HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley feels a responsibility to embrace his position as one of the main characters in this new age of college basketball.

The power in the sport has shifted with legends like Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams and Jay Wright all retiring from coaching within the last three years, largely avoiding the demanding new terrain with NIL and a free-flowing transfer portal. A casting call has gone out for the lead role in men’s college hoops, and Hurley, after winning everything, as he likes to say, is perfect for the part.

As one of only three active coaches to win multiple national championships, and the only active coach to do it twice in a row, Hurley and his staff have built what many are calling a modern dynasty in the sport. Along the way, the “bulletproof” nature of his scheme and roster construction — the blueprint — has drawn praise from long-time NBA players like LeBron James and Philadelphia’s Nicolas Batum, in addition to just about every opposing coach. And the Jersey City in him, the scrappiness and the sideline fire that, at times, can go too far, provides a depth in character that fits right in at the center of a movie poster.

Since he cut down the net in Glendale at the 2024 Final Four, screaming “Let’s go!” as he whipped the nylon around in circles above his head for the second year in a row, he hasn’t been hard to find on any TV screen.

The media tour, on a bit of a larger scale that it was in 2023, began with “Today,” “Good Morning America,” and “The Pat McAfee Show,” putting the Huskies’ head coach on three of the largest weekday shows on national television. He’s been on a number of podcasts as well, speaking vulnerably with JJ Redick, Jim Rome, Dan Patrick and others.

He also joined Krzyzewski on his Sirius XM show “Basketball and Beyond with Coach K,” where he received some advice from his brother Bobby’s former coach, the winningest in men’s college basketball.

“You’re at a different level now, not just in the history of the game, but in the game right now,” Krzyzewski said. “You’re recognized for being a great coach and leader, maybe the best one. I would tell you, at certain times in my career I was in that seat, and I encourage you to use your voice. The game and college sports is not in a good place, and you have good stuff, you’re smart and you represent a great, great school. Use your voice.”

“I just probably need a filter,” Hurley responded.

He’s expressed a similar gripe about the current state of the sport all year long, noting a marketing problem he sees hurting its popularity, wasting opportunities to capitalize on interesting figures like himself and his players.

“I just think college basketball on the men’s side has done a horrible job marketing the characters, the coaches, the players. We do a lot of things to hurt ourselves,” he said, shortly after coming down from the stage where he spoke to 60,000 people gathered for the championship parade in Hartford.

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