Dan Hurley Spotted With 5-Star Duke Transfer in Viral Photo

While UConn isn't that far removed from its heartbreaking national championship loss to the Michigan Wolverines, the work doesn't stop for head coach Dan Hurley - or any college coach, for that matter.

The NCAA transfer portal opened roughly an hour after the title game, and while the Huskies have retained some of their key pieces from this year's roster, they've also been active in the portal.

On Wednesday, they landed a commitment from Seton Hall forward Najai Hines. Hurley also made headlines after a viral photo surfaced on social media showing him sitting across from five-star Duke transfer Nikolas Khamenia, who is entering his sophomore season.

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"Hard to replace Alex [Karaban], but Khamenia would come close," one fan said.

Someone else added, "That would be a backstab to the Brotherhood."

Another wrote, "And people say Storrs has no restaurants."

"This is just the most awful thing I could imagine," a Duke fan shared.

One more commented, "You just know the moment this guy puts on a UConn jersey, he's going to remember how to shoot and make a 3-pointer."

Hurley and UConn eliminated Duke in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, so landing Khamenia - a player the Blue Devils would have liked to keep in Durham - would be a tough pill to swallow. That said, his production as a freshman was fairly limited outside of a strong showing in the ACC Tournament.

He averaged 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 20 minutes per game, though he entered college as a top-15 player in the Class of 2025.

As of now, UConn is set to return Silas Demary Jr. and Jayden Ross next season, while still awaiting Braylon Mullins' decision. If Khamenia were to join the program, he would likely step into a significant role right away.ring they lost three of there rotational big men with two heading to the NBA and one entering the transfer portal.

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 6:09 PM.