UConn HC Dan Hurley torn between Huskies' historic 3rd title pursuit and Lakers' NBA offer as per Rothstein
The UConn Huskies' charismatic coach Dan Hurley has been tapped for the lucrative Los Angeles Lakers job. On Friday, he met with the franchise's owner Jeannie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka over a potential move.
In his "College Hoops Today" article, college basketball insider Jon Rothstein revealed that Hurley was mulling over the decision of whether to take the Lakers job or stay in Storrs and join an exclusive list of coaches that have won a three-peat of NCAA national championships:
"[Dan] Hurley has always been intrigued by the NBA and anyone in basketball will tell you that if the Lakers, Celtics, or Knicks come after you, it’s time to say goodbye to your present employer. Hurley though, is different.
"...If he stays at UConn, he immediately becomes the new face of the sport, just like Wright and Krzyzewski were before him," Rothstein wrote.
"It also wouldn’t allow him to have a chance to pursue what Krzyzewski — who won back-to-back national titles at Duke in 1991 and 1992 — and Billy Donovan — who won back-to-back national titles at Florida in 2006 and 2007 — were unable to do; win a third consecutive national title."
Dan Hurley and the opportunity to build a dynasty
No college basketball coach has won a three-peat of national championships since the UCLA Bruins did it under the legendary coach John Wooden between 1971 and 1973.
The UConn Huskies have become the dominant force in college basketball and are arguably, the favorites for next season's national championship, especially if Dan Hurley remains in the job.
When coach John Calipari left the Kentucky Wildcats post, Hurley was linked to the lucrative job and he passed on it with barely a consideration revealing why he wouldn't leave Storrs:
“I don’t think that’s a concern," Hurley said. "My wife, you should have her answer that. … She’ll answer that question better than I can. Sh*t, I don’t think that’s on my mind. No way.”
Immediately after the Huskies' national championship win, UConn Huskies Athletic Director David Benedict revealed in an in-house interview that the program would fight to keep the coach and create an atmosphere for him to thrive and win further championships in Storrs:
"Look, we've been committed since he arrived, we're going to continue to be committed and do everything we can to support winning championships. He knows he can do that here, he just did it twice in a row. So, we hope that he wants to be here until he's done coaching," Benedict said.
Dan Hurley would certainly cement himself as the premier college basketball coach of this generation were he to remain at UConn and win a three-peat of national championships, but standing in his way is the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
It will be interesting to see what Dan Hurley decides to do in the future, a decision that could massively impact both the NBA and NCAA for years to come.