Tyrone Corbin’s run as Sacramento Kings interim head coach could be short lived. According to Sam Amick of USA, after calling the Kings loss 102-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mark Jackson had a lengthy meeting with Mullin, Kings general manager Pete D’Alessandro and star center DeMarcus Cousins inside the “Chairman’s Lounge” where they had requested that arena workers and others give them some privacy.
Jackson, Mullin, and Cousins entered the room at approximately 10:20 p.m. Pacific time, with Cousins sporting a black suit as he continues to recover from his bout with viral meningitis that has kept him out of action since Nov. 26. D’Alessandro joined them approximately 20 minutes into the meeting, and the group finally exited just before midnight, long after the room had been cleared so that they could have a moment to discuss, well, connect the dots yourself.
Or, of course, maybe it was just a couple of old childhood pals sharing stories with their Kings friends. Mullin and Jackson have been the best of friends since their high school days, when Jackson was coming up at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn and Mullin was a star at Power Memorial Academy in New York City. They played together at St. John’s University as well, then later spent three seasons side by side yet again with the Indiana Pacers (1997-2000).
What’s more, D’Alessandro was a video coordinator at St. John’s during Jackson’s senior season. Jackson, Mullin, and D’Alessandro have made a habit of visiting in this nature whenever their paths may cross, but the involvement of Cousins was certainly enough to warrant notice.
It makes perfect sense. Amick said Cousins was actually the one who pushed for the meeting, acknowledging his admiration and respect of Jackson’s ability to connect with his players.
