Who is Mark Daigneault? Five things to know about OKC Thunder coach
The OKC Thunder is one of the most promising teams in the NBA.
Despite entering this season with the second-youngest roster in the league, OKC is the No. 1 seed in the West. It'll face No. 8-seeded New Orleans in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
But OKC's players aren't the only young up-and-comers. At the helm is head coach Mark Daigneault, who's the third-youngest head coach in the league at 39 years old.
Here are five things to know about Daigneault:
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Mark Daigneault got his start at the college level
After graduating from UConn, where he served as a student manager from 2003-07, Daigneault landed an assistant coaching position at Holy Cross.
Daigneault spent three seasons with the Crusaders, who reached the Patriot League Championship in 2009. He then served as an assistant to head coach Billy Donovan at Florida from 2010-14.
Daigneault was involved in scouting and working with players off the court. Florida won three SEC Titles during that time and reached the Elite Eight each year while he was on the staff.
Daigneault also assisted Donovan during his time coaching USA Basketball.
More: Mark Daigneault was a UConn manager in 2004. He should be NBA Coach of the Year in 2024.
Mark Daigneault became the OKC Blue's head coach in 2014
Daigneault got hired as the head coach of the OKC Blue, the OKC Thunder's G League affiliate, on Aug. 22, 2014.
The Blue went 28-22 in Daigneault's first season at the helm. It marked the most wins by the team since 2011.
Donovan then got hired as the Thunder's head coach following the 2014-15 season. Daigneault joined his staff as an assistant midway through the 2016-17 campaign before returning to the Blue.
Daigneault had a 143-107 record in five seasons as the Blue's head coach from 2014-19. The team won three straight division championships during that time and reached the conference finals in 2017.
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Mark Daigneault became the OKC Thunder's head coach in 2020
After parting ways with Donovan, the Thunder hired Daigneault as its new head coach on Nov. 11, 2020.
Daigneault was 35 years old at the time. He became the second-youngest head coach in the NBA.
Daigneault inherited an OKC team that was starting a rebuild. The Thunder traded Russell Westbrook and Paul George in July 2019.
In Daigneault's first season as head coach, OKC went 22-50. It then went 24-58 the following season.
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Mark Daigneault signed an extension with OKC in 2023
Daigneault and OKC had a breakthrough in the 2022-23 season.
The Thunder went 40-42, which marked a 16-win improved from the previous campaign. It even reached the play-in tournament, where it lost to Minnesota in the final round.
Daigneault finished second in Coach of the Year voting. Sacramento's Mike Brown ultimately won the award.
Still, Daigneault got rewarded for his efforts. He signed a multi-year contract extension with OKC on July 19, 2023.
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Mark Daigneault is the favorite to win 2024 NBA Coach of the Year award
After finishing second in NBA Coach of the Year voting last season, Daigneault is the favorite to win the award this time around.
OKC (57-25) improved by 17 wins this season. It's also the youngest team in NBA history to secure the No. 1 seed for either conference.
Daigneault was voted the National Basketball Coaches Association's NBA coach of the year on April 15. He became the first OKC head coach to win the award since Donovan in 2020.
The winner of the NBA's Coach of the Year award will be announced during the playoffs.
More: OKC Thunder's Mark Daigneault voted NBCA Coach of the Year
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who is Mark Daigneault? Five things to know about OKC Thunder coach
