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Tony Brown
College - Arkansas
Tony Brown is entering his first season as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics. He was named to the Celtics coaching staff May 27, 2004.
Overall Brown has spent seven seasons as an NBA assistant coach, most recently as Kevin O’Neill’s lead assistant in Toronto, and has advanced to the playoffs in six of those seasons. Prior to joining the Raptors, Brown spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons from 2001-03. During his time with the Pistons, the club recorded a 100-64 (.610) regular season record, registered back-to-back 50-win seasons, captured two Central Division titles and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003.
Brown also worked for four seasons on Mike Dunleavy’s staff in Portland from 1997-2001. The Blazers had a 190-106 (.642) regular-season mark during that span, highlighted by a Pacific Division crown in 1999 and a 59-23 mark in 1999-2000. He began his post-playing career as an advance scout and college talent evaluator for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1994-97.
A veteran of seven seasons as an NBA player, Brown split his time with nine teams during his playing career, finishing with career averages of 6.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in 359 games. His best statistical season came in 1986-87 with New Jersey when he averaged 11.3 points in 30.4 minutes. The University of Arkansas product was a fourth-round draft choice of New Jersey in the 1982 NBA Draft.
Brown also played in the CBA and overseas (1992-94) with Reggio Emilia in the Italian League.
Brown makes his offseason home in his native Chicago with his wife, Exquilynn.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/tony_br....html?nav=page
Jim Boylan
College - Marquette
In his third season as an assistant with the Bulls … hired as part of Scott Skiles’ staff on May 19, 2004 ... Boylan, a 13-year NBA coaching veteran, reunites with Skiles after serving under him during the 2000-01 season with the Phoenix Suns … was a member of Terry Stotts’ staff in Atlanta during 2003-04 season … first entered the NBA as a video coordinator and advance scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1992 … after spending five seasons with the Cavaliers, he worked three seasons as an assistant with the Vancouver Grizzlies … was a member of Frank Johnson’s Phoenix Suns staff in 2001-02 … prior to the NBA , served as Director of Basketball Operations/Assistant Coach for the Rochester Renegade (CBA) … spent 1986-89 in the college ranks at Michigan State as an assistant under Jud Heathcote … from 1989-1992 was head coach at the University of New Hampshire … began his coaching career as a player/coach in Switzerland from 1982-86 and led the Vevey Basketball club to its first championship in its 30-year history … is a graduate of Marquette University … led the Marquette Warriors to the 1977 NCAA Championship and scored 14 points in the National Championship Game versus North Carolina … after leading Marquette in assists for two straight years, was drafted by the Buffalo Braves in the fourth round (68th overall) of the 1979 NBA Draft … Boylan and his wife, Jane, have two daughters, Jessie and Shaina.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/jim_boy....html?nav=page
Del Harris
College - Milligan College
Del Harris is in his seventh full season as an assistant coach for the Mavericks after joining the franchise during the last two months of the 1999-2000 season. During his time with the Mavericks, the team has posted an impressive 355-157 (.693) record. In three of the last four seasons, he has been voted as the top assistant coach in the league in the annual General Manager’s poll.
Harris is one of the most experienced coaches in the NBA, becoming the 20th coach to record over 500 wins. With 13-plus years as a head coach, he has compiled a 556-457 overall record with three different teams.
In his last eight full seasons, Harris’ clubs won over 400 games, including an impressive 218-110 record (.665) with the Los Angeles Lakers. During Harris’ first season with the Lakers in 1994-95, Los Angeles went from a lottery team the season before to a 48-win team that beat Seattle, the division winner, in the first round of the playoffs. That season Harris was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year.
Though known for his defensive philosophies, in his last three seasons in Los Angeles, the Lakers scored the most total points in the league. In 1997-98, the Lakers became only the third team in NBA history to lead the league in scoring while holding their opponents below 100 points per game. He joined Pat Riley as the only coach in L.A. franchise history to register three consecutive 50-plus wins in a season, including a 61-win season in 1997-98.
Prior to joining the Lakers, Harris coached the Milwaukee Bucks, where he remains the only coach in their history to guide them to four consecutive playoff appearances in his first four seasons at the helm compiling a 191-154 overall record (.554).
Before assuming Milwaukee’s head coaching position in June of 1987, Harris served as the Bucks scout and assistant coach under then-Head Coach Don Nelson (1983-1987). Del landed his initial NBA job with the Houston Rockets in 1976, spending three years as an assistant coach under Tom Nissalke. The Rockets promoted Harris to head coach following Nissalke’s departure prior to the 1979-80 campaign.
Though Houston had never been to the playoffs two consecutive seasons, he led the Rockets to playoff berths his first three seasons, highlighted by a trip to the 1981 NBA Finals where Houston lost to the Boston Celtics in six games. The Rockets established a then-NBA record during their march to the Western Conference Championship that season, winning eight games on the road during the playoffs, including the decisive game over the defending champion Lakers at the Forum in the first round.
The 69-year-old Plainfield, Ind. native has produced champions at virtually every level in 47 years of coaching, including the NBA, collegiate, overseas and high school ranks. As the head coach for Earlham College (Indiana), he led the team to a school-record 176 victories and the first three conference championships in the school’s history during his nine-year stint there.
Harris also gained international experience as he coached seven seasons in Puerto Rico’s Superior League (1969-75), posting a 176-61 record and winning three national championships. He also was an advisor to the Canada National Team in 1993-94 for the 1994 World Games in Toronto and was an assistant to Rudy Tomjanovich for the USA in the 1998 World Games in Athens.
In 2004, he coached the National Team of China as their first foreign coach. Along with Yao Ming, he led them out of the preliminaries to an eighth place finish at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Their win against defending World Champion Serbia is regarded as China’s greatest win in basketball history. Harris has also developed many young players into All-Stars in the NBA. In four years at Los Angeles, he had five different players make the All-Star Team, four for the first time (Cedric Ceballos, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel and Kobe Bryant).
He also worked with three-time NBA MVP Moses Malone at the Utah Stars and Houston Rockets in Malone’s developmental years. Harris attended Milligan College in Tennessee, where he graduated *** laude in 1959 with a degree in religion. He earned a master’s degree in history from Indiana University in 1965.
He has written various magazine articles and successful books on basketball coaching, some have been used as college texts or supplements. He is a member of four Halls of Fame: National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Indiana Basketball, Earlham College and Milligan College. He is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild having appeared in such features as “Space Jam” and “Diagnosis Murder”.
He is bi-lingual and did color commentary for the 1996 NBA Finals for ESPN Spanish Radio.
Del and his wife, Ann, have one son, Nik, who is a junior in high school. He has four children from a previous marriage, sons Larry, Alex and Stan, and daughter Carey. He is also the grandfather of seven. Del and Ann have given back to the communities in which they have lived, being involved in many charitable outlets. Together they formed the Del and Ann Harris Foundation which is active in promoting Christian education, missions and other worthy causes over the last five years.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/del_har....html?nav=page
Tim Grgurich
College - Pittsburgh
Longtime NBA veteran and highly respected assistant coach Tim Grgurich begins his second season with the Nuggets. Grgurich (GUR-gur-ich) brings 15 years of NBA experience to the Nuggets bench, including nine with Head Coach George Karl.
Before joining the Nuggets, Grgurich served as an assistant in Portland (2004-05; ’98-01), Phoenix (’02-04), Milwaukee (’01-02) and Seattle (’91-98).
Karl and Grgurich have a long history of success together. Including last season, Grgurich has been on Karl’s staff for five division titles and the pair made a trip to the NBA Finals together with Seattle in 1996.
The Trail Blazers also won a division crown with Grgurich on staff in ’98-99 and reached the Western Conference Finals twice.
Grgurich spent 12 years as an assistant coach under Jerry Tarkanian at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, preparing emerging NBA standouts such as Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, Armen Gilliam and Sidney Green. The Runnin’ Rebels won the 1990 NCAA Championship and made three Final Four appearances while he was part of the program.
His coaching career began at his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, where he also was a three-year letterman in both basketball and baseball. He began as an assistant and guided the freshman team to a 99-33 mark before assuming head coaching duties in 1975. Over five seasons, Pitt was 71-70 and made one trip to the NIT. As a player, he helped the Panthers to an NCAA and NIT tournament bid.
Grgurich earned a physical education degree from Pittsburgh. He and his wife Kathy have two daughters, Jennifer and Suzanne.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/tim_grg....html?nav=page
Terry Porter
College - Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Milwaukee native Terry Porter was hired as the Head Coach of the Milwaukee Bucks on August 6, 2003. He is the eighth head coach in franchise history. Porter spent the 2002-03 season as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings, his first season in coaching after a distinguished 17-year NBA playing career with Portland, Minnesota, Miami and San Antonio. Porter’s teams compiled a remarkable record of 815-547 (.598) during his career, and only once failed to make the postseason.
In 1,274 career games, Porter averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.24 steals during a stellar career that included two All-Star berths (1991, 1993), two trips to the NBA Finals (1990, 1992) and 15,586 career points. He is 10th on the NBA’s all-time assist list (7,160). Porter has played for five of the top 36 coaches (games won) in NBA history: Pat Riley (1,110), Jack Ramsay (864), Rick Adelman (603), Gregg Popovich (339) and Flip Saunders (328).
In 1985, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Porter with the 24th overall pick in the NBA Draft. During his decade-long tenure in Portland, Porter helped lead the Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals twice and continues to hold the NBA Finals single-game record for the most free throws made, none missed -- 15 (June 7, 1990 at Detroit). He was the recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1993, and remains as the Trail Blazers all-time assists leader with 5,319. Porter signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 1995-96 season and helped the Wolves achieve their first-ever playoff berth in 1996-97 and their first winning season the following year.
He signed with the Miami Heat before the 1998-99 campaign, and signed with the Spurs prior to the 1999-2000 season. He retired after the 2001-02 season with the rare distinction of having never been traded during his NBA career.
Prior to excelling on the NBA’s national stage, Porter was no secret to basketball fans in Wisconsin. He played prep basketball at Milwaukee’s South Division High School, and was a standout collegian at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point under Dick Bennett.
In four seasons at Stevens Point, Porter averaged 13.5 points and shot an astounding 58.9 percent from the field. Twice with the Pointers, as both a junior and a senior, he was named an NAIA First-Team All-American. He holds a degree in Communications and was honored with a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1999.
Throughout his career, Porter has been active with the Boys and Girls Club and is a member of the organization’s Hall of Fame. In 1994, he created the Milwaukee Scholars Fund, which provides scholarships to minority students in Milwaukee to attend schools in the University of Wisconsin system. Porter, the youngest of six children, is an avid golfer. He and his wife, Susie, have three children: Brianna, Franklin and Malco
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/terry_p....html?nav=page
Tom Thibodeau
College - Salem State
Tom Thibodeau begins his second season as assistant head coach of the Rockets and 15th year of coaching in the NBA. In his first year in Houston, Thibodeau helped the Rockets set franchise records in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
“Having Tom on this staff gives us a tremendous advantage,” Rockets Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “He is an expert in the areas of game preparation and player development. I feel that he’s one of the finest coaches in the NBA today and should be a top candidate to be a head coach.”
Prior to joining the Rockets, Thibodeau spent the previous seven years as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks. During his tenure with the Knicks, New York set a then-NBA record by holding 33 consecutive opponents under 100 points in the 2000-2001 season. Thibodeau and the Knicks coaching staff also helped Van Gundy coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2000 NBA All-Star Game.
In each of his final four seasons in New York, Thibodeau served as head coach for the Knicks entry in the Shaw’s Boston Summer League. Prior to this, he and current Knicks Assistant General Manager Jeff Nix coached New York’s Summer League entries in Rye Brook, New York and Los Angeles, California.
Thibodeau entered the NBA in 1989 as an assistant coach with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves under the late Bill Musselman. After two seasons with the Timberwolves, he joined the Seattle SuperSonics in 1991 as an advance scout. The following year, Thibodeau moved to San Antonio, where he worked with Jerry Tarkanian and John Lucas as a Spurs assistant coach for two seasons. He left San Antonio to become an assistant coach under Lucas with the Philadelphia 76ers. Thibodeau’s stay in Philadelphia lasted two seasons, at which point he joined the Knicks. With the Knicks, Thibodeau worked with Van Gundy for five years and Don Chaney for two seasons.
In 14 NBA seasons, Thibodeau has helped his team finish in the NBA's Top Ten in team defense 11 times. He has also coached in 80 NBA playoff games in his career, including New York's appearance in the 1999 NBA Finals.
Thibodeau’s coaching career began in 1981 as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Salem State College. After three years as an assistant, he became head coach in 1984. The following season, Thibodeau became an assistant coach at Harvard. He coached at Harvard for four years before leaving for the NBA.
A native of New Britain, Connecticut, Thibodeau graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and a master’s in counseling from Salem State College. He lettered in four seasons at Salem State.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/tom_thi....html?nav=page
Bob McAdoo
College - North Carolina
Bob McAdoo starts his 11th season as an assistant coach with the Miami HEAT and his third for Head Coach Stan Van Gundy. He served the previous eight under current HEAT President Pat Riley. As a former MVP in the NBA, McAdoo works primarily with the HEAT big men and has been instrumental in developing their overall skills. He also works on a constant basis with all players to improve their shooting skills, while imparting the wisdom and knowledge derived from a 14-year NBA playing career. McAdoo is in charge of charting the team’s offensive efficiency and focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of opponent’s big men. He also served as the head coach of the HEAT’s Summer League team in 2004.
McAdoo, generally considered the greatest shooting big man in NBA history, enjoyed a storied 14-year playing career in the NBA, which included three consecutive scoring titles from 1973-74 through 1975-76 – making him one of only six NBA players to accomplish the feat. He appeared in five consecutive All-Star games, where he averaged 17.6 points and 6.0 rebounds, as well as being named the NBA MVP in 1975. McAdoo received the game’s greatest honor when he was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. Additionally, McAdoo ranks as the third youngest player in NBA history to reach the 10,000-point plateau, accomplishing the feat at 25 years and 148 days old, topped only by Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady.
Over his career, “Mac” averaged 22.1 points and 9.4 rebounds while connecting on 50.3 percent of his field goal attempts, and has worked with many of the best in the business. In 1982, he was a member of Riley’s first championship team with the Los Angeles Lakers. Former HEAT broadcaster and fellow Hall of Famer Dr. Jack Ramsay was McAdoo’s first coach with Buffalo in 1972. His career also included tours with New York, New Jersey, Boston and Philadelphia. After finishing in 1986 with the 76ers, McAdoo played professionally in Italy (1986-92) where his teams went on to win the Italian Championship three times and the European Championships twice. Individually, he captured MVP honors in both the Italian League and European Championships. Additionally, he appeared in the first McDonald’s Open in 1987, averaging 42 points in losing causes to the Milwaukee Bucks and Russian National team.
McAdoo’s success began early in his career, as he earned the 1972-73 NBA Rookie of the Year award after averaging 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Buffalo Braves. In each of the next three seasons he averaged at least 30 points and 12 rebounds. McAdoo was an All-American at every level of play, starting in high school, and then at Vincennes JC, where he was a member of the JUCO national championship team in 1970. He also received All-America honors while playing at the University of North Carolina, where he helped guide the Tar Heels to a Final Four appearance. McAdoo also played for the United States in the 1971 Pan American Games.
Besides his accomplishments on the court, McAdoo was the basketball technical advisor for the 1993 motion picture “The Air Up There,” starring Kevin Bacon. He also took part in the NBA Legends Tour to South Africa in 1993, which included a goodwill tour with NBA Commissioner David Stern and other players to promote the NBA. For his musical exploits on the alto saxophone, McAdoo was selected as a member of the North Carolina All-State High School band team. Rounding out his high school career, he was also the North Carolina High School high jump champion as a senior, beating former NBA All-Star Bobby Jones with whom McAdoo would later team at UNC and with the Philadelphia 76ers.
McAdoo and his wife, Patrizia, reside in Miami with their children Ross (22), Russell (18), Rasheeda (10), and Ryan (6). McAdoo’s eldest son Robert III (32) lives in North Carolina and his daughter Rita (29) lives in New York.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/bob_mcadoo/index.html
Bill Cartwright
College - San Francisco
Bill Cartwright joined the Nets prior to the 2004-05 campaign after serving as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls for parts of three seasons (12/28/01 - 11/24/03). In 151 games as head coach in Chicago, Cartwright compiled a record of 51-100.
Prior to being named head coach of the Bulls, Cartwright spent six seasons as an assistant coach with Chicago following his hiring on September 3, 1996. As an assistant under Phil Jackson (1996-98), Cartwright helped the Bulls to the 1997 and 1998 NBA World Championships. As an assistant under Tim Floyd (1998-2001), Cartwright instructed the big men on the Bulls' roster, spearheading the development of the centers and power forwards. During his tenure, he helped Elton Brand achieve Rookie of the Year honors in 2000 as the young power forward averaged 20.1 ppg and 10.0 rpg.
As a 7-1, 245-pound center, Cartwright played 15 years in the NBA. During his playing career, Cartwright was tutored by some of the game's best coaches, including Red Holzman, Hubie Brown, Doug Collins, Phil Jackson and George Karl. During his tenure with the Bulls, Cartwright earned the nickname "Teach" for his ability to pass along his knowledge of the game and its players to his teammates. An NBA All-Star (1980), he finished with career averages of 13.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 1.4 apg, shooting .525 from the floor and .771 from the free throw line. In 124 career playoff games, Cartwright averaged 8.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 1.3 apg, shooting .482 from the floor and .725 from the free throw line.
On June 27, 1988, Chicago obtained Cartwright from the New York Knicks in exchange for Charles Oakley, a trade that propelled the Bulls to their first three NBA World Championships. Cartwright appeared in 397 games with the Bulls, averaging 9.2 ppg and 5.5 rpg, shooting .475 from the floor and .735 from the free throw line.
Drafted by the Knicks in the first round (3rd overall) of the 1979 NBA Draft, Cartwright played his first eight seasons in New York, averaging 16.8 ppg and 7.1 rpg, shooting .552 from the floor. As a rookie, Cartwright averaged careerhighs of 21.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg, shooting .554 from the floor. He earned NBA All-Rookie Team honors and was named to the 1980 NBA Eastern Conference All-Star team.
In four seasons at the University of San Francisco, Cartwright graduated as the Dons all-time leading scorer, averaging 19.1 ppg and 10.2 rpg, shooting .589 from the floor. A three-time All-American and three-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year, he was recently named one of the WCC's 50 Greatest Student-Athletes of All- Time. In 1994, Cartwright earned his master's degree in organizational development and human resources from San Francisco.
Bill and his wife, Sheri, have four children, Justin, Jason, James and Kristin.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/bill_ca....html?nav=page
Herb Williams
College - Ohio State
Herb Williams has seen it, and lived it, and he knows what New York is like when the Knicks are at their best.
And he knows how anxious the fans are to have it happen again.
“I definitely get the sense that they’re hungry for a winner,” says the 48-year-old Williams, who has become synonymous with the Knicks as player and coach for a decade-and-a-half. “And not only that, moreso than anything else, they want to see us going in the right direction, which they haven’t had for the last couple of years.
“I think if we’re going in the right direction, if we’re going out there and we’re playing hard every night, I think they can live with that. And I think if we can do that, it’s going to be a pretty good season. But that has to be every night, it can’t be every other night; or do it for three or four nights and then take a night off. It has to be every single night.”
The senior member of New York’s on-the-bench coaching staff, Williams is currently in his fifth full season (sixth season overall) on the Knicks’ bench. Following nearly two decades as one of the game’s most respected players, Herb joined the Knickerbockers’ staff as an assistant coach on Dec. 29, 2001.
Since then, the popular Williams has become every bit as renowned as a coach as he was as a player. It’s something he couldn’t have imagined even a few years ago.
“I didn’t, but I was hoping that would happen, because it’s (coaching) something that I really enjoy doing,” says Herb. “I was hoping it would get to that point.”
Included in Williams’ coaching tenure is an overall mark of 17-27 as Knicks head coach. Succeeding Lenny Wilkens as Knicks headmaster on Jan. 22, 2005, Herb piloted New York for the remainder of the 2004-05 season, going 16-27. He also notched a 120-110 win over Orlando as interim coach on Jan. 14, 2004, prior to Wilkens’ formal arrival.
Williams has also served as head coach of the Knicks’ entries in the 2003 Reebok Boston Summer Pro League and the 2004 LA Summer Pro League in Long Beach. As an assistant coach, he has served under head coaches Don Chaney, Wilkens, Larry Brown and now Isiah Thomas. He assumed the reins of the Knicks for the final five games of the 2005-06 season, during Brown’s illness.
“Herb brings us a great deal of knowledge and experience, not only playing in this League but, having been an assistant coach, a good understanding of how offenses and defenses work,” says Thomas, the Knicks’ President, Basketball Operations and Head Coach. “But more important, when he was playing, he was a good defender down on the low post. And if you’re going to excel in this league and move forward, your low-post bigs are going to have to understand how to defend, and more important, how to compete from that position. Herb is a hard worker, and brings that type of knowledge to us.”
During his playing tenure, Williams was a force in New York’s locker room as a leader with assests that only a wily veteran could posess. For three seasons (1996-97 through 1998-99), he served as Knicks tri-captain. His knowledge and leadership qualities made him a natural for his new career.
Williams’ coaching tenure follows a distinguished playing career that spanned 18 seasons (1981-82 through 1998-99), just three shy of Robert Parish’s all-time NBA record of 21. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Herb is one of only eight players in NBA history to appear in a game following his 41st birthday, along with Parish, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Cousy, Nat Hickey, Charles Jones, John Stockton and Kevin Willis.
Indiana’s first-round pick (14th overall) in the 1981 NBA Draft, the 6-foot-11 Williams averaged 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and shot .467 from the field for the Pacers, Mavericks, Raptors and Knicks. He scored 11,944 points in 1,102 career games. Herb played the first 7.5 seasons of his career with Indiana, and is still second in blocked shots (1,094, to Rik Smits’ 1,111) and sixth in total rebounds (4,494) on the Pacers’ all-time franchise lists.
Williams spent virtually all of the final seven years of his playing career as a Knick, and was one of only two players (along with Patrick Ewing) to be a member of both of the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Championship teams of 1994 and 1999. He originally signed with the Knicks as a free agent on Nov. 15, 1992. Williams was part of two separate trades (to Toronto on Feb. 18, 1996 and to Philadelphia on Feb. 19, 1998), but quickly returned to the Big Apple just days after both.
As a Knick, Herb became a Garden fan favorite as Ewing’s primary backup in the pivot as well as a guiding force off the court. His final on-court appearance - a scoreless minute in Game Five of The 1999 NBA Finals against San Antonio - made him the oldest Knick ever to appear in a game (41 years, four months, nine days).
Williams averaged 17.6 points and 9.7 rebounds in a four-year college career at Ohio State, and became the first Buckeye in school history to record more than 2,000 career points (2,011).
Born on Feb. 16, 1958 in Columbus, OH, Williams was a recreation major at Ohio State. Herb has two children - Erica (20) and Jabrille (14) - and lives in Stamford, CT. Off the court, Herb served as an honorary captain for the 2004 national Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/herb_wi....html?nav=page
Mark Aguirre
College - DePaul
To get a sense of Mark Aguirre’s style as a coach, just remember Mark Aguirre’s style as a player.
“Very hard, tough basketball is what I like,” says the three-time NBA All-Star. “I like everything to be a totally exhausting type of basketball. I want guys to play extremely hard every second of the game. That’s how I like to see basketball played. And then, you learn how to play after that. I have no problem with making guys play hard.”
Following a stellar playing career as a two-time World Champion and one of the game’s most prolific scorers of the 1980s, Aguirre continues to build on an impressive coaching resume.
Mark is currently in his fourth season with the Knickerbockers (third full campaign) and his fifth season overall as an NBA assistant coach. He joined the Knicks’ staff on Jan. 16, 2004, and his hard-nosed attitude has made him a natural for the demands of basketball on the world’s biggest stage.
“You don’t know how bad I want to win in New York,” says Aguirre, 46. “I don’t think I’ve ever been around a city this well educated on what basketball really is. Detroit is great, but when I came to New York, these (fans) know your plays, they know what you’re trying to do, they know who’s effective and how they’re effective. It’s phenomenal that they know it, they really know it. I love it. I want to win here so bad it just eats at me.”
Aguirre, who served as head coach for the Knicks’ squad at the 2005 and 2006 Summer League in Las Vegas, came to New York after two seasons with the Indiana Pacers. In 2001-02, he served as a Pacers special assistant. The following year, he was promoted to assistant coach. Aguirre’s post-playing NBA career began in 1996-97 as director of player development for the Dallas Mavericks.
Aguirre’s basketball career has been influenced by some of the game’s greatest coaches.
“Offensively, I would say for my personal play, Ray Meyer probably had the biggest impact on me,” says Mark. “I think I had my offensive game in college already and I just brought it into the pros, so he had the biggest impact.
“So far as understanding what it takes in order to win and being in the scheme of winning offensively and defensively, I think Chuck Daly might have had the biggest impact on me. Understanding not just basketball, but what type of philosophy he’s trying to get through and how we’re trying to win, I think he had the biggest influence.”
Aguirre averaged 20.0 points over a standout 13-year playing career with the Dallas Mavericks (1981-82 through 1988-89), Detroit Pistons (1988-89 through 1992-93) and Los Angeles Clippers (1993-94). An NBA All-Star with the Mavericks in 1984, 1987 and 1988, he entered the 2006-07 season in 46th place on the League’s all-time scoring list with 18,458 points.
In 1983-84, Aguirre averaged 29.5 points per game (second in the NBA to Adrian Dantley’s 30.6) on 2,330 total points, both Maverick single-season records that still stand. He owns three of the top four single-season point totals in Dallas history. Aguirre’s 13,930 career points as a Maverick are second only to Rolando Blackman’s 16,643 on the all-time franchise list.
Traded to Detroit on Feb. 15, 1989 for Adrian Dantley and a first-round draft pick, Mark was a key member of the Pistons’ back-to-back World Championship teams of 1989 and 1990. He started all four games (7.5 points) of the Pistons’ four-game sweep of the Lakers in the 1989 Finals. The following year, he put up 9.6 points in Detroit’s five-game Finals win over Portland, including 18 points off the bench in the Pistons’ come-from-behind Game One win.
Aguirre teamed with Isiah Thomas as a player in Detroit and as a coach in Indiana. In 2006-07, the pair will unite again in the Knicks bench.
“When you talk about Mark, there’s no way we would have won two championships in Detroit if Mark Aguirre’s not on that team,” says Thomas, the Knicks’ president, basketball operations and head coach. “He’s had great success playing and scoring the ball in this league, and he understands how to transfer that to the players in terms of leverage, post technique, the thinking and mentality of offensive play underneath the basket. His background comes from a Ray Meyer, a Dick Motta, so his philosophy and his way of thinking the game is very similar to mine. He’s a hard-working coach, and we grew up in the same neighborhood and came from the same places.”
“I’m in a big comfort zone, because I know exactly what we’re trying to do as a unit, and we know what we want to see,” says Aguirre of Thomas. “So when I look at it, I know I’m looking at it through his eyes, and he’s looking at it though my eyes. We’re looking for the same things, and then I can look for some mistakes because I know what he’s looking for. So that’s going to be good for me, I’m pretty much embedded in the same things he is.”
A college standout at DePaul, the Chicago native averaged 24.5 points over three seasons with the Blue Demons. Aguirre was The Sporting News’ 1981 College Player of the Year, the 1980 Naismith Award winner, and a two-time member of The Sporting News’ All-America first team. As a freshman in 1978-79, he averaged 24.0 points and led the Blue Demons to the NCAA Final Four, where they lost to Larry Bird-led Indiana State.
Entering the 1981 NBA Draft following his junior year, Mark was the Draft’s first overall pick (by Dallas). He was also selected to play on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team that did not compete in the Moscow Games.
From 1999-2001, Aguirre was chairman and CEO of Life Cast, the largest provider of on-line services to private country clubs.
Born on Dec. 10, 1959 in Chicago, Mark and his wife Angela have four children and make their off-season home in Dallas.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/mark_ag....html?nav=page
Marc Iavaroni
College - Virginia
A 14-year veteran of the NBA as a player or coach, Marc Iavaroni joined the Suns coaching staff in 2002.
Previously he served as assistant coach/director of player development with Pat Riley from 1999-2002. Iavaroni's responsibilities consisted of all general duties of an assistant coach plus the direct responsibility of developing Heat players year round. Prior to that he was an assistant coach under Cleveland Head Coach Mike Fratello for two seasons (1997-1999), concentrating his efforts on big man development.
Iavaroni owes much of his teaching expertise to his 20-year association as a student and instructor under Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell.
A seven-year NBA veteran from 1982-1989, Iavaroni played for Philadelphia, San Antonio and Utah. He was a starter as a rookie on the 76ers’ 1983 World Championship team, voted one of the 10 best NBA teams of all-time. In 1984-85 he played for San Antonio and then-head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons before completing his final three seasons with the Jazz, who won the Midwest Division in 1989.
Iavaroni concluded his professional career alongside current Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni in Milan before retiring in 1991. avaroni played professionally overseas for five seasons in Italy and Spain including three seasons after his college career and two seasons following his NBA career.
His coaching career began as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, University of Virginia, helping the Cavaliers to their first Final Four in 1981. Following his professional playing career, Iavaroni was an assistant coach at Bowling Green State University for two seasons from 1992-94.
As a collegian, Iavaroni had a successful stint at University of Virginia, where he was a four-year starter and finished in 1978 ranked in Virginia's top 10 in career scoring and rebounding. He gained first-team All-Tournament honors on Virginia's 1976 ACC Tournament championship team, an accomplishment still among his most satisfying playing achievements.
Born in Jamaica, New York, Iavaroni and his wife Caroline are the parents of three teenage sons, Kenton, McCray and Jackson.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/marc_ia....html?nav=page
Michael Cooper
College - New Mexico '78
Michael Cooper, who previously coached the team to two WNBA Championships, is returning to the helm of the Los Angeles Sparks, the team announced. Cooper replaces Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, who has been and will continue to be the head coach of the Tokyo Apache in the Japanese BJ league.
“We are delighted to have Michael coming back to a place where he has enjoyed so much success,” said Sparks’ co-owner Carla Christofferson. “The Sparks are very excited about the 2007 season and we are looking forward to contending for the WNBA title under Michael’s direction.”
“We were Sparks’ fans and very impressed with the way Michael coached the team to those championships,” added co-owner Kathy Goodman. “It was apparent that he shared our enthusiasm and love of the game and the community.”
“We want to thank Joe Bryant for his coaching contributions to the Sparks, and we wish him great success in his career in the Japanese BJ league,” Christofferson said.
“I am thrilled to be returning home and to have the opportunity to coach a team that provides me with so many fond memories,” Cooper said. “The franchise is starting a new chapter and we want to bring another championship banner to Staples Center.”
After originally joining the Sparks as an assistant coach in 1999, Cooper was named head coach in November of that year. In his first year as head coach, he earned the 2000 WNBA Coach of the Year Award after leading the Sparks to their best record in franchise history (28-4). In four-plus seasons, Cooper guided the Sparks to a 116-31 (.789) regular season record and four playoff appearances. His teams captured back-to-back WNBA Championships in 2001 and ’02 and made the finals three consecutive years.
Cooper joined the staff of the NBA Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach prior to the 2004-05 season. On Dec. 28, 2004, he became the interim head coach but returned to his role as an assistant upon the hiring of George Karl on Jan. 27, 2005.
Most recently, Cooper coached the Albuquerque Thunderbirds to the 2006 NBA Development League title.
A Los Angeles native, Cooper began his coaching career in March 1994, serving as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers under Magic Johnson and later with Del Harris from 1994-97. Prior to his coaching stint with the Lakers, Cooper served as special assistant to General Manager Jerry West for nearly three years.
A 12-year NBA veteran, Cooper was a third-round draft choice (60th overall) by the Lakers in the 1978 NBA Draft after graduating from the University of New Mexico. He earned eight NBA All Defensive Team selections – including five First Team honors – and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. He spent his entire career with the Lakers and was a member of five NBA Championship teams (1980, ’82, ’85, ’87 and ’88).
Retiring after the 1989-90 season, he was ranked among the club’s all-time top 10 in three-point field goals (378), games played (793), total minutes played (21,784), steals (966), blocked shots (487), assists (3,451), defensive rebounds (1,860), offensive rebounds (682) and free throw percentage (.829).
Entering their 11th season, the Sparks are operating under new ownership led by investors Katherine Goodman and Carla Christofferson. The Sparks will open the 2007 season in Chicago when they play the Sky on May 22. The Sparks will take on the Minnesota Lynx for their home opener on June 8 at STAPLES Center. For season ticket information, call (877) 44-SPARKS.
http://www.wnba.com/sparks/news/mich...er_070404.html
Sam Mitchell
College - Mercer
During Sam Mitchell’s 13-year NBA career he was held in high regard around the league as a student of the game. When he finally hung up his sneakers in 2002, he went from student to teacher in his new role as an NBA coach. Following two seasons as an assistant coach, Mitchell was named the sixth head coach in franchise history June 29, 2004.
Although the Raptors finished 33-49 in Mitchell’s first season, the campaign under his direction was highlighted by the implementation of a more up-tempo style of play that saw the team’s points per game average increase by 14.3 over the previous season, the third-highest jump in NBA history. He and his staff also oversaw the maturation of second-year forward Chris Bosh into a potential all-star.
In May of 2004, Mitchell was named the lead assistant coach of the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. He assisted them in player workouts and draft preparation during his brief stay. He spent the prior two seasons on the Milwaukee Bucks’ bench, first assisting George Karl and then Terry Porter. The Bucks qualified for postseason play the past two years with Mitchell as an assistant, running his personal playoff streak as a player and coach to eight consecutive seasons.
During the 2003-04 season, the Bucks finished with a 41-41 mark and Mitchell played a role in the development of Michael Redd into a first-time NBA All-Star. Mitchell’s first NBA season as an assistant coach came in 2002-03 when he worked under George Karl, the 13th all-time winningest coach in league history. The Bucks finished that season with a 42-40 mark.
Mitchell split his playing career between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Indiana Pacers. He appeared in 994 regular season games and 59 postseason contests, missing just 40 games to injury or illness throughout his career. He posted averages of 8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He ranks first all-time in Timberwolves history in games played with 757 and second with 7,161 points, 1,773 free throws made, 2,664 field goals made, 3,030 rebounds and 449 steals.
Mitchell began his NBA career in 1989 as a free agent with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves. He signed his first NBA contract on Minnesota player personnel director Billy McKinney’s back prior to a summer league game in San Antonio. He played three seasons in Minnesota before being acquired by the Indiana Pacers in September 1992. He returned to Minnesota as a free agent in 1995 where he played an instrumental role in the on-and off-court development of 18-year-old rookie Kevin Garnett, who became the first player in 20 years to be drafted directly out of high school. Garnett has gone on to be a seven-time all-star and is the league’s reigning MVP.
Mitchell was drafted in the third round (54th overall) by the Houston Rockets in the 1985 NBA Draft. Before entering the NBA, Mitchell played in the Continental Basketball Association for three seasons where he helped the Rapid City (S.D.) Thrillers to a championship and also in France’s top professional league for two seasons (1987-89).
The all-time leading scorer at Mercer University with 1,986 points, Mitchell was the Trans-America Athletic Conference (TAAC) Player of the Year as a senior and a two-time All-TAAC First Team selection. He led Mercer to the TAAC championship and an NCAA tournament berth in 1985. He was also tabbed the most valuable player of the annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament predraft camp in 1985.
Mitchell was born September 2, 1963. He and his wife, Anita, have four children: Morgann and Maya, and twins Rhagan and Rhana. He has been active in numerous charitable efforts through the years, particularly Special Olympics.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/sam_mit....html?nav=page
College - Arkansas
Tony Brown is entering his first season as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics. He was named to the Celtics coaching staff May 27, 2004.
Overall Brown has spent seven seasons as an NBA assistant coach, most recently as Kevin O’Neill’s lead assistant in Toronto, and has advanced to the playoffs in six of those seasons. Prior to joining the Raptors, Brown spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons from 2001-03. During his time with the Pistons, the club recorded a 100-64 (.610) regular season record, registered back-to-back 50-win seasons, captured two Central Division titles and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003.
Brown also worked for four seasons on Mike Dunleavy’s staff in Portland from 1997-2001. The Blazers had a 190-106 (.642) regular-season mark during that span, highlighted by a Pacific Division crown in 1999 and a 59-23 mark in 1999-2000. He began his post-playing career as an advance scout and college talent evaluator for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1994-97.
A veteran of seven seasons as an NBA player, Brown split his time with nine teams during his playing career, finishing with career averages of 6.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in 359 games. His best statistical season came in 1986-87 with New Jersey when he averaged 11.3 points in 30.4 minutes. The University of Arkansas product was a fourth-round draft choice of New Jersey in the 1982 NBA Draft.
Brown also played in the CBA and overseas (1992-94) with Reggio Emilia in the Italian League.
Brown makes his offseason home in his native Chicago with his wife, Exquilynn.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/tony_br....html?nav=page
Jim Boylan
College - Marquette
In his third season as an assistant with the Bulls … hired as part of Scott Skiles’ staff on May 19, 2004 ... Boylan, a 13-year NBA coaching veteran, reunites with Skiles after serving under him during the 2000-01 season with the Phoenix Suns … was a member of Terry Stotts’ staff in Atlanta during 2003-04 season … first entered the NBA as a video coordinator and advance scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1992 … after spending five seasons with the Cavaliers, he worked three seasons as an assistant with the Vancouver Grizzlies … was a member of Frank Johnson’s Phoenix Suns staff in 2001-02 … prior to the NBA , served as Director of Basketball Operations/Assistant Coach for the Rochester Renegade (CBA) … spent 1986-89 in the college ranks at Michigan State as an assistant under Jud Heathcote … from 1989-1992 was head coach at the University of New Hampshire … began his coaching career as a player/coach in Switzerland from 1982-86 and led the Vevey Basketball club to its first championship in its 30-year history … is a graduate of Marquette University … led the Marquette Warriors to the 1977 NCAA Championship and scored 14 points in the National Championship Game versus North Carolina … after leading Marquette in assists for two straight years, was drafted by the Buffalo Braves in the fourth round (68th overall) of the 1979 NBA Draft … Boylan and his wife, Jane, have two daughters, Jessie and Shaina.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/jim_boy....html?nav=page
Del Harris
College - Milligan College
Del Harris is in his seventh full season as an assistant coach for the Mavericks after joining the franchise during the last two months of the 1999-2000 season. During his time with the Mavericks, the team has posted an impressive 355-157 (.693) record. In three of the last four seasons, he has been voted as the top assistant coach in the league in the annual General Manager’s poll.
Harris is one of the most experienced coaches in the NBA, becoming the 20th coach to record over 500 wins. With 13-plus years as a head coach, he has compiled a 556-457 overall record with three different teams.
In his last eight full seasons, Harris’ clubs won over 400 games, including an impressive 218-110 record (.665) with the Los Angeles Lakers. During Harris’ first season with the Lakers in 1994-95, Los Angeles went from a lottery team the season before to a 48-win team that beat Seattle, the division winner, in the first round of the playoffs. That season Harris was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year.
Though known for his defensive philosophies, in his last three seasons in Los Angeles, the Lakers scored the most total points in the league. In 1997-98, the Lakers became only the third team in NBA history to lead the league in scoring while holding their opponents below 100 points per game. He joined Pat Riley as the only coach in L.A. franchise history to register three consecutive 50-plus wins in a season, including a 61-win season in 1997-98.
Prior to joining the Lakers, Harris coached the Milwaukee Bucks, where he remains the only coach in their history to guide them to four consecutive playoff appearances in his first four seasons at the helm compiling a 191-154 overall record (.554).
Before assuming Milwaukee’s head coaching position in June of 1987, Harris served as the Bucks scout and assistant coach under then-Head Coach Don Nelson (1983-1987). Del landed his initial NBA job with the Houston Rockets in 1976, spending three years as an assistant coach under Tom Nissalke. The Rockets promoted Harris to head coach following Nissalke’s departure prior to the 1979-80 campaign.
Though Houston had never been to the playoffs two consecutive seasons, he led the Rockets to playoff berths his first three seasons, highlighted by a trip to the 1981 NBA Finals where Houston lost to the Boston Celtics in six games. The Rockets established a then-NBA record during their march to the Western Conference Championship that season, winning eight games on the road during the playoffs, including the decisive game over the defending champion Lakers at the Forum in the first round.
The 69-year-old Plainfield, Ind. native has produced champions at virtually every level in 47 years of coaching, including the NBA, collegiate, overseas and high school ranks. As the head coach for Earlham College (Indiana), he led the team to a school-record 176 victories and the first three conference championships in the school’s history during his nine-year stint there.
Harris also gained international experience as he coached seven seasons in Puerto Rico’s Superior League (1969-75), posting a 176-61 record and winning three national championships. He also was an advisor to the Canada National Team in 1993-94 for the 1994 World Games in Toronto and was an assistant to Rudy Tomjanovich for the USA in the 1998 World Games in Athens.
In 2004, he coached the National Team of China as their first foreign coach. Along with Yao Ming, he led them out of the preliminaries to an eighth place finish at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Their win against defending World Champion Serbia is regarded as China’s greatest win in basketball history. Harris has also developed many young players into All-Stars in the NBA. In four years at Los Angeles, he had five different players make the All-Star Team, four for the first time (Cedric Ceballos, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel and Kobe Bryant).
He also worked with three-time NBA MVP Moses Malone at the Utah Stars and Houston Rockets in Malone’s developmental years. Harris attended Milligan College in Tennessee, where he graduated *** laude in 1959 with a degree in religion. He earned a master’s degree in history from Indiana University in 1965.
He has written various magazine articles and successful books on basketball coaching, some have been used as college texts or supplements. He is a member of four Halls of Fame: National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Indiana Basketball, Earlham College and Milligan College. He is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild having appeared in such features as “Space Jam” and “Diagnosis Murder”.
He is bi-lingual and did color commentary for the 1996 NBA Finals for ESPN Spanish Radio.
Del and his wife, Ann, have one son, Nik, who is a junior in high school. He has four children from a previous marriage, sons Larry, Alex and Stan, and daughter Carey. He is also the grandfather of seven. Del and Ann have given back to the communities in which they have lived, being involved in many charitable outlets. Together they formed the Del and Ann Harris Foundation which is active in promoting Christian education, missions and other worthy causes over the last five years.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/del_har....html?nav=page
Tim Grgurich
College - Pittsburgh
Longtime NBA veteran and highly respected assistant coach Tim Grgurich begins his second season with the Nuggets. Grgurich (GUR-gur-ich) brings 15 years of NBA experience to the Nuggets bench, including nine with Head Coach George Karl.
Before joining the Nuggets, Grgurich served as an assistant in Portland (2004-05; ’98-01), Phoenix (’02-04), Milwaukee (’01-02) and Seattle (’91-98).
Karl and Grgurich have a long history of success together. Including last season, Grgurich has been on Karl’s staff for five division titles and the pair made a trip to the NBA Finals together with Seattle in 1996.
The Trail Blazers also won a division crown with Grgurich on staff in ’98-99 and reached the Western Conference Finals twice.
Grgurich spent 12 years as an assistant coach under Jerry Tarkanian at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, preparing emerging NBA standouts such as Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, Armen Gilliam and Sidney Green. The Runnin’ Rebels won the 1990 NCAA Championship and made three Final Four appearances while he was part of the program.
His coaching career began at his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, where he also was a three-year letterman in both basketball and baseball. He began as an assistant and guided the freshman team to a 99-33 mark before assuming head coaching duties in 1975. Over five seasons, Pitt was 71-70 and made one trip to the NIT. As a player, he helped the Panthers to an NCAA and NIT tournament bid.
Grgurich earned a physical education degree from Pittsburgh. He and his wife Kathy have two daughters, Jennifer and Suzanne.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/tim_grg....html?nav=page
Terry Porter
College - Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Milwaukee native Terry Porter was hired as the Head Coach of the Milwaukee Bucks on August 6, 2003. He is the eighth head coach in franchise history. Porter spent the 2002-03 season as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings, his first season in coaching after a distinguished 17-year NBA playing career with Portland, Minnesota, Miami and San Antonio. Porter’s teams compiled a remarkable record of 815-547 (.598) during his career, and only once failed to make the postseason.
In 1,274 career games, Porter averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.24 steals during a stellar career that included two All-Star berths (1991, 1993), two trips to the NBA Finals (1990, 1992) and 15,586 career points. He is 10th on the NBA’s all-time assist list (7,160). Porter has played for five of the top 36 coaches (games won) in NBA history: Pat Riley (1,110), Jack Ramsay (864), Rick Adelman (603), Gregg Popovich (339) and Flip Saunders (328).
In 1985, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Porter with the 24th overall pick in the NBA Draft. During his decade-long tenure in Portland, Porter helped lead the Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals twice and continues to hold the NBA Finals single-game record for the most free throws made, none missed -- 15 (June 7, 1990 at Detroit). He was the recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1993, and remains as the Trail Blazers all-time assists leader with 5,319. Porter signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 1995-96 season and helped the Wolves achieve their first-ever playoff berth in 1996-97 and their first winning season the following year.
He signed with the Miami Heat before the 1998-99 campaign, and signed with the Spurs prior to the 1999-2000 season. He retired after the 2001-02 season with the rare distinction of having never been traded during his NBA career.
Prior to excelling on the NBA’s national stage, Porter was no secret to basketball fans in Wisconsin. He played prep basketball at Milwaukee’s South Division High School, and was a standout collegian at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point under Dick Bennett.
In four seasons at Stevens Point, Porter averaged 13.5 points and shot an astounding 58.9 percent from the field. Twice with the Pointers, as both a junior and a senior, he was named an NAIA First-Team All-American. He holds a degree in Communications and was honored with a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1999.
Throughout his career, Porter has been active with the Boys and Girls Club and is a member of the organization’s Hall of Fame. In 1994, he created the Milwaukee Scholars Fund, which provides scholarships to minority students in Milwaukee to attend schools in the University of Wisconsin system. Porter, the youngest of six children, is an avid golfer. He and his wife, Susie, have three children: Brianna, Franklin and Malco
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/terry_p....html?nav=page
Tom Thibodeau
College - Salem State
Tom Thibodeau begins his second season as assistant head coach of the Rockets and 15th year of coaching in the NBA. In his first year in Houston, Thibodeau helped the Rockets set franchise records in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
“Having Tom on this staff gives us a tremendous advantage,” Rockets Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “He is an expert in the areas of game preparation and player development. I feel that he’s one of the finest coaches in the NBA today and should be a top candidate to be a head coach.”
Prior to joining the Rockets, Thibodeau spent the previous seven years as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks. During his tenure with the Knicks, New York set a then-NBA record by holding 33 consecutive opponents under 100 points in the 2000-2001 season. Thibodeau and the Knicks coaching staff also helped Van Gundy coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2000 NBA All-Star Game.
In each of his final four seasons in New York, Thibodeau served as head coach for the Knicks entry in the Shaw’s Boston Summer League. Prior to this, he and current Knicks Assistant General Manager Jeff Nix coached New York’s Summer League entries in Rye Brook, New York and Los Angeles, California.
Thibodeau entered the NBA in 1989 as an assistant coach with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves under the late Bill Musselman. After two seasons with the Timberwolves, he joined the Seattle SuperSonics in 1991 as an advance scout. The following year, Thibodeau moved to San Antonio, where he worked with Jerry Tarkanian and John Lucas as a Spurs assistant coach for two seasons. He left San Antonio to become an assistant coach under Lucas with the Philadelphia 76ers. Thibodeau’s stay in Philadelphia lasted two seasons, at which point he joined the Knicks. With the Knicks, Thibodeau worked with Van Gundy for five years and Don Chaney for two seasons.
In 14 NBA seasons, Thibodeau has helped his team finish in the NBA's Top Ten in team defense 11 times. He has also coached in 80 NBA playoff games in his career, including New York's appearance in the 1999 NBA Finals.
Thibodeau’s coaching career began in 1981 as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Salem State College. After three years as an assistant, he became head coach in 1984. The following season, Thibodeau became an assistant coach at Harvard. He coached at Harvard for four years before leaving for the NBA.
A native of New Britain, Connecticut, Thibodeau graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and a master’s in counseling from Salem State College. He lettered in four seasons at Salem State.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/tom_thi....html?nav=page
Bob McAdoo
College - North Carolina
Bob McAdoo starts his 11th season as an assistant coach with the Miami HEAT and his third for Head Coach Stan Van Gundy. He served the previous eight under current HEAT President Pat Riley. As a former MVP in the NBA, McAdoo works primarily with the HEAT big men and has been instrumental in developing their overall skills. He also works on a constant basis with all players to improve their shooting skills, while imparting the wisdom and knowledge derived from a 14-year NBA playing career. McAdoo is in charge of charting the team’s offensive efficiency and focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of opponent’s big men. He also served as the head coach of the HEAT’s Summer League team in 2004.
McAdoo, generally considered the greatest shooting big man in NBA history, enjoyed a storied 14-year playing career in the NBA, which included three consecutive scoring titles from 1973-74 through 1975-76 – making him one of only six NBA players to accomplish the feat. He appeared in five consecutive All-Star games, where he averaged 17.6 points and 6.0 rebounds, as well as being named the NBA MVP in 1975. McAdoo received the game’s greatest honor when he was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. Additionally, McAdoo ranks as the third youngest player in NBA history to reach the 10,000-point plateau, accomplishing the feat at 25 years and 148 days old, topped only by Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady.
Over his career, “Mac” averaged 22.1 points and 9.4 rebounds while connecting on 50.3 percent of his field goal attempts, and has worked with many of the best in the business. In 1982, he was a member of Riley’s first championship team with the Los Angeles Lakers. Former HEAT broadcaster and fellow Hall of Famer Dr. Jack Ramsay was McAdoo’s first coach with Buffalo in 1972. His career also included tours with New York, New Jersey, Boston and Philadelphia. After finishing in 1986 with the 76ers, McAdoo played professionally in Italy (1986-92) where his teams went on to win the Italian Championship three times and the European Championships twice. Individually, he captured MVP honors in both the Italian League and European Championships. Additionally, he appeared in the first McDonald’s Open in 1987, averaging 42 points in losing causes to the Milwaukee Bucks and Russian National team.
McAdoo’s success began early in his career, as he earned the 1972-73 NBA Rookie of the Year award after averaging 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Buffalo Braves. In each of the next three seasons he averaged at least 30 points and 12 rebounds. McAdoo was an All-American at every level of play, starting in high school, and then at Vincennes JC, where he was a member of the JUCO national championship team in 1970. He also received All-America honors while playing at the University of North Carolina, where he helped guide the Tar Heels to a Final Four appearance. McAdoo also played for the United States in the 1971 Pan American Games.
Besides his accomplishments on the court, McAdoo was the basketball technical advisor for the 1993 motion picture “The Air Up There,” starring Kevin Bacon. He also took part in the NBA Legends Tour to South Africa in 1993, which included a goodwill tour with NBA Commissioner David Stern and other players to promote the NBA. For his musical exploits on the alto saxophone, McAdoo was selected as a member of the North Carolina All-State High School band team. Rounding out his high school career, he was also the North Carolina High School high jump champion as a senior, beating former NBA All-Star Bobby Jones with whom McAdoo would later team at UNC and with the Philadelphia 76ers.
McAdoo and his wife, Patrizia, reside in Miami with their children Ross (22), Russell (18), Rasheeda (10), and Ryan (6). McAdoo’s eldest son Robert III (32) lives in North Carolina and his daughter Rita (29) lives in New York.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/bob_mcadoo/index.html
Bill Cartwright
College - San Francisco
Bill Cartwright joined the Nets prior to the 2004-05 campaign after serving as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls for parts of three seasons (12/28/01 - 11/24/03). In 151 games as head coach in Chicago, Cartwright compiled a record of 51-100.
Prior to being named head coach of the Bulls, Cartwright spent six seasons as an assistant coach with Chicago following his hiring on September 3, 1996. As an assistant under Phil Jackson (1996-98), Cartwright helped the Bulls to the 1997 and 1998 NBA World Championships. As an assistant under Tim Floyd (1998-2001), Cartwright instructed the big men on the Bulls' roster, spearheading the development of the centers and power forwards. During his tenure, he helped Elton Brand achieve Rookie of the Year honors in 2000 as the young power forward averaged 20.1 ppg and 10.0 rpg.
As a 7-1, 245-pound center, Cartwright played 15 years in the NBA. During his playing career, Cartwright was tutored by some of the game's best coaches, including Red Holzman, Hubie Brown, Doug Collins, Phil Jackson and George Karl. During his tenure with the Bulls, Cartwright earned the nickname "Teach" for his ability to pass along his knowledge of the game and its players to his teammates. An NBA All-Star (1980), he finished with career averages of 13.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 1.4 apg, shooting .525 from the floor and .771 from the free throw line. In 124 career playoff games, Cartwright averaged 8.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 1.3 apg, shooting .482 from the floor and .725 from the free throw line.
On June 27, 1988, Chicago obtained Cartwright from the New York Knicks in exchange for Charles Oakley, a trade that propelled the Bulls to their first three NBA World Championships. Cartwright appeared in 397 games with the Bulls, averaging 9.2 ppg and 5.5 rpg, shooting .475 from the floor and .735 from the free throw line.
Drafted by the Knicks in the first round (3rd overall) of the 1979 NBA Draft, Cartwright played his first eight seasons in New York, averaging 16.8 ppg and 7.1 rpg, shooting .552 from the floor. As a rookie, Cartwright averaged careerhighs of 21.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg, shooting .554 from the floor. He earned NBA All-Rookie Team honors and was named to the 1980 NBA Eastern Conference All-Star team.
In four seasons at the University of San Francisco, Cartwright graduated as the Dons all-time leading scorer, averaging 19.1 ppg and 10.2 rpg, shooting .589 from the floor. A three-time All-American and three-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year, he was recently named one of the WCC's 50 Greatest Student-Athletes of All- Time. In 1994, Cartwright earned his master's degree in organizational development and human resources from San Francisco.
Bill and his wife, Sheri, have four children, Justin, Jason, James and Kristin.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/bill_ca....html?nav=page
Herb Williams
College - Ohio State
Herb Williams has seen it, and lived it, and he knows what New York is like when the Knicks are at their best.
And he knows how anxious the fans are to have it happen again.
“I definitely get the sense that they’re hungry for a winner,” says the 48-year-old Williams, who has become synonymous with the Knicks as player and coach for a decade-and-a-half. “And not only that, moreso than anything else, they want to see us going in the right direction, which they haven’t had for the last couple of years.
“I think if we’re going in the right direction, if we’re going out there and we’re playing hard every night, I think they can live with that. And I think if we can do that, it’s going to be a pretty good season. But that has to be every night, it can’t be every other night; or do it for three or four nights and then take a night off. It has to be every single night.”
The senior member of New York’s on-the-bench coaching staff, Williams is currently in his fifth full season (sixth season overall) on the Knicks’ bench. Following nearly two decades as one of the game’s most respected players, Herb joined the Knickerbockers’ staff as an assistant coach on Dec. 29, 2001.
Since then, the popular Williams has become every bit as renowned as a coach as he was as a player. It’s something he couldn’t have imagined even a few years ago.
“I didn’t, but I was hoping that would happen, because it’s (coaching) something that I really enjoy doing,” says Herb. “I was hoping it would get to that point.”
Included in Williams’ coaching tenure is an overall mark of 17-27 as Knicks head coach. Succeeding Lenny Wilkens as Knicks headmaster on Jan. 22, 2005, Herb piloted New York for the remainder of the 2004-05 season, going 16-27. He also notched a 120-110 win over Orlando as interim coach on Jan. 14, 2004, prior to Wilkens’ formal arrival.
Williams has also served as head coach of the Knicks’ entries in the 2003 Reebok Boston Summer Pro League and the 2004 LA Summer Pro League in Long Beach. As an assistant coach, he has served under head coaches Don Chaney, Wilkens, Larry Brown and now Isiah Thomas. He assumed the reins of the Knicks for the final five games of the 2005-06 season, during Brown’s illness.
“Herb brings us a great deal of knowledge and experience, not only playing in this League but, having been an assistant coach, a good understanding of how offenses and defenses work,” says Thomas, the Knicks’ President, Basketball Operations and Head Coach. “But more important, when he was playing, he was a good defender down on the low post. And if you’re going to excel in this league and move forward, your low-post bigs are going to have to understand how to defend, and more important, how to compete from that position. Herb is a hard worker, and brings that type of knowledge to us.”
During his playing tenure, Williams was a force in New York’s locker room as a leader with assests that only a wily veteran could posess. For three seasons (1996-97 through 1998-99), he served as Knicks tri-captain. His knowledge and leadership qualities made him a natural for his new career.
Williams’ coaching tenure follows a distinguished playing career that spanned 18 seasons (1981-82 through 1998-99), just three shy of Robert Parish’s all-time NBA record of 21. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Herb is one of only eight players in NBA history to appear in a game following his 41st birthday, along with Parish, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Cousy, Nat Hickey, Charles Jones, John Stockton and Kevin Willis.
Indiana’s first-round pick (14th overall) in the 1981 NBA Draft, the 6-foot-11 Williams averaged 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and shot .467 from the field for the Pacers, Mavericks, Raptors and Knicks. He scored 11,944 points in 1,102 career games. Herb played the first 7.5 seasons of his career with Indiana, and is still second in blocked shots (1,094, to Rik Smits’ 1,111) and sixth in total rebounds (4,494) on the Pacers’ all-time franchise lists.
Williams spent virtually all of the final seven years of his playing career as a Knick, and was one of only two players (along with Patrick Ewing) to be a member of both of the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Championship teams of 1994 and 1999. He originally signed with the Knicks as a free agent on Nov. 15, 1992. Williams was part of two separate trades (to Toronto on Feb. 18, 1996 and to Philadelphia on Feb. 19, 1998), but quickly returned to the Big Apple just days after both.
As a Knick, Herb became a Garden fan favorite as Ewing’s primary backup in the pivot as well as a guiding force off the court. His final on-court appearance - a scoreless minute in Game Five of The 1999 NBA Finals against San Antonio - made him the oldest Knick ever to appear in a game (41 years, four months, nine days).
Williams averaged 17.6 points and 9.7 rebounds in a four-year college career at Ohio State, and became the first Buckeye in school history to record more than 2,000 career points (2,011).
Born on Feb. 16, 1958 in Columbus, OH, Williams was a recreation major at Ohio State. Herb has two children - Erica (20) and Jabrille (14) - and lives in Stamford, CT. Off the court, Herb served as an honorary captain for the 2004 national Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/herb_wi....html?nav=page
Mark Aguirre
College - DePaul
To get a sense of Mark Aguirre’s style as a coach, just remember Mark Aguirre’s style as a player.
“Very hard, tough basketball is what I like,” says the three-time NBA All-Star. “I like everything to be a totally exhausting type of basketball. I want guys to play extremely hard every second of the game. That’s how I like to see basketball played. And then, you learn how to play after that. I have no problem with making guys play hard.”
Following a stellar playing career as a two-time World Champion and one of the game’s most prolific scorers of the 1980s, Aguirre continues to build on an impressive coaching resume.
Mark is currently in his fourth season with the Knickerbockers (third full campaign) and his fifth season overall as an NBA assistant coach. He joined the Knicks’ staff on Jan. 16, 2004, and his hard-nosed attitude has made him a natural for the demands of basketball on the world’s biggest stage.
“You don’t know how bad I want to win in New York,” says Aguirre, 46. “I don’t think I’ve ever been around a city this well educated on what basketball really is. Detroit is great, but when I came to New York, these (fans) know your plays, they know what you’re trying to do, they know who’s effective and how they’re effective. It’s phenomenal that they know it, they really know it. I love it. I want to win here so bad it just eats at me.”
Aguirre, who served as head coach for the Knicks’ squad at the 2005 and 2006 Summer League in Las Vegas, came to New York after two seasons with the Indiana Pacers. In 2001-02, he served as a Pacers special assistant. The following year, he was promoted to assistant coach. Aguirre’s post-playing NBA career began in 1996-97 as director of player development for the Dallas Mavericks.
Aguirre’s basketball career has been influenced by some of the game’s greatest coaches.
“Offensively, I would say for my personal play, Ray Meyer probably had the biggest impact on me,” says Mark. “I think I had my offensive game in college already and I just brought it into the pros, so he had the biggest impact.
“So far as understanding what it takes in order to win and being in the scheme of winning offensively and defensively, I think Chuck Daly might have had the biggest impact on me. Understanding not just basketball, but what type of philosophy he’s trying to get through and how we’re trying to win, I think he had the biggest influence.”
Aguirre averaged 20.0 points over a standout 13-year playing career with the Dallas Mavericks (1981-82 through 1988-89), Detroit Pistons (1988-89 through 1992-93) and Los Angeles Clippers (1993-94). An NBA All-Star with the Mavericks in 1984, 1987 and 1988, he entered the 2006-07 season in 46th place on the League’s all-time scoring list with 18,458 points.
In 1983-84, Aguirre averaged 29.5 points per game (second in the NBA to Adrian Dantley’s 30.6) on 2,330 total points, both Maverick single-season records that still stand. He owns three of the top four single-season point totals in Dallas history. Aguirre’s 13,930 career points as a Maverick are second only to Rolando Blackman’s 16,643 on the all-time franchise list.
Traded to Detroit on Feb. 15, 1989 for Adrian Dantley and a first-round draft pick, Mark was a key member of the Pistons’ back-to-back World Championship teams of 1989 and 1990. He started all four games (7.5 points) of the Pistons’ four-game sweep of the Lakers in the 1989 Finals. The following year, he put up 9.6 points in Detroit’s five-game Finals win over Portland, including 18 points off the bench in the Pistons’ come-from-behind Game One win.
Aguirre teamed with Isiah Thomas as a player in Detroit and as a coach in Indiana. In 2006-07, the pair will unite again in the Knicks bench.
“When you talk about Mark, there’s no way we would have won two championships in Detroit if Mark Aguirre’s not on that team,” says Thomas, the Knicks’ president, basketball operations and head coach. “He’s had great success playing and scoring the ball in this league, and he understands how to transfer that to the players in terms of leverage, post technique, the thinking and mentality of offensive play underneath the basket. His background comes from a Ray Meyer, a Dick Motta, so his philosophy and his way of thinking the game is very similar to mine. He’s a hard-working coach, and we grew up in the same neighborhood and came from the same places.”
“I’m in a big comfort zone, because I know exactly what we’re trying to do as a unit, and we know what we want to see,” says Aguirre of Thomas. “So when I look at it, I know I’m looking at it through his eyes, and he’s looking at it though my eyes. We’re looking for the same things, and then I can look for some mistakes because I know what he’s looking for. So that’s going to be good for me, I’m pretty much embedded in the same things he is.”
A college standout at DePaul, the Chicago native averaged 24.5 points over three seasons with the Blue Demons. Aguirre was The Sporting News’ 1981 College Player of the Year, the 1980 Naismith Award winner, and a two-time member of The Sporting News’ All-America first team. As a freshman in 1978-79, he averaged 24.0 points and led the Blue Demons to the NCAA Final Four, where they lost to Larry Bird-led Indiana State.
Entering the 1981 NBA Draft following his junior year, Mark was the Draft’s first overall pick (by Dallas). He was also selected to play on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team that did not compete in the Moscow Games.
From 1999-2001, Aguirre was chairman and CEO of Life Cast, the largest provider of on-line services to private country clubs.
Born on Dec. 10, 1959 in Chicago, Mark and his wife Angela have four children and make their off-season home in Dallas.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/mark_ag....html?nav=page
Marc Iavaroni
College - Virginia
A 14-year veteran of the NBA as a player or coach, Marc Iavaroni joined the Suns coaching staff in 2002.
Previously he served as assistant coach/director of player development with Pat Riley from 1999-2002. Iavaroni's responsibilities consisted of all general duties of an assistant coach plus the direct responsibility of developing Heat players year round. Prior to that he was an assistant coach under Cleveland Head Coach Mike Fratello for two seasons (1997-1999), concentrating his efforts on big man development.
Iavaroni owes much of his teaching expertise to his 20-year association as a student and instructor under Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell.
A seven-year NBA veteran from 1982-1989, Iavaroni played for Philadelphia, San Antonio and Utah. He was a starter as a rookie on the 76ers’ 1983 World Championship team, voted one of the 10 best NBA teams of all-time. In 1984-85 he played for San Antonio and then-head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons before completing his final three seasons with the Jazz, who won the Midwest Division in 1989.
Iavaroni concluded his professional career alongside current Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni in Milan before retiring in 1991. avaroni played professionally overseas for five seasons in Italy and Spain including three seasons after his college career and two seasons following his NBA career.
His coaching career began as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, University of Virginia, helping the Cavaliers to their first Final Four in 1981. Following his professional playing career, Iavaroni was an assistant coach at Bowling Green State University for two seasons from 1992-94.
As a collegian, Iavaroni had a successful stint at University of Virginia, where he was a four-year starter and finished in 1978 ranked in Virginia's top 10 in career scoring and rebounding. He gained first-team All-Tournament honors on Virginia's 1976 ACC Tournament championship team, an accomplishment still among his most satisfying playing achievements.
Born in Jamaica, New York, Iavaroni and his wife Caroline are the parents of three teenage sons, Kenton, McCray and Jackson.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/marc_ia....html?nav=page
Michael Cooper
College - New Mexico '78
Michael Cooper, who previously coached the team to two WNBA Championships, is returning to the helm of the Los Angeles Sparks, the team announced. Cooper replaces Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, who has been and will continue to be the head coach of the Tokyo Apache in the Japanese BJ league.
“We are delighted to have Michael coming back to a place where he has enjoyed so much success,” said Sparks’ co-owner Carla Christofferson. “The Sparks are very excited about the 2007 season and we are looking forward to contending for the WNBA title under Michael’s direction.”
“We were Sparks’ fans and very impressed with the way Michael coached the team to those championships,” added co-owner Kathy Goodman. “It was apparent that he shared our enthusiasm and love of the game and the community.”
“We want to thank Joe Bryant for his coaching contributions to the Sparks, and we wish him great success in his career in the Japanese BJ league,” Christofferson said.
“I am thrilled to be returning home and to have the opportunity to coach a team that provides me with so many fond memories,” Cooper said. “The franchise is starting a new chapter and we want to bring another championship banner to Staples Center.”
After originally joining the Sparks as an assistant coach in 1999, Cooper was named head coach in November of that year. In his first year as head coach, he earned the 2000 WNBA Coach of the Year Award after leading the Sparks to their best record in franchise history (28-4). In four-plus seasons, Cooper guided the Sparks to a 116-31 (.789) regular season record and four playoff appearances. His teams captured back-to-back WNBA Championships in 2001 and ’02 and made the finals three consecutive years.
Cooper joined the staff of the NBA Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach prior to the 2004-05 season. On Dec. 28, 2004, he became the interim head coach but returned to his role as an assistant upon the hiring of George Karl on Jan. 27, 2005.
Most recently, Cooper coached the Albuquerque Thunderbirds to the 2006 NBA Development League title.
A Los Angeles native, Cooper began his coaching career in March 1994, serving as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers under Magic Johnson and later with Del Harris from 1994-97. Prior to his coaching stint with the Lakers, Cooper served as special assistant to General Manager Jerry West for nearly three years.
A 12-year NBA veteran, Cooper was a third-round draft choice (60th overall) by the Lakers in the 1978 NBA Draft after graduating from the University of New Mexico. He earned eight NBA All Defensive Team selections – including five First Team honors – and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. He spent his entire career with the Lakers and was a member of five NBA Championship teams (1980, ’82, ’85, ’87 and ’88).
Retiring after the 1989-90 season, he was ranked among the club’s all-time top 10 in three-point field goals (378), games played (793), total minutes played (21,784), steals (966), blocked shots (487), assists (3,451), defensive rebounds (1,860), offensive rebounds (682) and free throw percentage (.829).
Entering their 11th season, the Sparks are operating under new ownership led by investors Katherine Goodman and Carla Christofferson. The Sparks will open the 2007 season in Chicago when they play the Sky on May 22. The Sparks will take on the Minnesota Lynx for their home opener on June 8 at STAPLES Center. For season ticket information, call (877) 44-SPARKS.
http://www.wnba.com/sparks/news/mich...er_070404.html
Sam Mitchell
College - Mercer
During Sam Mitchell’s 13-year NBA career he was held in high regard around the league as a student of the game. When he finally hung up his sneakers in 2002, he went from student to teacher in his new role as an NBA coach. Following two seasons as an assistant coach, Mitchell was named the sixth head coach in franchise history June 29, 2004.
Although the Raptors finished 33-49 in Mitchell’s first season, the campaign under his direction was highlighted by the implementation of a more up-tempo style of play that saw the team’s points per game average increase by 14.3 over the previous season, the third-highest jump in NBA history. He and his staff also oversaw the maturation of second-year forward Chris Bosh into a potential all-star.
In May of 2004, Mitchell was named the lead assistant coach of the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. He assisted them in player workouts and draft preparation during his brief stay. He spent the prior two seasons on the Milwaukee Bucks’ bench, first assisting George Karl and then Terry Porter. The Bucks qualified for postseason play the past two years with Mitchell as an assistant, running his personal playoff streak as a player and coach to eight consecutive seasons.
During the 2003-04 season, the Bucks finished with a 41-41 mark and Mitchell played a role in the development of Michael Redd into a first-time NBA All-Star. Mitchell’s first NBA season as an assistant coach came in 2002-03 when he worked under George Karl, the 13th all-time winningest coach in league history. The Bucks finished that season with a 42-40 mark.
Mitchell split his playing career between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Indiana Pacers. He appeared in 994 regular season games and 59 postseason contests, missing just 40 games to injury or illness throughout his career. He posted averages of 8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He ranks first all-time in Timberwolves history in games played with 757 and second with 7,161 points, 1,773 free throws made, 2,664 field goals made, 3,030 rebounds and 449 steals.
Mitchell began his NBA career in 1989 as a free agent with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves. He signed his first NBA contract on Minnesota player personnel director Billy McKinney’s back prior to a summer league game in San Antonio. He played three seasons in Minnesota before being acquired by the Indiana Pacers in September 1992. He returned to Minnesota as a free agent in 1995 where he played an instrumental role in the on-and off-court development of 18-year-old rookie Kevin Garnett, who became the first player in 20 years to be drafted directly out of high school. Garnett has gone on to be a seven-time all-star and is the league’s reigning MVP.
Mitchell was drafted in the third round (54th overall) by the Houston Rockets in the 1985 NBA Draft. Before entering the NBA, Mitchell played in the Continental Basketball Association for three seasons where he helped the Rapid City (S.D.) Thrillers to a championship and also in France’s top professional league for two seasons (1987-89).
The all-time leading scorer at Mercer University with 1,986 points, Mitchell was the Trans-America Athletic Conference (TAAC) Player of the Year as a senior and a two-time All-TAAC First Team selection. He led Mercer to the TAAC championship and an NCAA tournament berth in 1985. He was also tabbed the most valuable player of the annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament predraft camp in 1985.
Mitchell was born September 2, 1963. He and his wife, Anita, have four children: Morgann and Maya, and twins Rhagan and Rhana. He has been active in numerous charitable efforts through the years, particularly Special Olympics.
http://www.nba.com/coachfile/sam_mit....html?nav=page
Good lookin' out! Thanks for keeping me straight on both counts.
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