Dan Hurley is staying at the University of Connecticut, having decided to turn down an offer to become coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. So ended several days of speculation about his future, meaning he will try to guide the Huskies to a third consecutive NCAA men’s basketball championship.
“Our MVP Coach is staying in CT,” Gov. Ned Lamont posted on social media.
ESPN first reported Mr. Hurley’s decision on Monday, and also was the first to report last week that he had emerged as a serious candidate for the Lakers job. Mr. Hurley met with Lakers officials on Friday, then spent the weekend weighing his options.
And it seems likely that Mr. Hurley will soon be richly rewarded for staying at UConn. Shortly before the ESPN report of Mr. Hurley’s decision to stay put, Mr. Lamont, who was in contact with Mr. Hurley throughout the weekend, said the state will “make sure he’s the top-paid college coach” if he remains with the Huskies.
The only immediate comment from UConn was the university posting an image of Mr. Hurley with his hands in the air, and another post saying the team’s 2 p.m. practice was under way. Assistant coach Luke Murray, who has worked with Mr. Hurley at Wagner, Seton Hall, and UConn, also posted a video of Mr. Hurley lifting his arms in the air in celebration of the national title—without a caption, probably because the post’s meaning was clear enough.
“Now let’s get ready for a #3peat, because Connecticut knows champions are built here!” Mr. Lamont wrote.
Mr. Hurley had the option of taking over one of the most famed franchises in pro sports, not to mention perhaps the chance to coach all-time NBA scoring leader LeBron James. But in the end, his stay in the coaching version of the transfer portal was brief—and he will remain at UConn, where he has gone 68–11 over the past two title-winning seasons.
On the way to those two titles, the fiery Mr. Hurley and the tough-as-nails Huskies have left no doubt—going 12–0 in NCAA tournament games, winning by a staggering average of 21.7 points per contest. UConn will try to become the second program to win three straight men’s national titles. UCLA, the only men’s program to do better than going back-to-back, won seven in a row under legendary Coach John Wooden from 1967 through 1973.
“I am humbled by this entire experience,” Mr. Hurley said in a statement distributed by UConn. “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.”
Mr. Hurley will chase something rare by turning down the opportunity to do something just as rare: leaving the reigning NCAA champions for the NBA.
The last time a coach made such a move was after the 1987–88 season, when Kansas won the NCAA title and Larry Brown decided to leave for the NBA. He took over the San Antonio Spurs, and Roy Williams became coach of the Jayhawks.
The Spurs gave Mr. Brown $3.5 million for five years, which was enormous money at the time, yet nothing compared to what Mr. Hurley would have commanded from the Lakers—likely more than $10 million per season, or about double what he currently makes at UConn. And Mr. Brown went on to become the only coach to win both an NCAA title and an NBA championship. He got the latter title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
Mr. Hurley had the chance to try to follow that same path. He may get the chance again one day—but for now, at least, the NBA can wait.
Mr. Hurley is 141–58 in his six seasons at UConn, and 292–163 overall in 14 seasons as a collegiate coach—adding in his years at Wagner and Rhode Island.
He’s gone through four losing seasons in that span, his first year at Wagner, his first two at Rhode Island, and his first year at UConn. Once he gets it rolling, the wins just pile up. Take away how those stints began, and Mr. Hurley’s record is 241–90, good for a .728 winning percentage.
And he’s been rewarded for that success. Last June, he signed a six-year, $32.1 million contract. Another deal is almost surely on the way now, one that will come shortly after UConn last week signed women’s Coach Geno Auriemma to a five-year extension worth nearly $19 million.
“We’re going to try to replicate it again,” Mr. Hurley said in April after winning the second straight national title. “We’re going to maintain a championship culture. We’re bringing in some very talented high school freshmen. Our returning players, through player development, will take a big jump. We’ll strategically add through the portal. I don’t think we’re going anywhere.”
The Lakers tried to get him to change his mind. And now their search continues.
