Get ready UB - the best has yet to come

It was the announcement that almost every Buffalo fan wanted to hear.

On Tuesday morning, Buffalo men’s basketball head coach Bobby Hurley announced on ESPN talk show “The Herd” that his “heart is still in Buffalo” – which fans are hoping means he will be returning as the Bulls’ head coach for at least one more season. After guiding the Bulls to the best season in program history, Hurley waited roughly two weeks to give any indication of where he will be spending his third year as a college head coach.

The optimism surrounding the legendary Duke point guard’s return to Buffalo was dwindling as recent as last week when rumors came out that he was considered a front-runner for the vacant head coaching position at DePaul University and rumored to be a candidate at St. Johns.

As coaching positions were filled, the story of Hurley’s inevitable return to the program that he helped build to national prominence unfolded. Many may think that he returned to the Bulls for the opportunity to be the highest paid coach in the Mid-American Conference or to continue his rise and eventually leave from Buffalo for a major coaching position.

I disagree.

“My heart is here in Buffalo with this group of kids I'm coaching and that's what I plan on doing moving forward,” Hurley said in an interview with ESPN’s Colin Cowherd on Tuesday morning.

There seems to be much more to Hurley than his pedigree. Many people remember Hurley as the gritty player in college who shined the brightest under the most immense pressure on the biggest stages. Not many people know Hurley as the coach of a team in a Mid-Major conference that had to carve a path to its 15 seconds of fame.

Hurley wants to witness this program succeed. He stepped into a somewhat depleted program when he took over for Reggie Witherspoon in his first year and took that same school to the NCAA Tournament.

But above watching the team rise in the national spotlight, his biggest reason for staying may have been to watch the players he recruited grow.

Hurley had a genuine relationship with all of the players on the team. Senior forward Xavier Ford publically said he loved Hurley and everything he has done for Ford after the team’s loss to West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

When Buffalo defeated Central Michigan to win the MAC Championship, Hurley was jumping as if he had won the 1991 National Championship. And he jumped right into the waiting arms of sophomore guard Shannon Evans.

The dynamic between Hurley and Evans is paralleled to the point that Hurley called Evans “his point guard” at the beginning of the season. And it makes sense. Their styles of play both revolved around flash and grittiness. Both Hurley and Evans wanted the ball with the most pressure on the line. They don’t fear failure. Failure was never an option.

The comparable personas compliment each other, and the rest of the Buffalo squad, perfectly. The team plays with a certain fire that was eventually extinguished by a top-25 team at the end of the season.

What was Hurley leaving for in the first place? He ended his season in the tournament that made his name in the first place. Buffalo ended on an eight-game winning streak before March Madness. The table was set for Hurley to return. And Hurley just confirmed his reservation.

Hurley was the final missing piece for next season. The team returns six of the top eight scorers and welcomes four versatile threats to a team that isn’t losing much in the first place. With Hurley at the helm, Buffalo has endless possibilities the program’s growth.

Hurley’s name will bring even more recruits after a talented junior class graduates next season. Every year Hurley will be in Buffalo ensures another couple of years for longevity of the program. Athletic Director Danny White wanted big-time by making big-time moves.

Although Hurley will be paid more than what the school can probably afford, it was worth every penny. This is the route to big-time, and if Hurley’s words on ESPN Radio means what Bulls fans hope they mean, White has made his biggest move to date. The basketball program is in great hands, and Buffalo will find out how far Hurley can take it.

Jordan Grossman is the senior sports editor and can be reached at jordan.grossman@ubspectrum.com