If UConnDan Hurley moves to the Los Angeles Lakershe would become the latest in a long line of coaches to win a national championship in college basketball and move on to the pros.
Hurley and LA are in touch regarding the team’s vacant head coaching position, team and league sources have been confirmed, and ESPN reports that the Lakers are ready to make him a long-term contract offer.
Others have taken the plunge with mixed results. Larry Brown remains the only head coach to win a national championship and the NBA Finals, with Kansas in 1988 and the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
Basketball Hall of Famers Rick Pitino and John Calipari, who won championships at the college level, did not find the same success as professional coaches.
Here’s a look at how some of the biggest names in basketball fared while leading teams at both levels.
Billy Donovan, the Chicago Bulls coach, is currently the only coach of the NBA win a national championship at the collegiate level. Like Hurley, he won back-to-back titles. Donovan, 59, guided Florida to NCAA Tournament championships in 2006 and 2007. His Alligators also made Final Four appearances in 2000 and 2014.
During his 19 seasons at the helm of the program, Florida compiled a record of 467-186 and appeared in 14 NCAA tournaments.
After almost joining the Magic of Orlando as coach in 2007, Donovan – who played with the New York Knicks for a year – decided to become an NBA coach when he was hired by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. The Thunder went 243-157 with him as coach. They had winning seasons and made the playoffs in each of his five years with the team, but only made it past the first round in their first season.
Since joining the Bulls in 2020, Donovan has compiled a 156-162 record and made the playoffs just once.
Larry Brown
In 2004, Larry Brown added an NBA title to his resume alongside his NCAA tournament championship. (Photo: Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images)
During a Hall of Fame career, Brown achieved success at the college and professional levels. A former player, Brown moved between the NBA and college ranks as a head coach, with stops at UCLAKansas and EMS. In 1988 – his final season at Kansas – he won a national title. Brown, 83, won 72.4 percent of his games as a college coach.
During his NBA coaching career, he led eight different teams to the playoffs and guided the team. Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001 for the first time in 18 years. In 2004, he coached the Pistons to their final NBA championship.
“I think there are a few who are born to coach. Larry Brown is one of them. said Tad Boylewho played under Brown at Kansas and now coaches ColoradoThe basketball team of.
Rick Pitino
Pitino, who won national titles with Kentucky And Louisvilleserved as a two-time NBA head coach, sandwiching his time leading the Wildcats.
Pitino, the 71-year-old St. John’s coach, went 90-74 in two seasons (1987-89) with the Knicks, where he previously served as an assistant coach.
He returned to the NBA in 1997, but struggled during his tenure with the NBA. Celtics. He coached Boston for four seasons, compiling a 102-146 record. His time in the NBA ended with his resignation as Celtics coach in 2001, during a season in which he went 12-22 in 34 games.
“Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans,” Pitino said after a loss during his time in Boston.
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John Calipari
John Calipari’s Nets tenure only lasted more than two seasons, but he returned to college to win a championship with Kentucky. (Photo: Matt Campbell / AFP via Getty Images)
Calipari’s run with Kentucky ended this year when he accepted the head coaching job at Arkansas, but in 15 seasons with the Wildcats, Calipari compiled a coaching record of 410-123. He guided Kentucky to a national championship in 2012 and was named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times – in 1996, 2008 and 2015.
His NBA coaching career preceded his success at Kentucky. A former coach of UMass, Calipari was hired as head coach of the New Jersey Nets in 1996 before becoming an assistant with the 76ers and eventually returning to college coaching. With the NetsCalipari had a disappointing score of 72-112.
Other notables
Brad Stevens, John Beilein, Lon Kruger, PJ Carlesimo and Mike Montgomery have also appeared in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament and coached in the NBA.
Stevens – the president of basketball operations for the Celtics, currently in the NBA Finals – compiled a 354-282 record while coaching Boston for eight seasons after leaving Butler in 2013. He led the Bulldogs to back-to-back runner-up finishes of the NCAA tournament in 2010 and 2011. Named NBA Executive of the Year 2024, Stevens has also found success in the NBA beyond coaching.
Beilein coached Michigan from 2007 to 2019, leading the Wolverines to two NCAA Tournament runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2018, before joining the team. Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2019-20 season. The Cavs, however, have struggled under Beilein, going 14-40 in 54 games.
Kruger has also reached two Final Fours, in 1994 (Florida) and 2016 (Oklahoma). From 2000 to 2003, Kruger was the head coach of the Atlanta Falconsbut went 69-122 in his three seasons.
Carlesimo, who moved from Seton Hall to Portland Trail Blazers in 1994, he took Seton Hall to the 1989 national championship game, where it lost to Michigan. Former NBA head coach at Portland, Golden State, Seattle, Oklahoma City and Brooklyn, Carlesimo compiled a 239-315 record as a coach in the NBA. He won three championships as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Montgomery, the longtime college coach who spent years at Montana, Stanford and Cal, was hired by the Golden State Warriors in 2004 after leading Stanford to the Pac-10 tournament championship. He took Stanford to the Final Four in 1998 and won 70 percent of his games with the Cardinal, but in two seasons with the Warriors he went 68-96 (41.5 percent).
Tim Floyd (Iowa State against the Chicago Bulls in 1998), Leonard Hamilton (Miami, Florida, against the Wizards of Washington in 2000), Reggie Theus (New Mexico State At Kings of Sacramento in 2007) and Fred Hoiberg (from Iowa State to the Chicago Bulls in 2015) are other coaches who have transitioned from college to NBA head coaching. All four returned to college and Hamilton (State of Florida), Theus (Bethune Cookman) and Hoiberg (Nebraska) are still active.
Required reading
(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
