The arrival of name, image, and likeness on the college sports scene has produced two starkly different reactions. While the players are happily making use of it to equate their earnings with their hard work, fans are enjoying watching their favorite athletes take over their sport. However, for coaches like Dan Hurley, NIL has made their jobs a little harder.

On the latest episode of the Come And Talk 2 Me show with Mark Jackson and his son, Mark Jackson Jr., Hurley sat down to discuss how the game has changed with the players getting paid now. While stating that he coached his players harder because of NIL, Hurley revealed that he still had a few fears.

“The more resources that get poured into you, the more the people pouring those resources deserve from you. I think it’s simple, and these guys have immense resources that get poured into them for them to become champions or get to the NBA. Do those things together, like we have to. Resources – that’s the mission and we gotta accomplish it.”

At the same time, he can’t help but worry about his players, the top three of whom have more than two million dollars in earnings combined. Per On3, Alex Karaban has total earnings of $989k; Liam McNeeley is at $988k; and Ahmad Nowell at $291k. And Dan Hurley’s comments make sense, “There’s a sense I think you could see it a little bit. Sometimes it’s good to be broke, I think that’s a feeling that is a feeling that is healthy, to not have, that feeling of desperation and urgency when you don’t have a lot.”

But at the same time, the UConn coach says, “Now you get to 20 years old and your life is pretty sweet…it can get easy, if they got it real good you don’t have to keep striving and pushing because you don’t want it to be the best they ever have it. That would be I think haunting for these guys.”

NIL and transfer portals have been a major part of Virginia Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett announcing his surprise retirement yesterday. But Dan Hurley does not look like he will follow the same path. He has a blueprint for working in the post-NIL era to maintain a ‘championship culture.’

Dan Hurley is moving with the times

Where Tony Bennett felt that he was a coach with old-school methods, Dan Hurley is making use of the new resources made available to him. When no one thought that repeating a championship would be possible, the UConn Huskies brought one home after 20 years in NCAA men’s basketball. And then once again this year.

“We’re going to maintain a championship culture,” Hurley said in April. “We’re bringing in some very talented high school freshmen. Our returning players, through player development, will take a big jump. We’ll strategically add through the portal. I don’t think that we’re going anywhere.”

The head coach had to rebuild when UConn lost Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins from the 2023 championship team. Hurley brought in Cam Spencer and Stephon Castle and won a back-to-back title. Since all of these players have gone pro now, Hurley will be looking to work with a new team that includes freshman Liam McNeely, and aim for a three-peat!