Did Dan Hurley Play in the NBA? Deep Dive Into the Lakers Prospect’s Playing Career

We all know Dan Hurley as UConn’s incredible coach who’s taken the team towards their second consecutive championship. But, did you know he wasn’t the golden boy of his own family? It was his brother, Bobby Hurley. In the early 1990s, he began his NBA career as a seventh NBA draft pick and later became an All-American.

However, Dan Hurley wasn’t really an attention magnet like his brother. Though, he too had a distinguished basketball career before taking up coaching as a career. Intriguingly, he initiated his collegiate career with a rivalry against UConn, a team that features a six-year bond with him.

A look into Dan Hurley’s basketball career

The New Jersey native, Dan Hurley started off his basketball career with St. Anthony High School where Bob Hurley was a longtime coach. Back then, he led the team to an impressive 31-1 record to become the No. 2 nationally ranked player. Hurley, unlike his brother, started off his collegiate career as a point guard at Seton Hall wherein UConn was the Big East Rival now and then.

During his five years (including a redshirt year) of collegiate basketball, he played 125 games. Meanwhile, he averaged 8.1 points, 2.34 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Despite all these impressive stats, he realized that being a basketball player wasn’t really what he aimed for. Thanks to Seton Hall, where he met a psychologist, Sister Catherine Waters. She was the person who changed his life, and that’s why Hurley even after years still has talks with her.

After five years of playing, he took up the role of assistant coach at St. Anthony High School. Since then, his life has been on an entirely different path. In 2001, he took over the position of head coach at Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School. After staying there for 10 years, he finally switched to another school before making it to the head coach of UConn in 2018.

How Hurley’s career transformed with Huskies?

With the Huskies, his coaching career skyrocketed. As he led the Huskies towards a 37-win record, he was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year. Not only this, but his impressive coaching skills even caught the attention of the Lakers. When the former coach of the Lakers resigned, the Lakers had all their eyes on Dan Hurley.

Reportedly, the team is planning to offer a massive contract to UConn’s coach to break their six-year bond. For those unaware, the Lakers, one of the world’s winningest franchises, is a team he had been intending for quite a long time. However, as per a recent update by Hurley, it’s least likely to happen.

“He’s been in talks with the Lakers,” a source tells Fox Sports. Hurley didn’t want to hide the fact that this is real. The Huskies have a noon practice, and Hurley told his players it’s business as usual for now,” said Fox broadcaster and Reporter John Fanta. However, Hurley hasn’t made any clear announcement. Now, the question is: will Hurley take up the Lakers’ offer?

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.