Dan Hurley wants to see his vision with the Huskies through.
Hurley, who turned down a six-year, $70 million contract offer from the Lakers on Monday after days of speculation, is staying put at UConn because he “ultimately couldn’t walk away from a chance to make history and pursue a third straight NCAA title” following the Huskies’ national championship wins in 2023 and 2024, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“As swept away as Hurley became by the Lakers courtship and vision for him, he ultimately couldn’t walk away from a chance to make history and pursue a third straight NCAA title. Even before Lakers talks, Hurley already had a UConn offer to become one of highest-paid NCAA coaches and those talks will continue, per sources,” Wojnarowski posted Monday afternoon on X.
The NBA insider echoed those sentiments Monday on “SportsCenter,” noting the possibility of chasing a third straight title, which would mark the first time a team has won three in a row since John Wooden’s UCLA teams won seven championships between 1966 and 1973.
“The timing of this, with a team that’s a preseason top-five, Alex Karaban, his best-returning player, returning to school, pulling out of the draft, a lot of factors,” Wojnarowski said on “SportsCenter.”
Hurley, 51, became a late entrant to the Lakers head coaching search Thursday following weeks of buzz that former player-turned-ESPN analyst JJ Redick was a favorite for the job.
The New Jersey native and his family spent time with Lakers brass on Friday as he mulled the “once-in-a-lifetime offer.”
“The NBA has always been an ambition of Dan Hurley’s and the chance to talk to the Lakers, to be offered the Lakers job and really sit with them on a vision of what it looked like, this was not an easy decision for him,” Wojnarowski said Monday.
Hurley has a contract extension looming, something he had been in talks with UConn about prior to the Lakers’ brief courtship.
Meanwhile, the Lakers “will regroup and resume bringing in candidates for interviews with hope of hiring a coach by Draft,” Wojnarowski reported Monday, adding, “James Borrego is expected to remain part of group and Lakers could do their first formal interview with JJ Redick.”
The Lakers parted ways with coach Darvin Ham in May following two seasons.
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