 Daigneault in 2018 | |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1985-02-23)February 23, 1985 (age 40) Leominster, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Leominster (Leominster, Massachusetts) |
| College | |
| Coaching career | 2007–present |
| Career history | |
| As a coach: | |
| 2007–2010 | Holy Cross (assistant) |
| 2010–2014 | Florida (assistant) |
| 2014–2019 | Oklahoma City Blue |
| 2016 | →Oklahoma City Thunder (assistant) |
| 2019–2020 | Oklahoma City Thunder (assistant) |
| 2020–present | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Mark Daigneault (/ˈdeɪɡnəlt/DAYG-nəlt;[1] born February 23, 1985) is an American professionalbasketball coach who is the head coach for theOklahoma City Thunder of theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
He spent five seasons as the head coach for theOklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's G-League affiliate, before becoming the head coach for the Thunder. He was named NBA Coach of the Year for 2023–24 season.
Mark Daigneault was born on February 23, 1985, inLeominster, Massachusetts. He attendedLeominster High School.
While attending theUniversity of Connecticut, Daigneault served as a student manager for theUConn Huskies from 2003 to 2007 underJim Calhoun. After earning his bachelor's degree in education, Daigneault initially intended to go for a master's degree, but was urged by Calhoun and associate head coachGeorge Blaney to pursue an assistant coaching position atHoly Cross, giving Daigneault strong recommendations.[2] During Daigneault's tenure, the Crusaders finished as runner-up of thePatriot League Championship in the2008–09 season.[3]
After three seasons withHoly Cross, Daigneault enrolled at theUniversity of Florida for graduate school, where he joined future Thunder head coachBilly Donovan as an assistant working for theFlorida Gators. After graduating with a sports management degree, Daigneault became the assistant to the head coach which involved scouting and working with players off the court.[4] During Daigneault's tenure, the Gators had a record of 120–30 which included three SEC titles and an Elite Eight appearance each year. He also assisted Donovan during his time coachingUSA Basketball.[5]
On August 22, 2014, theOklahoma City Thunder named Daigneault the new head coach of theOklahoma City Blue followingDarko Rajaković's promotion to the Thunder coaching staff. Florida's head coachBilly Donovan, who worked with Daigneault for four seasons, remarked that Daigneault "has been a valuable member of our staff."[6] In Daigneault's first season with the Blue, the Blue tied its highest win total with 28 since the 2010–11 season which included a playoff appearance. During the2015–16 NBA season, Daigneault joinedBilly Donovan's coaching staff, who was hired as the Thunder's head coach, midseason after assistantMaurice Cheeks was sidelined for six weeks. Daigneault remained with the Thunder for the remainder of the season and later rejoined the Blue after the Thunder's playoff run.[7] In the 2016–17 season, Daigneault led the Blue to a franchise-record 34 wins. The Blue finished first in the Western Conference but lost in the conference finals. After a conference finals appearance, the Blue failed to advance out of the first round after ranking third in the Western Conference in the 2017–18 season. In his final season, Daigneault led the Blue to its third consecutive division championship and matched the franchise-record again with 34 wins. However, the Blue lost in the conference semifinals which marked their last playoff appearance.
With his fifth and final season, Daigneault became the longest tenured coach in franchise history. In his tenure, Daigneault won threeNBA G League Coach of the Month awards, led the Blue to four playoff appearances and a 143–107 record, the most wins by a coach in franchise history. Daigneault also saw eight players called up to NBA rosters and four players signed to two-way contracts, includingAlex Caruso,Markel Brown,Semaj Christon,Daniel Hamilton,Josh Huestis, andDakari Johnson.
After a brief stint in the2015–16 NBA season, Daigneault was named as an assistant coach with theOklahoma City Thunder, reuniting again with head coachBilly Donovan.[8] With this move, Daigneault became the fourth-straight head coach of theOklahoma City Blue to become an assistant in the NBA.[9]
After the2019–20 season, the Thunder and head coachBilly Donovan mutually agreed to part ways as the team transitioned into a rebuilding phase.[10] On November 11, 2020, the Thunder named Daigneault as the team's new head coach, becoming the fourth head coach in Thunder history.[11] With the hire, Daigneault became the second youngest head coach at the time in the NBA.
The opportunity to be the head coach of the Thunder is truly a special honor,” said Daigneault. “Over my six years in Oklahoma City I've developed a deep commitment to the organization and a care for what is truly a special community that I call home. From my first day here, my values have always been aligned with those of the organization, and I'm looking forward to helping them continue to be lived out on and off the court. I want to thank Mr. Bennett, Sam and the entire organization for the opportunity, and I'm grateful to all the coaches, staff and especially players who have helped me throughout my career.[12]
— Mark Daigneault
During the Thunder's coaching search, general managerSam Presti was enthusiastic regarding Daigneault's track record in the Thunder organization, including "connecting with players, teaching the game and making the kind of short- and longer-term adjustments that are crucial for a franchise that is transitioning out of playoff contention and toward a younger, developmental roster."[13]
With the Thunder in a rebuilding phase, Daigneault finished his first season with a 22–50 record, the first losing season since the2008–09 season.[14] In his second season, Daigneault led the youngest team in NBA history to eight 15-plus point comeback wins. Prior to All-Star Break, the Thunder also had the eight best ranked defensive rating at 108.6. However, the Thunder finished with a 24–58 record, tallying their second consecutive losing season since the franchise moved toOklahoma City. In the third season of the Thunder's rebuild, Daigneault emerged as one of the best coaches in the NBA as the Thunder improved to a 40–42 record, a 16-win improvement from the previous season. The Thunder made theNBA play-in tournament as the tenth seed and defeated theNew Orleans Pelicans before losing to theMinnesota Timberwolves, falling one game shy of the2023 NBA playoffs. After exceeding preseason expectations and a play-in appearance, Daigneault was nominated for theNBA Coach of the Year Award. Daigneault ultimately finished second in voting with 48 second place votes and 20 third place votes.[15] Prior to the start of the2023–24 season, the Thunder announced that head coach Daigneault signed a multi-year contract extension.[16]
In April 2024, it was announced that Daigneault was officially named NBA Coach of the Year for 2023–24 season. He joinsScott Brooks (2010) as the only Thunder coaches to win the award.[17]
Daigneault has been described as "open-minded, innovative, and unconventional" during his stint with the Thunder. During the Thunder's rebuild, Daigneault led the Thunder to multiple seasons ranking top-10 in defense. In the2022–23 season, the Thunder were one of the best third quarter teams coming out of halftime due to Daigneault's in-game adjustments.[18]
After the 2022–23 season, many Thunder players credited Daigneault's coaching and their relationship with him during the Thunder's annual exit interviews. Second-year guardJosh Giddey said Daigneault was the ideal coach, quoting "If I could build a coach, it's Mark [Daigneault]" while also calling him a smart coach.[19]Dario Šarić, who was acquired at the trade deadline, said "[Daigneault] is the right coach for these young players" and that "some coaches get where they stick to it, [Daigneault] is open minded."[20]
Daigneault is also known for using a high number of small minute lineups with a relatively low degree of concentration on the biggest minute lineups.
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | 2020–21 | 72 | 22 | 50 | .306 | 5th inNorthwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Oklahoma City | 2021–22 | 82 | 24 | 58 | .293 | 5th in Northwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Oklahoma City | 2022–23 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 3rd in Northwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Oklahoma City | 2023–24 | 82 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1st in Northwest | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | Lost inconference semifinals |
| Career | 318 | 143 | 175 | .450 | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | |||
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | 2014–15 | 50 | 28 | 22 | .560 | 4th in West | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost in First Round |
| Oklahoma City | 2015–16 | 50 | 19 | 31 | .380 | 8th in West | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Oklahoma City | 2016–17 | 50 | 34 | 16 | .680 | 1st in West | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | Lost in Conference Finals |
| Oklahoma City | 2017–18 | 50 | 28 | 22 | .560 | 3rd in West | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost in First Round |
| Oklahoma City | 2018–19 | 50 | 34 | 16 | .680 | 3rd in West | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost in Conference Semifinal |
| Career | 250 | 143 | 107 | .572 | 11 | 4 | 7 | .364 | |||
Daigneault's father, Rick, is a 1980 graduate of theCollege of the Holy Cross, and was a member of theCrusader baseball team.[21] Daigneault's wife, Ashley Kerr, is a women's gymnastics assistant coach at theUniversity of Oklahoma.[22]
As a child, Daigneault attended former NBA assistant coachMark Osowski's youth basketball and later helped run the camp following Osowski's passing. Daigneault credits Osowski's influence and experience working with him to the possibility of becoming an NBA coach. Daigneault was also steered into enrolling at theUniversity of Connecticut by his former high school basketball coach Steve Dubzinski. Dubzinski helped Daigneault receive his first experience in college basketball as a student manager for the Huskies.[23]