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UConn announced Friday that head coach Dan Hurley has agreed to a two-year extension, a move that secures his leadership of the Huskies through the 2031-32 season. The new agreement preserves his annual compensation at roughly $8 million, a figure that places him among the elite earners in men's college basketball.
The extension arrives on the heels of consecutive national titles in 2023 and 2024, and after Hurley declined an opportunity to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. His previous contract, signed in the aftermath of those championships, had already positioned him as the second-highest-paid coach in the sport, trailing only Bill Self of Kansas, according to a USA Today database of public institutions.
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UConn athletic director David Benedict praised Hurley's impact in a statement, saying, "Dan has proven to be the very best coach in men's college basketball, and we're thrilled to keep him home at UConn for the next six years. His teams embody everything that UConn is about: resilience, competitive excellence and the pursuit of championships. In this chaotic era of college sports, it has never been more important to maintain continuity as we strive to compete at the highest level in everything we do."
Hurley's tenure in Storrs has been transformative. Over his first eight years, he has compiled a 199-75 record and restored the program to blue-blood status. He is one of only three coaches since the John Wooden era to win back-to-back national championships, and he guided the Huskies back to the title game in March. At that point, he became the youngest active head coach to reach three Final Fours and the only coach this millennium to appear in three championship games within a four-year span.
Reflecting on his extension, Hurley said in a statement, "It's an incredible honor to coach the game I love at a place like the University of Connecticut and to be part of a community that means so much to me and my family. We understand our responsibility to the people of Connecticut and to the incredible supporters of UConn Basketball and will continue to bring a relentless, obsessive approach to winning and championship-level success."
The fourth-ranked Huskies, who defeated Syracuse, Michigan State and Purdue in exhibition play, tip off the regular season against Gardner-Webb on Monday.
Originally reported by headtopics.