UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley was on the receiving end of criticism following his team’s elimination from the NCAA tournament on Sunday at the hands of the No. 1 seed Florida Gators.
After a collapse in the final two minutes of the game (Florida went on a 7-0 run to extend the lead from 65-64 to 72-64), the Huskies attempted a late comeback, but the clock wasn’t in their favor.
Once the game was over, plenty of fans remembered that Hurley declined the chance to coach the Los Angeles Lakers to pursue a three-peat with the Huskies this season.
“brotha dodged the Lakers just to get sent home as an 8 seed 😭😭😂😂,” one fan said.
“shoulda came to the Lakers 😂,” another fan said.
“Shout out to Dan Hurley for turning down the Lakers job so he could win a single NCAA tourney game,” a third fan said.
“Shoulda took lakers coaching job 🤡,” a fourth fan wrote.
“This guy is really insufferable. Might as well taken the Lakers gig if you’re going to behave like you’re a Hollywood actor…” a fifth fan said.
“Dan Hurley passed on the Lakers bag for that three peat and got neither,” a sixth fan wrote.
The Lakers reportedly identified Hurley as one of their top targets to replace Darvin Ham following another elimination at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA playoffs.
Retired insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Hurley took down the offer and prompted the Lakers to focus on James Borrego and JJ Redick, among other candidates.
The purple and gold eventually signed Redick, who started the 2024-25 season surrounded by doubts. The Lakers boast a 43-27 record, sitting fourth in the Western Conference standings with 12 more games to play.