Former Michigan Coach John Beilein Gives Opinion on Dan Hurley's Antics

When former head coach John Beilein coached at Michigan from 2007-2019, it was rare to ever see him get a technical foul in a game as he conducted himself in a professional manner in a more laid-back style during his 12 seasons in Ann Arbor.

The mild mannered coach who posted a a 278-150 record as a Wolverine did get ejected from a game one time in his Michigan tenure, which was against Penn State in 2019. That moment, however, came as a shock as Beilein had a calm demeanor on the sideline in over 99% of situations with the Maize and Blue and throughout his 27 years as a head coach in general.

There are plenty of coaches in today's era of college basketball that have a much different demeanor than what Beilein displayed on the sideline. One of the sport's most demonstrative personalities is UConn coach Dan Hurley, who has had undeniable success as the Huskies head coach with winning two of the past three national championships, but is seen as a polarizing figure to some due to his sideline antics that comes out during many games.

Big Ten Network college basketball analyst and former Michigan basketball coach John Beilein talks during the halftime between Wisconsin and UCLA at Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. on Friday, March 14, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Recently, Beilein said down with national sports talk show host Zach Gelb and was asked about his thoughts about Hurley and how he conducts himself during games.

Beilein explained why he isn't a huge fan of some of the things Hulrey does in terms of arguing with the officials.

Beilein on Hurley

"It's just me personally—I would get one technical a year, maybe," Beilein said. "And I just—I was a guy who could not coach the game and argue with the officials. There are several coaches that, every call made against them is a bad call. Every call. It can't be that way. I could not be that guy because while I'm arguing, I have to be thinking about the next play. I was always 'what's next, what's next.' If I'm arguing with the official, it's two plays later and I missed it. That was just me.

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts against the UCLA Bruins in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

"But I don't think it's a great message. I don't think it's a great message to be on the sidelines and be out of control at times. I don't think its a great message to send. Or press conferences, before games—everything. If the chemistry professor was acting like that, what would people do? Right? So, I think there's a certain decorum to coaches that I prefer, but what do I know? I'm sitting home right now."

John Beilein isn’t a fan of Dan Hurley’s antics.

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— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) April 1, 2026