It’s been five years since UConn fired head coach Kevin Ollie and this year he’s expressed a lot of interest in getting his first NBA coaching job. Today, he finally got one.
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday that Ollie has been hired as an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets. It will be his first coaching job since 2018 and first-ever NBA job since he retired in 2010.
Ollie enjoyed six seasons as head coach at his alma mater UConn, succeeding Jim Calhoun in 2012 and leading the Huskies to a national title in his second year at the helm. He went 127-79 with 97 of those wins coming in his first four seasons.
Basketball fans believe the Nets knocked this hire out of the park. Just about everyone is praising them for making a tremendous hire.
That’s a great hire! https://t.co/AzHXJ6Krfz
— OMERTÀ (@_angu5) June 3, 2023
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LETS GOOO https://t.co/7puvbSa10F
— Elijah Taylor (@ElijahRTaylor) June 3, 2023
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HUGEEEEEEE!!!!!!! https://t.co/kpgGfOCqpd
— Sh!T_Nets_Fans_Say (@BKN_Says) June 3, 2023
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As a player, Kevin Ollie enjoyed over 15 years in the NBA, playing 15 stints with 12 different NBA teams. Ollie played over 700 regular and postseason games combined, starting 100.
But Ollie really started to stand out as a mentor to young players late in his career. Kevin Durant has credited Ollie’s leadership to helping with his early development on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Will this job with the Nets be the catalyst to Ollie getting another head coaching job in the near future?