Could Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni be preparing to leave Los Angeles for West Virginia? According to reports, D'Antoni's alma mater Marshall University reached out to the coach to gauge his interest in coaching their men's basketball team.
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ESPN reports that the Thundering Herd has reached out to D'Antoni in the past and recently did again due to his uncertain future in Los Angeles. ESPN said that sources confirmed that Marshall looks to "always sound him out" whenever they have an opening due to his stature in school history.
D'Antoni, however, seems unlikely to accept the gig no matter what changes the Lakers decide to make come the end of a season where they will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
D'Antoni has coached the Lakers and three other teams in the NBA and didn't seem to even be considering coaching college hoops when he was asked about it after the Lakers lost 108-105 to the last place Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
"Come on, guys," D'Antoni said to the media when asked about coaching Marshall, according to ESPN. "Come on. OK, good. That ESPN is all over it. That's good."
D'Antoni then admitted it was nothing unusual because he speaks with his alma mater regularly.
"I hear from them all the time," D'Antoni said via ESPN. "I'm the head of their capital [fundraising] campaign. I'm close friends to them. Whatever they need, I try to do. But ... who knows."
D'Antoni played for the Thundering Herd from 1970-73 and was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft in '73, so his history with the school runs deep. Marshall has an opening since Tom Herrion was fired after owning a 67-67 record through four seasons.
D'Antoni has two seasons left under his contract with one guaranteed, but there is speculation that he could be fired after his injury-riddled team stumbled to a 24-46 record thus far this season. Superstar Kobe Bryant even wondered if he should come back.
"I don't know [if D'Antoni should return]. It's been tough on him," Bryant told ESPN. "The two years he's been here, he's been dealing with so many injuries left and right. He hasn't really gotten a fair shake at it since he's been here."
Even D'Antoni doesn't seem to know his fate.
"My job is to finish up as good as we can," he explained to ESPN. "Then everybody huddles ... and we'll see what happens."
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