Currently, the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mark Daigneault is better recognised today as one of the youngest head coaches in NBA history. Growing up in Litchfield, New Hampshire, Mark attended Campbell High School and was an impressive young athlete. While attending the University of Connecticut, Mark expressed exceptional knowledge and passion for the game.
As a student manager learning under the great Jim Calhoun, Mark learned about emphasizing player development as a player’s performance on-court is directly linked to their overall well-being and understanding the importance of their potential.
After graduating with a bachelor’s in education, Diagneault was advised by Jim and UConn Huskies assistant head coach George Blaney to pursue his career in basketball as an assistant coach, starting with the College of the Holy cross.
Mark Daigneault Teams Coached
In his sixteen-year career as a coach, Mark has mentored four as either assistant coach or head coach.
Mark Began as an assistant coach for the Holy Cross Crusaders men’s basketball team and served the team from 2007 to 2010. The only highlight of Mark’s tenure at Holy Cross was helping the team finish second place in the Patriot League Conference with a record of 18 wins – 14 losses.
After spending three years at Holy Cross, Mark chose to graduate from Sports Management at the University of Florida. While studying in Florida, Mark got in touch with future OKC Thunder head coach Billy Donovan and began working as an assistant to the head coach, prioritizing scouting and player development.
For the duration of Mark’s stay from 2010 to 2014 as assistant coach, the Florida Gators earned consecutive NCAA tournament qualifications, became Regular season champions three times, became Conference champions one time, and reached the NCAA final four once (2013-14 season).
Having gained significant experience and knowledge under the mentorship of Billy Donovan, Mark was hired as the head coach for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League. This being his initial stint as head coach at just 29, expectations were certainly high.
Mark defined assumptions and proved to be one of the best head coaches in the G League from 2014 to 2019, leading his team to four playoff appearances out of five and amassing a coaching record of 142 wins – 108 losses, including the franchise record 34 wins during the 2016-17 season.
During the 2015-16 season, Mark was called up mid-season as one of the assistant coaches, replacing Maurice Cheeks who was ruled out due to poor health for six weeks. In 2019, Mark was called up to the main league as assistant coach, once again reuniting with Billy Donovan after a brief stint in 2015.
After Donovan’s departure as head coach after the 2019-20 season, the Thunder management named Mark as the team’s new head coach going forward. Mark was honored to become the team’s new head coach and expressed a ton of gratitude in his interactions with the media.
As head coach, Mark Daigneault has shown effective improvement in his role, especially in the 2022-23 season as he helped the team to a 40-42 record. The Oklahoma City Thunder is home to some of the best, highly-talented young players such as Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and new additions like Keyontae Johnson and Cason Wallace.
Considering the range of talent within the team, Mark recognizes its potential and therefore, will look to take the Thunder to better heights this upcoming season.
FAQs
A. Born on February 23, 1985, Mark is 38 years old.
A. Not yet. Mark signed a multi-year contract extension in July of 2023.
A. Mark was born in Leominster, Massachusetts.
A. Mark stands approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall.
