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Amid a major shake up in college basketball, Dan Hurley reassured UConn fans that he is not going anywhere any time soon, and they may have his wife to thank for that.
The University of Connecticut men’s basketball team successfully defended their reign as national champions after a dominant 75-60 win over Purdue on Monday night.
Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley cuts down the net after beating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 8, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
During his postgame remarks, the veteran head coach spoke openly about his future with the Huskies and his plans on not just settling for back-to-back titles.
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"On the flight home tomorrow we'll start talking about what the roster is going to look like. Obviously, we graduate some players. We're going to lose a couple potentially to the NBA early entry," he told reporters Monday night.
"We're going to dive in and put together a roster that can play a comparable level of basketball to the one that you guys have witnessed the last two years. That’s what I know our mindset will be. We’re gonna be focusing on trying to put together a three-year run, not just a two-year run."
Hurley’s success at UConn became a topic of discussion after John Calipari reportedly took a job as Arkansas’ new head coach following Kentucky’s early exit from the NCAA tournament.
Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley cuts down the net after beating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 8, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
UCONN DOMINATES PURDUE TO CAPTURE BACK-TO-BACK NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
However, Hurley quickly removed his name from the potential short list, joking with reporters that his wife would be the decision maker on that topic.
"Oh my God, Kentucky or anywhere that's going to take her further from New Jersey," he said of her reaction, via ESPN. "I mean, we just went to Rhode Island, which I had to drag her to, and then to Connecticut. I got her closer. And now further? I can't afford a divorce right now, too. I just started making money."
During his postgame remarks, Hurley added "I don’t think that’s a concern."
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A new coaching job is likely not on Hurley’s radar. He praised the program’s success over the last two years and stopped just short of calling it a dynasty.
Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley speaks after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship game at State Farm Stadium on April 8, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Alysa Rubin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
"I think it's up there in terms of the greatest two year runs that maybe a program’s ever had… I just think it's the best two year run, I think, in a very long run just because of everything we lost from last year’s team. To lose that much and to do what we did again, it’s gotta be as impressive a two year run as a program’s had since prior to whoever did before Duke. To me it’s more impressive than what Florida and Duke did because they brought back their entire teams and we lost some major players."
UConn became the first team since 2007 to capture back-to-back national championships. This year’s team also became the sixth team in NCAA history to win all six tournament games by double-digit margins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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