UConn's Dan Hurley turns down Lakers' six-year, $70 million provide

For the previous week, the Lakers dominated the information headlines because it had been reported about their pursuit of UConn head coach Dan Hurley. Though the tactician had signed a six-year extension with the Huskies in 2023, he nonetheless entertained the potential for accepting this job from Los Angeles, as they’re determined to search out Darvin Ham’s alternative.

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 a press release regarding this course of.

“I’m humbled by this whole expertise,” Hurley expressed. “On the finish of the day, I’m extraordinarily happy with the championship tradition we’ve constructed at Connecticut. We met as a group earlier than in the present day’s exercise and our focus proper now’s on getting higher this summer season and connecting as a group 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 finest 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 look ahead to Dan’s continued management on and off the court docket at UConn,” Benedict shared. “He’ll proceed to carry nice satisfaction to Husky followers in all places as we work towards a three-peat.

“As we navigate the quickly evolving school 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 group within the Connecticut college, was requested just lately in regards to the alternative given to Hurley, and he revealed that final week they have been each speaking about how they might fare in the event that they got an opportunity within the NBA.

“I leaned over and stated, ‘Hey, I believe you might win a whole lot 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 chuckle.”

Auriemma is aware of that he would hold incomes titles if he stayed. “The state of faculty basketball is a large number,” he assured. “If anyone might handle it, although, it may very well be Danny. He coaches this program prefer it’s a highschool program, like he coached at St. Benedict’s. Their participant growth 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 go away and anyone stated to me, ‘He simply took this NBA job,’ I gained’t title any specific metropolis, I might say, ‘You’re arrange for failure.’ However it’s the Lakers,” Geno stated.