When he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 1988, Dan Majerle said teammate Jeff Hornacek, who was drafted by the Suns two years earlier, became somewhat of a mentor to him.
On Monday, after the Suns announced they had fired Hornacek as head coach, Majerle reflected on what his friend meant to him.
"I love Jeff. He kind of took me under his wing when I was a rookie," said Majerle, who spent eight seasons with the Suns as a player, as well as five years as an assistant coach from 2008-13.
"But in this line of business, you're going to get fired sooner or later. That's just what coaching's all about.
"He'll bounce back. He's a really good coach. He's been a really good player. Knows the NBA. (It's a) difficult situation for him and his family, but he'll land on his feet, and I'm sure he'll be coaching soon someplace else."
Majerle is in his third season as head coach of Grand Canyon's men's basketball team, which is 19-3 in just its third year at the Division I level. He said it's unfortunate to see the Suns, which enjoyed seven straight 50-win seasons during the Hornacek-Majerle Era, to be near the bottom of the Western Conference standings this season.
"I'm a huge Suns fan, always will be and have been, so I hope they do figure it out," he said. "It's a storied and proud organization that needs to get back on its winning ways."
When asked about whether he would be interested in an NBA head coaching position, Majerle said he's perfectly happy with his job at GCU.
"I got a job here. I love it here," he said. "This is the best place in the world."
