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INDIANAPOLIS — As big names were bandied about in North Carolina’s search for a head coach, Dan Hurley was one big name that made it known he wasn’t interested.
“I’m a UConn coach ’til the end,” Hurley told reporters from Forbes and Field of 68 on Sunday. “Maybe the NBA someday down the line. But, I mean, I’m the UConn coach, man.”
The Tar Heels were swinging and missing big, at least in the rumor mill. Michigan’s Dusty May, who was Hurley’s opponent in the national championship game Monday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium, Arizona’s Tommy LLoyd and several other established, successful coaches were being mentioned. All seemed longshots, but then, the thought of Bill Belichick coaching UNC’s football program seemed far more remote before it happened. On Monday, the Tar Heels zeroed in on former NBA coach Michael Malone, according to reports.
At the Final Four two years ago, Kentucky cut ties with John Calipari and were said to be targeting Hurley, but he shut that down, too, without an interview. He has made it fairly clear he does not want to coach another college team. In his book, Never Stop, he revealed that he considered a move to TV after last season, but turned back because he knew if he left UConn, he probably would not be able to return.
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This is a wise posture for Hurley to take. After reviving the UConn program and taking it to three championship games in four years, he obviously has all the resources at his disposal to win in Connecticut. He’s been winning more than anywhere else. UConn offered him new, more lucrative contracts after his 2023 and ’24 championships, and his current deal runs through 2030 at an average value of nearly $10 million. If another raise is in order, UConn has received an $15 million gift from Robert and Stefanie Skinner, of which $5 million is earmarked to start an endowment fund for the men’s basketball head coach’s chair.
And for one as emotional as Hurley, familiar surroundings and contentment matter. He has a home at UConn, he is worshipped in Connecticut and he has built up so much winning equity, it would take several years of losing — which, obviously, is nowhere in sight — for his seat to even become lukewarm.
His demands usually center on resources, to pay assistants top dollar, which he has been able to do to keep Kimani Young, and until last week, Luke Murray by his side, and fill the war chest to pursue players in the transfer portal, and the one-and-done caliber talent among high schoolers. If, as expected, Braylon Mullins enters the NBA Draft, he would be Hurley’s third one-and-done in as many years. He has had success in the transfer portal, and retaining players with NIL and revenue sharing.
Dom Amore: UConn’s loss is Boston College’s biggest men’s basketball win in a long, long time
All these things have made the UConn job as attractive as any in the country, so there is no reason for Hurley to see greener grass on another campus.
The NBA is another matter. The closest Hurley has come to leaving UConn was when the Lakers came calling in June 2024. He considered it seriously, how seriously depends on which podcast appearance you heard last, but he did go to LA for a visit. Ultimately he turned down more money and stayed at UConn.
Last season, when the Knicks job opened, a dream job for a Jersey guy, Hurley did not express any interest. But he has, going way back, long before the championships. When John Beilein jumped from Michigan to the NBA at age 66 in 2019, to the Cavaliers, Hurley expressed a desire to coach in the NBA some day. The Lakers were the first to put that desire to the test.
Why would Hurley go to the NBA? Because there could come a day when he has exhausted the challenge at UConn. He said when he arrived from Rhode Island he “likes to get under the hood and fix things.” At UConn, he inherited a Ferrari that was in need or restoration and now things are humming along efficiently. The chance to prove he could build an NBA franchise into a dynasty would be a tremendous, new challenge. Where as he would have been expected to win and win big at Kentucky, North Carolina or the Lakers, he would have a lot of doubters if he took on an NBA rebuilding task and had full control of personnel. That, plus the chance to put his mastery of X’s and O’s to the test, would be too much for him to ignore.
What will next season’s UConn men’s basketball roster look like?
At other times, Hurley, 52, has said, as he did this weekend, that he sees the NBA as something in the years ahead, perhaps as he approaches 60 and, he imagines at least, he will have mellowed enough.
Coaching in the NBA is obviously much different, and many of the methods that have served Hurley well in college will not work in The Association. He is smart enough to know that and to adjust, but he might be very unhappy having to adjust, even if he did it successfully. Certainly, Hurley would not make such a move without final say in personnel, and if he ever goes to the NBA, he would take unparalleled knowledge of the college talent with him.
It’s possible, as we get into this offseason, the NBA could come calling Hurley again, and an East Coast team in need of a major rebuild — doesn’t that description always fit the Nets? — could tempt him. But all the vibes around Hurley at this Final Four suggest he is happier, more comfortable in his skin at UConn than ever before. Nothing lasts forever in sports, but Hurley and the Huskies appear committed for the long term.
Dan Hurley set for a big payday if UConn men win title Monday night
Continue reading...
“I’m a UConn coach ’til the end,” Hurley told reporters from Forbes and Field of 68 on Sunday. “Maybe the NBA someday down the line. But, I mean, I’m the UConn coach, man.”
The Tar Heels were swinging and missing big, at least in the rumor mill. Michigan’s Dusty May, who was Hurley’s opponent in the national championship game Monday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium, Arizona’s Tommy LLoyd and several other established, successful coaches were being mentioned. All seemed longshots, but then, the thought of Bill Belichick coaching UNC’s football program seemed far more remote before it happened. On Monday, the Tar Heels zeroed in on former NBA coach Michael Malone, according to reports.
At the Final Four two years ago, Kentucky cut ties with John Calipari and were said to be targeting Hurley, but he shut that down, too, without an interview. He has made it fairly clear he does not want to coach another college team. In his book, Never Stop, he revealed that he considered a move to TV after last season, but turned back because he knew if he left UConn, he probably would not be able to return.
Sign up here to get UConn sports news straight to your inbox: UConn Alerts
This is a wise posture for Hurley to take. After reviving the UConn program and taking it to three championship games in four years, he obviously has all the resources at his disposal to win in Connecticut. He’s been winning more than anywhere else. UConn offered him new, more lucrative contracts after his 2023 and ’24 championships, and his current deal runs through 2030 at an average value of nearly $10 million. If another raise is in order, UConn has received an $15 million gift from Robert and Stefanie Skinner, of which $5 million is earmarked to start an endowment fund for the men’s basketball head coach’s chair.
And for one as emotional as Hurley, familiar surroundings and contentment matter. He has a home at UConn, he is worshipped in Connecticut and he has built up so much winning equity, it would take several years of losing — which, obviously, is nowhere in sight — for his seat to even become lukewarm.
His demands usually center on resources, to pay assistants top dollar, which he has been able to do to keep Kimani Young, and until last week, Luke Murray by his side, and fill the war chest to pursue players in the transfer portal, and the one-and-done caliber talent among high schoolers. If, as expected, Braylon Mullins enters the NBA Draft, he would be Hurley’s third one-and-done in as many years. He has had success in the transfer portal, and retaining players with NIL and revenue sharing.
Dom Amore: UConn’s loss is Boston College’s biggest men’s basketball win in a long, long time
All these things have made the UConn job as attractive as any in the country, so there is no reason for Hurley to see greener grass on another campus.
The NBA is another matter. The closest Hurley has come to leaving UConn was when the Lakers came calling in June 2024. He considered it seriously, how seriously depends on which podcast appearance you heard last, but he did go to LA for a visit. Ultimately he turned down more money and stayed at UConn.
Last season, when the Knicks job opened, a dream job for a Jersey guy, Hurley did not express any interest. But he has, going way back, long before the championships. When John Beilein jumped from Michigan to the NBA at age 66 in 2019, to the Cavaliers, Hurley expressed a desire to coach in the NBA some day. The Lakers were the first to put that desire to the test.
Why would Hurley go to the NBA? Because there could come a day when he has exhausted the challenge at UConn. He said when he arrived from Rhode Island he “likes to get under the hood and fix things.” At UConn, he inherited a Ferrari that was in need or restoration and now things are humming along efficiently. The chance to prove he could build an NBA franchise into a dynasty would be a tremendous, new challenge. Where as he would have been expected to win and win big at Kentucky, North Carolina or the Lakers, he would have a lot of doubters if he took on an NBA rebuilding task and had full control of personnel. That, plus the chance to put his mastery of X’s and O’s to the test, would be too much for him to ignore.
What will next season’s UConn men’s basketball roster look like?
At other times, Hurley, 52, has said, as he did this weekend, that he sees the NBA as something in the years ahead, perhaps as he approaches 60 and, he imagines at least, he will have mellowed enough.
Coaching in the NBA is obviously much different, and many of the methods that have served Hurley well in college will not work in The Association. He is smart enough to know that and to adjust, but he might be very unhappy having to adjust, even if he did it successfully. Certainly, Hurley would not make such a move without final say in personnel, and if he ever goes to the NBA, he would take unparalleled knowledge of the college talent with him.
It’s possible, as we get into this offseason, the NBA could come calling Hurley again, and an East Coast team in need of a major rebuild — doesn’t that description always fit the Nets? — could tempt him. But all the vibes around Hurley at this Final Four suggest he is happier, more comfortable in his skin at UConn than ever before. Nothing lasts forever in sports, but Hurley and the Huskies appear committed for the long term.
Dan Hurley set for a big payday if UConn men win title Monday night
Continue reading...
