As Dan Hurley explores Lakers' vacancy, college basketball braces for another gut-punch

The ailing sport of college basketball is bracing for yet another potential massive blow, as the new face of the coaching fraternity is mulling a possible departure to the NBA.

Fresh off becoming just the third coach of the modern era to win back-to-back national titles, fresh off refurbishing the roster to position UConn for a legitimate run at a three-peat, Huskies coach Dan Hurley is engaged with the Los Angeles Lakers in escalating talks regarding their head coaching vacancy, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday morning.

The move could be a boon for the never-dull Lakers and for Hurley, who is increasingly dominating the collegiate landscape after his father dominated the high school ranks in New Jersey for so many years. But here’s what else this move would be: Yet another damaging gut punch to the sport of college basketball.

In recent years, the sport has seen four iconic coaches – you know the names – take their combined 11 national titles and retire or step aside: Jay Wright, Jim Boeheim, Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams.

The sport lacks the star power, much less the star power that remains in school multiple years, that helped it carve out a special niche in the American sporting culture in the 1980s and ’90s, and not just in three weeks in March.

But the connective tissue was the coaches, with their stature, gravitas and unique personas. 

Much of that has been lost. And that’s not even taking into account the significant losses of excellent game coaches like Billy Donovan, Brad Stevens and John Beilein, all of whom reached multiple Final Fours – and in Donovan’s case won two national titles – before leaving for the NBA.

Dan Hurley’s style works in new school world

Dan Hurley – a skilled game tactician who has excelled in player development – in many ways is a throwback. Ultra intense, much like his dad, but with a quirky side, Hurley, 51, is an old-school guy thriving in a new-school world.

He has repeatedly said he never wanted NIL to be the primary reason why players choose to play for the Huskies, now winners of a remarkable six national titles since 1999. He wants players who want to play for him, in his demanding program, and at a school that is now basketball royalty.

Yet he is not averse to diving head-first into the transfer portal, navigating it successfully and having a little fun with the maddening process that is now a reality for all national title hopefuls. Check out his playful, angst-ridden post on social media the day the spring portal window opened.

Day 1 in the portal… pic.twitter.com/Yv9u3CxjSI

— Dan Hurley (@dhurley15) April 12, 2024

UConn swimming upstream after House case

Despite the histrionics, there is a method to Dan Hurley’s madness.

The top two scorers on UConn’s national title team this past season – Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer – were both transfers. And UConn scored a coup this spring when it landed talented guard Aidan Mahaney, who had earned All-West Coast Conference honors at Saint Mary’s. 

But a seismic change to the collegiate ecosystem awaits: a revenue-sharing model is expected to take hold as early as fall 2025.

As part of the House v. NCAA settlement – if approved by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken – schools, at their discretion, will be able to share as much as $22 million annually with athletes. 

Even many schools in the power conferences are grappling with budget implications related to needing to share as much as $22 million with athletes to remain competitive on the field or the court. 

But in a football-driven world, UConn competes as an independent. Its Big East membership in other sports, notably men’s and women’s basketball, yields only $4-5 million annually.

In the days leading up to the approval of the House settlement terms, Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman wrote in an email that she strongly opposed conferences having to foot a large chunk of the $2.8 billion damages bill in the House case even though they were not named power five conference defendants.

In a revenue-sharing world, even UConn basketball will be swimming upstream.

What factors into Dan Hurley’s decision?

Consider this admission from UConn Athletic Director David Benedict, who told CTInsider.com: “Honestly, we would never spend up to the cap. We don’t generate enough money to spend up to the cap. Part of this will be driven by the market, like everything else.”

There is no indication how, if at all, revenue-sharing challenges on the horizon are factoring into Dan Hurley’s decision. But it is a new reality that Hurley would confront if he remains at UConn.

Anyone who loves college basketball is anxiously awaiting his decision. Star power has dimmed, ratings for recent national title games have dipped and a who’s who of iconic coaches have recently left the sport with diminished sideline gravitas.

If Hurley bolts for the NBA, it would be fitting for the entire sport to collectively take the angst-ridden pose Hurley did in his “Day 1 in the portal” social post, laying on the ground, arm covering eyes. His departure would be a massive blow.