Mark Daigneault

Mark Daigneault (pronounced DAYG-nolt; born February 23, 1985) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He spent five seasons as the head coach for the Oklahoma City Blue before becoming the head coach for the Thunder. Coaching career Before graduating from the University of Connecticut, Daigneault served as a student manager for the UConn Huskies from 2003-07 under Jim 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 coach George Blaney to pursue an assistant coaching position at Holy Cross, giving Daigneault strong recommendations. During Daigneault's tenure, the Crusaders finished as runner-up of the Patriot League Championship in the 2009-09 season. After three seasons with Holy Cross, Daigneault enrolled at the University of Florida for graduate school, where he joined future Thunder head coach Billy Donovan as an assistantship working for the Florida 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. 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 coaching USA Basketball. Oklahoma City Blue (2014–2019) On August 22, 2014, the Oklahoma City Thunder named Daigneault the new head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue following Darko Rajaković's promotion to the Thunder coaching staff. Florida's head coach Billy Donovan, who worked with Daigneault for four seasons, remarked that Daigneault "has been a valuable member of our staff." 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 the 2015-16 NBA season, Daigneault joined Billy Donovan's coaching staff, who was hired as the Thunder's head coach, midseason after assistant Maurice 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. 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.