"Andrea Hurley is the queen of Hurley family": NCAAB insider discloses role of UConn HC's wife behind his decision to reject massive Lakers offer

After much media and fan anticipation, Dan Hurley announced his decision to turn down the LA Lakers offer on Monday. He will stay at UConn to try to coach the Huskies to a third straight national championship. The Lakers' six-year $70 million offer was just not enough to lure him away from college basketball.

When college basketball insider John Fanta, a Fox sportscaster, was asked by Colin Cowherd on "The Herd" if Hurley's family had a part in his decision, Fanta answered:

"Absolutely, they played everything in this, Collin. Andrea Hurley is the queen of the Hurley family, and she has all the say in the world. She saved Dan Hurley in college. Dan has talked about this. He's been very outspoken about how he's achieved happiness now at UConn.

"He's dealt with some mental health problems in his playing days at Seton Hall. And Andrea is someone that he met (there), and his life's been changed ever since. She is his rock, and his family absolutely played a part in this. Bob Sr. and his wife, his parents, are a fixture at UConn games.

"A kid from Jersey City, who gets to play his games either at Connecticut or ... Madison Square Garden, you can't mess with happiness, not when you are on top of the mountain and you've got a shot at a three-peat, something in men's college basketball that only John Wooden can say. The family absolutely mattered in this."

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Dan Hurley has always centered his career decisions around his family

After he graduated from Seton Hall in 1996, Dan Hurley got his first college job as an assistant coach at Rutgers in 1997. However, he was fired from the job in 2001. Hurley moved back home to New Jersey and worked at St. Benedict's Prep. His nine-year stint at the high school was largely based on his family.

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"I stayed in high school coaching longer than I needed to for Danny Jr. and Andrew," Hurley said, via Fox Sports. "I wanted to be a parent that gave them love and time, to set an example for them. I did the Little League games, the Pop Warner, the CYO matchups. That all meant something to me.

"I don’t have a lot of friends, to be honest. Andrea and my boys are who I have, and they’re my world."

While his older son went on to play for his alma mater, Seton Hall, Dan Hurley's youngest, Andrew, played under him at UConn.

This was not the only time Hurley based his decision on his family's needs. In April, Hurley was rumored to be the next Kentucky coach after John Calipari's exit. However, he shut down the rumors, saying that his wife had just settled in Connecticut and he could not afford a divorce.

What do you think of Dan Hurley turning down the job? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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