Christian Petersen/Getty UConn's Dan Hurley cuts down the net after beating Purdue to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game on April 08, 2024.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont made it clear that he is prepared to do what it takes to keep Dan Hurley at UConn amid speculation about who will replace Kentucky coach John Calipari after he left for Arkansas.
When asked on April 10 by WTNH reporter Mike Cerulli about whether he’s confident Hurley will stay with the Huskies after winning back-to-back men’s basketball national championships, Lamont responded, “I love Dan Hurley. I love what he means for those kids, I love people who are successful and I pay for success.”
The Democratic governor previously said in a statement announcing an April 13 parade in Hartford to celebrate UConn’s 75-60 victory over Purdue for the school’s sixth national championship since 1999, “For the second year in a row, the UConn men’s basketball team wowed the nation by dominating the NCAA tournament, and now it’s time for Connecticut to give them the victory celebration they deserve. I urge basketball fans from all over Connecticut to come to Hartford on Saturday morning and show the Huskies how much this team means to our state and how proud we are of their accomplishments.”
Hurley was asked about whether he’d consider other jobs during the postgame press conference after the April 8 title game and he responded with a laugh, “I don’t think that’s a concern.”
Dan Hurley Was Paid $5 Million This Season & Will Receive at Least $1.8 Million in Bonuses for Winning the National Championship
I asked Governor Lamont about the speculation that Kentucky mighty try to hire Dan Hurley away from UConn. Lamont indicated he was ready to pay to keep the most dominant coach in college basketball in CT.
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Hurley, who was hired by UConn in 2018, signed a six-year contract extension worth $32.1 million in April 2023 after he won his first championship. According to USA Today, Hurley’s contract is the 7th highest in the country among those tracked by the news organization.
In addition to the $5 million base salary Hurley received for the 2023-2024 season, Hurley received an additional $1.8 million in bonuses for winning the national championship, the Big East tournament, the Big East regular season title and for his personal coach of the year awards. He could also receive an additional $200,000 depending on his team’s athletic performance, according to the contract, reaching his max yearly bonus of $2 million.
Calipari was the second-highest paid coach on USA Today’s list in 23-24, with a salary of $8,539,961. Kansas’ Bill Self tops the list at $9,625,642. Calipari will receive at least $7 million per year while coaching the Razorbacks, according to the University of Arkansas.
Hurley’s contract also includes other perks, including a $15,000 yearly car allowance and a family membership to a Connecticut country club. Legendary UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma is paid $3 million per year plus bonuses.
The high pay UConn, a public school, provides to its basketball coaches has at times been a point of contention in the Nutmeg State. In 2009, lawyer, activist and freelance journalist Ken Krayeske asked then Huskies coach Jim Calhoun about his $1.6 million salary amid tough economic times.
The Hall of Fame coach quipped in reply, “Not a dime back,” adding, “My best advice to you, shut up. … Quite frankly, we bring in $12 million to the university, nothing to do with state funds. We make $12 million a year for this university. Get some facts and come back and see me. Get some facts and come back and see me. Don’t throw out salaries and other things. Get some facts and come back and see me. We turn over $12 million to the University of Connecticut, which is state-run. Next question.”
Hurley Told Colin Cowherd ‘a 3-Peat Right Now Is the Only Thing That Is Obviously on Anyone’s Mind’ When Asked About Another School Backing ‘Up a Brinks Truck’
Hurley, when was asked about what he would do if a school like Kentucky brought a Brinks truck full of money to him during an interview with Colin Cowherd on April 10, replied, “It’s flattering. You know, I’ve come a long way since being a high school coach 15 years ago, having had to way to work my way up the ladder in the business as a coach. … I’ve got a long career of turning down jobs or more money to stay in places that I was happy and that fit me and that provide me the resources to at that level achieve the things you want to achieve.”
Hurley added, “The opportunity to go for a three-peat right now is the only thing that is obviously on anyone’s mind here. I just can’t see that being a thing.”
After the title victory Hurley told reporters, “I’m not going into the portal. I’m not,” according to the Hartford Courant.
UConn Athletic Director David Benedict told the Courant about the Hurley to Kentucky speculation, “Look, obviously Kentucky is one of the all-time great programs,, and he’s put himself in a position where there is no big-time program that, I can’t imagine when they talk to ADs and say, who’s on your short list? If you’re in a place like that, to not have Dan Hurley on your short list? I don’t know. … We’ve been committed since he arrived and we’re going to continue to be committed to do everything we can to support winning championships. He knows he can do that here, he’s done it twice in a row, and hopefully he wants to be here until he’s done coaching.”
He added, “Dan’s not the type of person who is going to be talking about things during the season. He didn’t due that during the search process where we eventually hired him. There will be conversations about how do we continue to have success.”
Hurley added that his wife wants to stay close to their native state of New Jersey, “We went to Rhode Island, which I had to drag her to. Connecticut, I got her closer. Now, further? I can’t afford a divorce now. I just started making money. I’m not going to start thinking about another place. We’re in a position to be back-to-back in an era that’s kind of tough to do it. Now you’re thinking in your brain, looking at the locker room at the chance to do it three times, dynasty in modern times. That’s what I’m thinking about.”