In the news that took over the sports world in its entirety, UConn basketball head coach Dan Hurley has decided to stay with the program instead of taking the job with the Los Angeles Lakers on a big contract. While it shocked a ton of people, one that is especially important is Meleek Thomas, who is ESPN's No. 7 prospect in their class of 2025.
Thomas spoke with ESPN's Jonathan Givony about the UConn basketball story and his own personal news that he is joining Overtime Elite for his senior season in high school. According to 247Sports, he has received interest from the Huskies which is why Hurley coming back to the program could be huge in landing the highly talented basketball player as Thomas calls it an “attractive” spot for him to play in college.
“I didn't expect that; it just popped up,” Thomas said. “He [Hurley] ended up turning it down, which must mean something. That definitely makes UConn more attractive now. With all the money he was offered, he's still committed to the school he built up. Being highly recruited by him means they are serious. That's the message I got.”
Hurley focus is to win a third straight national title for the Huskies
It was ultimately up to Hurley whether he wanted to take his talents to the professional level and coach a historic franchise filled with stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis or build upon the success he created with the UConn basketball team. He ended up deciding to stay with the Huskies in an effort to do what no team in college basketball has done since UCLA in late 1960s and early 1970s, which is to win three national championships in a row as he would say in his statement that he is “extremely proud” of what has been created.
“I am humbled by this entire experience,” Hurley said. “At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut. We met as a team before today's workout and our focus right now is getting better this summer and connecting as a team as we continue to pursue championships.”
Hurley was the front runner for the Lakers position
It was a wild time for UConn basketball and Lakers fans as there seemed to be a real shot that the latter wanted Hurley to be the next head coach of their team. While it was originally thought that former NBA player JJ Redick would be the frontrunner, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski would report that Los Angeles is “targeting” the highly successful collegiate coach.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are targeting UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley as the franchise's next coach and are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer to bring the back-to-back NCAA national champion to the NBA, sources told ESPN,” Wojnarowski said. “The Lakers have had preliminary contact with Hurley and the sides are planning to escalate discussions in the coming days, sources told ESPN. Hurley has been at the forefront of the Lakers' search from the beginning of the process, even while the organization has done its due diligence interviewing several other candidates, sources said.”
Los Angeles reportedly wanted a deal done imminently with Hurley
Consequently, the Lakers wanted Hurley so bad that Wojnarowski reported before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks that they wanted a deal done last weekend.
“Dan Hurley, I'm told, is on his way to meet with the Lakers tomorrow [Friday]. He will sit down with Rob Pelinka and owner Jeannie Buss. They will start to dig into what a Hurley-Lakers partnership would look like,” Wojnarowski said. “Hurley knows Rob Pelinka. They have spent time together in the past, talked basketball, but this will be his first time meeting with Jeannie Buss.”
“The Lakers would love to get a deal with Dan Hurley wrapped up this weekend,” Wojnarowski continued. “I expect these talks will move quickly. There is a lot of traction here between Hurley and the Lakers.”
Questions if the Lakers job was better than the UConn basketball role
Hurley turned down what was reportedly a six-year deal worth $70 million which would have put him close to the top five of head coaches average per year salary. While staying with the UConn basketball team was enticing, there are some saying that the Los Angeles job is not one that people are jumping the gun to take in the first place according to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
“As we await Dan Hurley's decision to stay at UConn or leave for the Lakers, one bit of context that I found interesting in talking to a few NBA sources over the weekend is how lowly regarded the actual Lakers job is within NBA circles and where it ranks vs. other organizations,” Norlander said. “The Lakers' ownership group is cash-strapped relative to other franchises. It's got the glamour of Los Angeles and immense history, but multiple NBA sources have expressed caution over the difficulty of that job (with or without LeBron) and with the constraints of the new CBA.”
Meleek Thomas could be the future for the Huskies
As for the highly-touted basketball prospect in Meleek Thomas, before he thinks of even playing college basketball, which the Huskies are very much in play, he first will compete for Overtime Eite. At any rate, he was originally attending Lincoln Park Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh and talked to ESPN about wanting to branch out.
“I did everything I needed to do where I'm from,” Thomas said. “We won back-to-back state championships. Now it's time to be seen by NBA personnel, GMs, scouts, the people that you need to be in front of. At OTE they get your name out. Everything they do goes around the world. I want to be broadcasted more.”
Overtime Elite is an “upstart league” founded in 2021 in Atlanta per ESPN where Thomas is joining several other five-star recruits as they look to become NBA player in the future. The league has had success in the recent past where Ausar and Amen Thompson came from there and were top five picks last year and even in this upcoming draft, Alex Sarr came from the league and could be the No. 1 overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks.
“Being a pro constantly is something I want to do,” Thomas said. “Getting in the weight room and going against top players daily with a fast-paced style of play will help me develop a winning mentality against the best. Everything I'm doing now will be turned up times 10. No one in the world will stop me.”
In any sense, Thomas could potentially be the future of the already successful UConn basketball team where Hurley will look to win a third straight championship for the program. Subsequently, as for the Lakers, they continue to look for a head coach where Redick could very will be in question.
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