It paid for Dan Hurley to blow off a job offer from the Los Angeles Lakers — and in a big way.
Per reports, Hurley just received a six-year, $50 million contract from UConn, the program he had led to back-to-back NCAA championships. A lot of people will tell you the whole reason Hurley agreed to the Lakers courtship was to get more money from the Huskies.
If so, man, did it work. Oh, by the way, Hurley will also receive performance-based incentives.
"It's an honor to coach basketball at UConn and to represent this world class institution and the great state of Connecticut," Hurley said in a statement. "We are extremely proud of the championship program that we have rebuilt for our supporters and fans. We will continue to obsessively pursue championships and historic success, while continuing to develop great young men. Bleed Blue!"
Perhaps "bleed green" would have been more fitting.
"Under his new contract, Hurley will receive a base salary of $400,000 per year and additional compensation that rises every year for speaking, consulting and media obligations. The additional compensation begins at $6.375 million for the 2024-25 season. He will also get a retention bonus of $1 million per year."
Hurley is 68-11 at UConn over the past two seasons.
"On behalf of UConn Nation, we are thrilled that Coach Hurley will continue to lead the Men's Basketball program for the foreseeable future," UConn athletic director David Benedict said in the statement. "Dan and Andrea have poured themselves into the rebuilding of this program that culminated in the last two National Championships. This contract is recognition for the immense amount of effort that went into producing those results and the dedication it will require to sustain a program that expects to compete for conference and national championships in the future."
