From buzzer-beater to viral moment: Hurley family at Center of UConn’s Final Four run
A shocking game-winner sends UConn to the Final Four—and turns one courtside reaction into a nationwide sensation rooted in a lifelong basketball legacy.
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It was the shot heard across the country—University of Connecticut punching its ticket to the Final Four in dramatic fashion.
But while the buzzer-beater lit up highlight reels, it was a courtside reaction that no one saw coming that quickly became the viral moment everyone was talking about.
“I've had people come up to me and say I've known you for 20 years. I've never heard you curse,” said Christine Hurley.
Three words—loud, stunned, and not exactly TV-friendly—turned her into an overnight sensation. But for the Hurleys, basketball has always been about more than just one moment. It’s a way of life.
At the center of that legacy is Bob Hurley Sr., the legendary former coach of St. Anthony High School, where he built one of the most dominant programs in American high school basketball history.
“I thought that shot tied the game,” he said. “So I thought that celebration was, ‘Oh nice, we tied,’ but now we're still gonna have to go to overtime.”
Then came the realization.
“I didn't think we were gonna win when that happened. It was one of those… moments that don't happen too often," Christine said.
Those rare moments are exactly what define March. In a twist of fate, this one came against Duke University—the very school where Dan Hurley’s brother once starred and won two national championships.
For the Hurleys, it all added up to something surreal.
“The moment when you reach our age where these things are happening, you embrace them,” the family said. “When it’s your own children… it is so like an out-of-body experience.”
Now, with UConn Huskies men's basketball heading to the Final Four for the third time in the past three years, the journey feels both extraordinary and deeply personal.
“We’re gonna watch him tomorrow… I’ll just say good luck, like we’re proud of you—a motherly thing,” Christine said.
And after already saying more than enough in one unforgettable instant, she’s keeping it simple this time.
“I’m good,” she said with a smile. “I think I said enough after the game.”
As the team heads to Indianapolis, the Hurleys will be right there—just as they’ve always been.
Because while the season continues, one thing is already certain:
This Jersey City family has given the country a moment it won’t forget.
