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UConn basketball coach Dan Hurley opened up on the struggles of keeping a team intact in today’s new age of NIL and the transfer portal. He believes at least half of his team is already planning to bail on the Huskies.
Hurley spoke on 60 Minutes about the transfer portal window and how players can go about securing deals before making a commitment to a new program. Even for the defending national champs, it’s a task keeping everyone happy.
“Fifty percent of my roster or ore is at least considering going in the portal, if not already knows what school that they’re going to… In a couple of those cases, they’ve already talked to the coaching staff at future school and have an idea of what their NIL is going to be there.”
-Dan Hurley
The Huskies have three players that recently celebrated Senior Day. Another could leave early for the NBA Draft. That leaves eight players to choose from regarding Dan Hurley’s insinuation.
The transfer portal opens in the middle of the NCAA Tournament. UConn players could hop in before season’s end if unsatisfied with their current roles. Interestingly enough, it was Hurley flirting with the idea of leaving last offseason.
Dan Hurley interviewed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
At one point, he was believed to be the favorite. UConn was able to keep on campus with a pay raise. Despite that decision, the head coach admitted that it was close.
“Yeah, to leave, there probably is [an amount of money that could’ve swayed me]… [My wife] got emotional [when I brought up the Lakers interest]. She was like, ‘Our life is so great, it’s perfect. Our lives couldn’t be better and now you’re bringing this s—,’…
“But she warmed up to it when we got out there and she met Rob, and she met Jeanie, and she felt the weather… but when we got back to Connecticut, before having made a decision, when we got back home, we both flipped back.”
-Dan Hurley
Hurley landed a raise, but his offer with the Lakers was more lucrative. Still, he turned it down.
In the end, his love for UConn made the decision for him. The same might not be said for UConn players on the current roster. We can expect a mass departure this transfer season.