Back up the Brinks truck? Dan Hurley says interest is 'flattering,' but 'just can't see that being a thing'
“I could give a crap about who has an opening anywhere. I haven’t thought about it for a second,” Dan Hurley said. “I could care less about any other school in the country that’s looking for a coach or talks about me on social media. I could give two craps about that. My heart and my mind is with this program and these players.”
That was on March 17, 2018. Five days later, the former Rhode Island coach accepted the same position at UConn on March 22.
Fast forward six years, and Hurley is in a similar spot, fielding questions about his future. On one end, he’s just won back-to-back national championships at UConn and has quickly achieved legend status in Storrs. On the other, he’s now the most sought-after man in basketball with endless financial opportunities, namely at Kentucky to take over as the next head coach in Lexington.
UConn is a modern blue blood, winning six titles in 25 years, but Kentucky is and always will be Kentucky. If you want to be king at the very top of the food chain, that’s the move.
When asked about the possibility of a school backing up the Brinks truck in hopes of pulling him away from the Huskies, Hurley gave a fascinating answer. He made it clear the program’s eyes are on a three-peat, but it’s undoubtedly “flattering” being thrown around in rumors and speculation the way he has been since winning the title on Monday.
“Yeah, it’s flattering. I’ve come a long way since being a high school coach 15 years ago and having to kind of work my way up the ladder in the business as a coach the way coaches did it back a long time ago,” Hurley told Colin Cowherd on Wednesday. “It’s certainly flattering, but I’ve got a long career of turning down jobs or more money to stay in places that I was happy and that fit me and that provide me the resources to achieve the things you want to achieve at that level. I mean, right now at UConn, my relationship with (Director of Athletics) David Benedict, and what the place means to us.
“The opportunity to go for a three-peat right now, it’s the only thing that is obviously on anyone’s mind here, so I just can’t see that being a thing.”
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