Former KU Jayhawks guard Jacque Vaughn named head coach of NBA’s Brooklyn Nets
Former University of Kansas basketball standout Jacque Vaughn has been named head coach of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.
“Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said Wednesday in a news release announcing the hire.
“He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball.”
Vaughn was named acting head coach on Nov. 1 following the firing of Steve Nash. Vaughn led the team to a 2-2 record through four games.
Vaughn’s promotion from assistant to head coach comes with a contract through the 2023-24 season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Vaughn served as the team’s head coach for 10 regular-season games during the 2019-20 season. The Nets were 7-3 in those games. This is his seventh season with the Nets.
“JV is a great coach,” Nets guard Joe Harris told ESPN.com before Wednesday’s announcement. “Having played in the NBA for a while, been a coach in the league for a while, having experience as a head coach, having a lot of experience now as an assistant, he’s seen a lot, had a lot of different experiences, he’s kind of fine-tuned what his approach is.”
Vaughn previously spent two seasons (2012-15) as head coach of the NBA’s Orlando Magic and was a pro scout for one season (2015-16) and assistant coach for two seasons (2010-12) with the San Antonio Spurs.
Before beginning his coaching career, the Los Angeles native played 12 seasons in the NBA. He was selected with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz.
In 776 career games with the Jazz (1997-2001), Hawks (2001-02, 2003-04), Magic (2002-03), Nets (2004-06) and Spurs (2006-09), Vaughn averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 assists in 16.3 minutes per game. He made nine playoff appearances in his 12 NBA seasons and was a member of the 2007 NBA champion Spurs.
Vaughn was a two-time consensus second-team All-America at KU. He was the 1996 Big Eight Player of the Year and a two-time Academic All-American. Vaughn’s jersey (No. 11) was retired by the Jayhawks in 2002.
