The random luck of the NBA schedule provided Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni with the opportunity to be in Dallas last weekend when Marshall, coached by older brother Dan D'Antoni, won the Conference-USA title game and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
"It seemed like destiny," Dan D'Antoni said over the telephone. "I was happy to have Mike with me."
As the brothers embraced, Dan also thought about two men who guided him on his long coaching journey. One is his late father Lewis, a legendary high school basketball coach in West Virginia who died last October at the ripe old age of 103.
The other was Dr. Ray Hagley, who along with his wife Shirley, was a passenger on the team plane carrying the Marshall football team that crashed on Nov. 14, 1970, killing 75 passengers on board. Hagley was 34 when he perished.
Dan was babysitting the Hagley's six children on the day of the tragic accident.
"Doc was like my Godfather," Dan says. "He was only 10 years older than me but at the time we're both young, so I always felt that he was a lot older. I looked up to him."
When Western Kentucky's last two shot attempts missed, thus preserving Marshall's 67-66 victory, D'Antoni felt a strong presence.
"The first shot dad wiped away and Doc got the second one," D'Antoni added. "They had something to do with Marshall being back where it belongs."
D'Antoni and Marshall play a first-round game early Friday in San Diego against Wichita State, a well-coached, battle-tested team. Marshall (24-10) enters the tournament as a 13-seed, which fits perfectly with D'Antoni's underdog personality.
"I don't know how I got here," D'Antoni says, laughing. "But I'm here. I didn't even apply for it."
Four years ago, Marshall wanted to hire Mike D'Antoni, who considered taking the job before turning it down and recommending Dan, who 43 years earlier had served as an assistant with the Herd. Dan's youngest brother, Mark, an attorney, also called the school to lobby on Dan's behalf.
When Marshall announced the surprise hiring, unnamed coaches in Conference-USA mocked the decision.
It was cruel and unfair. Dan had put in his time, serving as high school coach for 30 years and before working as an assistant under Mike with the Phoenix Suns, Knicks and Lakers.
"When we were kids, I always picked Mike first," he said. "When Mike got to the NBA, he picked me first."
But Marshall was different. Dan, who is now 70, was going out on his own. He had never been a college head coach, but to him the job felt right.
"My family is long-time Marshall people," said Dan, who like Mike, is in the Marshall Hall of Fame. "My daughter went to Marshall. My sister. My uncle. And my nephew is with the basketball team now. We have a lot of loyalty for the place."
In Dan's first season, Marshall won just 11 games, but they've improved over each of the past three years, winning 17, 20 and 24 games. Career-wise, the last two years for Mike and Dan could not be much better.
Mike was named NBA Coach of the Year last season and the Houston Rockets currently own the league's best record. It was 15 years ago when Mike introduced his "Seven Seconds or Less" philosophy to the NBA and the Suns ran with it. They were a title contender and point guard Steve Nash won two MVP awards. That success didn't follow the D'Antonis to New York and Los Angeles.
"Mike is a helluva coach," said Dan, who has never been shy to express his opinion. "He is the best play caller I've ever seen. We just ran into bad experience in New York. I don't think ownership was exactly sure which way it wanted go. In Los Angeles, Dr. (Jerry) Buss passed away and the owners didn't know where they wanted to go.
"When you don't get support, you have turmoil. It makes it very, very difficult. The best organization is San Antonio. Why? Because everything lines up. Maybe that's because (Gregg) Popovich is in control.
"In Oakland, the owner is lined up with the coach. The star players are lined up with the coach. I know in Houston, (James) Harden is on board. (Chris) Paul wanted to come to Houston and he's on board. The owners support them. Everyone fell in line."
Dan gets that at Marshall. And now West Virginia's favorite son finally gets his shining moment.
"I have a good group of kids with good parents," Dan says. "I want everyone to enjoy this. I've always thought of myself as young. That's the way I've always lived. Life is too short. I learned that at an early age."
