scene at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark. There, he turned out All-Americans such as J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, Samardo Samuels and Lance Thomas before taking on his biggest project: reviving Wagner Basketball. Getting that goal closer to fruition has been aided by the Seahawks' upset at Pitt, 59-54, on Dec. 23 for their first win over a ranked team since 1978. The Panthers had been 70-0 against teams from the Northeast Conference, so you can understand how it got Wagner national coverage overnight. Now, Coach Hurley would like it to change the way outsiders view his program. It's a great opportunity to be coached by people that are going to care about them, run a top basketball program and you get a great education. You're going to live and play in one of the most exciting places in our country to live and play: New York City. There's a lot to sell, and we've been successful to this point. We have a true fan base, which you know, you can't say about every program in the country. We have a fan base that's very supportive, and with what our kids have been able to accomplish on the floor, they're generating more excitement – which means we're going to add to our fan base. People are talking. Right now, we're the talk of Staten Island. That moment versus Pitt did a lot to raise our profile. Kids in our program accept coaching with open arms. They're skillful, talented players in their own right. They work hard to get better every day, and that in some instances will al- low us to close the gap with their skill and ability when we play teams from bigger conferences. They make a full, year-round commitment to improvement, and I think that's what's pushed us way ahead of where we thought we'd be. We've just gotta understand that we're at the infant stages of build- ing something and we're off to a great start this year. There's a lot of season left to be played. With our players, they're hungry and humble, and they want more for themselves and for our program. There's not a group of guys who practice as hard or study as hard for opponents. It doesn't meant that we're going to win every game, but every game we play in we give ourselves a chance to win. 14