GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dan Hurley entered rare air on Monday night, becoming just the third men’s college basketball coach to repeat as a national champion since the end of John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty in the 1970s. And when it was over — a 75-60 victory over Purdue marking Connecticut’s 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament win by double digits — Hurley found himself in another very small club: coaches who’ve won it all and immediately had to address the possibility of leaving for another program. Such is life when you’re the hottest coach in the sport and the Kentucky job unexpectedly becomes available on the eve of the championship game.
“I don’t think that’s on my mind,” Hurley told The Athletic. When asked more directly if there was any way he’d entertain the Kentucky job, Hurley responded: “No way.”
Hurley added that one reason he’d never go is because he’s not going to drag his wife even farther from New Jersey.
“I can’t afford a divorce right now. I just started making money.”
UConn athletic director David Benedict told The Athletic after Monday night’s championship game that the program would do “everything we can to remain in position to win championships.”
“The market is the market and Kentucky is obviously Kentucky, but last time I checked, we won the last two national championships and we’ve got six of them,” Benedict said. “So I think UConn is a pretty good job and Dan’s doing an unbelievable job.
“We obviously hope that he’s with us for a long time. UConn has a tradition of keeping coaches that have reached Hall-of-Fame level success at UConn for a long period of time — coach (Jim) Calhoun, coach (Geno) Auriemma. I’m sure they had plenty of opportunities to leave and we certainly hope that Dan follows suit.”
Hurley’s mind seems set on bringing more championships to Connecticut.
“The last thing I’m thinking about is another place,” Hurley said. “We’re in a position right now to be back-to-back in an era that makes it tough to do it. Now you’re thinking in your brain, as I look at that locker room, I’d like the chance to do it three times. A dynasty in modern times. That’s what I’m thinking about.”
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Buy
Kentucky, an eight-time national champion and one of the two winningest programs in college basketball history, suddenly needs a new coach because Hall of Famer John Calipari pulled a stunner late Sunday night when he agreed to take the same job at Arkansas. He was halfway through a 10-year, $86 million deal, but hadn’t been past the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since signing that contract in 2019. The Wildcats have deep pockets, all the trappings of a blue blood and they need to nail this hire for a passionate and impatient fan base.
Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart needs to take big swings, and Hurley might be the biggest swing. He just became the first coach to go back-to-back since Billy Donovan at Florida in 2006 and 2007. Mike Krzyzewski and Duke also repeated in 1991 and 1992. After his first title last season, Hurley signed a new six-year, $32.1 million contract that pays him an average of $5.35 million and tops out at $5.8 million in Year 6. UConn would be owed a $7.5 million buyout if another school hires him away after this season.
Given Connecticut’s challenging financial situation — and Kentucky’s status in the money-printing SEC — it stands to reason the school that was set to pay Calipari $9 million a year on the back end of his last deal could significantly outbid the Huskies if money matters to Hurley.
“I’m not going to speak to that. Money is a factor in a lot of different ways,” Benedict said. “It’s the resources, it’s the support. Nowadays, it’s NIL and all these different things that impact your ability to be successful. It would be hard to say we haven’t been able to put that type of formula together for Coach. We’ve proven that we can do it before Dan and now that Dan’s here. We’re in it for the long haul.”
Former UConn star Ray Allen also had a message for Kentucky during the celebration late Monday night:
“I don’t know anybody who could be in a greater situation right now,” Allen told The Athletic. “In six years, he’s carved out an incredible niche here in Connecticut. It’s a great opportunity. And I was recruited by Kentucky, so Kentucky and Connecticut have always been programs that sort of paralleled themselves. But Hurley is our guy.
“And the people in Connecticut have embraced him, they love him. The thing that’s interesting is, success is success here because of Storrs, because of the kids you get here. Success is different at Kentucky, and that’s what Kentucky needs to look for: somebody that can build there in Kentucky. But this is UConn, this is Storrs, and Danny Hurley is our guy.”
Required reading
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Read Again Brow https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiVGh0dHBzOi8vdGhlYXRobGV0aWMuY29tLzU0MDEyNjcvMjAyNC8wNC8wOS9kYW4taHVybGV5LWtlbnR1Y2t5LWNvYWNoLXJlc3BvbnNlLXVjb25uL9IBAA?oc=5Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Dan Hurley: 'No way' UConn coach would entertain Kentucky job - The Athletic"
Post a Comment