Dan Hurley has finally revealed the reason he decided to turn down the Los Angeles Lakers job and remain at UConn.
During an interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Hurley finally gave an extensive explanation for why he eschewed one of the NBA’s premier jobs to return to college basketball and chase a third straight NCAA title with the Huskies. At the heart of it, Hurley wanted to continue impacting the lives of his players, something he didn’t feel like NBA coaches can do.
Bensinger asked Hurley if he still wanted to coach in the NBA eventually, and the 51-year-old said he wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. I don’t know about that. If you’re not going to take the Lakers job, then what job are you going to take,” he said.
Hurley opened up on what he believes makes being a college coach special. He said, “I love being a part of this transformation for the last point in a young man’s life where you can really have a big impact on how their life is going to play out. Like what the man becomes. That, to me, was what I realized that I love about being a college coach that you don’t get to do as an NBA coach because that’s not the relationship there. ”
It’s an excellent interview that gives a deep dive into Hurley’s thinking and why he decided to stay in college. It’s clear he was torn but always came back to the relationships he could build with his players. During the conversation, he said the most difficult part of the process was meeting with his players before flying out to meet in person with the Lakers.
Hurley’s wife, Andrea, also revealed she always wanted Dan to stay at UConn, but would have accepted his decision to go to the Lakers if he had made that choice.
UConn has had historic success during Hurley’s six years in charge. The Huskies have gone 141-58 (.709) since he took over in 2018 and have won back-to-back national championships, posting a 68-11 record over the past two seasons.
Hurley will almost certainly be sticking around the college game for a while. Turning down the Lakers was a bold decision if he had any plans on heading to the NBA in the future.
