UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley plans to decide whether to accept the Lakers’ offer to become the organization’s head coach or stay with the Huskies on Monday, he told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday.
Hurley told ESPN that the Lakers made a “compelling case” and presented a “compelling vision” for him to become the team’s next coach.
He met with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and governor Jeanie Buss on Friday after reports came out on Thursday that the Lakers were targeting Hurley to fill their head coaching vacancy.
The Lakers made a “massive, long-term offer” to Hurley, according to ESPN.
With Hurley, the son of legendary high school basketball coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dan Hurley Sr., the Lakers are hoping they can secure someone known for his coaching acumen while also having a track record of being a program builder with a high-level player development system.
Hurley has won back-to-back men’s NCAA national championships at the helm of the Huskies.
If he returns to UConn, he would lead a Huskies team that’s looking to become the first program since UCLA to three-peat when Coach John Wooden’s Bruins won seven consecutive national titles from 1967-73.
UConn has gone 141-58 since Hurley took over the coaching reins in 2018, including winning the Big East’s regular-season and tournament championships and the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and ’24.
While he doesn’t have any NBA coaching experience, Hurley’s also coached Rhode Island (2012-18) and Wagner (2010-12) at the collegiate level after first becoming a head coach when he was at the helm of Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School (Newark, N.J.) from 2001–2010.
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Hurley, the reigning Naismith Coach of the Year, has a 292–163 all-time college coaching record.
The Lakers have interviewed several candidates, including former NBA player and current broadcaster JJ Redick and New Orleans assistant James Borrego.
Borrego is reportedly the only candidate to have two in-person meetings with the Lakers brass.
The Lakers have had in-person meetings with other coaching candidates, including Denver assistant David Adelman and Minnesota assistant Micah Nori, but they have made a fullcourt press for Hurley to take over for Darvin Ham, who was fired after two seasons.