A former Los Angeles Lakers teammate of LeBron James’ is advising UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley to not take the job.
With LeBron James interested in the Huskies head coach, a former teammate of King James is advising Hurley to avoid the Lakers.
Despite tagging a burner account, the message from ex-Lakers and Cavaliers guard JR Smith was clear: ‘don’t fall for it!’
Smith has a connection to Hurley – the defending twice national champion was also a young JR’s coach while in high school. Hurley and his wife Andrea were even present at Smith’s wedding back in 2016.
Hurley coached Smith starting in his second year at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, New Jersey.
A former teammate of LeBron James’ is telling Dan Hurley to not take the Lakers job
J.R. Smith, who played under Hurley in high school, tweeted telling the coach ‘don’t fall for it!’
While at St. Benedict’s, Hurley led the Grey Bees to a 223-21 record, coached four McDonald’s All-Americans (Smith, Lance Thomas, Corey Stokes, and Samardo Samuels) and developed four teams that were ranked top-five in the nation.
From there, he jumped to Wagner College on Staten Island and set the school’s single-season win-loss record at 25-6 during the 2011-12 season.
After just two years, Hurley then jumped to the University of Rhode Island and led the Rams to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
He left for Connecticut for the 2018-19 season and led the Huskies to a first national championship under him by year five.
In year six, despite losing three starters to the NBA, UConn played even better – finishing the season 37-3 and becoming the first school in 17 years to win back-to-back national championships.
The Lakers are reportedly ‘preparing a massive long-term offer’ to Hurley for their current vacancy.
According to college basketball insider Jeff Goodman, Hurley is meeting with the Lakers today and will fly back to Connecticut and mull over the decision over the weekend.
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