| | PHILADELPHIA -- Former New Jersey Nets coach John Calipari
was chosen as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, the
team announced Friday.
Calipari will join assistants Maurice Cheeks, John Kuester and
Randy Ayers under coach Larry Brown.
"Coach Brown has been a mentor and friend for a long time,"
Calipari said in a statement released by the team. "This is an
excellent opportunity for me to help the 76ers and to grow as a
coach."
Calipari, who helped turn the University of Massachusetts into a
national power as a college coach, was hired by the Nets on June 7,
1996, taking over one of the league's worst teams. The Nets went
30-52 the previous two seasons under Butch Beard.
A protege of Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino, Calipari was
given the power to change the Nets from a perennial loser into a
winner, and made some progress. But following the NBA lockout, the
Nets failed to rediscover the chemistry that made them one of the
most exciting young teams in the league two seasons ago.
In two-plus seasons as Nets coach, Calipari had a record of
72-112. His 1997-98 team made the playoffs but was swept by the
eventual champion Chicago Bulls in the first round.
Calipari is a native of Moon, Pa., and played collegiately at
North Carolina-Wilmington and Clarion.
In other personnel news, the 76ers promoted Tony DiLeo to
director of player personnel. DiLeo, the team's director of
scouting for the past five years, replaces Kevin O'Connor, who left
the 76ers for the Utah Jazz.
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