Dan Hurley remains at UConn, turns down offer to coach Lakers for chance to pursue third straight NCAA title

The Huskies won once again.

Dan Hurley turned down a career-altering job offer from the Los Angeles Lakers and will remain in college basketball as head coach at UConn, a source confirmed to CBS Sports. If ever there was an event to cement Connecticut’s blue blood status, this is it. Despite receiving a gigantic contract that surpassed UConn’s bidding price, Hurley nevertheless spurned the NBA’s most glamorous franchise to remain in Storrs, Connecticut, and will continue to oversee the best program in the sport.

Hurley traveled to Los Angeles for an interview on Friday to meet with Lakers president Jeannie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka. He was sold the vision of overseeing a professional franchise that could operate in his image and with his influence at the forefront of the Lakers organization for years to come. But what that job couldn’t provide is the long-term stability and comfort of Storrs and his beloved home turf, the East Coast.

Hurley flew back East on Saturday, just in time to catch a Billy Joel concert at another NBA facility he’s familiar with: Madison Square Garden, also known as “Storrs South.” Huskies assistant Luke Murray attended the show alongside Hurley and Hurley’s wife, Andrea, posting a short video clip of the three on Instagram (with Hurley in a New York, New York t-shirt, no less). In retrospect, the IG post acted as a harbinger of good news to come for UConn fans.

Hurley’s decision is an earthquake for professionals and college students. On the college side, this keeps UConn well-ranked heading into the 2024-25 season, reigniting the Huskies’ hopes and dreams of a third seed — something last achieved in men’s college basketball in the early 1970s by UCLA. The NBA fallout: Hurley’s time with the Lakers brings more speculation and recalibration regarding the schedule and the new front-runner for a legacy franchise looking to capitalize on the winter years of LeBron James’ career. Previously, in the days before Hurley’s name was attached to the job, ESPN broadcaster/commentator JJ Redick would have been the Lakers’ first choice.

In choosing to stay in college, Hurley joins the likes of Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright, Tom Izzo, Jim Boeheim and Bob Knight as championship-winning college coaches who turned down NBA job offers. Hurley’s rejection comes 20 years after Krzyzewski did the same thing with the Lakers, only instead of LeBron James, it was Kobe Bryant who was the megawatt star in Los Angeles two decades ago.

A longtime resident of the Northeast, Hurley ultimately chose to return to a place where he is loved, and if the Huskies’ trend of dominance continues in the coming years, he will have a chance to become one of the best coaches in men’s college basketball history.

It’s a big day for college basketball, retaining one of the game’s biggest stars and, crucially, avoiding a potential mass exodus of talent from Storrs.

UConn is ranked #5 in Gary Parrish’s offseason rankings, thanks to the return of junior Alex Karaban, the key portal addition of Aiden Mahaney (Saint Mary’s) and incoming five-star freshman Liam McNeeley. Karaban recently decided to return to Connecticut after heavily flirting with the possibility of going to the NBA. Among the many reasons why Hurley decided to return, Karaban’s decision to return was also a factor.

The NBA still remains an imminent curiosity for Hurley, but it could be years before he flirts with the Association again. The job he covets far more than the Lakers is located right where he watched Billy Joel on Saturday night: The New York Knicks. If he’s not there, then potentially somewhere else on the East Coast (Celtics, Nets or 76ers) should one of them open up and call later this decade.