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UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley floated the idea of the team playing a game at the White House, given the success of the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn.
Hurley was in Washington, D.C., and TMZ approached him and asked if he would like to watch a Huskies basketball game on the White House lawn.
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Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley stands with forward Alex Karaban and guard Solo Ball before playing the Michigan Wolverines in the men’s national championship of the NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 6, 2026. (Robert Deutsch/Image Images)
“That would be nice,” Hurley said. “I think UConn should definitely be there, UConn-Duke… Yeah, that would be great. I’m definitely bummed.”
The UFC fights coincided with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
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Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley speaks with an official during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines in the 2026 NCAA men’s tournament national championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 6, 2026. (Robert Deutsch/Image Images)
The estimated 4,300 attendees, including about 1,200 active-duty service members, greeted the president with loud cheers as the crowd occasionally chanted “Happy Birthday.”
The event began with the Marine Band’s performance of the national anthem, sung by Zac Brown, and culminated with a flyover by the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds.
“It was beyond anything anyone had ever seen in sports,” the president briefly told reporters as he left the White House ahead of Monday’s G7 summit in France.
Head coach Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies reacts during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 4, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Many of the fighters thanked Trump for having the “courage” to put on the show, while most of the victors ran to the ring to shake his hand or talk to him after their respective bouts. The patriotic atmosphere set the tone for the remaining America 250 celebrations to be held in Washington, DC, later this summer.
