Em-City
07-28-2012, 10:17 AM
ORLANDO –When the Orlando Magic were interviewing candidates to become the team’s next general manager more than a month ago, Jacque Vaughn’s name repeatedly kept surfacing as a potential next head coach.
Rob Hennigan ultimately was named the general manager, and he followed through on Saturday by naming Vaughn – considered by many to be the brightest, most promising young coaching mind in the business – as the Magic’s new head coach.
Vaughn, 37, spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. He was also a member of the Spurs 200607 NBA World Championship team, and was in San Antonio for two seasons while Hennigan worked there. During Vaughn’s two seasons on San Antonio’s coaching staff, the Spurs compiled a regular season record of 111-37 (.750).
Vaughn, a first-time head coach, was among a group of finalists that included Michael Curry and Lindsey Hunter. Hennigan said that in Vaughn the Magic hired a dynamic personality and cagy strategist with a promising future as the team’s next leader.
``We are beyond excited to name Jacque Vaughn as our head coach,’’ Hennigan said in a release. ``As we navigated through our coaching search, we quickly saw that Jacque’s spirit and leadership strengths made him the clear choice. We are confident that his diligence, attention to detail and communication style will help establish the bedrock of our culture moving forward. His commitment and passion to building a sustainable program will help steer our organization for years to come.’’
Vaughn will meet the Orlando media on Monday at 2 p.m. The news conference from the Amway Center will be streamed live on orlandomagic.com.
Vaughn is the 10th head coach in Magic history. He follows Stan Van Gundy, who was relieved of duties on May 21. He helped the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals and the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. He also got the Magic to the playoffs five straight seasons, and the Magic’s streak of six consecutive playoff appearances is the longest in the Eastern Conference.
Vaughn spent 12 seasons in the NBA as a player. A first-round pick in 1997, he played for Utah, Atlanta, Orlando, New Jersey and San Antonio. He averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 assists, but was known primarily for his heady play, leadership and communication skills.
Vaughn played 80 games with the Magic during the 2002-03 season, averaging 5.9 points, 2.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game. Vaughn played for then-Magic coach Doc Rivers, who repeatedly said that he thought Vaughn would someday make a fine head coach because of his basketball smarts, charisma and communication skills with players of various skill levels.
Vaughn is considered one of the best players in Kansas University history and ranks first all-time in school history in career assists (804). He was a two-time All-American, the Big Eight Player of the Year in 1996 and the Newcomer of the Year in 1994.
http://www.nba.com/magic/news/denton...d-magics-coach (http://beat-box.com/?url=http://www.nba.com/magic/news/denton-vaughn-named-magics-coach)
Rob Hennigan ultimately was named the general manager, and he followed through on Saturday by naming Vaughn – considered by many to be the brightest, most promising young coaching mind in the business – as the Magic’s new head coach.
Vaughn, 37, spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. He was also a member of the Spurs 200607 NBA World Championship team, and was in San Antonio for two seasons while Hennigan worked there. During Vaughn’s two seasons on San Antonio’s coaching staff, the Spurs compiled a regular season record of 111-37 (.750).
Vaughn, a first-time head coach, was among a group of finalists that included Michael Curry and Lindsey Hunter. Hennigan said that in Vaughn the Magic hired a dynamic personality and cagy strategist with a promising future as the team’s next leader.
``We are beyond excited to name Jacque Vaughn as our head coach,’’ Hennigan said in a release. ``As we navigated through our coaching search, we quickly saw that Jacque’s spirit and leadership strengths made him the clear choice. We are confident that his diligence, attention to detail and communication style will help establish the bedrock of our culture moving forward. His commitment and passion to building a sustainable program will help steer our organization for years to come.’’
Vaughn will meet the Orlando media on Monday at 2 p.m. The news conference from the Amway Center will be streamed live on orlandomagic.com.
Vaughn is the 10th head coach in Magic history. He follows Stan Van Gundy, who was relieved of duties on May 21. He helped the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals and the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. He also got the Magic to the playoffs five straight seasons, and the Magic’s streak of six consecutive playoff appearances is the longest in the Eastern Conference.
Vaughn spent 12 seasons in the NBA as a player. A first-round pick in 1997, he played for Utah, Atlanta, Orlando, New Jersey and San Antonio. He averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 assists, but was known primarily for his heady play, leadership and communication skills.
Vaughn played 80 games with the Magic during the 2002-03 season, averaging 5.9 points, 2.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game. Vaughn played for then-Magic coach Doc Rivers, who repeatedly said that he thought Vaughn would someday make a fine head coach because of his basketball smarts, charisma and communication skills with players of various skill levels.
Vaughn is considered one of the best players in Kansas University history and ranks first all-time in school history in career assists (804). He was a two-time All-American, the Big Eight Player of the Year in 1996 and the Newcomer of the Year in 1994.
http://www.nba.com/magic/news/denton...d-magics-coach (http://beat-box.com/?url=http://www.nba.com/magic/news/denton-vaughn-named-magics-coach)