Hurley Staying At UConn To 'Pursue Championships'

STORRS, CT — University of Connecticut men's basketball coach Dan Hurley has decided to remain the University of Connecticut men's basketball coach.

It was announced Monday that Hurley, coming off back-to-back titles for UConn's fifth and sixth all-time, has opted to "pursue Championships" at Storrs and not jump to the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers.

"I am humbled by this entire experience. At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut," Hurley said "We met as a team before (Monday’s) workout and our focus right now is on getting better this summer and connecting as a team as we continue to pursue championships."

It certainly seemed to put UConn Director of Athletics David Benedict in a good mood.

"We are thrilled that Dan Hurley has made the decision to stay at UConn and continue building upon our championship tradition," he said. "He has helped return our men's basketball program back to the pinnacle of the sport, including back-to-back NCAA Championships, and we're grateful for his loyalty to UConn. We look forward to Dan's continued leadership on and off the court at UConn. He will continue to bring great pride to Husky fans everywhere as we work toward a three-peat."

Benedict said UConn is poised to take on the new world of college athletics.

"As we navigate the rapidly evolving college athletics landscape, your donations, more than ever, will be necessary to sustain our success," he said. "The continued financial commitment from loyal and new donors to both departmental operations and NIL activities, such as the Husky Athletic fund and Bleeding Blue For Good, will be paramount to remain competitive on the national stage."

A report filed last week by ESPN hoops guru Adrian Wojnarowski put Hurley and the Lakers in early discussions. See the report here. It cites "sources."

The coaching vacancy at the storied NBA franchise emerged after the Lakers lost in the first round of the playoffs and the club parted ways with coach Darvin Ham. Ham was 94-70 in his two seasons with the lakers including a trip to the Western Conference finals in 2023.

Hurley is 141-58 (.709) in six seasons as the UConn coach, and had also helped rekindle the program at Rhode Island and build one at Wagner.

He is also the son of Naismith Hall of Fame coach and legendary high school mentor Bob Hurley Sr. His older brother, Bobby, a former Duke standout, is the head coach at Arizona State.

Two decades ago, similar reports emerged about the Lakers and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who opted to stay at the college level.

UConn's six national titles are third-all time after UCLA's 11 and Kentucky's eight. North Carolina also has six national championships.