"Your imagination goes wild": UConn HC Dan Hurley reflects on the excitement and childhood history sparked by Lakers' interest

Over the past weekend, Dan Hurley took over the headlines everywhere after the Los Angeles Lakers interviewed him for the vacant head coaching position. He was offered a $70 million, six-year deal, but rejected it on Monday, choosing to stay at Storrs.

On Thursday, the UConn Huskies coach sat down for an interview with Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, where he detailed his entire experience in LA. When asked about his initial reaction upon hearing that the Lakers were pursuing him from his agent, Hurley said:

"Because it's the Lakers, it lands differently. If your whole life has been basketball and the LA Lakers call, it's an exciting moment. Your imagination goes wild because, if you're a historian and you love the game, all your memories as a child of watching it, thinking about it, it's like a really exciting moment."

Dan Hurley also shared that the prospect of coaching LeBron James excited him:

"That was one of the pluses. It was one of the draws, was the chance, in your lifetime, to have coached one of the greatest players of all time."

Dan Hurley reveals his wife's initial reactions to the Lakers' job offer

When Dan Hurley was first associated with Kentucky after John Calipari's exit, he dismissed the rumors, saying his wife Andrea Hurley was very happy in Connecticut and joked that he could not afford a divorce. It seems Mrs. Hurley still does not want to leave Storrs.

When talking on the 'Dan Le Batard Show', Hurley revealed his wife's initial reaction to the news, which was the exact opposite of his.

“She was like crying in the beginning," Hurley said. "I think initially, the first couple of days of it, she got wildly angry and emotional. Not like hitting me and stuff. ... She got emotional, like, ‘I can’t believe you’re bringing this, our life is so great, it’s perfect… Like our lives couldn’t be better, now you’re bringing this sh*t’.

"So, she was bad in the beginning, but she warmed up to it when we got out there and she met Rob and Jeanie and felt the weather. … Just met the people though, mostly and saw the vision of it. She was into it."

Despite it all, the Hurleys did not feel like moving was the right choice and decided to reject the offer. With Dan Hurley returning, the UConn Huskies have the chance to go for a third straight championship.

What do you think of Dan and Andrea Hurley's reactions to the Lakers' news? Let us know in the comments section below.