Dan Hurley officially rejects Rutgers, stays as Rhode Island coach
Dan Hurley officially spurned Rutgers to stay at Rhode Island. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Rhode Island men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley officially turned down an offer to become Rutgers' head coach and will sign an extension to stay at URI, ESPN.com's Andy Katz reported Thursday night.
SI.com's Pete Thamel reported Saturday that Hurley and the Rams were "close" to reaching an agreement on an extension. That became a reality on Wednesday, when he officially turned down Rutgers' offer, Katz reported. Rutgers offered Hurley, a 40-year-old New Jersey native, a five-year contract worth about $1 million per season.
As Thamel reported, Hurley's new extension with the Rams will keep him with the school through the 2019-20 season.
Hurley suggested last weekend that he might not want to go through the grind of another rebuilding project at Rutgers. He came to Rhode Island last offseason, and the Rams finished 8-21 during his first season.
"For me, my family loves Rhode Island, loves the people there. We've adjusted really, really well to living outside of New Jersey for the first time in our lives," Hurley said Sunday on ESPN Radio's "The Ian O'Connor Show." "Two of my three years as a college coach have been in rebuilding situations, and that's a tough thing to go through. It takes a lot of energy and a lot of wear and tear on you."
