UConn's Dan Hurley compares losing Cooper Flagg to missing out on $90,000,000 worth superstar during St. Benedict's days

UConn coach Dan Hurley has openly blamed himself for failing to recruit Cooper Flagg to the Huskies. The freshman is now having a stellar year at Duke, but this isn't the first time that Hurley suffered a setback when a player chose a different program over his.

On Saturday, Hurley discussed how NBA champion Kyrie Irving, who is worth $90 million as per CelebrityNetWorth, went to a different high school, which was a regret for him. Hurley was asked what he thought about Flagg choosing Duke over UConn and responded:

"I think during the course of my career, whether I was coaching at Wagner or Rhode Island, or high school basketball at St. Benedict's. Kyrie [Irving] went to St. Patrick's and Kevin Boyle kicked my a** with Kyrie.

"I rued the day that I didn't get that guy to come to St. Benedict's. So, I guess that's kind of human nature and part of it. When you see players go to other places and do well, you imagine, what that player would be like in different moments, or what the player would have been like to coach. But I think all coaches do that, and at different times you don't obsess over it."

Flagg was considered among the top prospects in 2024, and there were several top programs linked with the former Montverde Academy star. UConn was tipped as the favorite landing spot for the forward since Hurley had just won back-to-back national titles with the program.

Eventually, Flagg picked the Blue Devils and was recently named the ACC Player of the Year. Amid his first season at Duke, Flagg is averaging 18.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

It will be interesting to see if Hurley's No. 8-seeded UConn meets top-seeded Duke later in this year's March Madness.

Dan Hurley's UConn will lock horns with Florida in second round of 2025 NCAA Tournament

NCAA Basketball: UConn HC Dan Hurley - Source: Imagn

Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies (24-10) will face a tough challenge against top-seeded Florida (31-4) in the second round of March Madness on Sunday. The game is set to commence at 12:10 p.m. ET from Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The UConn vs. Florida game will be telecast live on CBS. Fans can also livestream the March Madness game on Fubo or Paramount+.