All was quiet in Storrs on Sunday, a typical day off for the UConn men’s basketball program as it heads into a week of summer training.
This one felt clouded by uncertainty as Dan Hurley, the program’s leader for the past six seasons, was still deciding whether he would stay to compete for a three-peat with the Huskies or accept what is reportedly a “massive” contract offer. of the NBA’s most historic franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hurley plans to make a decision about his future on Monday, he told KeynoteUSA’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday night.
He met with his players shortly after Wojnarowski broke the news that he was a Lakers candidate Thursday morning and told them that, for now, “Everything remains the same”. The team practiced that day and Hurley flew to Los Angeles for a meeting Friday with Lakers management, where the sides were reportedly “already discussing the contractual parameters” of a potential prospect. $100 million deal.
“The Lakers ‘made a ‘compelling argument’ and presented a ‘compelling vision’ for him to become the franchise’s next coach, but he loves what he’s built at two-time defending national champion UConn,” Wojnarowski reported . “In a phone interview Sunday, Hurley told KeynoteUSA that he came away ‘extremely impressed’ with Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss, and that he had spent Sunday weighing what the “Sources tell KeynoteUSA it is a massive long-term offer to move to the NBA.”
Hurley flew back to the Northeast on Saturday morning and was seen at a Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden with his wife, Andrea, and assistant coach Luke Murray on Saturday night. Murray posted a video of the concert. to her Instagram Story, which was reposted and quickly went viral, where she smiled widely, Andrea waved, and Dan flashed a peace sign, or simply the number two, the same pose he’s done countless times since winning his second consecutive NCAA championship in April.
Murray’s post was removed on Sunday, presumably due to the amount of attention it attracted, before Instagram automatically expired stories in 24 hours.
UConn Nation was left on pins and needles Sunday morning, after Reports indicated that Hurley would meet. with the team that afternoon. But no team meeting was scheduled, UConn sources say.
The Huskies will continue with their usual schedule – “business as usual” – and will reconvene for practice on Monday afternoon, which is still scheduled. Presumably a team meeting would be held before that, on Monday morning or even Sunday evening.
According to Wojnarowski, Hurley “has been at the forefront of the Lakers’ search since the beginning of the process,” despite interviewing other candidates, including two in-person interviews with New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego. Reports surfaced Wednesday night, the same night Hurley reportedly informed the UConn administration that he was interested in speaking with the Lakers, that KeynoteUSA analyst and 15-year NBA veteran JJ Redick He was the favorite for the position.
Hurley, who has been open about his desire to eventually coach in the NBA, signed a six-year, $32.1 million contract extension from UConn after winning the 2023 national championship. The sides have been working on another extension after for Hurley’s Huskies to go back-to-back in 2024.
Hurley suggested to local media after appearing at the UConn Coaches Road Show in Stamford on Wednesday night that the process of working on an extension was taking longer than expected, although UConn reportedly placed an offer on the table that would make him one of the top three. the highest paid coaches in college, according to Jeff Goodman of Field of 68.
The decision will come down to choosing between coaching generational money legend LeBron James in Hollywood and returning to a team built to compete for a third straight NCAA championship, something that hasn’t been done since John Wooden’s UCLA teams ago. more than 50 years. .
All Huskies fans can do now is wait.
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