With Dan Hurley in contact with Lakers, how have college coaches fared in the NBA?

If UConn’s Dan Hurley makes the transfer to the Los Angeles Lakers, he would change into the most recent in a protracted line of coaches to win a nationwide championship in school basketball and transfer to the professionals.

Hurley and L.A. are in touch in regards to the group’s head-coaching emptiness, group and league sources confirmed, and ESPN reviews the Lakers are ready to make him a long-term contract provide.

Others have made the leap with blended outcomes. Larry Brown stays the one head coach to win a nationwide championship and the NBA Finals, doing so with Kansas in 1988 and the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

Basketball Corridor of Famers Rick Pitino and John Calipari, who received championships on the school stage, didn’t discover the identical success teaching within the professionals.

Right here’s a have a look at how a number of the largest names in basketball have fared main groups at each ranges.

Billy Donovan, the Chicago Bulls coach, is at present the one coach within the NBA to win a nationwide championship on the school stage. Like Hurley, he received back-to-back titles. Donovan, 59, guided Florida to NCAA Match championships in 2006 and 2007. His Gators additionally made Closing 4 appearances in 2000 and 2014.

Throughout his 19 seasons on the program’s helm, Florida compiled a 467-186 report and made 14 NCAA Match appearances.

After almost becoming a member of the Orlando Magic as their coach in 2007, Donovan — who performed with the New York Knicks for a 12 months — made the transfer to educate within the NBA when he was employed by the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder in 2015. The Thunder went 243-157 with him as coach. That they had profitable seasons and made the postseason in every of his 5 years with the group, however solely superior previous the primary spherical in his first season.

Since becoming a member of the Bulls in 2020, Donovan has compiled a 156-162 report and has solely made the postseason as soon as.

Larry Brown

In 2004, Larry Brown added an NBA title to his resume alongside his NCAA Match championship. (Photograph: Tom Pidgeon / Getty Photos)

Throughout a Corridor of Fame profession, Brown succeeded at each the faculty and professional ranges. A former participant, Brown jumped between the NBA and school ranks as a head coach, with stops at UCLA, Kansas and SMU. In 1988 — his ultimate season at Kansas — he received a nationwide title. Brown, 83, received 72.4 p.c of his video games as a university coach.

Throughout his NBA teaching profession, he led eight completely different groups to the playoffs, and guided the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001 for the primary time in 18 years. In 2004, he coached the Pistons to their most up-to-date NBA championship.

“I believe there’s a choose few which are born to educate. Larry Brown is one in all them,” mentioned Tad Boyle, who performed beneath Brown at Kansas and now coaches Colorado’s basketball group.

Rick Pitino

Pitino, who received nationwide titles with Kentucky and Louisville, twice served as an NBA head coach, with the stints sandwiching his time main the Wildcats.

Pitino, the 71-year-old St. John’s coach, went 90-74 over two seasons (1987-89) with the Knicks, the place he had beforehand served as an assistant coach.

He returned to the NBA in 1997, however struggled throughout his tenure with the Celtics. He coached Boston for 4 seasons, compiling a 102-146 report. His time within the NBA ended together with his resignation because the Celtics’ coach in 2001 amid a season by which he went 12-22 in 34 video games.

“Larry Fowl shouldn’t be strolling by means of that door, followers,” Pitino famously mentioned following a loss throughout his time in Boston.

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John Calipari

John Calipari’s Nets tenure solely lasted two-plus seasons, however he returned to varsity to win a championship with Kentucky. (Photograph: Matt Campbell / AFP through Getty Photos)

Calipari’s run with Kentucky got here to an finish this 12 months when he took the head-coaching job at Arkansas, however in 15 seasons with the Wildcats, Calipari put collectively a 410-123 teaching report. He guided Kentucky to a nationwide championship in 2012 and was named the Naismith School Coach of the 12 months 3 times — in 1996, 2008 and 2015.

His NBA teaching profession preceded his Kentucky success. A former coach at UMass, Calipari was employed as head coach of the New Jersey Nets in 1996 earlier than a stint because the 76ers’ assistant and his eventual return to varsity teaching. With the Nets, Calipari went an underwhelming 72-112.

Different notables

Brad Stevens, John Beilein, Lon Kruger, P.J. Carlesimo and Mike Montgomery have additionally made the NCAA Match Closing 4 and coached within the NBA.

Stevens — the president of basketball operations for the Celtics, at present within the NBA Finals — compiled a 354-282 report teaching Boston for eight seasons after departing Butler in 2013. He led the Bulldogs to consecutive NCAA Match runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011. Named the 2024 NBA Government of the 12 months, Stevens has additionally discovered success within the NBA past teaching.

Beilein coached Michigan from 2007 to 2019, main the Wolverines to 2 NCAA Match runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2018, earlier than becoming a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2019-20 season. The Cavs, nonetheless, struggled beneath Beilein, going 14-40 in 54 video games.

Kruger additionally reached two Closing Fours, in 1994 (Florida) and 2016 (Oklahoma). From 2000 to 2003, Kruger was the top coach for the Atlanta Hawks, however went 69-122 in his three seasons.

Carlesimo, who went from Seton Corridor to the Portland Path Blazers in 1994, took Seton Corridor to the 1989 nationwide championship sport, the place it misplaced to Michigan. A former NBA head coach with Portland, Golden State, Seattle, Oklahoma Metropolis and Brooklyn, Carlesimo compiled a 239-315 report teaching within the NBA. He received three championships as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

Montgomery, the longtime school coach who spent years at Montana, Stanford and Cal, was employed by the Golden State Warriors in 2004 after main Stanford to the Pac-10 match championship. He took Stanford to the Closing 4 in 1998 and received 70 p.c of his video games with the Cardinal, however in two seasons with the Warriors, he went 68-96 (41.5 p.c).

Tim Floyd (Iowa State to the Chicago Bulls in 1998), Leonard Hamilton (Miami, Fla., to the Washington Wizards in 2000), Reggie Theus (New Mexico State to the Sacramento Kings in 2007) and Fred Hoiberg (Iowa State to the Chicago Bulls in 2015) are different coaches who made the transfer from school to NBA head-coaching jobs. All 4 returned to varsity, and Hamilton (Florida State), Theus (Bethune Cookman) and Hoiberg (Nebraska) are nonetheless lively.