Sarah Hurley is the only remaining player on the Cleveland State roster who was around during Bob Dunn’s most recent turn as an assistant coach on the Vikings’ staff, in 2024-25.
That point is worth considering a bit as Dunn is set to begin his first season as CSU’s eighth head coach – particularly given that Hurley entered the transfer portal after the departure of the seventh, Chris Kielsmeier.
For several weeks during the spring, she seemed a sure bet to head elsewhere, but that changed after Dunn was hired in early April, and the two met to discuss whether a coach and player reunion was in the best interests of both parties. By the end of the month, Hurley recommitted to spending her junior year in green and white.
The specifics of the conversations will forever remain between those involved, but it’s not terribly difficult to extract the broad strokes from context.
“Sarah was the only returner that I actually coached when I was an assistant coach here,” Dunn reiterated. “I had relationship with her and knew her, so out of the 13 players on our roster, she was maybe the only one I actually knew a little what to expect when I got the job.”
What did he know?
Hurley, of course, first arrived at Cleveland State as a freshman out of Pelham, Ontario, Canada two years ago. In a program where it’s often proven difficult for rookies to receive playing time of any substance, she nevertheless made an impact. Star guard Colbi Maples’ season-ending ACL tear afforded Hurley a pair of starts while Kielsmeier attempted to re-settle his lineup, and though that didn’t last, she nevertheless chipped in 7.7 minutes per game overall. Offensively, her highlight was a 3-for-5 performance from behind the arc in a rout of UPR-Bayamon at the Puerto Rico Clasico that December, though she also proved a solid rebounder, with 6.0 boards per 40 minutes.
Then, last year, as a sophomore on a substantially-rebuilt roster where she was one of only three returners, Hurley locked down a most-of-the-time spot in the first five. She ultimately hit 45 of her 120 three-point attempts (37.5 percent), including four in one of the Vikings’ most impressive victories of the year, at Middle Tennessee State in the WNIT. Her pair of triples and nine rebounds were instrumental to an early-season overtime win against Radford, one of seven times that Hurley hauled in at least seven off the glass.
When she was born, Hurley set a hospital record as its biggest female baby, yet was anything but that with what frequently turned out to be a pretty unforgiving role. She averaged 20.6 minutes per game, by far the lowest count of anyone who started at least three games for the Vikings, and typically paid a steep price for a slow opening to any contest. Miss her first triple or two, or show up late on a defensive assignment, and it was all but assured that Ella Van Weelden would abruptly jog over to the scorer’s table with the intent to take Hurley’s place in the fray.
If that bothered her, she’s never let it affect her very upbeat personality.
“I think just having a lot of experience in this program – in the past we’ve had a really winning culture and high standards,” Hurley said. “So I just feel like that experience and getting to play a lot last year will help coming into this year.”
“She’s been great,” guard Annika Corcoran offered. “Sarah brings a great energy and vibe to the team, which is obviously very much needed when you have a bunch of new girls on the court. I can just see her confidence continuing to build each week, which is very good for us.”
Enter Dunn, who clearly sees his most familiar player as something more than a 3-and-D wing, and half of a strict rotation. At every possible occasion, whether as one of Cleveland State’s two player representatives at Horizon League Media Day on September 29th, or simply through the program’s social media posts, Hurley has been presented as a team leader. The coach’s words support those outward appearances.
“I expect her to have a bigger role,” Dunn stated. “This is her third year in the program, she knows the standard, knows what it takes, knows the level to work at, and how you got to get mentally and physically prepared.”
“And she’s proven to play with a high motor and a high IQ. That’s how we want to play, [with] a lot of read and react, and not be looking at me for play calls. She’s one who can play off her teammates and bring out the best in them, so I definitely think that she’ll have a strong role on our team.”
What, precisely, that role might entail is still a mystery at this point, as the Vikings prepare for an exhibition game against Clarion on Wednesday, followed quickly by the 2026-27 regular season opener at Penn State on November 2nd. Kielsmeier, Dunn’s predecessor, had very straightforward roles in his system, and during his eight years in charge, it became easy to identify how and where different players might slot in. The specifics behind the way Dunn, a first-time head coach, runs his team on the floor remains to be seen.
There are, however, a couple clues.
A big one is a fact that Dunn has mentioned on a couple of occasions: Hurley has only scored three two-point baskets in her career. And just one of those came against NCAA Division I competition, a layup late in CSU’s season-ending blowout loss at Arkansas State in March.
Both Dunn and Hurley expect that statistic to change quickly.
“I’ve really been working to expand my game over this offseason,” the guard offered. “I’m just doing different things, and Coach Dunn has encouraged me to try new things and to keep pushing.”
“She’s going to get guarded pretty closely this year, so she’s going to have to keep growing and keep developing,” Dunn added. “And she’s shown this summer that she can be more than just a standstill shooter. To see that growth in her has been really rewarding for me.”
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