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Lakers add Stanford assistant Mark Madsen as D-League head coach

Johnny Dawkins, Mark Madsen

Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins, right, is restrained by assistant coach Mark Madsen as he argues with an official following a last-second foul in an NCAA college basketball game against Minnesota at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012 in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Minnesota made all three free throws and won 66-63. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

AP

The college basketball coaching carousel spilled over into professional basketball on Tuesday when the Los Angeles Lakers announced it had hired Stanford assistant coach Mark Madsen as head coach of its NBA Developmental team the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

Madsen played nine seasons in the NBA and even coached in the D-League during the 2009-2010 season as part of the Utah Flash’s coaching staff. He is the fifth coach in D-Fender history.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity that Coach Dawkins gave me to join the Stanford program and learn under his direction and mentorship,” Madsen said in a school statement. “I appreciate the support, encouragement and feedback of Coach Dawkins in particular over the past several weeks during this decision-making process.”

Madsen spent this past season as part of Johnny Dawkins coaching staff at Stanford. Madsen graduated from Stanford in 2000 and replaced associate head coach Dick Davey a dozen years later. The previous two years, Madsen had returned to school working on his MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

He replaces Reggie Theus as head coach after Theus took the head coaching job at Cal State-Northridge back in April.

“I am truly excited to see Mark earn an opportunity to be a head coach at the professional level,” added Dawkins. “Mark proved to be a terrific role model for our student-athletes on and off the court while several of our post players improved tremendously under his guidance. Mark’s professionalism and enthusiasm were invaluable assets to our program over the past year.”

Madsen was drafted with the 29th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft and was a two-time NBA champion with the Lakers before ending his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009. He takes over a D-Fenders team that finished 21-29 last season. The Lakers’ D-League affiliate also had a pair of call-ups this year.

Terrence is also the lead writer at NEHoopNews.com and can be followed on Twitter: @terrence_payne