Unlike the others, however, it wasn’t for his success coaching the Phoenix Suns but rather for what he accomplished overseas in Italy, where Hackett hails from.

“Mike was a tremendous competitor,” he said following his workout at MSG Training Center. “He’s a hard worker. He went against my dad a lot and won a lot with Milan, so he is a very successful guy. You can ask Mike, they had a lot of battles out there. And the fans, they look at Mike as a god. He won as a player, as a coach and now he is in the NBA.”

D’Antoni isn’t the only connection Hackett has to the Knicks, as last year’s first-round draft choice Danilo Gallinari is one of his best friends.

“I’ve known Danilo since I was about 13 or 14, playing with him on the 20-and-Under national team,” he said. “We then got to the men’s national team at the same time. He is such a great kid. He’s a fun guy and a great competitor. He is so much fun to be around.

“We talk a lot. All the time actually. He told me he is coming in town tonight and barely missed the workout so that was a bit disappointing. But we talk about the workouts I have. He was blessed to come here last year at number six, coming to a great city like New York. I totally want to follow his path, and we talk about how fun that would be. On the court, playing with the national team, we realized we made each other better. It’s a great feeling."

Unlike most of the other big-name players the Knicks brought in for a workout, Hackett isn’t expected to go in the first round. Still, he has tremendous value as a second-round selection, and could be someone the Knicks target should they acquire another pick in the draft. While he hasn’t been in the conversation with other blue-chip point guard prospects like Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Jonny Flynn, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings and others, Hackett is more than confident in his skill set and ability to thrive in the NBA.

“There are not a lot of point guards who are 6-foot-5 and 215-pounds like me. I think I can see the court well, run an NBA system which I did with Coach Tim Floyd at USC. I think I can get the ball to the right players on the court and be smart out there. I know the pace that Mike D’Antoni runs, so I can come in and succeed.”

Part of the reason he is so confident is the impact he had at USC, which has produced solid NBA prospects in recent years, most notably last year with OJ Mayo and this year with DeMar DeRozan.

“Guys like DeRozan and then Mayo, seeing him succeed going pro and making a career, that makes me feel good because I was the point guard to make him better in college so I feel good to see them in an opportunity to do well and then do well. I just tell myself to be patient, try to learn and appreciate everything they do on the court and try to steal some of their moves. It gets myself better. I have been lucky that I came to high school, and I had a chance to take a scholarship at USC. So I waited my time, worked out every day, remained humble and have been confident my time would come.”

If that happens to be in New York City, all the better.

“It would be great to play for then after watching Mike growing up and because of Danilo. I would feel blessed to get a call in this draft, but to be in New York with Danilo and Coach D’Antoni, to be here and have a chance to compete at MSG, I think that would be a tremendous opportunity. At USC, with the media and everything that went on, I’ve been tested, so I am ready for anything. I think New Yorkers appreciate players like me who are humble, work hard and are tremendous competitors. That’s what I consider myself, and I do want to help this city get back to where it should be, and that’s to the top.”