“I’m sure everybody was a little bit nervous": Geno Auriemma has candid reaction to Dan Hurley's decision to reject $70 million offer

Dan Hurley, the UConn Huskies men's basketball coach, was linked to the head coach role of the Los Angeles Lakers in a move that would have earned him $70 million. However, Hurley turned this offer down and is likely to sign a new contract with the Huskies.

Geno Auriemma, the head coach of the women's program at UConn, reacted to the news of Hurley's decision to stay with the program. He told the Hartford Courant:

“I’m sure everybody was a little bit nervous, but I always thought he would stay here. There’s too much invested here. Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, it’s hard to just pick up and leave that. I’m sure there’s a number for anybody to do whatever. I’m glad he stayed, I’m glad he went through the process, though.”

Dan Hurley has been with the Huskies for the last six seasons and led the team back to the national spotlight. In the last two seasons, the Huskies under Hurley have been the best team in the nation, leading to two consecutive national championships.

Hurley has reached the highest point that a college basketball coach can reach, and it was only natural for rumors to circulate about him leaving to go to a bigger challenge. This would have been with the Lakers, one of the biggest and most recognizable basketball teams in the world, who currently have one of the world's most famous athletes in LeBron James.

However, Hurley turned this down to stay with the Huskies. He will go into the 2024-25 season with a chance to win a third national championship in a row. The last team to do this was the UCLA Bruins in 1969 during their run of seven consecutive national championships.

Could Dan Hurley make it in the NBA?

Dan Hurley may have turned down a coaching role in the NBA, but Geno Auriemma thinks that one day, he will be able to do this. He told the Hartford Courant:

"He (Dan Hurley) has said that’s what he wants to do down the road, and I’m sure if that’s what he wants to do, he’ll figure out how to do it. The timing has to be right, the place has to be right, a lot of factors go into it. It’s not like it can’t be done. Brad Stevens did it (with the Celtics). I’m sure it could be in his future somewhere down the road.”

There have been some college basketball coaches who have been able to confidently make the step up to the NBA.

One recent example is Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens. Stevens coached the Butler Bulldogs from 2007-2013 and took them to two Final Fours in that period. He has now just led the Celtics to the NBA title.

Another example is Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who, like Hurley, won back-to-back national championships with the Florida Gators. He stayed with the Gators for 10 more years before moving to the NBA, where he has had mixed success.

What these two coaches tell us is that college basketball coaches can have a successful NBA career, but it will take some time for any major success to appear.

Dan Hurley is currently in a successful position with UConn, and while he should be able to adapt what he does with the Huskies to any professional team, why would he give up a chance to make history?