The Los Angeles Lakers shockingly are on the verge of hiring Dan Hurley away from the UConn Huskies to be the new head coach in LA. The move comes out of nowhere, especially after Hurley led the Huskies to back-to-back NCAA Championships, and now UConn has to replace Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle’s production while trying to find a new head coach.
It’s a tall task, but here are ten coaching candidates who may be in line to replace Hurley at UConn.
Luke Murray
Luke, the son of actor Bill Murray, has taken a different path to becoming a star. Currently UConn’s assistant coach, Luke Murray, could very well soon find himself in the driver’s seat to take over the Huskies men’s basketball program. He’s been there since 2021 and has been coordinating UConn’s offense since 2022, sparking their back-to-back title run. Murray should be viewed as one of the top candidates to take over for Hurley.
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Kimani Young
Like Murray, Kimani Young is already familiar with UConn basketball, having been on the staff since 2018. As the Huskies’ associate head coach, promoting Young would be natural. He’s even been credited with landing several top recruits, such as Stephon Castle.
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JJ Redick
If JJ Redick is no longer in line to become the Los Angeles Lakers head coach, how about taking over for the man who’s set to take over in LA? Redick may have a hard time getting an NBA head coaching job without gaining experience elsewhere, but going to UConn may be a bit more than he’s ready for. If this were Duke, it’d be a different story for the former Blue Devils star.
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Eric Musselman
This would be awkward, as Eric Musselman just joined USC in April, meaning he’s yet to coach a game with his new program. But we also can’t deny that UConn is a much more enticing job opportunity. The biggest question may be whether the former Arkansas coach would be able to get out of his contract with the Trojans.
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Bruce Pearl
Auburn’s head coach since 2014, Bruce Pearl, has been one of college basketball’s best head coaches during his tenure, but he’s never been able to win an NCAA Championship. The infrastructure is already there at UConn, so if Pearl is confident in his ability to deliver a winner, joining the Huskies makes too much sense to ignore.
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Nate Oats
If Kentucky was interested in hiring Nate Oats away from Alabama, then UConn should be too. We know Oats wants to pursue a championship with the Crimson Tide, but taking over the Huskies may be too exciting to say no to.
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Sean Miller
Sean Miller has shown an ability to put together strong recruiting classes at Xavier and Arizona, but he’s never had the pull of a big program like UConn. With all the resources available to the Huskies, we’d imagine he could build an even better roster.
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Scott Drew
Entrenched as Baylor’s head coach since 2003, Scott Drew was linked to Kentucky’s vacancy earlier this offseason, but he was probably never viewed as a top candidate. The story could be different for UConn as they scramble to solve for Hurley’s pending departure. A former NCAA Champion, Drew could work wonders at UConn.
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T.J. Otzelberger
Far from the biggest name on this list, T.J. Otzelberger is viewed as a rising star after bringing Iowa State to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Coming off a strong 29-8 season, he could be the perfect candidate to continue his momentum at UConn.
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Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino’s had an up-and-down coaching career, but he’s the most experienced candidate available, with parts of 36 seasons under his belt as a head coach. He impressed last season, leading St. Johns to a 20-13 record, and now the two-time NCAA Tournament champion could return to glory with UConn.
