Dan Hurley, refreshing off two straight countrywide championships with the UConn Huskies, could be on the move.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski claimed Thursday morning the Los Angeles Lakers are targeting Hurley to substitute Darvin Ham as the organization’s next head coach, with talks anticipated to “escalate in coming days” as aspect of a “relentless” pursuit of college or university basketball’s best coach. These a move would be a seismic just one, especially in the college or university sport, wherever Hurley has developed a budding dynasty at UConn and has quickly entered the conversation for staying the ideal mentor in college or university basketball.
Here’s how this sort of a go would impact UConn and what to appear out for in the coming days ought to Hurley head to the NBA.
The attractiveness of the UConn occupation is extremely significantly in the eye of the beholder. On fundamentals alone, the occupation is significantly less desirable than other blue bloods, presented its location and the lack of large-time football income flowing by means of it, along with the subsequent prolonged-term conference affiliation queries that appear with that. Even with that, no software has had more good results in the 2000s than UConn, profitable nationwide championships less than three distinctive coaches (two each individual by Hurley and Jim Calhoun, one by Kevin Ollie). The anticipations for whoever would arrive upcoming are nationwide championships, plural. That is a overwhelming process, in particular specified a likely bearish money long run in comparison to the program’s friends in leagues with eight- and nine-determine annual television payouts coming quickly.
The occupation opening in early June also provides difficulties. Wooing prime coaches who’ve by now built rosters for following season would be tough and probably difficult even more by recent agreement extensions that have ballooned buyouts into the $10 million or far more array. A coach from outside the house the UConn spouse and children would also have his palms complete retaining the recent roster, a precedence given UConn’s legitimate aspirations for a a few-peat.
That would make an inner advertising maybe the most realistic option, either on an interim foundation for a year or on a entire-time basis. UConn has two powerful candidates on its recent team in associate head mentor Kimani Young and assistant mentor Luke Murray. The perceived favored would be Younger, who took above coaching responsibilities when Hurley was ejected in a popular 2022 match in opposition to the Villanova Wildcats and owns the best title on workers. Younger has very long been owing for a head coaching option and has been brazenly praised by Hurley a number of occasions for his perform each in video game-organizing and recruiting.
Murray, an X-and-O savant and the son of actor Invoice Murray, could also arise as a potential candidate. If not tabbed the head mentor, Hurley would seem likely to force for him to sign up for his Lakers staff.
If a complete lookup were being opened up, it’d be fascinating to see which candidates arise. Rutgers’s Steve Pikiell was on the board when Hurley took the work and he played and coached less than Calhoun, but has his most proficient workforce nevertheless set to enroll at Rutgers this summer. A different regionally tied identify that could make sense is Seton Hall’s Shaheen Holloway, who went to an Elite Eight as the head coach at St. Peter’s. Athletic director David Benedict could also get significant swings at the likes of Auburn’s Bruce Pearl (a Massachusetts indigenous) and Alabama’s Nate Oats (who beforehand labored in New York at Buffalo), but neither looks possible to land.
If Hurley leaves, each and every player on the Huskies would have a 30-working day window to enter the transfer portal inspite of the portal becoming usually shut since May possibly 1. Hurley rebuilt the Huskies’ roster this spring to have a opportunity to contend for a 3-peat, reeling in highly regarded transfers Aidan Mahaney and Tarris Reed Jr., five-star freshman Liam McNeeley and retaining star forward Alex Karaban. A swift inner employ could support keep the current roster, even though it is not a warranty. Even with an internal hire designed for 2023–24 after Bob Huggins was fired at West Virginia last June, five players entered the portal, with 3 finally leaving.
Specified the way charges in the NIL industry have exploded for best transfers as source has shrunk in the last month, it’s secure to say there would be massively beneficial presents on the table to attempt to woo UConn’s current roster into the portal. How Benedict handles this look for could be the difference involving the Huskies remaining deep in competition for a third straight championship and going through a in the vicinity of-unachievable rebuild in June following a important roster exodus.
In an period of considerable turnover among the sport’s famous coaches, Hurley had emerged as a single of the new faces of the sport. His fiery identity and at any time-quotable news conferences, put together with the amazing good results of the past two many years, gave Hurley the opportunity to take in excess of the activity and become this generation’s John Picket or Mike Krzyzewski. To eliminate Hurley to the NBA would be a brutal break for a sport hunting for star electric power for lovers to attach by themselves to.
Furthermore, UConn heading for a historic third straight title would be one particular of the greatest stories of the 2024–25 period. That pursuit becoming derailed in June by a coaching look for would be a crippling blow months in advance of the year tips off.
