Easy as 1…2…?
Dan Hurley had just joined an exclusive club of coaches who have won back to back NCAA men’s basketball championships, when the question was posed to him about leaving his lofty perch at UConn for the greener (and bluer) grasses of Kentucky. Without skipping a beat, Hurley laughed it off and said, “Yeah, I don’t think that’s a concern. My wife, you should have her answer that,” said Hurley, still chuckling.” She’ll answer that question better than I can.”
Let’s face it. Hurley could’ve laughed all the way to the bank in Lexington. Kentucky is the bluest of Blue Bloods, one of the richest programs in all of college basketball. It has the ability to pay Hurley significantly more money than the $5.2 million dollars he makes annually at UConn. Money talks, right? But in Hurley’s case, it seems to be falling on deaf ears.
It’s A Good Life
Connecticut’s not such a bad place to live and work. I should know. I grew up in the Nutmeg State and worked there too. You can make a good living. Raise a family and live comfortably, especially when you’re already the highest paid state employee in Connecticut. I don’t care what state you live in, 5.2 million dollars is a lot of money.
But is it enough to hold onto Hurley and keep him from leaving? If you take the man for his word, he doesn’t seem like the type of person who’s going to chase the money. But wait. I know, I know. It’s always about the money. Except in Hurley’s case, when you already make a lot of money. At least that’s what he said on The Jim Rome Show, when Hurley told the host, "Once you make a certain amount of money, it doesn’t make that much of a difference in your life.”
My name is Bryan DeNovellis. You’ve landed on my blog.
I grew up in the heart of UConn Country in Hartford Country, CT. I went to college at Seton Hall University, just 30 miles outside of Madison Square Garden, the mecca of basketball. I now reside in Middlesex County, NJ in the shadows of Rutgers University. Basketball has always been a huge part of my life. I’ve played it. I’ve coached it. I’ve officiated it. Now I blog about it.
You Can Take the Kids Out of Jersey
I learned a long time ago, you can’t measure what’s in a man’s heart. Only Dan Hurley (and likely his wife Andrea) knows what he truly wants to do. Is there a coaching job out there that would suck Hurley out of his fortress in Storrs, CT? If there is, it would have to be somewhere close to New Jersey, which is where he and Andrea both grew up, and still have family. Last I checked, Lexington, Kentucky is about 700 miles from the Jersey Shore. That’s not exactly a day trip by car. So as Hurley told reporters, you can cross that job off the list.
"Oh my God, Kentucky or anywhere that's going to take her (Andrea) further from New Jersey," he said. "I mean, we just went to Rhode Island, which I had to drag her to, and then to Connecticut. I got her closer. And now further? I can't afford a divorce right now, too. I just started making money…The last thing I’m thinking about is another place.”
Basketball Capital of the World
That’s the best news for UConn fans, who have been spoiled by the success of the men’s basketball team over the last quarter of a century. No team has won more championships (6) than UConn since 1999. North Carolina and Duke each have three. Villanova, Kansas and Florida have two apiece. Kentucky? Just one.
Florida is the only team on that list along with UConn, to win back-to-back NCAA Championships in that time frame. It doesn’t happen often in this sport. Florida won their two titles 17 years ago in 2006 and 2007. Duke won back-to-back titles 15 years before that. At this rate, we may not see another program win two straight titles until 2040, especially when you factor in the transfer portal.
In this age of players portaling in and out of programs faster than you can scan their college IDs, it’s amazing any team can consistently compete from one year to the next. Duke won its back-to-back titles with four of the same players. Florida had all five starters return for its second title. UConn? They had to replace three starters from last year’s championship team. And they did so with a back-up center, a transfer and a freshman. Pretty damn amazing.
Going for a 3-Peat
So what’s going to happen next year, when the Huskies will have to replace at least four starters and possibly all five if sophomore Alex Karaban decides to forego his final two years of eligibility and enter the NBA Draft? Hurley didn’t even hesitate to answer that question. He plans on making more history.
"We're going to dive in and put together a roster that can play a comparable level of basketball to the one that you guys have witnessed the last two years. That’s what I know our mindset will be. We’re gonna be focusing on trying to put together a three-year run, not just a two-year run."
It’s why Hurley signed up for this job six years ago and moved his family from Rhode Island to Connecticut. It’s why he’s staying right where he is and not galloping to Lexington. This head coach is not entering his name in the transfer portal any time soon.
