Navy grad Egan is just one local connection to Cavs

By David Driver
Posted: November 19, 2009

Hank Egan said he grew up with modest means, and that the chance to attend the U.S. Naval Academy was “a great opportunity.”

Egan has made the most of that opportunity. “It completely changed my life for the better,” Egan said Wednesday, sitting courtside at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington before his Cleveland Cavaliers played the Washington Wizards. He grew up in Brooklyn and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1960 with a degree in engineering and has spent more than 40 years as a basketball coach at the college and professional level.

He was named head coach at the Air Force Academy in 1971 and remained there until 1984, when he took the head position at the University of San Diego. He led San Diego to the NCAA national tournament in 1984. He was one of the U.S. coaches at the 1984 Olympic tryouts. Egan then spent eight seasons as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs and was part of the 1999 NBA title team that included David Robinson, the former Navy star.

After serving as an assistant with Golden State, Egan is now on the coaching staff of the Cleveland Cavaliers under coach Mike Brown. Known as a defensive specialist, Egan said he enjoys coming back to  Washington. “I love this area,” said Egan, who enjoys walking around the shops in Chinatown on game day.

Cleveland lost for just the fourth time this season on Wednesday, as the Wizards outscored the Cavs, 33-19, in the fourth quarter for a 108-91 victory. Many Washington fans booed Cleveland star LeBron James every time he touched the ball, though that might have been wasted energy. He had 34 points, including one on a spectacular left-hand dunk, and nine assists. However, he did have six turnovers.

Egan is not the only member of the Cavaliers with ties to Maryland. Reserve guard Delonte West played at Eleanor Roosevelt High in Greenbelt (Prince George’s County) and in college at St. Joseph’s. West had nine points in nearly 22 minutes off the bench. The Cleveland coaching staff also includes Michael Malone, a former player and graduate of Loyola College. “We have some Maryland history,” said Malone, who studied that very subject during his time on the campus in north Baltimore.

Malone graduated from Loyola in 1994 and is the son of Brendan Malone, the former Cleveland head coach who is now an assistant with the Orlando Magic. Egan thinks Michael has a bright future. “He knows the game. He understands both sides of the ball,” Egan said. “There is no doubt he will be a head coach in this league.”

The Wizards, who improved to 3-7, have their own coaching ties to the Baltimore area. First-year assistant Sam Cassell played at Dunbar and Florida State before going on to a long NBA career that included three titles. Wes Unseld Jr., another Washington assistant coach, played in college at Johns Hopkins. He is the son former Washington star Wes Unseld, who also played for the team when it was in Baltimore and known as the Bullets. Tim Connelly, the director of player personnel for the Wizards, is a graduate of Towson Catholic. His brother, Pat, played basketball at Towson Catholic, is a Wizards scout and was an assistant basketball coach in England during the 2003-04 season.

Comment on this entry • No responses