Lamont lobbied Hurley: ‘We’ll make sure he’s the top-paid college coach’ but there’s more

As UConn head basketball coach Dan Hurley was weighing whether to jump to the iconic Los Angeles Lakers, the highest-ranking state officials were working behind the scenes to make sure that he would stay at UConn.Gov. Ned Lamont was texting back and forth with Hurley over the weekend as the coach was making his decision and Lamont was saying publicly that UConn, the state, and the players all love Dan Hurley.“Look, he’s the very best in the business. Everybody knows that, and we’ll make sure that he’s the top-paid college coach,” Lamont told reporters Monday in Fairfield before fans learned that Hurley was staying. “I think it’s not about money for him. It’s just to figure out where he wants to be. He’s always wanted to do something in the pros, but going for the three-peat in UConn is pretty good, too.”While saying he did not know Hurley’s final selection ahead of time, Lamont said it was “a really tough decision” between the multimillion-dollar offers from UConn and the Lakers.House Speaker Matt Ritter, arguably the legislature’s most passionate UConn basketball fan, stressed to his fellow legislators the importance of the state’s flagship university and the huge popularity of the men’s and women’s basketball teams.“I was in touch with the athletic department on Friday,” Ritter told The Courant in an interview. “The governor speaks for himself, but he was in touch with the coach over the weekend.”Elected officials, Ritter said, need to be aware of the huge popularity of the UConn teams and that the legislature needs to help when it can.“I didn’t talk to one Connecticut resident in the last 96 hours who didn’t say ‘do whatever you have to do to keep coach,”’ Ritter said. “Everywhere you went, it was like ‘whatever he needs. Whatever UConn needs.’ These were important things. There’s probably things that they haven’t thought about yet that maybe they will look for some help down the road, and I think we’ll be there for them.”From the state’s end, major investments are going to be made at Gampel Pavilion on the Storrs campus and the XL Center in downtown Hartford, the two spots where the UConn teams play.“It’s important to everybody at UConn, all the coaches, that Gampel and the XL Center be renovated,” Ritter said. “This is not new. Fortunately, those two things are going to happen. I know there are a lot of people who are doubters and skeptics. It’s going to happen. The XL Center will be renovated north of $115, $120 million, and Gampel will see a $100 million renovation as well. That’s important.”At Gampel, the state will put in $80 million, and UConn will need to raise the remaining $20 million.“What both the XL Center and Gampel lack is premium seating, traditional suites that you can sell for a lot more money and have naming rights,” Ritter said. “That has been an ongoing problem. So both of those things will be solved with these funds. Gampel, like the XL, has a lot of deferred maintenance issues as well. We had it worked out back in May, but it never hurts to reiterate it. We’ll continue to work with the athletic department on things that they need. … There are always things the state can do to support UConn and support UConn athletics. This session proved that there’s still a lot of support for UConn up at the Capitol.”UConn’s men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley calls for a three-peat while in the House chamber during Husky Day at the state Capitol on April 17, 2024. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)Popularity of UConnBeyond the world of season ticketholders, Hurley’s potential departure to Los Angeles spread beyond the sports pages over the weekend and became a major news story.“Coach Hurley’s decision is probably one of the most talked-about things in Connecticut in a very, very, very long time,” Ritter said. “If anybody doubts what UConn means to our state and what our coaches mean to our state, they do not have the pulse of the state of Connecticut. Everybody is very happy today, but it’s also saying to people who have decision-making authority, ‘Do what you have to do to keep our wonderful university and the athletic department — both — at the top of their game.”’In the budget battles at the state Capitol every year, numerous groups battle for money in the state’s $26 billion annual budget as UConn competes against those pushing for more money for early childhood education, Medicaid, transportation, social services, nursing homes, child welfare, the Connecticut State university system, and a wide variety of needs in the cities and beyond.“I think there are times when legislators wonder ‘why UConn? Why higher ed?” Ritter said. “There were comments about how we were giving so much money to UConn even this year. But I will tell you that Dan Hurley and Geno Auriemma are four million more times popular than the most popular state legislator.”UConn’s men’s head basketball coach Dan Hurley signs autographs for fans during Husky Day at the Connecticut State Capitol on April 17, 2024. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)“Just the wall-to-wall news coverage of this just shows you it’s big deal,” Ritter said. “It’s a big, big deal. He turned down the Los Angeles Lakers to coach in Storrs, Connecticut, and that shows you what a special program we have and how much love our state has for our program. I think it’s a wonderful day in Connecticut.”Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com 

Buy cryptocurrency

Source link

Refer And Earn Demat Account – Get ₹300 | Referral Program

Open Demat Account In Angel One For FREE