• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, April 22, 2025

The Many Beneficiaries of Dan Hurley’s UConn Career Crisis

  • A UConn collective raised $16,000 in donations in just 24 hours.
  • The entire Big East could benefit financially, too, thanks to upcoming media-rights negotiations and NCAA tournament prize payouts.
Apr 13, 2024; Hartford, CT, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley greets fans as he arrives at the state capitol before the teams victory parade.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Over a chaotic five-day period, UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley considered, and ultimately rejected, a reported six-year, $70 million offer to leave Storrs to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. The news cycle may have been bad for the blood pressure in the UConn basketball community, but it’s been great for their wallets: Hurley’s decision has inadvertently helped his players, his athletic department, and perhaps even the entire Big East Conference cash in.

Minutes after news broke that Hurley would stay, a UConn name, image, and likeness collective called Bleeding Blue for Good posted a similar message: “We need to raise every last dollar we possibly can to keep this train hurtling towards a threepeat,” the organization wrote on X. 

In less than 24 hours, the collective earned $16,000 in grassroots donations, going from less than $1,000 at the beginning of the day Monday to more than $17,000 on Tuesday afternoon, executive director Jared Guy Thomas tells Front Office Sports. The organization sold 25 tickets (priced at $300 each) to its “Repeat Champs” dinner in June, which Hurley will attend. Icing on the cake: One donor offered to sponsor a table for $15,000. The event could total at least $400,000. Thomas says the collective expects thousands more between the auction at the June event and fundraising from “major donors,” who generally provide at least $20,000 each and who the collective has yet to galvanize. 

“The message for us was already, ‘Winning back-to-back championships was amazing, but if you want to go for the three-peat we desperately need your support,’” he says. “I think that message stays the same, but now there’s the simple addition of ‘Dan turned down the Lakers for us. We owe it to [him] and that staff to give them every ounce of NIL support we can muster.’” 

The athletic department also began blasting out a fundraising campaign hoping to capitalize on fans’ celebrations. “NOT GOING ANYWHERE!” the Huskies X account proclaimed shortly after the news broke, blasting out a link to UConn’s athletics foundation. It’s unclear how much the athletic department has earned so far, but if the collective’s success was any indication, the numbers should go up. “Donor cultivation is an ongoing process so figures attributable to Coach Hurley’s decision are not available at this time, but we expect a significant uptick in contributions,” a UConn spokesperson tells FOS

For the Big East as a whole, the decision couldn’t come at a better time. The conference is in the middle of negotiations for a new media-rights deal, and is under plenty of pressure to deliver. The current 12-year, $500 million deal with Fox and CBS contributes to conference distributions of just around $4 million per school each year—tens of millions of dollars less than power conferences receive. Meanwhile, the gap is widening between power conferences and the rest of Division I, as the ability for power schools to potentially start revenue-sharing with players and the potential for media-rights-driven conference realignment looms.

Hurley’s presence alone wouldn’t impact the Big East’s media-rights negotiations, but the team’s success, which could have been impacted by his absence, absolutely matters. The conference’s value comes from its prowess as a basketball powerhouse. UConn, who has won two of the Big East’s four national championships in the last decade, helps generate eyeballs, marketing value, and even better TV windows for the entire conference. So if Hurley had left and the team fell into disarray, the entire conference might have lost one of its main bargaining chips. “Success is a key driver of value and interest in the broadcast marketplace for these rights,” one source says. 

The Big East also earns annual prize payouts depending on how well its teams fare in the men’s tournament—a system colloquially referred to as “NCAA units.” A UConn tournament run—regardless of whether the team wins the championship—has the potential to earn millions of dollars in units for the entire Big East. 

Whether direct or indirect, it’s clear that Hurley’s return has already paid dividends. “UConn already loved Dan Hurley in a way most coaches could never dream of,” Thomas says. “It’s safe to say that his decision to return forever cemented that legacy, and our donors at both the major and grassroots levels want to show him that.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Adam Silver Floated 10-Minute Quarters. NBA Players Said No

NBA players gave mixed thoughts on the high volume of three-point shots.
Charlie Baker

NCAA Increases Lobbying Spending in First Months of Trump

The governing body spent $450,000 on lobbying during the first quarter.

Featured Today

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after a three point basket against the Houston Cougars during the first half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.

Cooper Flagg’s Timing Is Perfect for the NBA and USA Basketball

The projected No. 1 pick just declared for the draft.
Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Paige Bueckers is interviewed by ESPN after being selected with the number one overall pick to the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards
April 21, 2025

ESPN’s WNBA Coverage Mirrors the League’s Stunning Growth

“I don’t think we stand still in our coverage of women’s sports,” says Rowe.
Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with guard Isaiah Joe (11) after score in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.
April 20, 2025

Unorthodox OKC: The Thunder Redefined Tanking to Become NBA’s Best

A rebuild years in the making has OKC in the driver’s seat.
Mar 13, 2020; Augusta, GA, USA; The front entrance at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., Friday morning. The Masters Tournament has been postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
opinion
April 20, 2025

What’s It Like to Play Augusta? A Day on the World’s Most..

Inside a round at the most exclusive club in the world.

UCLA’s Joey Aguilar Transferring to Tennessee in Quarterback Swap

UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar will trade places with Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava.
Mar 20, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Silas Demary Jr. (5) dribbles against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) in the second half of a first round men’s NCAA Tournament game at Intrust Bank Arena.
April 21, 2025

NCAA Transfer Portal Hits Record Numbers—Again

The transfer portal closes April 22.
Dec 30, 2022; Glendale AZ, USA; The College Football Playoff logo on the field at State Farm Stadium, the site of the 2022 CFP Semifinal between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Michigan Wolverines and Super Bowl 57 (LVII).
April 21, 2025

CFP Format Questions Loom Over Spring Meetings

The CFP management committee is meeting in Dallas this week.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

This week, Two-time Super Bowl Champion and CBS NFL analyst Logan Ryan joins us to talk the business of sports on our third installment of Portfolio Players.
Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) throws during the second half of the College Football Playoff first round game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 22, 2024. Ohio State won 42-17.
April 20, 2025

Former Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava Will Transfer to UCLA

The news ends a weeklong saga for the embattled quarterback.
Ohio
April 17, 2025

Oregon Sues Former Running Backs Coach Over $200K Buyout Dispute

Carlos Locklyn and his former employer are fighting over his contract terms.
Refs
April 17, 2025

College Football Cracking Down on Fake Injuries

Players have allegedly faked injuries for free timeouts and slowing opposing offenses.
Apr 7, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Florida Gators players hoist the trophy after defeating the Houston Cougars in the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
April 17, 2025

How Florida’s Men’s Basketball Title Run Is Fueling NIL Fundraising

The collective earned more than $1 million during Final Four week alone.