Report: Lakers targeting UConn’s Hurley as next head coach

Report: Lakers targeting UConn’s Hurley as next head coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly want to make a back-to-back national champion their next head coach.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday morning that the NBA franchise is preparing a “massive, long-term” contract offer for UConn’s Dan Hurley.

BREAKING: The Los Angeles Lakers are targeting Connecticut’s Dan Hurley to become the franchise’s next coach and are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer to bring the back-to-back national champion to the NBA, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/6WPrigPvAW

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 6, 2024

The Lakers have had preliminary talks with Hurley and the two sides are planning to have larger conversations in the coming days, Wojnarowski reported.

Hurley, the son of Naismith Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley Sr., became the Huskies’ head coach in 2018 and has brought the program to the mountaintop in his six-year tenure. The team has made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and won the 2023 and 2024 national titles with dominant March Madness runs. With a title game win over Purdue in April, UConn became the first team to successfully defend a national title since the Florida Gators in 2006 and 2007.

Prior to taking the helm at UConn, Hurley was a high school coach at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, New Jersey, before taking head coaching positions at Wagner (2010-12) and Rhode Island (2012-18).

Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst J.J. Redick, New Orleans Pelicans assistant head coach James Borrego, Boston Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell and Denver Nuggets assistant head coach David Adelman have already interviewed for the Lakers’ head coach opening. Wojnarowski reported that Hurley has been “at the forefront” of the Lakers’ search from the beginning, even though they have done “due diligence” with other candidates.

The Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham on May 3. Ham held the job for just two seasons, both of which ended with playoff defeats against the Denver Nuggets. The team went 47-35 in the regular season, earned the No. 7 seed in the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/report-lakers-targeting-uconns-hurley-143706365.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-06-06 14:37:06

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.