{"id":2264918,"date":"2024-06-11T12:39:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T16:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uconns-dan-hurley-says-he-rejected-coaching-lebron-lakers-to-pursue-championships\/"},"modified":"2024-06-11T12:41:48","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T16:41:48","slug":"uconns-dan-hurley-says-he-rejected-coaching-lebron-lakers-to-pursue-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uconns-dan-hurley-says-he-rejected-coaching-lebron-lakers-to-pursue-championships\/","title":{"rendered":"Dan Hurley Declines Coaching LeBron, Lakers for Championship Pursuits at UConn"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fuconns-dan-hurley-says-he-rejected-coaching-lebron-lakers-to-pursue-championships%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2264918&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The summary focuses on the\u200d recent \u200ddecision \u200cby UConn&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-head-basketball-coach-takes-swing-at-wisconsin-assistant-brawl-ensues\/\" title=\"Michigan Head Basketball Coach Takes Swing At Wisconsin Assistant, Brawl Ensues\">head basketball coach<\/a>, Dan\u200c Hurley, \u200cto reject a lucrative offer \u200cfrom the Los Angeles Lakers. Hurley, who led UConn to back-to-back \u2064NCAA championships \u2062with dominant \u200cperformances, chose to stay\u200c with the university despite the Lakers&#8217; \u200dsix-year, $70 million proposal. This\u200c is significant,\u2063 as no team has won \u200cthree consecutive NCAA titles since the UCLA Bruins in\u2062 the late 1960s and early 1970s, and Hurley is aiming to achieve this historic feat.<\/p>\n<p>Governor\u2064 Ned Lamont of Connecticut played a role in encouraging \u200cHurley&#8217;s \u200ddecision to stay, promising to make him the \u200dtop-paid college coach. Despite Hurley&#8217;s rejection, the Lakers, a high-profile \u200cNBA franchise, now face\u200b a \u200bpivotal moment in reassessing their future direction after also firing their \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/huggins-out-eirlert-in-wvu-names-new-mens-basketball-coach\/\" title=\"WVU appoints Eirlert as new men's basketball coach, replacing Huggins.\">previous head coach<\/a> following a disappointing \u2062season. The decision reflects broader themes about the different challenges and expectations in college versus professional coaching roles.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>    <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/michael-schwarz\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/michael-schwarz\/%20\"><span>Michael Schwarz<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 11, 2024 at 9:14am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>One of the most storied franchises in professional sports history, which boasts one of the most accomplished players of all time, has lost a bit of its luster.<\/p>\n<p>The Los Angeles Lakers, winners of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/LAL\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">17 NBA championships<\/a>, failed to secure the hottest head coach in basketball when Dan Hurley of the two-time defending NCAA champion Connecticut Huskies opted to remain at the school rather than accept a lucrative offer to coach aging star LeBron James and the rest of the underperforming Lakers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur focus right now is getting better this summer and connecting as a team as we continue to pursue championships,\u201d Hurley said of his Huskies team in a statement released by the school and posted to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platform<\/a> X on Monday.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A statement from UConn Men\u2019s Basketball Head Coach Dan Hurley: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/16e77ykbVp\">pic.twitter.com\/16e77ykbVp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 UConn Men\u2019s Basketball (@UConnMBB) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UConnMBB\/status\/1800273532158718447?\">June 10, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Hurley\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/schools\/connecticut\/men\/2024.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2023-24 UConn<\/a> squad finished 37-3 overall and won the national championship on April 8, beating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/boxscores\/2024-04-08-21-purdue.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Purdue 75-60<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Measured by their cumulative margin of victory of 140 points, the Huskies authored the most dominant title run since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, per <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportingnews.com\/us\/ncaa-basketball\/news\/uconn-margin-victory-2024-march-madness-dominance-ncaa-history\/4b1972f584828fa6ebccef79\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Sporting News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re good,\u201d Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said following his team\u2019s 14-point loss to UConn in the Final Four. \u201cThey\u2019re close to being bulletproof.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite a less-impressive regular season, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/schools\/connecticut\/men\/2023-schedule.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2022-23 Huskies<\/a> looked nearly as bulletproof during their run to an NCAA tournament championship. In fact, they defeated their six opponents by a combined 120 points.<\/p>\n<p>No team since the 2006-07 Florida Gators had repeated as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/history\/basketball-men\/d1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">national champions<\/a>. And no team since the UCLA Bruins dynasty of the late 1960s and early 1970s has won three straight titles.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, Hurley has plenty of good reasons to remain at UConn and \u201cpursue championships.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>ESPN\u2019s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Hurley spurned the Lakers\u2019 six-year, $70 million contract offer.<\/p>\n<p>That offer \u201cwould\u2019ve made him one of NBA\u2019s six highest paid coaches,\u201d Wojnarowski wrote Monday on X.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">BREAKING: Connecticut\u2019s Dan Hurley has turned down the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 six-year, $70 million offer and will return to chase a third straight national title, sources tell ESPN. LA would\u2019ve made him one of NBA\u2019s six highest paid coaches. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hEXo3o00SR\">pic.twitter.com\/hEXo3o00SR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wojespn\/status\/1800221050795688214?\">June 10, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/story\/_\/id\/40321008\/sources-dan-hurley-rejects-lakers-offer-stays-uconn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ESPN<\/a>, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut stayed in contact with Hurley throughout the weekend. Lamont promised reporters that he would \u201cmake sure [Hurley\u2019s] the top paid college coach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Monday on X, Lamont celebrated the news that Hurley had turned down the Lakers\u2019 offer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur MVP Coach is staying in CT. Now let\u2019s get ready for a #3peat, because Connecticut knows champions are built here!\u201d the governor said.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Our MVP Coach is staying in CT. Now let\u2019s get ready for a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/3peat?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#3peat<\/a>, because Connecticut knows champions are built here! \ud83c\udfc6 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UConnNation?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UConnNation<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KY3tDcJmoX\">https:\/\/t.co\/KY3tDcJmoX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovNedLamont\/status\/1800228131284152681?\">June 10, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Not all of Lamont\u2019s constituents approved of the governor\u2019s priorities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile CT residents struggle with taxes and regulations imposed by @CTDems @GovNedLamont. Hey, let\u2019s give him more taxpayer money!\u201d one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tim-allen-shares-a-tweet-who-is-the-face-of-woke\/\" title=\"Tim Allen Shares a Tweet: \u201cWho Is the Face of Woke?\u201d\">social media user wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">While CT residents struggle with taxes and regulations imposed by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CTDems?\">@CTDems<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovNedLamont?\">@GovNedLamont<\/a>.<br \/> Hey, let\u2019s give him more taxpayer money!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sandie (@SandieBellz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SandieBellz\/status\/1800452397791388092?\">June 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Meanwhile, the storied Los Angeles franchise must come to grips with mediocrity and rejection.<\/p>\n<p>This season, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/LAL\/2024.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lakers<\/a> finished 47-35 and earned a berth in the Western Conference playoffs. But the team <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/40076601\/lakers-fire-coach-darvin-ham-2-seasons-sources-say\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fired head coach Darvin Ham<\/a> following its first-round loss to the defending champion Denver Nuggets.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James<\/a>, the 39-year-old face of the franchise and the NBA\u2019s all-time leading scorer, has failed to get his Lakers to the Finals since their championship run during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2019-2020 season.<\/p>\n<p>His current contract includes a player option worth more than $51 million next season.<\/p>\n<p>After news of Hurley\u2019s decision broke, Barstool Sports mocked James by sharing an unrelated post of his from February 2023. \u201cMaybe It\u2019s Me,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Dan Hurley is going back to UConn. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/52e0X4GHbi\">pic.twitter.com\/52e0X4GHbi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/barstoolsports\/status\/1800221740410483007?\">June 10, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>All things considered, Hurley\u2019s decision made a good deal of sense for him. After all, college and professional sports are different enterprises. And history shows that great college coaches often fail in the professional ranks.<\/p>\n<p>Longtime Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, for instance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/01\/11\/alabama-coach-nick-saban-retiring-after-winning-7-national-titles-reports.html#:~:text=Saban%2C%20who%20won%20seven%20national,retiring%2C%20according%20to%20multiple%20outlets.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">retired in January<\/a> after winning seven career national championships. As coach of the NFL\u2019s Miami Dolphins in 2005 and 2006, however, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/coaches\/SabaNi0.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Saban\u2019s teams<\/a> finished a combined 15-17.<\/p>\n<p>From the Lakers\u2019 perspective, however, Hurley\u2019s rejection following the team\u2019s very public courting of his services amounts to an embarrassment.<\/p>\n<p>A handful of professional franchises \u2014 the NBA\u2019s Lakers and Boston Celtics; MLB\u2019s New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals; the NFL\u2019s Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers \u2014 have established themselves as the gold standard thanks to prolonged on-court or on-field success.<\/p>\n<p>Head coaches do not \u2014 or almost always should not \u2014 turn down job offers from those franchises. But Hurley did.<\/p>\n<p>Now, James and the Lakers must look in the mirror and ask themselves why.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>An Important Message from Our Staff:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>In just a few months, the world is going to change forever. The 2024 election is the single most important election of our lifetime. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We here at The Western Journal are committed to covering it in a way the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/caitlin-clark-lands-historic-nike-shoe-deal-worth-millions-just-before-her-rookie-season-kicks-off\/\" title=\"Caitlin Clark Secures Multi-Million Dollar Nike Deal Ahead of Rookie Season Kickoff\">establishment media simply<\/a> will not: We will tell the truth, and they will lie.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>But Big Tech and the elites don\u2019t want the truth out. That\u2019s why they have cut us off from 90% of advertisers. Imagine if someone cut your monthly income by 90%. That\u2019s what they\u2019ve done to people like us. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>As a staff, we are asking you to <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to fight this once-in-a-lifetime fight. Without you not only will The Western Journal fail, but America will fail also. As Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Will you support The Western Journal today and <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>become a member<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>A Western Journal <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>This is the time. America will live or die based on what happens this year. Please <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to get the real truth out and to fight the elites, Big Tech, and the people who want America to fail. Together, we really can save the country.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Thank you for your support!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>P.S. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Please stand with us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-45760\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/michael-schwarz\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-45760\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-45760\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-45760\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-45760\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Commentary by Michael Schwarz, June 11, 2024: The Los Angeles Lakers, a legendary franchise with 17 NBA titles and some of the greatest players ever, have recently dimmed in prestige. They were unable to acquire the most sought-after head coach in basketball<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2056,"featured_media":2264919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Dan-LeBron.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2264918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Dan-LeBron.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2264918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2056"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2264918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2264918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2264919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2264918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2264918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2264918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}