HUNTINGTON — National Signing Day always brings a bit of a rush for coaches.

That’s especially true when they can land a player like Arnold Blackmon, who is among those heading to Marshall as part of the Class of ‘13 football recruits.

A polite young man from Houston, Blackmon brings plenty to the table – primarily an ability to rush the passer.

“I’m extremely excited about being with Coach (Doc) Holliday and Coach (J.C.) Price,” said Blackmon from his home in Texas. “They have a great love for the game.”

So, too, does Blackmon.

HUNTINGTON — One of the hit songs from the great Carole King was “Jazzman.”

Marshall’s football program has its own version of the “Jazzman.” His last name, by the way, just happens to be King.

The 2012 season is the second for Isaiah Jazzmond King as a fulltime player for the Thundering Herd. He was just part of a plethora of pass catchers Rakeen Cato has had the luxury of throwing to in Marshall’s high-octane offense.

Many got to know who King was when he snagged a touchdown pass in 2011 against Louisville. It helped lead the Herd to a huge win … a victory that was vital in getting Marshall to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“That gave me some confidence,” said King, who grew up in South Carolina.

King played at Byrnes High and helped his team reach a state championship game as a senior in 2009. He hauled in 45 passes and scored 11 touchdowns during his final season as a high school player. His choices to play college football besides Marshall included North Carolina, Ole Miss and Kansas.

Slowly, but surely, King, a physical therapy major, is making his presence felt as a Herd football player.

King isn’t shy about doling out the credit to Marshall’s senior receivers.

“I just feel like I got better because of the seniors in our (receivers) room,” he said. “Antavious (Wilson), Aaron (Dobson) and Andre (Snipes-Booker), they just helped me a lot. In the offseason they helped me get better. The competition we have in our receiver room, you’ve got to be great.”

The competition, King admits, was a bit intimidating when he first arrived at Marshall.

“It’s hard, but that’s just part of the game,” he said. “You’ve got to keep fighting and don’t let down.”

His fight allowed him to be a part of a Marshall offense that has produced jawdropping numbers throughout 2012 and should continue with a bulk of the key components returning, including Cato.

“It’s great that a quarterback can trust you,” King said. “All of the receivers he trusts. We are all a part of it (the offense).”

For a receiver, King says you couldn’t ask for much more in terms of the way Marshall coaching staff has decided to play fast and fling the football through the air.

“The offense does suit all of us,” he said “We came together as a group knowing we’re going to have to be the leaders of this team. And it shows that when we get going, the team follows us.”

Going by “Jazz” came easily since it was part of his given middle name.

“Only my teachers called me Isaiah,” he said, laughing. “Everybody else has been calling me Jazz (since he was little). My mom (Louise) loved jazz (music).”

He’s proud of his nickname.

“I just felt like Jazz fit me. It seems like it suits me because I love dancing, too,” said King, who wowed folks with his moves last year at a bowl pool part in St. Petersburg. “Everybody knows I can dance. I just do what I do.”

A lot of people also know he’s quite capable of catching a football. King finished the season with 15 catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He got five of those receptions in the regular-season finale at East Carolina last Saturday.

It’s nice to know King has plenty of catches on the horizon with two seasons of play remaining.

It’s definitely music to the ears for Marshall’s coaches and fans.

Dan D’Antoni is ready for bright lights of LA.

Last Wednesday (Nov. 14) in Charleston, Lewis D’Antoni was recognized by The Education Alliance at its annual dinner.

D’Antoni, who is still going strong at age 98, was an outstanding educator and coach back in the day. He is a member of the West Virginia Sportswriters Hall of Fame. He is the father of Dan and Mike, two of Marshall’s all-time best on the basketball court.

“It’s a real honor that they are honoring him,” said Dan, a member of Marshall’s Athletic Hall of Fame. “I think he was one of the best kept secrets (in the teaching and coaching professions). He lived long enough for it to get out. I’m happy for him and glad to be here. I’ve always been proud of him.”

Dan is proud of his entire family, including younger brother Mike, who was recently named head coach of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers.

Ask Mike, and he will tell you without hesitation how terrific a mind his older brother possesses. From Charleston, Dan, who played at Marshall from 1966-7070 and got his coaching start with the Thundering Herd freshman team, was set to make his way to the West Coast and join forces with his brother.

“We kind of got surprised (with the Lakers’ hiring),” Dan said. “I was playing golf in Charlotte. We thought we would work again (Dan was Mike’s assistant with the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks), just wasn’t sure when. All of sudden he (Mike) calls and says, ‘We’re going to LA.’” The Lakers’ roster features the likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace and Steve Nash just to name a few.

“Any coach worth his oats will tell you where you find talent, you find good coaching,” Dan said. “I hope we’ll run right into the good coaching part running with those guys. We’re looking forward to doing our part. We hope we can add and help them  achieve what they want to do.”

Bryant was one of the first to sing the praises for Mike D’Antoni’s hiring. He labeled him an “offensive genius.” Mike and Bryant worked together during the Summer Olympics.

Dan has known the NBA great since his high school days.

“Kobe played in my tournament (the high school Beach Ball Classic) in Myrtle Beach,” said Dan, who won over 500 games from 1975-2005 as the head coach of Socastee High School in the South Carolina vacation paradise.

He was the founder of the Beach Ball Classic, which is considered to be one of the country’s most prestigious high school basketball events.

“We brought him down as a high school player,” D’Antoni said. “Kobe is arguably the best, definitely one of the finest if not the best. To have him give Mike that kind of confidence is a special feeling. We respect Kobe and always have, admired him from afar.

“Now we get to work with him. Hopefully, we can bring for him another championship. He certainly deserves it. He’s an extremely hard worker.” D’Antoni can’t wait to work with Nash again. “Steve is a great player. I told Steve when we were in Phoenix, I wish I played after coaching him because I would have been a much better player. I learned a great deal by watching him,” said Dan, who is the father of three sons (who all played college basketball) and a daughter.

“Having the opportunity to talk to him and to see him play (on a daily basis), it’s helped me grow professionally. I’m certainly looking forward to getting with Steve and hopefully I can bring something to the game for him and help him again. He’s also deserving of a championship.”

Besides his father, Dan was joined in Charleston by his sister, Kathy, who is the assistant superintendent of West Virginia schools and brother Mark, who is a partner with Bowles, Rice LLP.

The D’Antoni family is a solid one.

Dan knows coaching at the game’s highest level once more is a true blessing, especially when it involves family.

“LA is a great opportunity,” said Dan. “Continuing my relationship with my brother and being able to coach alongside of him that is a special feeling. As long as I can keep that going, the better it is.” It’s two brothers doing something they love, something they inherited from their wonderful father. It’s hard to imagine anything much better.

CHARLESTON — It has been 30 years since Lee graced Huntington with his presence.

Once upon a time when Carl Lee was starring for Marshall football as a defensive safety, Frank Giardina was at the same time serving as the “voice” of the Thundering Herd.

He called many of the outstanding plays turned in by the South Charleston native during his four-year run as a starter in the secondary.

These days, the two do a radio show together in Charleston each afternoon.

It has become a labor of love for Lee, who works fulltime at West Virginia State University as a Community Development Specialist. Back to his playing days, Lee was always a good interview and is a natural whether behind a radio microphone or in front of a television camera.

But where he was truly a natural was on the football field.

This season of 2012 marks 30 years since Lee played his final games of football for the Thundering Herd.

“I didn’t think of it as being 30 years,” said Lee, with his great laugh.

While there were some lean times during his playing days where wins and losses are concerned, Lee says it is simply a period that he has forever cherished.

Lee was indeed a bright spot during the Sonny Randle days. He played his entire career under the colorful and hard-working Coach of the Herd, from 1979-83.

Out of South Charleston High School, the speedy and slender Lee had very few offers. He came to Marshall and stepped right in as a starter and never looked back.

Not only did he want to become a star at the collegiate level, but realized his hope to one day play in the National Football League. As most know, Lee not only played but was among the very best secondary performers the NFL had to offer.

He earned three trips to the Pro Bowl during his time with the Minnesota Vikings, as Lee played 11 seasons in Minnesota and closed out his career with a final year with the New Orleans Saints. In all, he started 160 of 189 games during his career.

Being able to play for Randle, a great wide receiver in the NFL and multiple All-Pro player for four teams, Lee found out what it would take to play at the next level.

Randle pushed him to the limit from day one of summer camp until his final game in 1982.

“It was huge to play for him,” said Lee. “His discipline, his work ethic and what he demanded.”

Even as a young 18-year-old, Lee didn’t shy away from sharing with Randle his desire to play professionally. “He told me then (in 1979), ‘If you are good enough, I’ll make sure you get a shot.’ ”

Not only was Randle a driven coach, but a man who had an eye for outstanding coaching talent. He assembled an outstanding staff in Huntington.

“Not only did I get to play for Sonny but I got to play for Jim Grobe  (current Wake Forest head coach), Bob Pruett (94-23 at Marshall, his alma mater), (former Young Thundering Herd QB) Reggie Oliver and Waverly Brooks.”

Lee says he simply broke down his playing career into individual plays, for both practices and games.

“I just felt I had to become the best possible player I could become,” he said. “Once I got beat on a cover route in a game (the last of his career) at East Tennessee and when I came off the field, Sonny looked at me and said, ‘You blew it.’”

It was just that type of push Randle sent Lee’s way to make him into an outstanding player.

“He would talk to me after games and say, ‘You did OK, but you’ve got to do better,’” Lee recalled “Every play if I messed up, I was petrified.”

It all worked out for Lee, who was honored by the Southern Conference three straight years. Lee is in the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame and in 2000 was recognized by Marshall’s Black Legends.

Lee is not only highly thought of in the circles of Marshall, but with the Viking organization, and was named to Minnesota’s All-Time 40th anniversary team.

“Besides Sonny, I had a great high school coach in Homer Criddle (at South Charleston H.S.). His was also that tough taskmaster,” said Lee. “When I went to the NFL, I was ready for anything.”

Before his current work, Lee spent 10 seasons as the head coach of the football program for West Virginia State.

While losses outnumbered wins, Lee looks back with great pride on his years of leading young men in the Yellow Jacket program.

“It’s like when I talk to Sonny, he knows how much I appreciate all he did for me,” said Lee.

“I wish I could have won more games. But when I talk to some of my former players you get the feeling you made a difference.” Lee and his wife, Donna, a Greenbrier County native and Marshall graduate, reside in the Teays Valley area. Lee has one son.

He spends a lot of his spare time talking to young people, stressing to them that anything is possible in life. Carl Lee is living proof.

He’s one of Marshall’s best players ever, and one of its finest individuals.