NBA: Former UConn student Manager Daigneault leading Oklahoma City to the top of the Western Conference
From student manager of the UConn Huskies to head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, it has been an impressive journey for fourth-year coach Mark Daigneault. Daigneault graduated from The University of Connecticut in 2007 with a degree in education and was hired in 2021 after coaching the Oklahoma City Blue (G-League affiliate of the Thunder) for five seasons.
Hired while the team endured a massive rebuild, Oklahoma City saw just 46 wins during his first two seasons, but now sits tied for first place in the West at 40-17. They are one of the youngest teams in the NBA and Daigneault seeks to lead the core for years to come.
NBA: Ollie earns first win as Nets head coach
Six years after his tenure in Storrs came to a bitter end, former UConn men’s basketball head coach Kevin Ollie was promoted to interim head coach of the Brooklyn Nets after the team relieved Jacque Vaughn of his duties. On Monday, the Nets were victorious over the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies, 111-86, for the former national champion’s first NBA win. Ollie, who played for four seasons at UConn (1991-94), joined the Nets’ staff after two seasons as the head of basketball development at Overtime Elite and six seasons as the Huskies’ head coach. His tenure with Connecticut started out great with a national championship in his first year eligible to compete in one, but the team saw a steady decline in the coming years. With plenty of games remaining, Ollie will look to coach his way to the removal of the interim tag as he did at UConn.
WNBA: Stewart re-signs with New York Liberty
Coming off her second career MVP campaign, star forward Breanna Stewart resigned with the New York Liberty after leading them to the WNBA finals this past season. Stewart’s deal is a one-year non-guaranteed pact and below the player maximum salary. This move allows for more financial flexibility for the team to bring back many of the key pieces from last year’s finals run.
The former four-time champion at UConn averaged a career-high 23 points per game, 9.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in her first season with New York. At just 29 years of age, Stewart’s resume is stacked with four collegiate national championships, three AP Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year awards, two WNBA Championships and two WNBA league MVPs. With the same starting five returning for New York, Stewart and company will be looking to get back to the finals and lead the Liberty to the franchise’s first-ever WNBA Championship.