UConn's Coach Dan Hurley Discusses Importance of NIL in College Basketball

Dan Hurley was open about how important NIL is in today's college basketball landscape.

Jan 21, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley watches from the sideline as they take on the Butler Bulldogs at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Name, image and likeness has changed the landscape of collegiate athletics.

After amateurism rules prevented players from getting compensated financially, the allowance for student-athletes to make money of their name, image and likeness has created a completely new world where it's the land of the haves and the have-nots.

It's an unfortunate reality, but one that is the case in this new era.

Dan Hurley, UConn's men's basketball coach, knows all about that, authoring back-to-back national championship teams using the transfer portal to augment their roster that was predominantly built through high school recruiting.

The resources at his disposal from an athletic department that is committed to basketball is vast, and while the eye-popping NIL numbers that football teams around the country generate for their players and recruits likely won't ever be reached on the basketball court, it still helps to have a strong financial backing.

"I think college basketball now is a one-year situation. I think now with the volatility of the sport ... obviously you have to have the (NIL) resources in place or else you have no shot," Hurley said per Adam Zagoria of NJ.com.

Unlike football, landing a single blue chip player can transform a basketball program.

With only five guys on the floor at once, having an elite talent increases the likelihood that the team with the better player wins.

Throughout history, the name brand programs have benefitted from their standing in the national landscape, using the prestige of playing for their given university as a tool to getting the best high school players in the sport to come to their campus.

Now, the introduction of money into the equation has given other programs the ability to become the highest bidder for any given player.

"But I think across the board now the volatility of the sport, I don't think having a great brand is important, because ... right now, you're pretty much having to put together a new team on a yearly basis," Hurley added.

UConn has adjusted to this new era of NIL and the transfer portal, building rosters that won back-to-back national championships for the first time since Florida accomplished that in 2006 and 2007.

However, the Huskies have taken a step back this year, something that isn't uncommon for any team in the country on a season-by-season basis, but it's something that is noticeable based on how dominant they have been.

"And some years you're going to get it right, some years you're going to get it wrong. Some years you're going to be pretty good. Some years will be championship level," Hurley said.

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