Apr 8, 2024; Glendale, Ariz, U.S.; Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley cuts down the cut after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers in the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on April 8, 2024.
Syndication: Arizona Republic
(Storrs, CT) – The chance to potentially win three straight at UCONN was too strong of a pull. Dan Hurley will remain as the head coach of the Huskies – spurning the chance to join the LA Lakers amid the bright lights of Tinsel Town.
Los Angeles offered the chance to coach one of the most legendary professional teams in all of professional sports. They also submitted Hurley a six-year, $70 million contract. He said thanks, but no thanks. “I am humbled by this entire experience,” Hurley said in a statement released hours after he had told the Lakers he’d be passing on the job.
“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 getting better this summer and connecting as a team as we continue to pursue championships.”
More clarity came via Adrian Wjonarowski of ESPN in a post he shared to X:
“As swept away as Hurley became by the Lakers courtship and vision for him, he ultimately couldn’t walk away from a chance to make history and pursue a third straight NCAA title. Even before Lakers talks, Hurley already had a UConn offer to become one of highest-paid NCAA coaches and those talks will continue, per sources.”
At 51-years-old, Hurley will certainly have another bite at the NBA apple in the future if he so chooses. A New Jersey native, he’ll now try to lead UCONN to a third-straight national championship – which hasn’t happened in the NCAA since John Wooden led UCLA to seven straight from 1966-73.
