For the past week, the Lakers dominated the news headlines as it had been reported about their pursuit of UConn head coach Dan Hurley. Even though the tactician had signed a six-year extension with the Huskies in 2023, he still entertained the possibility of accepting this job from Los Angeles, as they are desperate to find Darvin Ham’s replacement.
However, the back-to-back national champion announced this Tuesday that he decided to stay put and reject a reported six-year, $70 million deal. Shortly after his decision went public, he issued a statement concerning this process.
“I am humbled by this entire experience,” Hurley expressed. “At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut. We met as a team before today’s workout and our focus right now is on getting better this summer and connecting as a team as we continue to pursue championships.”
BREAKING: Connecticut’s Dan Hurley has turned down the Los Angeles Lakers’ six-year, $70 million offer and will return to chase a third straight national title, sources tell ESPN. LA would’ve made him one of NBA’s six highest paid coaches. pic.twitter.com/hEXo3o00SR
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2024
Everyone at UConn is extremely reassured to hear this news, as said best by their Director of Athletics David Benedict. “We thrilled that Dan Hurley has made the decision to stay at UConn and continue building upon our championship tradition.
“He has helped return out men’s basketball program back to the pinnacle of the sport, including back-to-back NCAA Championships, and we’re grateful for his loyalty to UConn,” he said about the whole ordeal.
Now the Huskies can concentrate in fighting for a historic three-peat in 2025 and continue this process. “We look forward to Dan’s continued leadership on and off the court at UConn,” Benedict shared. “He will continue to bring great pride to Husky fans everywhere as we work toward a three-peat.
“As we navigate the rapidly evolving college athletics landscape, your donations, more than ever, will be necessary to sustain our success. The continued financial committment from loyal and new donors to both departmental operations and NIL activities, such as the Husky Athletic fund and Bleeding Blue for Good, will be paramount to remain competitive on the national stage.”
Coaching legend Geno Auriemma had advised Hurley not to take the job in Los Angeles, as he believes it was set up for failure
Coaching legend Geno Auriemma, who trains the women’s team in the Connecticut university, was asked recently about the opportunity given to Hurley, and he revealed that last week they were both talking about how they would fare if they were given a chance in the NBA.
“I leaned over and said, ‘Hey, I think you could win a lot of championships with the Lakers, more so than a guy that’s never coached,’” Geno said on the Dan Patrick Show. “He just looked at me and nodded, we had a good laugh.”
Auriemma knows that he would keep earning titles if he stayed. “The state of college basketball is a mess,” he assured. “If anybody could manage it, though, it could be Danny. He coaches this program like it’s a high school program, like he coached at St. Benedict’s. Their player development program is second to none.”
Before Hurley decided, he even dared to say that his colleague shouldn’t take the job. “If Danny were to leave and somebody said to me, ‘He just took this NBA job,’ I won’t name any particular city, I would say, ‘You’re set up for failure.’ But it’s the Lakers,” Geno said.
