John Calipari reacts to Dan Hurley staying at UConn: 'He's in a great situation'

More than one team has backed a Brinks truck up Dan Hurley’s driveway in an attempt to lure him away from UConn after winning the past two college basketball national championships.

In the case of Kentucky, he never seemed to entertain the offer past the initial stages. But when the Los Angeles Lakers came calling, Hurley appeared to be a bit more interested in taking his coaching skills to the NBA. However, he turned both jobs down in an effort to bring a third-straight national championship back to Storrs.

Arkansas head coach John Calipari, who knows what it’s like to have the Lakers pursue you after a near-perfect season, explained why Hurley’s decision to remain at Connecticut was the right move at the end of the day.

“If he turned it down, I thought it would be because of [the fact that] every player’s a free agent, NIL and all this stuff,” Calipari told Jim Rome. “That got guys to retire from our profession. Danny made a statement he said, ‘Well, I don’t know why some coaches are whining. We’ve got great jobs and we’re high paid and yeah, the NIL and all that — deal with it.’ Well, if he was still at Rhode Island, I don’t think he’d be saying it that way.

“I look at this as though I’m still at UMass and it’s a problem. I can deal with it here [at Arkansas]. It’s not going to affect us. Matter of fact, that may help us but the sport, with the way it is, I thought that would be the only thing that could stand in the way, but he’s in a great situation. Connecticut is a great job. It’s in a great area and they get great support. His family’s from there, but I think he’d have done fine in the NBA.”

Ultimately, Hurley turned down a lucrative six-year, $70 million contract from Los Angeles. They have since hired former NBA player and analyst JJ Reddick to be the Lakers’ next head coach.

Looking forward to his future in Storrs, it is easy to forget that Hurley had to rebuild the Huskies program from the ground up. When Hurley first got to UConn in 2018, he oversaw the Huskies’ transition from the AAC back into the Big East where in his first season the Huskies finished 16-17. During the past two season’s back-to-back national championship runs, UConn has compiled a 68-11 record.

He also, in the process, has led them to the NCAA Tournament in four straight seasons including the aforementioned runs to win the national championship in both 2023 and 2024. Now, he’s set to return for the 2024-25 season with the goal of winning a third straight national title.