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It’s an hour before Mark Daigneault and the Thunder are set to face Billy Donovan’s Bulls. On this Monday night on the last day of March, Ryan Ford is about to fly home to South Carolina after a business trip in Los Angeles.
Little did Ford know, his name had been brought up by both Daigneault and Donovan in their pregame media availabilities when the coaches were asked how they first connected at Florida.
It was Ford who introduced them.
“There’s a short version and a long version,” Ford said of the story, “so I’ll probably try to get somewhere in the middle.”
Ford entertained making a detour in Oklahoma City on his way home from LA, to see two of his dearest friends coach against each other, but the timing didn’t work out. Timing. So much of life is shaped by the random sequence of circumstances.
The timing of how Ford met Daigneault, to then connect Daigneault with Donovan, is quite the tale.
“I have nothing to do with Billy’s success, and I have nothing to do with Mark’s success,” Ford said, “but somehow I was able to be a bridge for them meeting each other.”
More: Inside Josh Giddey's 'really special' return to OKC for Thunder-Bulls game
Ryan Ford, who had an injured knee coming out of high school, described himself as a Division II player “at best.”
Ford went to Providence not to play, but to be a manager for the basketball team. The Friars had a new coach — an up-and-comer named Rick Pitino.
Ford, a part of the team but not on the team, stayed late after practices to work out his knee. Also in the gym every night was Billy Donovan, a Providence guard two years ahead of Ford. They trained together and became fast friends. They pushed each other.
Ford made the Friars as a walk-on the next season, when “Billy The Kid” Donovan led No. 6 seed Providence all the way to the Final Four.
Ford was the best man in Donovan’s wedding. Their friendship has lasted 40 years and counting.
More: Mark Daigneault had respect from NBA coaching peers even before OKC Thunder's rise
Ford works for Jostens, a memorabilia company that manufactures everything from yearbooks and high school class rings to World Series rings — the latter of which is why Ford was in Los Angeles. To deliver rings to the reigning champion Dodgers.
Ford started out as a sales rep working with high schools. That’s how he got to know Steve Dubzinski, the boys basketball coach at Leominster High School in Massachusetts — Mark Daigneault’s alma mater.
Dubzinski coached Daigneault and was Daigneault’s guidance counselor.
The memories are fuzzy, but it was in Dubzinski’s office that Daigneault and Ford met. Dubzinski introduced them. Nothing special about it.
Fast forward a bit. Daigneault is a manager at UConn (2003-07). Ford, who’s well-connected in the basketball world, brings his son’s team to a Villanova-UConn game. They’re invited to attend a Villanova walk-through on the day of the game, after which, as Ford remembers it, a UConn manager is helping to clear the court.
Daigneault recognizes Ford. Or Ford recognizes Daigneault. Just from that chance encounter in Dubzinski’s office back at Leominster High School.
They exchange numbers, and another year or so passes.
Daigneault gets his first college assistant coaching job at Holy Cross in central Massachusetts, not far from where Ford lives. Daigneault texts him and they get lunch.
“We really became great friends,” Ford said. “You’ve probably heard it a million times — he’s an old soul, he’s wise beyond his years.”
Then-Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard resigned after the 2009 season, coincidentally to join Pitino’s staff at Louisville. Everything goes back to Pitino.
That left Daigneault looking for his next gig. He wanted to go to grad school, but he also wanted to keep coaching basketball.
That’s when Ford made the match. He told Donovan, already a two-time national champion coach at Florida, about Daigneault.
Donovan was at first dubious. A former assistant coach at Holy Cross was willing to come to Florida to essentially be a graduate assistant?
“This is a unique guy,” Ford assured Donovan. “He’s got incredible humility. He’ll add value somewhere, I can guarantee you that.
“Sure enough, that’s exactly how it played out.”
Daigneault spent four seasons with Donovan at Florida. Daigneault wasn’t an assistant coach, but an “assistant to the head coach.”
“It was way more than I bargained for,” Daigneault said. “I was just kind of hoping to be a fly on the wall. Next thing you know he had me in the middle of everything. Huge break for me.”
It was on scouting trips to Florida where Thunder general manager Sam Presti met Daigneault. Presti hired Daigneault to coach the Thunder’s G League team a year before Presti hired Donovan to coach the Thunder.
After five seasons with the Blue and one as a Thunder assistant under Donovan, Daigneault succeeded Donovan as the Thunder’s head coach.
Daigneault, the NBA’s reigning coach of the Year, has increased the Thunder’s win total in each of his five seasons as coach. Already, the Thunder (63-12) has set a record for most wins in team history.
Daigneault said he wouldn’t be here without Donovan.
“Not only the opportunity on the front end, but the responsibility he gave me over those four years (at Florida) allowed me to sharpen my blade and also position me to be hired for a job like the G League job here,” Daigneault said.
The Daigneaults and Donovans also became close family friends. Daigneault has spent many a holiday with the Donovans.
Their personal friendship and professional relationship is all thanks to Ford, who knew both Daigneault and Donovan long before they knew each other.
“Credit’s a weird thing,” Ford said. “It’s not about credit. I’m just grateful that two of my best friends have been able to find their own relationship. We have each other in a lot of ways.”
More: Sam Presti was right about Josh Giddey in Thunder-Bulls trade | Mussatto
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at [email protected]. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault met Bulls coach Billy Donovan
Continue reading...
Little did Ford know, his name had been brought up by both Daigneault and Donovan in their pregame media availabilities when the coaches were asked how they first connected at Florida.
It was Ford who introduced them.
“There’s a short version and a long version,” Ford said of the story, “so I’ll probably try to get somewhere in the middle.”
Ford entertained making a detour in Oklahoma City on his way home from LA, to see two of his dearest friends coach against each other, but the timing didn’t work out. Timing. So much of life is shaped by the random sequence of circumstances.
The timing of how Ford met Daigneault, to then connect Daigneault with Donovan, is quite the tale.
“I have nothing to do with Billy’s success, and I have nothing to do with Mark’s success,” Ford said, “but somehow I was able to be a bridge for them meeting each other.”
More: Inside Josh Giddey's 'really special' return to OKC for Thunder-Bulls game
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Billy Donovan and Ryan Ford were teammates at Providence
Ryan Ford, who had an injured knee coming out of high school, described himself as a Division II player “at best.”
Ford went to Providence not to play, but to be a manager for the basketball team. The Friars had a new coach — an up-and-comer named Rick Pitino.
Ford, a part of the team but not on the team, stayed late after practices to work out his knee. Also in the gym every night was Billy Donovan, a Providence guard two years ahead of Ford. They trained together and became fast friends. They pushed each other.
Ford made the Friars as a walk-on the next season, when “Billy The Kid” Donovan led No. 6 seed Providence all the way to the Final Four.
Ford was the best man in Donovan’s wedding. Their friendship has lasted 40 years and counting.
More: Mark Daigneault had respect from NBA coaching peers even before OKC Thunder's rise
Mark Daigneault’s chance encounter with Ryan Ford
Ford works for Jostens, a memorabilia company that manufactures everything from yearbooks and high school class rings to World Series rings — the latter of which is why Ford was in Los Angeles. To deliver rings to the reigning champion Dodgers.
Ford started out as a sales rep working with high schools. That’s how he got to know Steve Dubzinski, the boys basketball coach at Leominster High School in Massachusetts — Mark Daigneault’s alma mater.
Dubzinski coached Daigneault and was Daigneault’s guidance counselor.
The memories are fuzzy, but it was in Dubzinski’s office that Daigneault and Ford met. Dubzinski introduced them. Nothing special about it.
Fast forward a bit. Daigneault is a manager at UConn (2003-07). Ford, who’s well-connected in the basketball world, brings his son’s team to a Villanova-UConn game. They’re invited to attend a Villanova walk-through on the day of the game, after which, as Ford remembers it, a UConn manager is helping to clear the court.
Daigneault recognizes Ford. Or Ford recognizes Daigneault. Just from that chance encounter in Dubzinski’s office back at Leominster High School.
They exchange numbers, and another year or so passes.
Daigneault gets his first college assistant coaching job at Holy Cross in central Massachusetts, not far from where Ford lives. Daigneault texts him and they get lunch.
“We really became great friends,” Ford said. “You’ve probably heard it a million times — he’s an old soul, he’s wise beyond his years.”
How Ford connected Daigneault with Donovan
Then-Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard resigned after the 2009 season, coincidentally to join Pitino’s staff at Louisville. Everything goes back to Pitino.
That left Daigneault looking for his next gig. He wanted to go to grad school, but he also wanted to keep coaching basketball.
That’s when Ford made the match. He told Donovan, already a two-time national champion coach at Florida, about Daigneault.
Donovan was at first dubious. A former assistant coach at Holy Cross was willing to come to Florida to essentially be a graduate assistant?
“This is a unique guy,” Ford assured Donovan. “He’s got incredible humility. He’ll add value somewhere, I can guarantee you that.
“Sure enough, that’s exactly how it played out.”
Daigneault spent four seasons with Donovan at Florida. Daigneault wasn’t an assistant coach, but an “assistant to the head coach.”
“It was way more than I bargained for,” Daigneault said. “I was just kind of hoping to be a fly on the wall. Next thing you know he had me in the middle of everything. Huge break for me.”
It was on scouting trips to Florida where Thunder general manager Sam Presti met Daigneault. Presti hired Daigneault to coach the Thunder’s G League team a year before Presti hired Donovan to coach the Thunder.
After five seasons with the Blue and one as a Thunder assistant under Donovan, Daigneault succeeded Donovan as the Thunder’s head coach.
Daigneault, the NBA’s reigning coach of the Year, has increased the Thunder’s win total in each of his five seasons as coach. Already, the Thunder (63-12) has set a record for most wins in team history.
Daigneault said he wouldn’t be here without Donovan.
“Not only the opportunity on the front end, but the responsibility he gave me over those four years (at Florida) allowed me to sharpen my blade and also position me to be hired for a job like the G League job here,” Daigneault said.
The Daigneaults and Donovans also became close family friends. Daigneault has spent many a holiday with the Donovans.
Their personal friendship and professional relationship is all thanks to Ford, who knew both Daigneault and Donovan long before they knew each other.
“Credit’s a weird thing,” Ford said. “It’s not about credit. I’m just grateful that two of my best friends have been able to find their own relationship. We have each other in a lot of ways.”
More: Sam Presti was right about Josh Giddey in Thunder-Bulls trade | Mussatto
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at [email protected]. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault met Bulls coach Billy Donovan
Continue reading...
