KINGSTON – With a couple hundred fans and two rows of cheerleaders hailing his arrival, new University of Rhode Island men’s basketball coach Danny Hurley was introduced on Wednesday afternoon in Keaney Gym.

Hurley spoke for about 10 minutes, preceded by URI Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn and URI President David Dooley. At the dais was Hurley’s brother and former college hoops star Bobby Hurley, who will be an assistant coach on his staff, and in the crowd was his wife, his two children, Bobby’s family and their father, coaching legend Bob Hurley Sr.

See the attached videos for the press conference statements from Danny Hurley, Bjorn and Dooley.

Following the press conference, Bjorn confirmed media reports that Hurley’s contract is for six years. He said that while final details are being ironed out, it is a base salary of $300,000 per year, with an additional $300,000 guaranteed per year via gate receipts and other benefits.

According to Bjorn, if Hurley hits all of the performance-based incentives in his contract, the value would be about $700,000 to $800,000 per year.

Responding to a question from a Providence Journal reporter, he said the department was aware of the general economic health of the state, but added that retaining former head coach Jim Baron would have cost the program more in lost revenue than going in a different direction. The university also receives less than 10 percent of its overall budget from the state now, thanks to declining contributions over the past decade.

Billy Baron, the son of Jim Baron, indicated in a post-press conference interview with local media members that he will stay at URI.

NOTE: We are adding a couple more videos as we speak, but their size means the system needs to process them a bit more. Check back at 5 p.m., when everything should be up.

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