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Dan Hurley has a tough decision to make.
The UConn men’s basketball head coach is reportedly the top choice for the Los Angeles Lakers to replace Darvin Ham for the same role.
Hurley has coached the Huskies to back-to-back national championships where they have dominated both March Madness tournaments. Their closest game in both tournaments was just a 13-point margin.
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Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies signals to his players during the National College Basketball Championship game against the Purdue Boilermakers at State Farm Stadium on April 8, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
But former college head coach Mike Brey, who is currently an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks, understands the intrigue.
“He’s gotta think about it, there’s no question,” he told OutKick’s Dan Dakich. “One thing about him, he’s really confident, and he’s a little bit crazy, which is why he’s good. So maybe he’ll go take a swing at that. That crazy part makes him really different and unique and good. He is a Jersey, I-95, East Coast, Big East kind of guy. I don’t think he gives a s–t about money that much, quite frankly. One of his great lines during the tournament was ‘I’m a high school coach that got lucky.’ And I can relate. . . .
“I get it. It’s really sexy, but God, he’s such an East Coast guy.”
UConn head coach Dan Hurley celebrates cutting the net after their win against Purdue in the NCAA college Final Four championship basketball game, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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However, Brey knows how hard it is to part ways from a college program. He coached Notre Dame for 23 seasons before joining the Hawks last year.
“Going in to tell your players that committed to you and are there with you, you gotta look them in the eye and tell them that, I can never bring myself – I can’t do that,” Brey said. “I just told those guys, ‘We’re in this together, we’re gonna do it.’
“People who don’t coach don’t get that, man. You’ve been selling that, and now you gotta look them in the eye and go ‘hey fellas, guess what?’ That’s hard, man.”
The Lakers had also been rumored to be targeting J.J. Redick as their next head coach. The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the team was “zeroing in” on the former Duke star to take the reins.
Redick said on “Gojo & Golic” on Wednesday that he would address the Lakers situation after the playoffs were over. Nothing has been made official yet.
Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies cuts down the net after beating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 8, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
The Lakers parted ways with Darvin Ham after two seasons once their playoff run was over. Ham was 90-74 and put together back-to-back winning seasons. Los Angeles made the Western Conference Finals in his first season.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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