After back-to-back college basketball championships with the UConn Huskies, Dan Hurley’s squad suffered a devastating 77-75 loss to the eventual 2025 champions Florida Gators, in the second round of this year’s national tournament.
The Huskies led the Gators for most of the game, until things changed with about three minutes on the clock. The Gators secured the win in the final seconds and ended Hurley’s dream of winning three consecutive championships.
Hurley pondered his future with the program after that game, revealing that he considered leaving, just one year after turning down an offer from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Dan Hurley makes huge admission about UConn’s head-coaching job
In his new book, “Never Stop: Life, Leadership, and What It Takes To Be Great,” Hurley revealed he seriously considered leaving the Huskies after last season’s defeat.
“I thought about leaving,” Hurley wrote. “Taking a gap year. Resigning as head coach of the UConn Huskies.”
He added that he constantly went back to the game and created scenarios where his team came out victorious.
“It was unhealthy to be ruminating this way. I was unhealthy. I desperately needed to get out of town, flee to my standard hideaway, Dorado Beach in San Juan. I needed to do some healing, not think about basketball for a few days. But that wasn’t possible in this new era. The transfer portal and NIL deals made every college player a free agent, so right after the tournament I needed to be in my office, in Storrs. If I left town right then, I wouldn’t have a team for the 2025-26 season. At that point, I wasn’t even sure that I would return for the 2025-26 season,” he added.
The Huskies enter the new season with renewed expectations, but the competition will be hard. But with Dan Hurley at the helm, they will always stand a chance.