OREM, Utah, April 14, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Los Angeles Lakers assistant Mark Madsen has been hired as the men’s basketball coach at Utah Valley University, ESPN reported Sunday.
Multiple sources reported that on Sunday, Madsen flew to Utah, where he is expected to meet with his new players on campus, ESPN said.
A formal announcement of Madsen’s hiring is planned for Monday, April 15, at 11 a.m. at the NUVI Basketball Center at UVU, according to sources.
Madsen’s coaching career has included six seasons on the Lakers staff, a year as the Lakers G League head coach and a season as a college assistant at his alma mater, Stanford.
Madsen, 43, will replace Mark Pope at Utah Valley, which is a member of the Western Athletic Conference. Pope was named as head men’s basketball coach at Brigham Young University Wednesday.
Pope served as head coach at UVU for the last four seasons.
Madsen played nine seasons in the NBA, including his first three with the Lakers after being selected 29th overall in the 2000 NBA draft. He was part of championships teams in 2001 and 2002, and he played his final six NBA seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, from 2003-09.
He earned an MBA at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in 2012.
Madsen, who is married, is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served a mission to Málaga, Spain following his graduation from high school.
It’s being reported he already has a home in Utah.
