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Former Thunder coach part of `shocking' NBA soap opera
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With Phoenix's iconic "Thunder Dan'' part of a shocking withdrawal from the Suns' city this week, the QC's own "Thunder Dan'' found his way back to an NBA bench. Dan Panaggio, whose name is synonymous locally with the long-defunct Quad City Thunder, was named an assistant coach Wednesday by the reeling Phoenix Suns. The job came open, in part because Phoenix's favorite son, and former Suns star Dan Majerle, resigned from his hometown club, upset over not getting the chance to replace former boss Alvin Gentry. Ironically, one of Panaggio's old Thunder assistants, Elston Turner, also officially left the team Thursday after getting passed over for the post during interviews last weekend. Gentry was fired last Friday after a string of seven losses in eight games. He was replaced on an interim basis for this season's final 41 games by former NBA player Lindsey Hunter, the Suns' player development director. Panaggio, a former Suns advance scout, is joined on Hunter's new staff by Noel Gillespie and the Suns' only coaching holdover, Igor Kokoskov, who replaced Turner as lead assistant. Suns' watchers called Hunter's hiring a "surprise move'' by General Manager Lance Blanks, who played for Panaggio's Thunder in 1993. Phoenix (15-28) had the Western Conference's worst record before the new coaching regime debuted with a win Wednesday night in Sacramento.The Suns followed up that victory Thursday by upsetting the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Clippers. Phoenix is back in action tonight at San Antonio. The team's tumultuous week caps a topsy-turvy month professionally for Panaggio, who was relieved of his head coaching duties earlier this month with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.The Sharks were 4-13, sitting in 16th place at the time, but the move stunned that league, mere months after Panaggio ended a top-eight playoff drought the season before in his debut. "Bringing in his triangle offense and a stout defensive approach, the Sharks were known as one of the hardest working and best coached teams in the league,'' reads an Internet report of the firing. Panaggio has been known for all of those traits since launching his professional coaching career in 1989 as a Thunder assistant to his father, Mauro.Panaggio assumed the local Triple-A team's head-coaching job in 1992 and led the Thunder to Continental Basketball Association titles in1993-94 and 1997-98. The Thunder were 313-191 in nine seasons under Panaggio, who left just ahead of the team's final campaign to become an Indiana University assistant with the Suns' current Director of Player Personnel, John Treloar. Since then, Panaggio's career also has included assistant coaching stops at Marquette University and the NBA's Portland Trailblazers, and a head coaching job with the Los Angeles Lakers' National Developmental Basketball League affiliate, the Los Angeles Defenders. 
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Today is Thursday, May 23, the 143rd day of 2013. There are 222 days left in the year.
1863 — 150 years ago: Messrs. J. and M. Rosenfield have moved their leather and hidestore to the building formerly occupied by Temple Bufords's store. They buy and sellhides, pelts, furs, wool, beeswax, lard, tallow, etc.
1888 -- 125 years ago: The Rock Island Lumber Company has recovered 5,000 of the8,000 logs that were carried away by the Mississippi River flood last week.
1913 -- 100 years ago: John J. Ullemeyer has been awarded the contract to furnish RockIsland fire and police department members with uniforms, at the city's expense.
1938 -- 75 years ago: Work on Aledo's new $38,000 swimming pool was started thismorning at South Park when ground for the pool was broken by Mayor John W. Murphy.
1963 -- 50 years ago: Students and teacher at Moline High School called today "MissLeona Day" day at the school in honor of the government teacher who retires at theend of the school term. Although she's been teaching for 43 years at the school, Miss Dayfound a new way of arriving at the school this morning. At 7:30 a.m., a police squad carpulled up in front of Miss Day's home and escorted her to school. A caravan of students' cars joined the procession along the way.
1988 -- 25 years ago: Barbecue cooking and riverfront antics are planned for Discover the
River Day Saturday in Leach Park, Bettendorf. A 5K run, wind surfing, a canoe race, hogcalling and more will round out the day under the Interstate 74 bridge.
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