Loyola men’s basketball coach Tavaras Hardy says Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who played for the Greyhounds from 1989-1993, is a “true inspiration” for Loyola as he continues his quest to lead the Nuggets to their first NBA championship.
Malone, 51, is 367-270 as a regular-season coach since taking over in Denver ahead of the 2015-16 season and has led the Nuggets to the playoffs in each of the past five seasons. This year marks Malone’s first NBA Finals appearance in Denver, with the Western Conference finals in the 2020 bubble playoffs being Malone’s previous high-water mark.
The Nuggets went 53-29 during the regular season this year, then beat Minnesota in five games, Phoenix in six and the Los Angeles Lakers in four to make it to the Finals. The Nuggets will play Miami, which defeated Boston in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.
Everyone in Loyola’s program is proud of Malone, according to Hardy.
“It’s huge for our program. We have Coach Malone’s picture up in our locker room, and it is a symbol to show that it can be done, whichever path you take,” Hardy said on Glenn Clark Radio May 24. “… That’s all of our players’ goals and dreams. They want to reach that highest level. We want to show them that it can be done and people up there care about us and they’re watching us. What Coach Malone is doing is a true inspiration for all of us.”
Malone averaged 3.5 points and 2.6 assists in 108 games during his four years with the Greyhounds. The 6-foot-2 guard totaled 383 points and 282 assists. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Friends School of Baltimore after graduating from Loyola. He then moved on to assistant jobs in the college ranks: Oakland (Mich.), Providence, Virginia and Manhattan.
Malone broke into the NBA as an assistant with the New York Knicks (2003-2005) before moving on to be an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2005-2010), New Orleans Hornets (2010-11) and Golden State Warriors (2011-2013). He got his first shot as a head coach with the Sacramento Kings but was fired in December 2014, 24 games into his second season with the team.
Malone landed in Denver in June 2015. Unbeknownst to Malone, the Nuggets had drafted a franchise-altering player the previous summer in Serbian center Nikola Jokić. The 2015-16 season marked the first campaign in Denver for both. The Nuggets drafted Kentucky guard Jamal Murray No. 7 overall in 2016 and Missouri wing Michael Porter Jr. No. 14 overall in 2018. Jokić, Murray and Porter now form a championship core.
Hardy says not to sleep on Malone’s contributions, though.
“He’s doing his part,” Hardy said. “He’s been there for eight years. I was just talking to a couple other coaches. Monty Williams wins Coach of the Year two out of four years and he’s been let go. That business is tough up there. For him to have the longevity that he’s had, the sustainability, and he’s grinded. … Finding that chemistry and building that bond, getting them to where they are today, is a huge credit to Coach Malone and his ability to get that culture to mirror what he wants.”
Hardy said he crossed paths with Malone in Las Vegas last summer during the Summer League while watching Santi Aldama, a Loyola product who was playing for the Grizzlies in preparation for the 2022-23 season. Aldama led the Greyhounds to the Patriot League championship game in 2021 before being drafted by the Grizzlies.
Malone knew all about that Loyola squad.
“We went to the championship game and he’s one of the first people to text congratulations and good luck and letting us know that he was watching and following,” Hardy said. “He was texting about Santi. I have a friend who is a former assistant GM with the Nuggets and he was in the room draft night. He said Michael was as excited as anyone when Santi was picked. He’s watching.”
Loyola didn’t bring home the Patriot League title in 2021, but Hardy believes Loyola is coming home with a championship this time around.
“I think from a basketball standpoint, they are the favorite regardless of who comes out of the East,” Hardy said. “They’ve been playing that way all year.”
For more from Hardy, listen to the full interview here: