Tag: Danny Hurley

Report: Lakers targeting UConn’s Danny Hurley as next head coach

The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing to make a massive offer to hire UConn Huskies head basketball coach Danny Hurley.

The biggest NBA brand is looking to bring in the most successful college basketball coach, with ESPN reporting the Los Angeles Lakers are targeting UConn’s Danny Hurley for their vacant head coach position.

Hurley led the Huskies to back-to-back NCAA Championships, becoming the first coach to do so since Billy Donovan did it with the Florida Gators in 2007 and 2008.

The Lakers had been targeting former Duke guard and NBA analyst J.J. Redick for the role, but now the team is reportedly preparing to offer Hurley a huge contract to pull him to the NBA.

The 51-year-old would take over a team still hoping to keep their championship window open with 40-year-old LeBron James and veteran big man Anthony Davis in the mix. LA won the title in 2020 but lost twice in the first round, and missed the playoffs altogether, since then.

For UConn, if Hurley does depart the players on the roster will all have 30 days to enter the transfer portal, and all eyes will be on recent NBA draft returnee Alex Karaban as well as incoming freshman Liam McNeeley and transfer portal additions Aidan Mahaney (St. Mary’s) and Tarris Reed (Michigan).

This story is continuing to develop.

Defending champion UConn Huskies add sharpshooting guard in transfer portal

Former Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney committed to Danny Hurley and the UConn Huskies out of the NCAA transfer portal.

Danny Hurley and the UConn Huskies are not content to just sit on their laurels after winning back to back national championships.

The team managed to reload after losing a bunch of talent from the first title team, and coach Hurley is hard at work replenishing the roster once again after four of his five starters departed this offseason.

The latest addition for the Huskies is former Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney, a rising junior who averaged 13.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists across two years in Moraga, twice being named All-WCC and helping lead the Gaels to an outright conference title last season.

Mahaney is a strong outside shooter, although his numbers dipped from year one to year two after increasing his volume. He shot 40% from deep on 5.3 attempts as a freshman but just 35.5% as a sophomore while taking 6.9 per game.

Still, Mahaney’s experience and strong outside shooting should make him a key piece for Hurley’s team next season, alongside fellow transfer portal addition Tarris Reed out of Michigan and incoming freshman Liam McNeeley, a decommit from Indiana who should fill a valuable role right away.

If Alex Karaban opts to return and this program finds a few more transfers to round out the class, UConn will once again be in the mix for a national championship and could do what has not been done since the 1970’s: win three titles in a row.

Texas, UConn, Indiana to play in Empire Classic hoops series

Texas could face UConn, the 2023 NCAA Champions early next season.

The Texas basketball schedule appears to be ramping up next season. After a respectable schedule saw the Longhorns face Gonzaga, Creighton, and Illinois, the team is already set to play high profile games next season.

Earlier this week, we learned that Texas would reunite with former head coach Shaka Smart and the Marquette Golden Eagles in the Big 12-Big East Battle. Smart pulled off a surprising AP National Coach of the Year bid this season after helping his team to a No. 2 seed. Marquette fell to the Michigan State Spartans in the Round of 32.

Now it appears the Longhorns will join UConn, Indiana, and Louisville in New York for the Empire Classic in early November. The early season series gives Texas the opportunity to face two of the top coaches in college basketball, UConn’s Danny Hurley and Indiana’s Mike Woodson.

The low stakes series of games gives Texas head coach Rodney Terry and company a chance to simulate tournament style basketball with their new look team. The games kick off Nov. 19 toward the start of next season.