It’s been the talk of the day. UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley could be leaving for the NBA.
ESPN reports that the Los Angeles Lakers are pursuing Hurley to be their next head coach and preparing a massive offer.
The coach has led the UConn men’s basketball to back-to-back national championships.
“That’s just incredible. It just really is,” Philby Fisher, of Mansfield, said.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
On campus, the news created buzz among student-athletes, including one incoming football transfer.
“He really got options to be honest because he’s really done everything that he can do here. He’s won two titles back-to-back,” Jasaiah Gathings, an incoming UConn redshirt junior, said.
Hurley signed a six-year, $32.1 million deal last year after winning his first title.
Dog House
He’s now in talks with the school about a new deal.
Still, the Lakers’ offer is expected to be significantly higher and that big payday comes with increased pressure to make the jump from college to the NBA.
“It is not an easy transition. Very few people -- there's essentially one anomaly in Brad Stevens, who's now the president of the Boston Celtics, He's really the only one who’s had sustained success like ever,” Rob Holub, an adjunct faculty member of the Pompea College of Business for Sport Management at the University of New Haven, said.
He said Hurley may be used to being the face of a team with his fiery personality in college basketball, but the players are the big names in the NBA.
“You want to push your product if you’re the league. And that makes sense because the star is your player and not the coach in that regard,” Holub said.
Some fans aren’t worried for the team if Hurley leaves.
“I’m confident. We've quite a core of young players and we've got great recruits, so I feel pretty good about the fact that we’ll stay a good program,” John Burell, a UConn grad student, said.
But others are still making some last-minute pleas.
“Stay around, Hurley. I want you around too, so you know? Go for three!” Gathings said.
UConn had no comment.
