Springsteen lyrics help explain how he got here
The Thunder's new boss had a song for his big day. It was by The Boss. Mark Daigneault is a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen. Thunder general manager Sam Presti joked that he didn't hold that fandom against Daigneault, even though the coach talks about the singer all the time. Daigneault has even been known to blast Springsteen tunes during basketball practice.
He was thinking Wednesday, though, about Springsteen's “Land of Hope and Dreams.”
“Because the first line is, `Grab your ticket and your suitcase. Thunder's rolling
down this track,'” he said.
On the day the Thunder announced Daigneault as its next head coach, there were many questions about the hire. Mark who? How do you pronounce that name? Where did this guy come from anyway?
First of all, it's DAYG-nalt. And second, he got here the hard way.
Presti said after nearly two months of searching for a new coach, there were lots of reasons Daigneault was the right person for the job. How he relates to players. How he teaches the game. How he develops the talent.
“As we reposition our franchise and organization in an ever-changing and evolving NBA,” Presti said, “we couldn't be more thrilled about the traits that Mark brings to the table.”
But the fact that Daigneault was anywhere close to the table in the first place is a testament to his worth ethic.
He didn't play college basketball much less pro ball. The Massachusetts native went to the University of Connecticut where he was a
student manager for the men's basketball team. He filled water bottles and wiped up sweat spots and washed practice gear. Glamorous, it was not. But he turned that into an assistant coaching job at Holy Cross, then after three seasons went to Florida as a graduate manager. After a couple of years, he was promoted to assistant to the head coach, Billy Donovan.
Six years ago, he was working for Donovan.
Wednesday, Daigneault was named Donovan's successor.
Talk about a testament to hard work.
That's what caught Presti's eye when he met Daigneault while scouting potential draft picks at Florida. Presti saw someone who was curious and diligent and creative. Daigneault was selfless, too.
He'd do anything to help others.
“He had, I felt like, the rare traits of someone that had high potential,” Presti said.
Presti believed so deeply that he hired Daigneault, then 29, to be the head coach of the Blue, the Thunder's G League team. He held the job for five years and led the Blue to the playoffs four times.
He was promoted to
Thunder assistant last season.
But even before that, he was a regular at the Thunder facility. Even though he had a full-time job with the Blue, Donovan gave Daigneault and his staff open access to all things Thunder. Daigneault was always at practice, always working with players, always talking with other coaches.
He credited the Thunder for raising him as a professional basketball coach.
“To be able to grow up here with these people is inspiring and makes me really, really love coming to work every day,” Daigneault, now 35, said during his introductory press conference Wednesday. “I've never had a bad day with the Thunder.”
We can only guess what kind of NBA head coach Daigneault will be. Will he be successful? Will he get the Thunder to the playoffs? Will he usher in the next great era of Thunder basketball?
Being an NBA head coach is tough during the best of times — and these are tough days. The pandemic has affected everything in the league, and considering the Thunder was pointed toward a rebuild before we ever heard of COVID-19, the degree of difficulty is likely to be even higher for Daigneault.
But this much we know about him: he's going to give this job his all.
He said his parents modeled hard work, and he followed their lead. It's why he made a meteoric rise through the basketball ranks. It's how he became the next head coach of the Thunder.
It's also the reason behind his love for Bruce Springsteen.
Even though Daigneault digs the sound and the lyrics and the vibe, his passion for The Boss is also about who Bruce Springsteen is. The man behind the music.
“I'm a big fan of the person,” Daigneault said. “I'm inspired by his work ethic and how true he is to himself. That's really what appeals to me about him, to be honest with you.”
Springsteen not only sings about the grind but also lives it.
While we will learn lots more about Mark Daigneault in the coming weeks and months, it's safe to say the Thunder's new boss lives the grind, too.