Dan Hurley says UConn is Open to Players Era Championship, ‘lucrative’ MTEs in future

NEW YORK - One year after saying his team would never compete “in another three-game MTE [multi-team event] again” following the disaster in Maui, Dan Hurley says UConn would change its tune.

For the right price.

Hurley told NJ Advance Media in an exclusive interview that his program would consider the Players Era Championship or another MTE in the future if the situation was right.

“Yeah, we’ve had conversations with [the Players Era], and we would consider all things moving forward,” he said following No. 5 UConn’s 74-61 victory over No. 13 Illinois on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

“But it’s got to be the type of matchups we want, and it’s got to be the type of revenue that [we want] because we travel and we fill arenas, especially when we play here or Boston, so it’s hard to drag us out of these places,” added the Jersey City native who led UConn to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2023 and ‘24.

Hurley added: “I mean the days of us losing money to go play in events are over.”

Seth Berger, founder of the Players Era Championship, told NJ Advance Media:

“We have very few spots left for 2026, and we would absolutely welcome Coach Hurley and UCONN into Players Era.”

What conditions would have to be met for UConn to appear in another November MTE?

“It’s about two things,” he said. “It’s about trying to put together great games for your students and your fans and your season ticket-holders and your donors, and you’re trying to get games that are worth it to us from a revenue standpoint.

“If these events want to bring the best teams together and present lucrative financial opportunities, I don’t know if you could get me to go back to Maui per se, but I’m not out on MTEs.

“I’m out on us having to pay a lot of money to go play in MTEs and maybe avoiding eight-team MTEs.”

The question of whether the Maui Invitational - which can cost schools $500,000 to attend - and the Bahamas events will have to pony up more NIL to compete with the Players Era has been a hot one among college coaches and fans of late.

Michigan won a total of $2 million with its championship in Las Vegas this week, while every school in attendance garnered at least $1 million in NIL money. That, in turns, help fuel future roster additions as well as retention and bonuses for loyalty.

“We had no choice,” Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, one of the most successful and respected coaches in the men’s game, told reporters in Houston, via Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.

“Have you seen our budget, have you seen our fundraising? We have no choice. We have to raise our money. In recruiting right now, the schools with the most money get the best [players], especially in the portal. You gotta have money.”

Kansas coach Bill Self - whose team hosts UConn Tuesday night - said Maui and the other events might have to change their approach financially.

“I would say that would be up to the organizers and the event and the promoters to see if they can do whatever the Players Era is doing, so I don’t think they’re in danger unless they don’t make some adjustments,” Self said.

As for Hurley, his Huskies improved to 2-1 against Top 25 opponents this season ahead of the matchup with unranked Kansas.

“The fact that we won today, I’m happy,” Hurley said. “If I was 1-2 in these first three games [against ranked opponents] I probably wouldn’t [be happy].

“That’s tongue in cheek, he added.

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