Opting for Dan Hurley over JJ Redick is a no-brainer for the Lakers, according to Geno Auriemma. Shortly after ESPN reported Thursday morning that the Lakers are preparing a massive offer for Hurley following weeks of buzz that Redick is the favorite for the top job, the UConn women’s basketball coach revealed on “The Dan Patrick Show” that he spoke with Hurley about the topic Wednesday night. “This is really funny because I happened to be at a thing with him last night,” Auriemma said Thursday. “I have no idea what’s going on, I have no idea where this is going or what’s happening, but I said, just leaned over and I said, ‘Hey, I think you could win a lot of championships with the Lakers, more so than a guy who’s never coached.’ He just looked at me and nodded and we had a good laugh and then this morning I wake up and voila. So, I don’t know what’s going on.” While some may wonder if Auriemma had an inside tip before ESPN’s bombshell report Thursday morning, he insisted he was in the same boat as those who woke up to the news. “I don’t know why it came to me … but I said it and If you ask him, he’ll tell you,” Auriemma said. “I had no idea. I woke up this morning and somebody sent it to me, and I went, ‘You got to be kidding me.’” That Auriemma would back Hurley is not shocking, considering they share the same basketball complex and he’s seen up close how Hurley operates. And, as he noted, Hurley has two national titles and is generally regarded as the best men’s college basketball coach, while Redick has not coached at any level. While Auriemma has stayed put at UConn, just like former UConn coaching legend Jim Calhoun, he understands why a coach would leave a great college job for the NBA in today’s NIL age. NIL has been a rumored factor in why several prominent coaches have left their posts. “The state of college basketball is a mess,” Auriemma said. “If anybody could manage it, though, it would be Danny because he coaches this program like it’s a high school program, like he coached at St. Benedict’s. Their player development program is second to none. But I do think that being at UConn and given the state of college basketball and the amount of money now that it’s going to take to be able to put together a national championship team every single year, I think — and without knowing where it’s going — it’s a charade. “This idea of student-athlete welfare — every single thing that comes out of the NCAA’s mouth about student-athlete welfare, it’s bulls–t. That has no factor ever anymore. I never want to hear anybody utter those words associated with college basketball. They are professional athletes, just not called that. You might as well go coach professional athletes where it’s real.” Hurley has previously mentioned his desire to eventually test himself at the NBA level while stating he would not leave UConn for another collegiate job. Coaching the Lakers would be a one-of-one opportunity for Hurley. “If Danny were to leave and somebody said to me, ‘You know, he just took this NBA job,’ I won’t name any particular city — I would say, you know, you’re set up for failure,” Auriemma said. “But it’s the Lakers and I don’t know the details of it, but if you’re saying, ‘Hey, I want a 10-year deal. I want the same deal Brad Stevens got at Boston (six years, $22 million in 2013)…’” When Patrick replied, “It might be more than that,” Auriemma said: “Well, then, you know what, his wife Andrea might not like me but he’s crazy it he doesn’t take it.” Andrea reportedly factored into Hurley turning down Kentucky this offseason with her preference to stay close to their East Coast roots — but Lexington is not Hollywood. “Well that part (Rodeo Drive) she might not argue with,” Auriemma joked. “It might be all the other parts she has a problem with. It’s a huge family decision, no question about it.” Auriemma, who just signed a five-year, $18.7 million contract extension this week to become the highest-paid women’s coach, knows it will be tough for the back-to-back champs to replace Hurley, should he leave. “It’d be a bad day for UConn, for sure, if this happens,” Auriemma said. “It would be a great, great day for Dan Hurley and I’m sure a bittersweet day for Dan Hurley.” The Lakers parted ways with coach Darvin Ham in May following a first-round playoff ouster to the Nuggets.
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