UConn is reportedly replacing one of the most accomplished assistants in its recent run with a coach who has spent much of his career in high-major basketball. Former Butler coach Mike Pegues is set to fill the opening left by Luke Murray on the Huskies’ bench after Murray left this offseason to become the head coach at Boston College.
The move lands at a time when UConn is still carrying the weight of what Murray helped build. He was with the program from 2021 to 2026 and helped the Huskies win two national championships, a run that made his departure more than a routine staff change. The program also reached the national championship game this past season, keeping its place among the sport’s most scrutinized teams.
Pegues brings a résumé that extends well beyond Butler. He spent four years there working in post player development, recruiting and scouting, and helped the Bulldogs reach the NIT and the Crown Tournament during his tenure. Before that, he coached at Louisville from 2018 to 2022, at Xavier from 2012 to 2018, at Delaware from 2010 to 2012 and at VCU from 2009 to 2010. He also served as Louisville’s interim head coach and played professionally in Europe, South America, New Zealand and in the CBA.
There is also a clear overlap between the two coaches UConn is swapping. Murray and Pegues crossed paths at Louisville and Xavier, giving the staff change a layer of familiarity even as it marks the end of Murray’s stay in Storrs. Murray also coached with Dan Hurley at Wagner and Rhode Island before joining UConn, which helped make him one of the most trusted voices on the bench during the Huskies’ championship rise.
For UConn, the timing matters because the men’s program is trying to keep its momentum while reshaping the staff around Hurley. The Huskies have seven non-conference games lined up against Duke, Kansas, Michigan, Arizona, Illinois, Virginia and Ohio State, including matchups with Michigan, Arizona and Illinois, three of the other Final Four teams from last season. The basketball staff change arrives as the school’s athletics calendar stays busy, with the football team also drawing attention after a three-star defensive back, Alan Blackshire, committed on Saturday over Missouri, Oklahoma and Oregon.
What remains unclear is whether UConn has made Pegues’ hire official and what exact role he will hold once the season starts. For now, the change points to a straightforward reality: the Huskies are moving on from a championship-era assistant and betting that Pegues’ mix of recruiting, scouting and frontcourt development can help keep the program at the top of the sport.
