If Mike D’Antoni is fired by the Lakers, he might have a decent fall back option.
Marshall University has reached out to Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni to gauge his interest in coaching his alma mater, according to ESPN.com.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Thundering Herd have pursued D’Antoni before and made this latest inquiry — which coincides with his uncertain future in Los Angeles — because they “always sound him out” any time Marshall has an opening in a bow to D’Antoni’s stature in school history.
But sources stressed D’Antoni is highly unlikely to make such a switch even if the Lakers opt for a change at season’s end. Although he has served as an unofficial sounding board for school officials in the past, D’Antoni has coached only at the pro level, with three stops in Italy and stints with the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Lakers in the NBA.
D’Antoni played for the Thundering Herd from 1970 to 1973 and was selected in the second round of the 1973 NBA draft. His brother, Dan, also played and coached at the school before serving on Mike’s staffs with both the Suns and Lakers.