For the previous week, the Lakers dominated the information headlines because it had been reported about their pursuit of UConn head coach Dan Hurley. Despite the fact that the tactician had signed a six-year extension with the Huskies in 2023, he nonetheless entertained the opportunity of accepting this job from Los Angeles, as they’re determined to search out Darvin Ham’s substitute.
Nevertheless, the back-to-back nationwide champion introduced this Tuesday that he determined to remain put and reject a reported six-year, $70 million deal. Shortly after his resolution went public, he issued an announcement regarding this course of.
“I’m humbled by this whole expertise,” Hurley expressed. “On the finish of the day, I’m extraordinarily pleased with the championship tradition we’ve got constructed at Connecticut. We met as a workforce earlier than as we speak’s exercise and our focus proper now’s on getting higher this summer time and connecting as a workforce as we proceed to pursue championships.”
BREAKING: Connecticut’s Dan Hurley has turned down the Los Angeles Lakers’ six-year, $70 million provide and can return to chase a 3rd straight nationwide title, sources inform ESPN. LA would’ve made him one in every of NBA’s six highest paid coaches. pic.twitter.com/hEXo3o00SR
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2024
Everybody at UConn is extraordinarily reassured to listen to this information, as stated greatest by their Director of Athletics David Benedict. “We thrilled that Dan Hurley has made the choice to remain at UConn and proceed constructing upon our championship custom.
“He has helped return out males’s basketball program again to the top of the game, together with back-to-back NCAA Championships, and we’re grateful for his loyalty to UConn,” he stated about the entire ordeal.
Now the Huskies can focus in preventing for a historic three-peat in 2025 and proceed this course of. “We sit up for Dan’s continued management on and off the courtroom at UConn,” Benedict shared. “He’ll proceed to convey nice delight to Husky followers all over the place as we work towards a three-peat.
“As we navigate the quickly evolving faculty athletics panorama, your donations, greater than ever, will likely be essential to maintain our success. The continued monetary committment from loyal and new donors to each departmental operations and NIL actions, such because the Husky Athletic fund and Bleeding Blue for Good, will likely be paramount to stay aggressive on the nationwide stage.”
Teaching legend Geno Auriemma had suggested Hurley to not take the job in Los Angeles, as he believes it was arrange for failure
Teaching legend Geno Auriemma, who trains the ladies’s workforce within the Connecticut college, was requested lately concerning the alternative given to Hurley, and he revealed that final week they have been each speaking about how they’d fare in the event that they got an opportunity within the NBA.
“I leaned over and stated, ‘Hey, I feel you would win plenty of championships with the Lakers, extra so than a man that’s by no means coached,’” Geno stated on the Dan Patrick Present. “He simply checked out me and nodded, we had a very good giggle.”
Auriemma is aware of that he would preserve incomes titles if he stayed. “The state of faculty basketball is a multitude,” he assured. “If anyone might handle it, although, it could possibly be Danny. He coaches this program prefer it’s a highschool program, like he coached at St. Benedict’s. Their participant improvement program is second to none.”
Earlier than Hurley determined, he even dared to say that his colleague shouldn’t take the job. “If Danny have been to depart and any individual stated to me, ‘He simply took this NBA job,’ I received’t title any explicit metropolis, I might say, ‘You’re arrange for failure.’ However it’s the Lakers,” Geno stated.
