Former longtime NBA backup turned college basketball coach Mark Madsen has turned heads for questionable remarks he made in the latest season of the popular Netflix docuseries "Last Chance U."
Madsen, now the head coach of Utah Valley University, seemed to inquire about a a prospective recruit's sex life while speaking with one of the player's coaches during a recruiting trip.
The former Stanford standout, who won two NBA titles as a reserve during a nine-year career with the Lakers and Timberwolves, expressed "concern" that the junior college player, team captain Deshaun Highler of East Los Angeles College, wouldn't fit in well in Utah, where premarital sex is less common, according to Madsen.
"Tell me which one Deshaun is again," Madsen asks ELAC assistant Ken Hunter around 5 minutes into Episode 3, titled "Jenny."
"Light-skinned kid, can score," Hunter replies. "As tough as they come, bro."
"So, what my concern is," Madsen says, "is you take a kid with nobody to get in his face at home. He goes to Utah. There's women everywhere in Utah, but the women in Utah don't really have sex. They wait until marriage."
Hunter then informs Madsen that Highler is faithful to his long-term girlfriend, a claim which apparently stuns Madsen.
"Is he really faithful?" Madsen asks.
"She's all he's got," Hunter answers. "So, he's really, really well above his age, as far as maturity, and all that."
Highler, who transferred to ELAC after a stint as a walk-on at the University of Texas-El Paso, is the primary subject of the episode.
It delves into the recent death of his parents -- including his mother, Jennifer, whose name inspired the title of the episode -- the emotional and financial fallout, and the close relationship he forged with his girlfriend after their passing.
"I like Deshaun," Madsen responds. "I like him."
Highler later earned a scholarship from Sacramento State, where he played this season.
Madsen, 45, retired as a player following the 2008-09 season. His otherwise unremarkable career was notable for the two championships he won with the Lakers -- and his painfully awkward dance moves at their title parades. He is a devout Mormon, which was widely covered throughout his time as a college and pro player, and was said to have remained abstinent until he married in 2016.
Madsen transitioned into coaching almost immediately after retiring as a player, serving as an assistant in the NBA G League, with his alma mater Stanford, and with the Lakers. He was hired as head coach by Utah Valley in April 2019.
His comments in the show, of which the new season was released last week, were noted by at least a few users on social media.
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