Dan Hurley addresses previous NBA coaching rumors, leaves door open at future pro career

Dan Hurley has earned a reputation as one of the top coaching candidates in basketball based on his tenure. Still, while he has turned down chances to go to the NBA, Hurley didn’t deny someday eventually leaving the Huskies, if not college basketball altogether.

Hurley was a guest on ‘Inside College Basketball Now’ with Jon Rothstein on Thursday. During that appearance, Rothstein asked Hurley about a portion of his new book coming out, titled ‘Never Stop: Life, Leadership, and What It Takes to Be Great,’ where he recalls when Bob Hurley Sr., his father, told him last offseason that he should take the open job as head coach of the the Los Angeles Lakers, which he didn’t listen to in returning to Connecticut in the end.

“Well, he said that a lot. I mean, my dad? The thing with my dad is like, you know, at different points in my career, you know, and I think with Bob too in coaching? I think, you know, he’s advised us, you know, to make the move or, you know, to take the bigger job. And he never did, you know. So, I always took any of my dad’s advice on some like, career advancement, with a heavy grain of salt because he never left. He never left St. Anthony,” Hurley said. “So, yeah, I get a lot of advice from my dad, relative to my team and tactics and player development, and maybe rotation and maybe culture. But the one thing I don’t listen to Bob Hurley Sr. about is how to advance my career because my dad, he never left his high school when he could have coached at any level.”

With that, Hurley said there was also no consideration by him this offseason when another high-profile job in the association came open with the New York Knicks. He was too focused on where things are with his program in Storrs to have again thought about taking a job in the NBA.

“No, not even a small part of me (thought about it),” Hurley said of the Knicks’ opening this summer. “I think, when you’re coming off the year that we had, I think, you know, every thought – and it’s hard to turn off, I think, you know, for most of us, you know, that are coaching at the level, you know, that I’m coaching at at this level of sport? I don’t think – your mind very rarely drifts from your team, your program, your players, where things are headed, especially when you’re coming off of, you know, a season like we had had, you know. So, that – yeah, that was never even a thought, really.”

Hurley, having only ever coached in high school and college in his career, is entering his eighth season at UConn. He is 165-69 (.705) as head coach of the Huskies, most notably having won consecutive national titles in 2023 and 2024 in the NCAA Tournament.

While he has since turned down professional basketball to this point, though, Hurley could see himself one day coaching in the pros, specifically over in Europe. There’s just too much left for him to still accomplish at the collegiate level, with that being where he thinks his style fits best and can have the most effect.

“Yeah, I love college. I think, you know, when you really look in the mirror and, you know, there’s obviously different responsibilities, you know, at both levels, whether it’s college or the NBA level. Maybe, in a weird way, you know, I may be a better fit,” Hurley said. “When UConn’s had enough of me, maybe, maybe I’ll coach in the EuroLeague or something, you know, when I’m 60 or whatever and, you know, I want to try something else maybe at that point in my career or whatever. Maybe I end up, you know, coaching in the EuroLeague or something.

“But I think, for me, my strength is leading an organization and setting a tone and a standard, and holding everyone, my staff, my players, to that standard every single day,” Hurley continued. “So, I think the impact that I can have that way at the college level, the impact you can have on 18, 19, 22-year-old lives? And, you know, the legacy, for me, piece, the opportunity to, you know, continue to chase championships here, both in the Big East and trying to get back in position to potentially win a third (national title).”

Love him or hate him, Hurley has become a face of college basketball with his work so far during this decade. He’ll now continue adding to that collegiate resumé for now, with consideration to coach somewhere professionally at some point, at Connecticut.