...
By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
As the Big East Tournament wraps up this weekend and gives way to the start of the March Madness tournament next week, UConn remains among the teams in the spotlight as potential contenders.
Much of that is due to their mastermind head coach, Dan Hurley, who has captured two championships in back-to-back seasons during his tenure at UConn. However, there’s more to coaching the Huskies than just Hurley, as his staff has also been an integral part of the team’s success.
That staff includes assistant coach Luke Murray and associate head coach Kimani Young, who both help shape and guide the championship-caliber teams that develop over the course of each season.
Read More on NCAA
And unsurprisingly, with jobs opening up recently in the Big East Conference, those coaches are among those being mentioned in speculation to leave for head coaching vacancies elsewhere.
Read more: Dan Hurley Reveals UConn Players Offered to Pay His Fine After Ejection
...
In particular, Murray, who is the son of actor and comedian Bill Murray, is linked to the Syracuse job that opened after the program fired its head coach, Adrian Autry, after three unsuccessful seasons there. In addition, Providence recently parted ways with its head coach, Kim English, after three seasons with the school, as he negotiated a buyout of his contract.
"If they can get the type of jobs that financially make sense for them, I think they need to be at a high level of college basketball. You look at what Tommy Lloyd has done at Arizona. It'll help if we play great this month. Players get drafted higher when you make a great run this time of year. Coaches get a better job when you make a great run this time of year," head coach Dan Hurley said, per CT Insider.
The UConn head coach also said he wants them to get jobs that make financial sense and allow them to be at the helm of winning programs. According to Hurley, they're not "fidgety or panicky" to leave UConn due to being compensated well.
Murray has been Hurley’s assistant since 2021, following stints as an assistant at multiple programs, including Rhode Island, Xavier, and Louisville.
As far as replacing Murray or Young, Hurley said, "I'll always have a great staff around me. I'm not afraid to lose people. I don't hire 'yes' men, I hire talented people."
Discussion of the UConn coaches being coveted has arrived just recently, as the team is preparing for another run at the NCAA Tournament. Last season's team was eliminated by the eventual National Champions, the Florida Gators, before the Sweet 16.
This season's team has shown stretches of brilliance where they are able to adequately win games in all sorts of fashions. However, among their low points were last week's season-ending loss to Marquette, where Hurley was ejected due to arguing with the referee on a late-game call.
His ejection came with a second left in the game, and Marquette was on their way to victory, with Murphy getting to fill in briefly. He's had fewer opportunities to take over as the coach this season due to Hurley mostly remaining in games, but perhaps he'll find a new job after this latest Huskies season wraps up.
Read more: Providence Fires Basketball Coach Kim English After Loss to St. John’s
For more about the UConn Huskies and college basketball, visit Newsweek Sports.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines