The Los Angeles Lakers’ search for their next head coach took a big turn on Thursday when news came out that the team was targeting UConn head coach Dan Hurley. Up until that point, Hurley had never been mentioned as a potential candidate so the news came as a surprise to most.
That being said, Hurley is an extremely accomplished coach at the collegiate level, winning back-to-back NCAA National Championships with UConn and there are many who feel he would be an excellent hire for the Lakers, including Magic Johnson.
The Lakers legend and former President of Basketball Operations recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and explained why he wants Hurley to be the next coach of the Lakers:
“I want the coach to be Hurley. If we can sign him I think it works for both. It works for coach Hurley, who won back-to-back NCAA Championships with Connecticut, so he has a championship background. He’s great with offensive and defensive strategy, I think that the players would respect him, and he’s tough. The Lakers got to have somebody who will hold them accountable, and also we gotta play physical basketball. Denver will always beat us unless we become a much more physical team, so we got to get more physical. That’s why these teams are playing in the Finals, Boston and Dallas, because they’re mentally tough and they’re physically tough. We got to get both mentally and physically tough.”
Magic is right in that Hurley undoubtedly checks a lot of boxes for the Lakers and what they need from their next coach. Hurley is tough and intense and built one of the best defenses in all of college basketball at UConn, which was the foundation for the title runs the last two years.
The Lakers are looking for a coach who can succeed with this current era and lead the team for years to come and it sounds as if they feel Hurley is the person who can do that. And Magic seems to agree.
Rick Fox a fan of Lakers potentially hiring Dan Hurley
Another former Lakers player who is on board with the potential hiring of UConn’s Dan Hurley is Rick Fox, who won three straight NBA Championships with the franchise from 2000-2002. Fox had recently been critical of the Lakers coaching search on social media, wondering why the Lakers might hire someone as their coach who has never won championships and expect them to lead them to a ring.
But upon news breaking of the Lakers’ interest in Hurley, Fox simply responded with three trophy emojis and three fire emojis as he clearly is a fan of what the UConn coach could do if he takes the job.
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