"JJ Reddick on the table again?": College hoops world celebrates UConn HC Dan Hurley's decision to return, aiming for a 3-peat in the 2024 season

After an intense hiring saga in the past week, Dan Hurley is staying at UConn. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the coach has rejected a massive offer from the LA Lakers to continue in college basketball with the Huskies.

Hurley earlier told ESPN that the Lakers made a “compelling case” and presented a “compelling vision” for him to become the next coach of the franchise. He traveled to Southern California on Friday to meet with the Lakers front office executives in a bid to work out a deal.

However, Dan Hurley won't be the next coach of the franchise. His decision to continue at UConn after consecutive national championship titles has led to a widespread reaction among college basketball fans. Let's take a look at some of the reactions online:

"JJ Reddick on the table again!?," tweeted one.

Other reactions to Hurley's rejection of the Lakers' offer are as follows:

"He took JR Smith's advice" a fan claimed.

"Bro just added 5 more years to his life," another fan wrote.

"He used the Lakers as leverage LMFAOOO," another fan commented.

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Dan Hurley turned down massive deal to stay at UConn

Dan Hurley will continue his storied tenure at UConn next season after rejecting a mega deal from the LA Lakers. Despite no prior NBA experience, he was offered a six-year deal worth $70 million, which would have made him one of the NBA’s six highest-paid coaches.

Nonetheless, he turned down the mega deal and the opportunity of leading one of the most famed franchises in American sports to continue with the Huskies. He's on a six-year contract worth $32.1 million, which he signed after the 2022-23 season

Before the option of the Lakers came in for Dan Hurley, the UConn athletic department was working on a new deal that would make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college athletics. Talks on the new contract are expected to intensify after he has chosen to stay with the program.

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A third consecutive national championship pursuit

Following the rejection of the offer from the Los Angeles Lakers, Dan Hurley is expected to embark on a mission to win a third consecutive national championship. The Huskies convincingly retained the national title last season, and a three-peat is on the cards.

Should Hurley lead the program to another national championship title in the 2024-25 season, UConn will become the second program, after UCLA, to win three consecutive NCAA Tournaments. This will definitely be a significant milestone in program history.

The Bruins won the college basketball national championship for seven straight seasons, from 1967 to 1973, during the era of John Wooden.