Did Dan Hurley play basketball in NBA?

Dan Hurley, an American college basketball coach, was a basketball star at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, where his father had performed as the longtime coach.

Hurley, currently the head coach of the UConn Huskies men’s team at the University of Connecticut, led the team to a 31–1 record and a No. 2 national ranking as a senior. He played five years of college basketball at Seton Hall. His head coach was P. J. Carlesimo during his first three seasons.

The Los Angeles Lakers are targeting Dan Hurley, University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach, as the franchise’s next coach.

The Lakers are going for a mammoth, long-term contract deal to make the back-to-back NCAA national champion join the NBA, reports ESPN citing sources.

The Lakers have made primary contact with Hurley and both sides were planning to take forward discussions in the days to come, sources told ESPN.

Hurley has been the target of Los Angeles’ head coaching search for a long time, according to ESPN, even though the club has done due diligence by interviewing several other candidates for the job.

Two players of his UConn team The Huskies, guards Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr., had been recently selected in the 2023 NBA Draft. A third player, forward Adama Sanogo, signed with the Chicago Bulls as an undrafted free agent. Center Donovan Clingan and guard Stephon Castle from this year’s class are projected lottery picks.

Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, and governor Jeanie Buss were keen to formally discuss with Hurley their vision of bringing his program of building tactical acumen and elite player development to the club, said sources.

Born on January 16, 1973 and raised in Jersey City, Hurley was a marvelous player at St. Anthony High School, leading the team to a 31-1 record and a No. 2 ranking in nationals as a senior.

At Seton Hall, playing under head coaches George Blaneya and P.J. Carlesimo, Hurley amassed career totals of 1,070 points and 437 assists and during his career, helped the Pirates to three NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT berth.

Right after his graduation in 1996, Hurley went straight into coaching, joining his father at St. Anthony High School for a year before heading into college basketball at Rutgers.

Hurley signed a six-year $32.1 million contract to stay at University of Connecticut after the 2023 championship season.