Wizards hire Kevin Durant’s old high school assistant coach

Flip Saunders, when he was coaching the Wizards, hired his son Ryan Saunders to his coaching staff.

When Randy Wittman replaced Flip, Ryan remained on Washington’s payroll – until Flip became the Timberwolves’ coach and hired his son in Minnesota.

That left the Wizards with a vacancy.

Michael Lee of The Washington Post:

Wizards Coach Randy Wittman hired David Adkins as a player development assistant, filling a vacancy on the coaching staff left when Ryan Saunders departed for Minnesota.

Adkins previously served as an assistant for the Maryland women’s basketball team – an unusual precursor to an NBA job. In itself, that makes his hire slightly interesting.

But Adkins’ job before that adds a whole other layer to the promotion.

Adkins was an assistant at Montrose Christian when Kevin Durant attended the high school. Adkins has also worked at DeMatha Catholic, a private school in nearby Prince George’s County, where Durant grew up. Not only does Adkins know Durant, he surely has ties to others close to the Thunder star.

Yup, Durant returning to his hometown Wizards is totally happening now!

Or not.

But if he gives Washington a closer look when he becomes a free agent in 2016, Adkins might have helped open the door.