By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
According to online reports, the Los Angeles Lakers were focusing their search on J.J. Redick yesterday. Now, new reports have emerged that the team is focusing their search on UCONN men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley.
He has guided the Huskies to back to back Men’s Basketball Tournament championships. The Huskies were the first back to back champions since the Florida Gators nearly two decades ago.
Since the two straight champions, several key players for the Huskies have entered the upcoming NBA Draft.
Hurley comes from a historic family tree that features Hall of Famer Bob Hurley and Arizona State men’s basketball coach Bobby Hurley. At the time, his father was just the third high school coach named to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The 51-year-old would get his first crack at an NBA job if he does get hired. He has been a high school or college coach through his coaching career.
Former men’s basketball legend Mike Krzyzewski is helping in the Lakers search for a new leader. Former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was fired after two seasons.
Hurley would be the latest college coach to dabble in pro sports. The others were not so successful.
One example in the NBA was John Beilein with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He did not last even one year in the job before resigning.
Beilein was 14-40 in his short-lived career in the Association.
In the NFL, another college coach dabbled with the league was Matt Rhule. The former Temple and Baylor football coach went 11-27 in parts of three seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
Rhule is back in the college game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
If Hurley does accept the Lakers job and fails, one thing about that would be he would immediately have options back in the college game.
The Lakers were the seventh-best team in the Western Conference. They had a 47-35 record.
The team won the inaugural In-Season Tournament in December. However, in the postseason, the Lakers were defeated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round.
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